Ace attorney

Game World

The game takes place in a large city in 2016 and later; for Japanese versions, this is just a city somewhere in Japan, while the North American and European versions are called the scene of action of Los Angeles , California ^[2] . Differences in localization reflect social differences between countries, for example, the location of the driver's seat in cars. In addition, the names of the main characters were adapted for localization: for example, the protagonist of Ryuichi Naruhodo, whose surname is a pun with the Japanese phrase “clear,” and the first name of the kanji is translated as “dragon”, was renamed in the Western versions Phoenix Wright ”, whose name refers to a phoenix rising from the ashes, and whose last name is the homophone for the word“ right ”( eng. Right ) ^[2] .

Characters and Story

Each game has its own plot, but the characters of them and their relationships are transferred from game to game.

In the first three games, the main game character is Phoenix Wright . He is an aspiring lawyer, just graduated from law school at the beginning of the first game and settled to work at Fey & Co. Law Offices , headed by Mia Fei. A few years earlier, Mia had defended Phoenix from prosecution. After Mia was killed, Phoenix, with the help of Mia's younger sister, Mai Fei, heads the company and renames her to Wright & Co. Law Offices . The Fay family is a family of powerful mediums , thanks to which Maya and her cousin Pearl (from the English Pearl - “pearl”) can sometimes summon Mia's spirit to help Phoenix in the courtroom. The main opponent in the court for Wright becomes Attorney Miles Edgeworth. Victories over him (and over his mentor Manfred von Karma) attract the attention of Phoenix to the third prosecutor, Francis von Karma, determined to succeed where her father and “younger brother” failed, as she turns to Edgeworth, although he is older. In the third game, the mysterious prosecutor named Godot, who appears to have some personal scores for him, becomes the main opponent in the court for Phoenix. During the investigation of individual cases, various details of the past of all the characters are gradually revealed, and then their fates are tightly intertwined.

The plot of the fourth game takes place seven years after the completion of the third. Phoenix, deprived of the right to advocate because of the use of falsified evidence (which he did not know), became a pianist and adopted a girl mage named Truce, and renamed the company Wright Talent Agency . He was accused of murder and therefore is looking for a young and talented lawyer Appollo Justice, hires him and invites you to work with him, changing the name of the office now at the Wright Anything Agency . While Appolo and Truce are in charge of business, Phoenix also works in the legal field, trying to make changes that can improve the conduct of the trial, including the introduction of a “jury” system that leaves the decision on guilt or innocence to the six jurors and the investigation of all secrets seven years ago.

According to the chronology between Trials and Tribulations and Apollo Justice , a series of Investigations interquels takes place, in which the main role is assigned to Miles Edgeworth. During and after the trip to Europe, Miles is caught up in a series of incidents that are connected to the big picture and include fake money and fake art objects. Other familiar characters also appear in the games, such as Francis and Dick Gamsha. Other key characters in the series are Kai Faraday, who says that she is the heir to the legendary thief Yatagaras, and Shi-Lon Lahn, an Interpol agent who for some reason does not like prosecutors. One of the cases unfolds in the past and demonstrates mentor Miles and Francis Manfred von Karma and describes Miles' first meeting with Kai and Gamsha.

Court system

The judicial process in Ace Attorney games is strongly influenced by the civil law of the investigative process of Japan, and not by the principle of the adversarial proceedings of common law countries. The gaming magazine has published an article criticizing the Japanese legal system ^[3] . According to this article, in Japan, a formal accusation of a crime occurs only when fully guilty of guilt, many attorneys may never reach the innocent verdict during their entire careers, and prosecutors can use controversial evidence and any discrepancies in their favor ^[3] . On the other hand, a scientific article written by J. Mark Ramseyer of Harvard Law School and Eric B. Rasmussen of Indiana University ^[4] argues that this is due to the fact that the investigative process has been used by judges who have tried cases for years. a verdict that makes the result extremely predictable and, as a result, Japanese prosecutors bring charges only when the chance of conviction approaches an absolute one, which explains why in Japan they are found guilty in 99% of cases, and in the USA this figure is 88%. Moreover, in Japan, a confession is not evidence of guilt, only a confession indicating details that only the perpetrator can know, such as a murder weapon or the method or location of the body, can be considered evidence.

