Fool doesn't even look like a real word anymore, thats how much I typed it. Jesus.
First, some background: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (or Gyakuten Saiban in Japan, roughly translated as "Turnabout Trial"), was originally released on October 11th, 2001 for the GBA in Japan. We got the Nintendo DS remake around September 15th, 2005. It is a murder mystery (or a whodunit?) game that involves using more logic than you would ever need to know, changing your perspective, then agressively pointing your finger at someone and screaming "OBJECTION" at the top of your lungs.
It was a great time to be a kid all those years ago... Wait.
The first game was followed by Justice for All and Trials and Tribulations, had a spinoff game based on one of the prosecutors girls fangirl about, and had one additional game based on a different lawyer, who continues the saga of barely getting out of court cases with his badge intact.
Unfortunately, I never actually had a chance to play any of those, as my start was in my sophmore year of High School, where in the middle of genetics class, my friend bust out his DS and started playing T&T, working on that one case where possession is involved and the demon in question has to be exorcised. You know the one. That clusterfuck of a case. Now, not knowing jack all about the series, I watched as my friend gave me the heads up about the case and played along. I'm pretty sure some time after that, I went on an Ace Attorney binge and watched the first three games whenever I was on a computer.
Cue another few years. Dual Destinies is out! Whoop. I didn't care much at first. Then a certain somebody started talking about the Ace Attorney series (thank you based Waddler), Dual Destinies game up, he pointed out the price...
I bought it. I actually bought my first Ace Attorney game.
OKAY ENOUGH BACKGROUND TIME TO PUT DOWN SOME INFO ON THIS GOOD GAME
"Spiky hair, check. Idiot hairs, check. Who the hell are these other chucklefucks, though?" ~Me
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Dual Destinies came out on October 24th, 2013, much to many people's delight. It continues a year or so after the events of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney transpired. Phoenix gets his Attorney's Badge back after a certain twat caused him to fuck up and lose it. The Dark Age of the Law is upon them. Lawyers and Prosecutors alike forge evidence. The end justifies the means. The events that started many, many more years go in DL-6 (Case 4 in Ace Attorney) spiral out and becomes more widespread. Truth no longer matters: you either win or you lose, much to the dismay of those being tried. People have lost hope in the Judicial System, as news of a Prosecutor who murdered someone spread.
To help turn things around, Phoenix hires another person to his ever-growing color wheel of attorneys Athena Cykes, who got her badge at the tender age of 18 and uses Analytical Psychology in the courtroom. Also returning is Mr. Demon Lawyer Mr. "I must spike my hair EVERY DAY" Apollo Justice, whose debut in the courtroom wasn't exactly pleasant and he has an ego the size of the sun. And its up to the trio to help restore faith to the Judicial System!
Returning mechanics from previous games are the Psyche-Locks that showed up in Justice For All, where you present evidence to break the locks on people's secrets (now without penalties!) and Perception from Apollo Justice, where you have to spot certain "tells" or nervous tics that give away the lies people are holding back. A new mechanic is the Mood Matrix, where you essentially have to watch the testimony on a screen that shows the four emotions: Happiness, Anger, Sadness, and Shock. Anything that seems out of place, you have to pinpoint it out and help the client get the truth out there.
An example of the Mood Matrix in action is, say, Ms. Baker's up on the witness stand. She's scared out of her wits, her words are jumbled mess. Out comes Athena with Widget and the Mood Matrix, and pictures show up on the screen! Ms. Baker testifies, "And then I saw my husband, dead!" Shock lights up like a yellow police siren, but Sadness? Nothing. Then you pinpoint that out because that's certainly off, right? You'd be sad if your husband died, right? Wait, a majority of you are men, nevermind... Unless you roll that way. :P
That's just the most basic application of Mood Matrix, though. It certainly gets a lot more complex, but I can't go spoiling everything, can I?
Anyway, Dual Destinies is a pleasant return of the Ace Attorney series, bringing back all the favorite themes and finger pointing with a twist. Its friendly to both newbies and veterans alike. The graphics and soundtrack are goddamn amazing. Everything seems to be more lively than before. A new prosecutor is a mainstay! Court Record's all there to review and go wonder "HMMM SHOULD I USE THIS OR THIS?"
It is, however, a bit... too easy. Its easy to savescum when you're an absolute perfectionist. Important thing that you probably remember? The game's gonna do a flashback. Hell, they even have a notes section in the Court Record just in case you forgot something! It will hammer the most important points of cases right into your skull. Sure, you'll fuck up anyway, but Dual Destinies is the overprotective mom that wraps her kids in bubble wrap compared to Ace Attorney, who just laughs and watches his kid go down a cliff. (Seriously, who came up with that five strikes system? CAPCOOOM!!!!!)
All in all, though, if you had to start an Ace Attorney game for the first time, I would go with Dual Destinies, as it'll help out and teach you the basics and give you more hints than any other game in the series. You want more twists? Hello there, Destinies! How about DLC? Okay, I haven't played the DLC.
Oh wait, did I mention the game has ANIME CUTSCENES? Yeah, they have those.
I give this game a solid 9/10. Pretty good game, sometimes comes off as too easy, but its enjoyable enough as it is.
Now go out there and fucking scream Objection at your 3DS! Its only 30 dollars on the eShop!
Once I get my cable split for my headset, I'll give you guys a taste of my own objection. A very awkward one.
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