well, I've finally finished Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies. It was an awesome game that usually stayed true to the series, but I did have some conflicts with it. Just read and find out my opinion on it! Also, there may be spoilers, so be careful and don't read this if you haven't played the entire game yet.
Part 1: The story
This story takes place a full year after the events of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Phoenix has been absent from the defense for about 8 years, and due to recent events in the courtroom, Phoenix has been "reborn" as the legendary attorney for the soul purpose of correcting the dark ages of the law that was brought on by Phoenix's disbarment and the arrest of a prosecutor on the charges of murder (not godot). He recruits the likes of Athena Cykes, a young defense attorney whose ears are so acute to detecting human emotions that she's a wiz at analytical psychology, which she uses to pin unusual emotions in witness testimony. Apollo is also back, but is broken up over the murder of a close friend of his, which later drives him to take a leave of absence and investigate for himself. Basically the whole story is about overcoming tough circumstances and believing in your colleagues.
Part 2: The Gameplay
The game stays true to the series when it comes to game mechanics with minor changes. The cross examination element is still there (as if they would remove it!) but with a new consult feature which allows you to consult your partner after you've taken enough damage to see which statement is suspicious, though they won't tell you which piece of evidence the statement contradicts. Many beloved abilities like Phoenix's magatama and Apollo's bracelet are back, but aren't used as much as I would have liked them to. Apollo's percieve ability remains relatively the same as it was in
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, but the major change is in Phoenix's magatama and the psyche lock breaking. It may not have mattered to many players, but I found it rather upsetting. They took off the penalty bar! For me, this kind of diminished the amount of challenge I had gotten from the old trilogy. But it didn't put a damper on it too much as the ability was used only two times anyways. (not counting the DLC case that I haven't played.)
Aside from Apollo's bracelet and Phoenix's magatama, the new lawyer Athena Cykes has brought something new to the table in the form of the Mood Matrix. Despite it's stupid name, the Mood Matrix proved to be quite challenging and fun to use. The basic concept is that using Athena's special hearing, you can compare the witnesses testimony to the sound of they're heart's true feelings. If a piece of the testimony contradicts an emotion, you need only point it out. But that's not the only new mechanic in the game. There's this new thing that's used around the climax of each trial called the Thought Route. It basically gets you inside the thinking process of Phoenix, Apollo, and Athena while they figure out what the contradictions means. In a way, it kind of reminded me of Edgeworth's logic from Ace Attorney Investigations in that you take pieces of information that's been acquired and put it all together to come up with a conclusion which ultimately turns the whole case on it's head, pretty exciting eh?
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, but the major change is in Phoenix's magatama and the psyche lock breaking. It may not have mattered to many players, but I found it rather upsetting. They took off the penalty bar! For me, this kind of diminished the amount of challenge I had gotten from the old trilogy. But it didn't put a damper on it too much as the ability was used only two times anyways. (not counting the DLC case that I haven't played.)
Aside from Apollo's bracelet and Phoenix's magatama, the new lawyer Athena Cykes has brought something new to the table in the form of the Mood Matrix. Despite it's stupid name, the Mood Matrix proved to be quite challenging and fun to use. The basic concept is that using Athena's special hearing, you can compare the witnesses testimony to the sound of they're heart's true feelings. If a piece of the testimony contradicts an emotion, you need only point it out. But that's not the only new mechanic in the game. There's this new thing that's used around the climax of each trial called the Thought Route. It basically gets you inside the thinking process of Phoenix, Apollo, and Athena while they figure out what the contradictions means. In a way, it kind of reminded me of Edgeworth's logic from Ace Attorney Investigations in that you take pieces of information that's been acquired and put it all together to come up with a conclusion which ultimately turns the whole case on it's head, pretty exciting eh?
My overall rating
Aside from the minor flaws, this game is one of my favorites in the series. With it's blend of classic gameplay elements and new stuff to keep things interesting, awesome storyline, and the big twist at the end that literally made my jaw drop. This entry in the series gets 5/5 stars! Anybody who reads this, GIVE CAPCOM YOUR MONEY!