The magazine further reports that a jury trial , which has not been used in the country since 1943, was again introduced in Japan ^[3] . Although in reality it is not so. In Japan, a system of assessors is used, where judges are actively studying the evidence presented by both the defense and the prosecution. At the same time, the game reflects recent changes in the judicial system of Japan. Before the system of assessors was adopted in Japan, in the case of murder proceedings, years passed (or even decades) before their completion. In Ace Attorney games, a person charged with murder is brought to trial, which cannot last longer than 3 days; if the lawyer cannot prove the client’s innocence during this time, the accused will be found guilty and the case will be transferred to a higher court (for the player, this means the end of the game ).

As in the real Japanese system, a case that reached the court is equipped with more than enough evidence of the accused’s guilt and the various prosecutors to the player are fully confident in the outcome of the trial and annoyingly mannered ^[3] . At the same time, lawyers (Phoenix and Appolo) initially look down upon both the prosecutor and the judge, and they have to avoid those who cross-examine witnesses who can lead to a dead end in order to avoid promptly closing the case and finding their client guilty. Likewise, the police, represented in the game by such characters as Dick Gamsha, are depicted enthusiastic, but incompetent in their work, usually to the displeasure of prosecutors ^[3] . Since during the investigation process the judges are “inquisitors” who can study the evidence, the failure of the defense to indicate the meaning of further questioning witnesses leads to the end of the case (and the end of the game).

Mostly Ace Attorney games are quests in which you need to find evidence and present evidence in court. Most of the graphics in the game are made using two - dimensional manga -style sprites with textual dialogs, sound effects and minimal animated scenes to simulate speech. Each game consists of four to five cases, partly connected with each other with sometimes recurring secondary characters or similar elements of crimes. The game can be saved at any time.

Each case is divided into two parts: the investigation and the court session. The investigation includes visits to key locations and conversations with people involved in the case, as well as searching for evidence. In the second and third games, “ psyche- locks” also appear, that is, “locks of the spirit” (Edgeworth calls them “ psycho- locks”, that is, “psychological locks”). During the investigation, a lawyer can find such locks when the witness refuses to talk about something or lies, and then the hero must provide the correct evidence to destroy the mental castle and get information. However, if in the first trilogy the locks were extremely red (deliberately blocking information) and they could be split, presenting evidence or asking the right questions, then in 4 and 5 parts black locks appear (dark secrets of the soul, they hang in the soul), which can be disrupted only by emotions (part 5, in part 4 they were not removed from one of the characters by any means).

Court hearings usually consist of witness testimony consisting of witness statements. The player can cross query to find inconsistencies . To do this, the player can "put pressure" on the witness, specifying details or asking to confirm certain points. Sometimes pressure and the presentation of evidence lead to the emergence of new statements in the testimony, and sometimes to a completely new testimony. This is the only way to move further in the story of the game. In the fourth game, a system of "observation" appears, which becomes active during interrogations. The player can activate this system to look closer at the witness and try to understand his body language when the witness is trying to hide something. In the fifth part, also (in the presence of Athena Sykes at the lawyer's bench), a “psychological therapy session” can be held, during which readings and emotions are displayed. The player using this session finds inconsistencies between words and emotions, with the result that the witness can correct his testimony, the level of truthfulness of which depends on the "noise level in the soul." Each successfully found emotion usually reduces the noise level (an exception was the interrogation of one of the witnesses in case 5, when he manipulated his emotions so much, trying to hide the participation of someone in the incident, that his noise level only grew, making psychological analysis partly useless, but then managed to get the truth by finding a contradiction of evidence evidence). When the noise level reaches 0%, readings are considered complete and accurate.

