In preparation for the latest Ace Attorney game, Miles Edgeworth: Perfect Prosecutor, I decided to run through the entire Ace Attorney series to date. Each title has its own particular charm, but each one carries with it the black mark of the series. In true adventure game style, the evidence presented to motivate a story line can often be completely left of the topic at hand, even if you have carefully examined witness testimonies and statements.  The new Ace Attorney Investigations branch of the series may finally address this issue and some of my pet peeves with overall presentation. 

Each installment has attempted to resolve some issue with the previous titles, but as Phoenix's Psy-lock ability proves, not every advancement is necessary, appreciated, or well executed.

The original Gyakuten Saiban  games, though stylishly re-released on the DS, still retain some of their GBA conventions that are really dated once Apollo Justice appears. The slow first-person panning and limited examination becomes a hindrance when you can clearly see the slash or bullet hole in an object. You are forced to endure screen upon screen of frustrating dialogue before those glimpses become accessible, and even longer before the case-making evidence is even accepted as relevant. 

I am not looking for realism in my futuristic lawyer game, but I hope the Miles Edgeworth game gives up its frustrating stranglehold on plot progression. I've felt these games deserve multiple paths, or at least some variation in their evidence order. Having to go from one side of the first-person world to the other through tedious menu selection has often caused me to hit start, save, and go on to something that does not require a ridiculous number of menus to come to one unhelpful statement.  

From the footage I've seen of Perfect Prosecutor, I feel some of my worries about the series stagnation will come to an end. The game appears to abandon the first-person menu selecting in favor of third-person sprites that are reasonably controllable in a pre-rendered space. Being able to move through a crime scene is far more helpful than a crime lab 3D re-creation of the events. Being able to move Miles in front of the painting I want to look at transports me back to the ease of Hotel Dusk's completely explorable game world. 

Being able to see multiple sprites will also alieviate some of the mind-numbing and/or grating  conversations. I've never been a fan of repetitive character animations, and so many times in the Ace Attorney games I have found myself staring off or closing my eyes to avoid a particular animation. During the fourth trial of the first game, I placed a sticky note directly over the witnesses so I did not have to see that old man constantly waking up every time I pressed him on something. His animation was long, annoying, and his final expression was eerie to me. I should not have to witness one animation 30+ times over the course of a game! Especially not in a game that requires me to talk to everyone multiple times. 

I have high hopes for the latest installment, and hope that all my wishing for a Miles Edgeworth-only game will not ruin this experience for me.

The english trailer is a bit hokey, but in just the right way. Of course, what I want most in the world is the ability to get the Miles Edgeworth tea cup.