Were it that British, I'd have written an impulsive post full of foul language I'd have to censor almost immediately after.kwando1313 wrote:well he didn't drop a bollocks
can't be that british
That said, I have some results to announce.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the time is here. It most definitely wasn't worth the wait, but it's here.
Award Ceremony
Below you'll find both the spoiler free reviews and the final result in a spoiler tag. I'd heavily recommend going through the tedious ceremony first, if you have any interest in reading it at all.
TheDoctor's Turnabout Déjà Vu
Spoiler : :
This trial managed to take my attention hostage for the entirety of its short duration.
Right off the bat many interesting elements were introduced, making me curiouser and curiouser. And it wasn't completely "on your face" about it. Indeed, this trial's biggest strength is no doubt the "looming" feeling you feel all throughout, that feeling of just knowing there's something more to this, and the resulting theories that such a situation would tend to sprout. This trial is, without a doubt, squarely placed within the "mystery" genre, and yet the trial itself is anything but a mystery. It is instead... familiar.
This familiarity reduces the gameplay to extremely little, but the case itself makes very good use of its shoddy excuse for gameplay, much the same way it uses its setting. It sets up a situation we already recognise and then betrays our expectations... sometimes by not betraying them.
Besides the mystery, my second main source of enjoyment came from watching my protagonist steam-roll his opponents, and in that sense, this trial is very much theme relevant. I certainly enjoy seeing a character outwit all others.
The characters themselves are mostly well characterised, though some of my interpretations of certain characters, such as Edgeworth, diverge a bit from what is seen in the trial. I got a couple of laughs out of the case as well, so it is by no means devoid in that department.
This trial is intended for a series, and you can tell. Quite honestly, this case sets things up, from mysteries to the characters, and leaves us hanging. The trial itself, though, is self-contained, and we make short work of it. Now all that's left is everything else.
And I bloody well am waiting for that everything else.
Right off the bat many interesting elements were introduced, making me curiouser and curiouser. And it wasn't completely "on your face" about it. Indeed, this trial's biggest strength is no doubt the "looming" feeling you feel all throughout, that feeling of just knowing there's something more to this, and the resulting theories that such a situation would tend to sprout. This trial is, without a doubt, squarely placed within the "mystery" genre, and yet the trial itself is anything but a mystery. It is instead... familiar.
This familiarity reduces the gameplay to extremely little, but the case itself makes very good use of its shoddy excuse for gameplay, much the same way it uses its setting. It sets up a situation we already recognise and then betrays our expectations... sometimes by not betraying them.
Besides the mystery, my second main source of enjoyment came from watching my protagonist steam-roll his opponents, and in that sense, this trial is very much theme relevant. I certainly enjoy seeing a character outwit all others.
The characters themselves are mostly well characterised, though some of my interpretations of certain characters, such as Edgeworth, diverge a bit from what is seen in the trial. I got a couple of laughs out of the case as well, so it is by no means devoid in that department.
This trial is intended for a series, and you can tell. Quite honestly, this case sets things up, from mysteries to the characters, and leaves us hanging. The trial itself, though, is self-contained, and we make short work of it. Now all that's left is everything else.
And I bloody well am waiting for that everything else.
Spoiler : :
I'm put into a hard position when what I enjoyed the most I don't dare talk about, lest I ruin your own enjoyment of the trial. Still, I carry on.
This seems like little more than your typical trilogy case, up until the moment the prosecutor turns out to not be an unscrupulous, evil, manipulative monster. They don't even have time to investigate! Doesn't get much more normal than that.
And so, this case thrives on characters, with a mystery in the background to drive us. We get to play with familiar faces, and enjoy an extremely unique prosecutor, followed by quirky witnesses and an unreadable defendant. This is where the theme relevance comes in, as the case never poses much of a challenge to the characters (not necessarily in terms of gameplay), as the prosecutor seems intent on self-sabotage.
One thing I can say is that this trial is one of the two with really quotable lines. Hilarious, quotable lines. I suppose this is but another way of stating that the case lives and dies by its dialogue, and I think it's good dialogue.
This is not to say the gameplay was non-existent. It was, in fact, one of the trials with the most actual gameplay and a couple of good deductions. Consequently, there was something to the mystery, as well.
By constantly introducing new factors, be it characters or plotlines, the case keeps us from getting bored, and leads me to the final conclusion that it's overall extremely solid.
This seems like little more than your typical trilogy case, up until the moment the prosecutor turns out to not be an unscrupulous, evil, manipulative monster. They don't even have time to investigate! Doesn't get much more normal than that.
And so, this case thrives on characters, with a mystery in the background to drive us. We get to play with familiar faces, and enjoy an extremely unique prosecutor, followed by quirky witnesses and an unreadable defendant. This is where the theme relevance comes in, as the case never poses much of a challenge to the characters (not necessarily in terms of gameplay), as the prosecutor seems intent on self-sabotage.
One thing I can say is that this trial is one of the two with really quotable lines. Hilarious, quotable lines. I suppose this is but another way of stating that the case lives and dies by its dialogue, and I think it's good dialogue.
This is not to say the gameplay was non-existent. It was, in fact, one of the trials with the most actual gameplay and a couple of good deductions. Consequently, there was something to the mystery, as well.
By constantly introducing new factors, be it characters or plotlines, the case keeps us from getting bored, and leads me to the final conclusion that it's overall extremely solid.