Since the player is defending in court, the player’s goal is to obtain a “innocent” verdict. In most cases, court sessions last two days, maximum three. Between meetings, the player can once again visit business-related places to find new evidence or information. During the meetings, the player must establish the real killer using the information collected in order to clear the client of any suspicion.

When evidence is presented by a lawyer in court, he points with his finger and shouts: “ Protest !” ( Jap. 異議 あ り! Igi Ari! ) , Which is accompanied by a cloud with this word. Silhouette with pointing finger located on the logo. He and the little clouds are iconic images of the series. If the player presents the wrong evidence, tries to present it at the wrong time or fails in another part of the interrogation, they lose their power for the judge and, if the player makes too many mistakes, the case will be closed ahead of time with the “guilty” verdict and the player will have to reboot. In addition, after the completion of the trial, the player may need to bring evidence that will reveal another part of the story.

In the reimes on DS, the game uses, in addition to the usual controls, a touchscreen and a microphone, which allows the player to shout out key phrases at the right time: “Objection!” (“Protest!”), “Hold it!” (“Stop!”), “ Take that! ”(“ Here to you! ”),“ Gotcha! ”(“ Clear! ”, Phrase by Apollo Justice, Apollo Justice Ace Attorney),“ Got It! ”(“ Understandable! ”, Advocate phrase in Dual Destinies), “Eureka!” (“Eureka!”, The phrase of Miles and Gregory Edgeworth in the Ace Attorney Investigations series) or “は い っ!” (Hai ~! Yes! / Sir! - the phrase of Dun Gyakuten Saiban Ryunosuke Naruhodo) ^[5] , - the ability to select the appropriate action when you click on the buttons ce still remained. The remake of the first game included a specially designed fifth case, which included additional features that allowed the use of DS functions; for example, you can scatter the powder by clicking on the touchscreen to search for prints, then carefully blowing off extra powder into the microphone, or use the DS capabilities for 3D rendering to examine evidence from all sides; many key details can be revealed in this way. The fourth game of the series was first developed immediately for DS without a previous release to GBA and includes some of these elements. The fifth game, as well as the “Professor Leighton vs. Phoenix Wright” spin-off, came out on the Nintendo 3DS, as a result of which the gameplay, in addition to the above features, added room inspection functions from different angles (however, DS in 1 and 4 parts, as well as Investigations, was already a pseudo-three-dimensional inspection of evidence). In WiiWare versions, players could spin the Wii Remote forward when Phoenix shouts "Protest."

In two games, Investigations , also divided into separate cases, the structure of events is not so strongly divided, since all events take place before the official court and usually immediately after the crime was committed, but it is still conditionally divided into two parts. During the first one, the player controls the main character Edgeworth, who travels one room at a time, collecting evidence and talking to witnesses. He learns the key facts that will form the basis of the game logic system. When a player believes that two facts are connected, he can connect them to create a new causal relationship. An error in this action will disrupt Edgeworth's concentration, and too many misses will lead to the end of the game. And then Edgeworth begins the interrogation of witnesses, which is similar in form to the cross-examination in the courtroom in other games.

Professor Leighton v. Phoenix Wright and Dai Gyakuten Saiban introduced such a feature of some historical judicial systems as simultaneous testimony and cross-examination of several witnesses. In such a “simultaneous play session”, one of the options for progress is to find contradictions between the testimony of two witnesses from the group.

Main series

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Initially, the game was released for GBA in 2001, followed by ports in Japanese and English for DS in 2005. The plot represents Phoenix Wright, Miyu and Mayu Fay, as well as Miles Edgeworth and minor characters who will later appear in other games. In the original GBA game, the game contained four cases; An additional fifth case called Rise from the Ashes ( Rise from the Ashes ) was created specifically for the DS version, which also presented additional research techniques based on DS capabilities, such as a microphone and touchscreen . The game was also ported to iPhone and iPod .

