Review: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney — Spirit of Justice (3DS)

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Wow, my first review for Nintendojo! About time, you may say, but this represents another milestone for me; you see, this was my very first review provided by a review copy! Or should I say review code? Again, wow!

To clarify, I've had plenty of chances to nab review codes via Nintendojo, but most of them were for indie games that never caught my eye. However, being a big fan of Phoenix Wright and the gang, I couldn't help but leap at the opportunity to nab the latest Ace Attorney.

What was interesting about reviewing this game was how it let me peek into the journalism review process: for example, I'm the type of gamer that wants to leave no stone unturned, but with a deadline hanging over me, that wasn't a possibility. Ace Attorney games aren't the most content-filled games out there, but they're quite wordy, so I questioned and pressed characters only when necessary, and I had to rely on the hint system numerous times (once I tried my best to figure things out, naturally!). And as cool as it was to play the game before it came out in NA, playing it so much fooled myself into thinking numerous times it was already out!

Combined with my temporary bookseller position at the local college, and I had an exhaustive week and a half playing Spirit of Justice. Those who've read my Gaming Grunts reviews should notice they were quite smaller than my output here, and the same applies here; there were numerous subjects I did want to go in-depth on, but obviously the overall landscape for published game reviews discourages that.

My point being, the process hammers in why I stick to opinion articles and the like on Nintendojo and GameSkinny: there's far too much time soaked up by it, and it doesn't allow me to elaborate as much as I want to. I think a split balance is the most fair in this situation, yes? And hey, I'm already gearing up to get reviews going this week, so look forward to it!

Where 3DS Can Go From Here (Nintendojo)

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My first Nintendojo article in some time! I'd been meaning to juggle my output for the site alongside my GameSkinny coverage, but outside of some news reports it never came to be...

Regardless, the recent 3DS Direct did have me wondering on how much longer the handheld would hold out for, and that's where this article came from. I really do mean it at the end when I say I don't want it to go away...my favorite handheld system of all time!

(Speaking of the 3DS Direct, it turns out I made a prophetic prediction on Pikmin for Nintendo 3DS just over a month earlier! See the comments for more info.)

Evaluating Localization: In Defense of NOA Treehouse (Nintendojo)

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This is, by far and away, my biggest article for Nintendojo. This has become a real hot topic over the past year and after a certain dust-up on my Twitter not too long ago, I knew I had to write about it. I think what amazes me the most about this whole controversy is that for years and years you had gamers praising NOA Treehouse as one of the best game localization groups in the business, and all it took for them to get vilified was for them to take out some butts. I imagine the presence of a certain hate group (which I won't dignify by name) made it far louder than it should be, but I digress.

Regardless, I'm incredibly proud of what I pulled off here, especially with how I managed to get an actual game translator to pitch in some comments! My friend Masked Man from NeoGAF works in Japan, and although he still won't tell me what he works on (pesky NDAs and all), he's absolutely the real deal. If you're reading this, just know you are the man.

This is a special article, so I'd like it to hog the spotlight instead of being bumped off by a Biweekly Music Wednesday! installment. I have a real penchant for delaying that column, I know, but I already have the next song planned and it'll actually tie into a subject I also recently discussed on Nintendojo! My only hint will be that the column written hasn't included the related series in some time. Definitely look forward to it.

Evaluating "Tone Deafness": Metroid Prime: Federation Forces and Paper Mario: Color Splash (Nintendojo)

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Funny how quickly I wrote this despite being a tough subject. Did my point come across clearly here? While I certainly agree there's some qualities of tone-deafness in these games, I think the worst part is how they were ultimately announced. Did you notice how there was no fanfare for their respective revelations?  

Anyway, sorry things have been a bit slow here. To make up for it, we'll have some fun content this weekend and the coming week. By the way, rumor has it that exciting news I mentioned a few months ago might finally be announced within the coming weeks...

Evaluating Cut Corners in The Wind Waker (Nintendojo)

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It's been a big week for Nintendojo! We've been celebrating Zelda's 30th anniversary all week, so I figured I'd chip in with something of a defense for my favorite game in the series. Rumor has it that you might see this elaborated upon in a certain review...

Not only that, but this isn't the end of my contribution for Nintendojo this week. Expect to see me participate not just in the Weekend Roundtable, but in a certain presentation coming your way soon!

Wishes and Expectations for Pikmin 4 (Nintendojo)

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I am so excited for this game! Can you really believe it's apparently almost finished?!? Not after nine years of waiting, Mr. Miyamoto...

Regardless, I don't even care if it's on Wii U or NX, I just want to play it! Now that it's built from the ground-up on a HD console, I salivate at the thought of how this game will be. Just how corpulent will the Purple Pikmin be this time?

The Best Virtual Console Games of 2015 (Nintendojo)

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EarthBound Beginnings was robbed, I tell you! ROBBED!

Well, okay, not quite. Sure, the digital release of Metroid Prime Trilogy wasn't quite as groundbreaking, but when it comes down to quality, it's no small feat topping those titles. Additionally, it's not easy tracking down the original Wii copy. It's a fair win.

Quite a few N64 games made the list, too. I've been getting nostalgic for that system lately...if only my old cartridges weren't contaminated with graphical glitches, and if only Nintendo stopped applying that nasty dark filter to their VC games. Please take care of your games, everyone!

The Case for Smash NX (Nintendojo)

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My apologies for the delay! I had it finished by the due date, but a sudden influx of Star Wars-related articles/reviews had it pushed to this week.

