Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Oh my God. This game just about took over my life. Two years after playing Apollo Justice Ace Attorney we finally get a new installment into the series.

AHHHHHHHHH!

So not only has this game managed to respark my obsession with the Ace Attorney games, it also seems to have sparked my imagination. I've been drawing up a storm and I even wrote FANFICTION. Really bad fanfiction, but fanfiction nonetheless.

I reread the post I made way back in May about the game and it made me smile at how excited I was. Not that anything changed. I'm still excited and the game is over now. LOL.

Onward to the spazz-fest! I'll try to keep it spoiler free.

The first case was exactly what I expected from the Ace Attorney series. The first cases are always just a practice run with an awesome storyline. You won't bust your brain figuring it out but they're not so easy that it leaves veteran players bored. They're great introductions for both people who have never played the games and people who have. Even better is that we get to see Gumshoe -- and another familiar face! -- Maggey Byrd! She has a whole new design this time and she's looking pretty spiffy if I do say so myself.

After playing the first case I came to the conclusion I LOVED playing as Edgeworth and seeing inside his mind. I found it hilarious that where Phoenix and Apollo had a "Court Record" and their respective devices to help them seek out the truth, Edgeworth gets an ORGANIZER and a LOGIC mode. Phoenix, Apollo, I love you but in comparison you really seem a little scatter-brained.

Case 2 -- So what do we get to see in case 2? Bondage Edgeworth. Yesssss!!!

There's a murder on a plane, and Edgeworth gets involved. Of course there's more to it than that, but that's the gist. Instantly we get carried away by a cast of crazy Ace Attorney witnesses/suspects/characters that instantly brought a smile to my face. We don't get introduced to any characters that stay with you throughout the game but this case is anything but boring and it sets up the rest of the game for an awesome plot.

Case 3-- Now here's where the meat is. Why do I say that? Well because...MORE BONDAGE EDGEWORTH, YAY. Ok, no. This is where our "Thief of Truth" comes bouncing into the scene. Kay Faraday.

If I'm going to be completely honest I thought I was going to hate Kay. I was nervous that the creators were just grasping at straws with a "Thief of Truth" (which sounded pretty lame at the time) that just happens to be a girl in a very short skirt. I was pleasantly surprised that I instantly fell in love with her. She definitely has the Maya/Ema/Trucy vibes. All of the series female side-kicks are teenagers with very strong personalities. Usually that would annoy me but the creators make them realistic enough and surprisingly, it doesn't feel like pedophilia. LOL

Not only do we get to meet the sunny personality of Kay, but we also meet Edgeworth's newest rival for the first time. An Interpol Agent Shi-Long Lang and his assistant Shih-na. Oh my god. Let me just say that Agent Lang instantly became one of my favorite characters. I love everything about him. His design, personality, his THEME MUSIC. I just about died. His assistant Shih-na is also an interesting character. Very mysterious, and all that.

So yes, Case 3, The Kidnapped Turnabout, is awesome. New characters pop in, and old ones flutter about throughout the case. One happens to be Ema Skye which just about had me bursting from happiness. I love seeing her develop throughout the series. In the first game she's 16, and by the time she becomes our lead detective in Apollo Justice she's 25. Seeing her grow up is a nice little extra on the side.

Case 4- FLASHBACK CASE. We are taken back in time to Edgeworth's prosecution debut! Wait, what?? We did that before?? No, silly. We were at his first trial. This was supposed to be his first case but everything went awry!

This competes with Case 5 (the final one) as my favorite. Not only do we get to see Edgeworth being adorably nervous and trying so hard to dress to impress but we also get to see 13 year old FRAZISKA VON KARMA. I'd say she was adorable but she'd whip me to pieces.

So why is this case so lovable? Well, besides Detective Badd, who is badass, and a great storyline that I can't say anything about for fear of spoiling, I got so much joy out of this case for the simple reason of the Franny and Edgey interaction. I knew that they thought of each other as siblings...kind of. But seeing them interact really gives you an idea of their relationship. I was hysterical at the banter when you examine the snack machine in the hallway of the court house.

This game not only gave a whole new dimension to Edgeworth, but also to Franziska Von Karma. In the other games they made a point to make a whip wielding bitchy prosecutor. They gave her some nice character development but still managed to make her seem rather...cold. So while poor Edgeworth had to deal with some lashings from her whippity whip we get to see some whole new sides to little Franny.

Okay phew. One more case, and what a case it is.

Case 5, Turnabout Ablaze is.....wow. Just wow. You switch between partnering up with Kay, and Franziska in this one. There's a lot of twists and turns and around the corner are some good lulz. There is so much that happens in this case...and as you reach the end it really explodes.

It's mind-meltingly fantastic. I'm not sure if it tops Justice for All's Farewell, My Turnabout, but man. It's good.

So, is this game a great addition to the series? Yes. Good stand alone game? Eh. I think people new to the series would enjoy it but would miss out on a lot of the humor when characters from the other games come into the scene. The incorporation of being able to move around freely at crime scenes is really nice. It gives a new element to the game that the just pointing and clicking at crime scenes didn't have. I really enjoyed the logic mode which involved tying bits of information to each other. It was nice to be following Edgeworth's train of thought most of the time.

I could go on and on forever. If you can't tell I really positively absolutely enjoyed this game to the fullest and I can't wait for the next release to the series. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long, but I don't think there is any information currently out about the next one.

Will I replay it? Most definitely.

Only downside? LACK OF PHOENIX. D:

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth was a wild ride and I loved it. I hope to see more of Agent Lang in the near future...(Creators please? Just a little??)

Lang Zi says: Till next time!