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All

The second game was released on GBA in Japan in 2002, and then on DS in 2006 and 2007. The game consists of four cases on all consoles, its action takes place about a year after the end of the first game. Pearl Fay, the cousin of the Fay sisters, and Francis von Karma, the daughter of Manfred von Karma, first appear in her.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations

The third game came out on GBA in Japan in 2004, and ports on DS in English and Japanese in 2007. The game's plot takes place one year after the completion of the previous game and characters from both previous games appear in it. In two cases, the player will control Mia Fei, as they will be held in the past, and part of the last case will have to be managed by Miles Edgeworth. There are five cases in the game.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

The fourth game was released in Japan in April 2007 and in North America on February 19, 2008 ^[6] . This is the first game of the series, which was designed from the very beginning for Nintendo DS . The name in America was chosen as Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney , reflecting the change of the protagonist from Phoenix Wright to Appolo Justice (in the Japanese version - Hosuke Odoroki ( Jap. 王 泥 喜 法 介 Odoroki Ho: Suke ) ). There are four things in the game.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies

The fifth game in the main series (the eighth chronologically) was released for 3DS in Japan in July 2013 and became available in Nintendo eShop for players from most countries of the world in October 2013 ^[7] . The main plot of this game is connected with the new character - Athena Sykes , a recent graduate who joined the law office of Phoenix Wright, who, after a long break, returns to court practice. Initially, 5 cases are available for players to play, however, it is possible to purchase a special episode of Turnabout Reclaimed ^[8] for a fee .

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice

The sixth game in the main series (and the tenth in the total series of Ace Attorney) for the 3DS console was released in Japan on June 9, 2016, and on September 8 of the same year it became available to players from North America and Europe ^[9] . The main events of the game take place in the Far Eastern kingdom of Kurain, where Phoenix Wright and Maya Fay face the local exotic judicial system and new orders, which are watched by a new character for the series - Rafe Padma Kurain. Apollo Justice and Athena Sykes, who remained in Los Angeles and the interim executives of the Agency, at this time also do not sit idle, conducting their own investigation. The game has six full episodes and several short additional scenarios with a non-canonical history.

Series Investigations

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Пятая игра, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, (известная в Японии как Gyakuten Kenji ( яп. 逆転検事 Гякутэн Кэндзи , Turnabout Prosecutor) , а изначально находившаяся под кодовым названием New Gyakuten Not Saiban ( яп. NEW逆転 NOT裁判 НОВЫЙ Гякутэн НЕ Сайбан , "NEW Turnabout, NOT Trial") вышла в Японии 28 мая 2009 года и в Северной Америке в феврале 2010 года. По сюжету события игры происходят после Ace Attorney 3 , игра рассказывает о Майлз Эджворте, его новом помощнике «великом воре» Кай Фарадей и детективе Дик Гамшу. Расследования теперь проходят с использованием вида от третьего лица, тогда как опрос свидетелей/перекрёстный допрос перешли из зала суда на место преступления. В остальном геймплей остался таким же, как и в предыдущих играх.

Gyakuten Kenji 2

Шестая игра, Gyakuten Kenji 2 , вышла в Японии 3 февраля 2011 года. Её действие разворачивается через две недели после Gyakuten Kenji . В геймплей добавлен новый элемент под названием «Логические шахматы», схожий с психологическими замками прошлых игр, за исключением того, что игрок должен выбирать фразы в определенном порядке, а не улики, чтобы продолжать разговор. На данный момент нет планов по изданию игры за пределами Японии ^[10] . Также в игре рассказывается о адвокате Раймонд Шелдз, судье Кристина Кауртней, прокуроре Себастиан Дебесте и отце Майлза Эджворта, Грегорий Эджворт, кроме Майлза Еджворта, Кай Фарадей, и Дик Гамшу.

