Do you have what it takes to get a review published right here on Kotaku? Corey does, as he doesn’t object to that lovely cravat.
Yes, that’s right, we’re now publishing reader reviews here on Kotaku. This is your chance to deliver sensible game purchasing advice to the rest of the Kotaku community.
And thanks to the very kind chaps at Madman Entertainment, purveyor of all kinds of cool, indie and esoteric film, the best reader review we publish each month will win a prize pack containing ten of the latest Madman DVD releases.
This review was submitted by Corey Lee. If you’ve played Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, or just want to ask Corey more about it, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (DS)
The illustrious, anti-hero prosecutor Miles Edgeworth is back and this time ironically as the hero himself. Steering clear of the courtroom unlike past instalments, his adventures unfold in the crime scenes before him as he brings his skills, his facial expressions and that ever-fashionable cravat into a whole new way of investigation.
Loved
Nostalgia: It warms the heart to revisit old faces from the Ace Attorney series again but to see them in new situations, at different stages of life and with alternate outfits makes me feel that I’m finally a part of the group. And not just poking a stylus at them all the time.
Miles Edgeworth: I can’t help but like him. It’d take me five different facial expressions to express how he deserves the leading role. Either that or just say ‘It’s about time you’re allowed to win for once!”
You’re So Beautiful: The game, that is. The locales. Both the static images in testimonies and the pixel character models. It’s all so fluid and smooth and yet somehow manages not to be a jarring attack of bad colour sense on the eyes.
Plot: It’ll rack your brain, get you pumped with excitement, sometimes frustrate you but never leave you bored. Like having a long-term relationship but more consistently entertaining.
Hated
“I must find a contradiction!?”: We know, Miles. Stop telling us. You’ll hear this aspect of gameplay constantly mentioned despite how it ‘contradicts’ with the evidence that most players will usually know how to play this game thanks to prior experience. Or the instruction manual provided.
Logic: Another word you’ll become very familiar with. Some points of the game will leave you wondering why this thing connects with that or why that thing contradicts to this? Sometimes, a trial-and-error approach is more reliable than logic when playing.
Innovative, It Isn’t: Apart from the fact that you’re not in a courtroom anymore and you get control of movement over Edgeworth, you’re still doing the same things. No new ways to gather evidence. Still pressing and presenting evidence to suspects and witnesses like a fishing rod hoping for a bite. Who knew that the life of a prosecutor was just the same as a certain defence attorney really?
Hold ‘Y’ For OBJECTION!: I used this feature on a train once. Repeatedly. People thought I was talking to myself. Needless to say, I’d never use it again.
Sounds the Same: The sound effects were appropriate but I didn’t feel particularly moved by the music this time around. Even at the climax of each criminal confession, my mind was there but my ears never were.
Ultimately, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is a great addition to the series. It brings back everything you’ve missed, a few welcome changes and yet leaves out anything truly revolutionary in terms of gameplay. Still, it’s a spin-off with enough style and substance to hold its own against the Ace Attorney games that came before it.
Reviewed by: Corey Lee
You can have your Reader Review published on Kotaku. Send your review to us at the usual address. Make sure it’s written in the same format as above and in under 500 words – yes, we’ve upped the word limit. We’ll publish the best ones we get and the best of the month will win a Madman DVD prize pack.
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