At any rate...I have to confess: the more I wrote this, the more wrong it felt. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS are such incredible accomplishments in themselves, and yet suddenly everyone's expecting more in the form of an NX port. I mean, there's certainly valid reasons for the idea, but I suspect folks support through the projection of their complaints--be it unsatisfactory Donkey Kong representation or the lack of Ice Climbers-- in the hopes a port will magically fix all their problems.

Whatever happens, I know I will be playing the two latest iterations of Smash for years to come. Thank you, Mr. Sakurai, for your three years of hard work! I wish I possessed your sense of work ethic.

...speaking of Star Wars, I got bit by the media frenzy swarming it. Perhaps that could inspire some future Worldly Weekend columns...?

Nintendo's Adventures in Co-Op (Nintendojo)

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This article was delayed thanks to the Nintendo Direct megatons, but I'm quite proud of it regardless. I went into it thinking "what're the most notable co-op games in Nintendo's history?" and went from there. Tell me: did I make the right choices? At the very least, I'd like to think Zelda: The Wind Waker was a nice curveball.

And yes, I know that's not exactly the correct screenshot for Kirby Super Star, but that was the editor. The DS version is just as good, anyway.

Yes, I hear you all saying "who cares, get back to working on that review, already!" It's a toughie, I'll leave it at that.

Retro Scope: EarthBound Beginnings (Nintendojo)

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I never get the chance to speak about my favorite Nintendo franchise on here, do I? What a shame. An even bigger shame is that I never actually played the first game all the way through until the Wii U release, yikes!

Anyway, I wrote a tribute to it via Nintendojo. As for the blog's version of the review...hmm, let's say December?

Super Mario Maker: How I Learned to Embrace Happy Accidents (Nintendojo)

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Good news! Not only is this my first Nintendojo article in over a month, but it's one of the Super Mario Maker posts I promised! Yay!

...unfortunately, Nintendojo has been afflicted with some sort of adware/hyperlink exploits over the past several weeks, which is why I haven't written anything on there for a while. You may've noticed certain articles were taken down since, and as my article has been infected, I don't know how long it'll stay up. Rest assured, this is not a subliminal message for viagra!

In any case, this was super fun to write! I'm not sure how soon I can whip up another Mario Maker article, as there's many other pieces that take priority. I'm trying my hardest to make sure this fall lives up to my expectations, so on that note, please look forward to my next review very soon!

Retro Scope: Banjo-Kazooie

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While I've replayed both of the original Banjo games recently, I wasn't able to fit them into my review schedule for the blog. Thankfully, Nintendojo's Rare-themed week came just in time, so I figured I'd compromise by writing a Retro Scope for the first game. Perhaps I'll do one in the future for Tooie...? In any case, I once again experimented with my writing here, so I hope you enjoy it.

Things are finally back to normal in my personal life, so I'm aiming to have my next review on here pretty soon!

What's Next For Smash Bros. DLC? (Nintendojo)

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And now for a topic I've discussed a bajillion times before! As opposed to my previous column, I don't discuss what I personally desire for Smash DLC but instead take a more objective analysis of what we'll probably get from hereon.

...man, that King K. Rool Mii Fighter costume is the most hilarious thing. And the Bear Gunner. And Chrom. I now only want to play as Mii Fighters.

In Loving Memory of Satoru Iwata (Nintendojo)

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Nintendojo was kind enough to share the Iwata tribute I wrote last night. It's largely the same barring the flood of pictures and no music.

I said the review would be ready today, but it still doesn't feel real. It could be tomorrow, it could be Thursday. And uh, heh, considering what the game is, it should be no surprise I'd be in no mood to write about it. You'll see what I mean. In any case, this week's Biweekly Music Wednesday! will be dedicated to him.

In the meantime, I'd like to share something I wrote on NeoGAF.

"I just sprung up the courage to read the Iwata Asks for Kirby's Epic Yarn. Is it wrong that I bust out laughing the first time I saw "Iwata: (laughs)"? 

I'll never forget the first time I read this. Kirby means so much to me as a series, and Epic Yarn was the first console Kirby platformer in ten years and I was worried to death it wouldn't live up to my childhood. Yet reading that entire exchange--what with Iwata's teasing over the original character's similarity to Kirby, footage of Hirokazu Ando playing Green Greens on a toy recorder, and how much I just wanted to hug Jun Ishikawa's frown away--had all but melted my fears away.

I happened to start replaying that game very recently and was dreading to revisit it following Iwata's death. It's not a game he personally worked on, but I knew the moment I heard this, I'd be a mess. And I almost was, especially when I got to the part where Kirby attaches himself as a bead to a rising dandelion, swaying back and forth without a care in the world. The face I'd come to associate with innocence channeled Iwata's warmth in that moment, and I almost couldn't bear to let go.

I know he would've wanted us to remember these games with joy, but it's no easy feat. Playing Kirby's Dream Land and Balloon Fight in the wake of all this, however, have provided much comfort, particularly the latter (it's amazing how butter-smooth the game's controls are 30 years later). Best part was when right after I lost a life, I was instantly struck by a bolt of lightning and died again as one of the bird guys just chilled on the ground; it was like Iwata himself saying "stop being sad! Just keep laughing." I was immediately reminded of how much I thoroughly demand a modern sequel. Maybe they should do that as an Iwata tribute."


Leave Luck to Heaven will plug through the rest of Ten Years of Kirby in Iwata's memory.

Retro Scope: Conker's Bad Fur Day (Nintendojo)

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You know, until the site mentioned it, I'd completely forgotten it was Conker's 14th anniversary! What a coincidence.

Believe it or not, part of my game-centric Senior Seminar for college just involved an essay for this game too. Needless to say, my peers were in fits of laughter. In any case, enjoy the read! I'm striving to have the Canvas Curse article up sometime this week, so look forward to it.