Спин-оффы

Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney

Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney ( яп. レイトン教授 VS 逆転裁判 Лейтон-кё:дзю VS Гякутэн Сайбан , букв. «Профессор Лейтон vs. Суд с поворотом») — игра-кроссовер между сериями Ace Attorney и Professor Layton ; она разрабатывалась совместно Capcom и Level-5 для Nintendo 3DS . игра описывается как сочетание двух стилей: решения головоломок и расследований преступлений. Сю Такуми, главный сценарист оригинальной Ace Attorney , написал сценарий к этой игре ^[11] .

Dai Gyakuten Saiban

Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken ( яп. 大逆転裁判 ‐成歩堂龍ノ介の冒険‐ Дай Гякутэн Сайбан: Наруходо Рю:носукэ но Бо:кэн , букв. «Великий Суд с поворотом: Приключение Рюносукэ Наруходо») — приквел серии, действие которого происходит в конце XIX-начале XX века (судя по годам жизни прототипов некоторых персонажей и их биографии ^{[12] [13]} , действие происходит с 22 ноября 1899 (первое дело игры) по осень 1900 года). Отношение к героям прошлых серий имеют разве что главный герой (Рюносукэ Наруходо, по сюжету являющийся предком Феникса) и один из прокуроров (Такэцути Аути — предок прокуроров Винстона и Гаспена Пэйнов). Среди ключевых персонажей — Шерлок Холмс (детектив, с которым Рюносукэ будет работать со второго дела (на пароходе и, впоследствии, в Лондоне)), Доктор Джон Эйч. Ватсон (жертва в первом деле) и его юная дочь Айрис (10-летняя писательница и изобретатель, по сюжету игры стала воспитанницей, а затем и помощницей Холмса после событий, произошедших в Баскервиль-Холле ), а также японский писатель Нацумэ Сосэки (обвиняемый в 4 деле) и его кошка Вагахай .

Music

Официальный саундтрек к Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney был изначально издан Suleputer 30 ноября 2005 года ^[14] . Саундтреки ко второй, третьей, четвёртой и пятой играм также вышли ^{[15] [16]} .

Capcom также выпустила альбом Gyakuten Saiban Orchestra Album: Gyakuten Meets Orchestra с оркестровой обработкой множества песен из игры и двух её сиквелов 9 сентября 2006 года. Второй CD с дополнительными оркестровыми композициями Ace Attorney был выпущен для продажи на Tokyo Game Show 2006 и продавался позже в том же году. 31 марта 2007 года другой официальный альбом под названием Gyakuten Saiban Jazz Album: Gyakuten Meets Jazz был выпущен Capcom ^[17] . Как и указывает его название, альбом состоит из джазовых аранжировок . Изначально все диски планировались к выпуску только в Японии ^{[18] [19]} , но позже было сообщено, что они все же могут выйти в Северной Америке ^[20] .

20 апреля 2008 года был дан концерт с музыкой из Ace Attorney , а 16 июля 2008 года саундтрек был записан и выпущен под названием Gyakuten Saiban Tokubetsu Houtei 2008 .

Manga

Манга -версия, придуманная Кэндзи Курода и иллюстрированная Кадзуо Маэкава , начала публикацию в журнале Bessatsu Young Magazine издательства Kodansha с августа 2006 года. Пять её томов вышли в Северной Америке, изданные Kodansha USA ^[21] . Четыре антологии манги, созданной различными авторами, были выпущены в Японии и все они изданы по всему миру издательством Del Ray .

Мюзикл

Capcom Japan совместно с Такарадзука Ревю создали мюзикл для игр о Фениксе Райте, премьера которого состоялась в феврале 2009 года ^{[22] [23]} Gyakuten Saiban −Yomigaeru Shinjitsu− ( яп. 逆転裁判 −蘇る真実− Гякутэн Сайбан -Ёмигаэру Синдзицу- , букв. "Turnabout Trial -Truth Resurrected-") . В главной роли сыграл Тому Рандзю . Несмотря на японское производство, имена в шоу использовались из английской локализации игр. Мюзикл был хорошо принят, что привело к выходу сиквела в августе 2009 года ^{[24] [25]} . Третий мюзикл, Gyakuten Saiban 3 Kenji Miles Edgeworth ( яп. 逆転裁判３ 検事マイルズ・エッジワース , букв. "Turnabout Trial 3 Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth") , был анонсирован 31 июля 2012 года ^[26] и исполнен в январе 2013 года ^[27] .

Movie

Полнометражный фильм с живыми актёрами был создан совместными усилиями Nippon Television Network Corporation и Toho Co., Ltd. и вышел в Японии 11 февраля 2012 года. Режиссёром фильма стал Такаси Миикэ , главные роли сыграли Хироки Наримия (Феникс), Такуми Сайто (Майлз) и Мирей Киритани (Мая) ^[28] .

Появление в других играх

Феникс Райт, Франциска фон Карма и Майлз Эджворт являются картами в игре SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS . Райт и Эджворт также имеют камео в игре- кроссовере Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds , в конце за Женщину-Халка ^[29] . Феникс Райт является одним из игровых персонажей в Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 , где ему помогают Мая, Миссиль и судья, тогда как Эджворт, Франциска и Годо являются картами в режиме игры Heroes vs. Heralds ^{[30] [31]} .

Reviews

Западные выпуски игр привлекли внимание игровой прессы. Серия превозносилась как отличный квест в уже умирающем жанре с отличным видом, музыкой и диалогами, в то же время она критиковалась за прямолинейность и отсутствие интереса повторного прохождения и развития серии в разных играх ^{[42] [43] [44]} . Изображение судебной системы в игре критиковалась как сильно некорректное, не учитывая, что она основана не на используемой в США; обзор GameSpot Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney отметил, что в ходе заседаний суда стоит «относиться с долей скепсиса ко всему происходящему, потому что, хотя все и выглядит весьма достоверно, многие вещи в ходе всей процедуры могли бы ужаснуть настоящих представителей системы судопроизводства» ^[45] . Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney — Justice for All также была раскритикована за отсутствие уникальных возможностей в DS-версии, представленных в предыдущей игре ^{[43] [44]} .

Popularity

В Японии продажи игр проходят неплохо. Первые две игры были распроданы тиражом порядка 400 000 штук в версиях для GBA и DS, а продажи третьей игры на GBA составили 250 000 копий ^[46] . Четвёртая игра только в первый день продаж была продана в количестве 160 000 экземпляров, а продажи за первую неделю составили 250 000 копий ^[46] .

В США первая игра была удивительно успешна, поэтому Capcom пришлось как минимум трижды доиздавать тираж игры, чтобы соответствовать запросам ^{[47] [48]} . Частично в этом вина изначально низких ожиданий таких продавцов, как Wal-Mart и Toys "R" Us , пропустивших игру; Capcom выпустило девять-десять партий по три-четыре тысячи каждая перед тем, как Toys «R» Us запросили в продажу 15 000 копий ^[49] .

На декабрь 2009 года эта серия являлась девятой по успешности у фирмы за все время её существования ^[50] . В октябре 2010 года Capcom сообщила, что продажи по всему миру достигли 3,9 миллиона копий, и назвала серию «одной из важнейшей частей интеллектуальной собственности» компании ^[51] . По данным на декабрь 2011 года продажи серии достигли 4,2 миллиона экземпляров ^[52] .

• Официальный сайт серии (англ.)
• Официальный сайт серии (яп.)
• Официальный сайт Gyakuten Kenji (яп.)
• Официальный сайт Gyakuten Saiban 123HD для Android (яп.)
• Интервью с Минаэ Мацукавой