Spoiler : :
This is an extremely unique trial, the likes of which I've never seen before, and neither executed this well.
This case is strong on many fronts. First of all, it brings in many characters from canon, and develops said canon. The author shares with us his interpretation of these side characters and the ace attorney world, and this all makes for an excellent read.
But this is mere exposition, the case proper sets us in an incredible situation, in many ways. We're made to believe and cope with the unbelievable, and simultaneously get used to the changes from the usual trials, because this one is anything but usual.
This trial does two things really well. Gameplay mechanics, and its plot.
True to his name, Gamer insists on crafting a game, and craft a game he does. This case is full of gameplay, and innovative gameplay mechanics to go with them. Each time we progress, new mechanics are introduced, and things are made harder. You'll probably lose. Or win. And still lose.
Because of its game mentality, this trial forces the player to play through it many times if they wish to experience everything. I expect this trial can produce as much frustration as enjoyment, or, if it works for you, it could be the best thing you have played in a long time.
And the plot makes good use of this. You are expected to play many times. You are expected to know things you "technically" shouldn't know yet as you go through the case, and use the knowledge of your past mistakes so as to avoid them. Each small bit of progress can therefore feel hugely satisfying.
And the story rewards you handsomely. You will want to know what's going on behind the scenes, because the game darn well makes sure you're aware something is off, and its up to you to navigate the many mechanics and figure out what.
The characters are interpreted well, though that's debatable. Despite the serious tone I still laughed a lot. It stuck to the theme by making it hard to lose, and even when you lost... you can't really say you lost. So that was a pretty unique way to go about it.
But I've ranted long enough. The case has some issues with the English language, with a lot of typos and somewhat awkward English, that, if fixed, will make for a masterful case that deserves to be played at least once, by anybody with the patience to play hard, "hunting" games.
This case is strong on many fronts. First of all, it brings in many characters from canon, and develops said canon. The author shares with us his interpretation of these side characters and the ace attorney world, and this all makes for an excellent read.
But this is mere exposition, the case proper sets us in an incredible situation, in many ways. We're made to believe and cope with the unbelievable, and simultaneously get used to the changes from the usual trials, because this one is anything but usual.
This trial does two things really well. Gameplay mechanics, and its plot.
True to his name, Gamer insists on crafting a game, and craft a game he does. This case is full of gameplay, and innovative gameplay mechanics to go with them. Each time we progress, new mechanics are introduced, and things are made harder. You'll probably lose. Or win. And still lose.
Because of its game mentality, this trial forces the player to play through it many times if they wish to experience everything. I expect this trial can produce as much frustration as enjoyment, or, if it works for you, it could be the best thing you have played in a long time.
And the plot makes good use of this. You are expected to play many times. You are expected to know things you "technically" shouldn't know yet as you go through the case, and use the knowledge of your past mistakes so as to avoid them. Each small bit of progress can therefore feel hugely satisfying.
And the story rewards you handsomely. You will want to know what's going on behind the scenes, because the game darn well makes sure you're aware something is off, and its up to you to navigate the many mechanics and figure out what.
The characters are interpreted well, though that's debatable. Despite the serious tone I still laughed a lot. It stuck to the theme by making it hard to lose, and even when you lost... you can't really say you lost. So that was a pretty unique way to go about it.
But I've ranted long enough. The case has some issues with the English language, with a lot of typos and somewhat awkward English, that, if fixed, will make for a masterful case that deserves to be played at least once, by anybody with the patience to play hard, "hunting" games.
Spoiler : :
I don't envy whoever gets stuck with reviewing a case like this one. Wait, that's me. What's the protocol for comedy cases? I doubt I can get away with complaining the gameplay's weak. The protagonist would make fun of me.
This is a comedy case, and I don't think there's much I can do but describe the types of comedy utilised. There's... a straight man, a judge that isn't judgemental at all, a prosecutor with illusions of grandeur, witnesses with weird speech patterns, some bullying, some nonsensical humour, lots of references, most of which I missed, and a protagonist who does not possess a fourth wall, or any genuine wish to defend, maybe? She might be in it for the kicks.
And yes, I do think the author achieved what he tried to do with each character and joke. They didn't always suit my particular taste, but I could tell they were well set up.
On thing I do have to bring up is that I really felt like the writing was "natural", the kind of thing I can't do. Expressions and sayings were employed often and it sometimes sounded more like something you'd hear than something you'd see written. I wish I could write dialogue like this, actually.
Ah, sorry for the shoddy review. Go play it for yourself. It's good and funny. Unless you don't think it's funny. Sorry about that. If it makes you feel any better, I originally didn't think much of it myself, but I've come to realise how much of it is still stuck in my head, and how much I liked some of the characters.
This is a comedy case, and I don't think there's much I can do but describe the types of comedy utilised. There's... a straight man, a judge that isn't judgemental at all, a prosecutor with illusions of grandeur, witnesses with weird speech patterns, some bullying, some nonsensical humour, lots of references, most of which I missed, and a protagonist who does not possess a fourth wall, or any genuine wish to defend, maybe? She might be in it for the kicks.
And yes, I do think the author achieved what he tried to do with each character and joke. They didn't always suit my particular taste, but I could tell they were well set up.
On thing I do have to bring up is that I really felt like the writing was "natural", the kind of thing I can't do. Expressions and sayings were employed often and it sometimes sounded more like something you'd hear than something you'd see written. I wish I could write dialogue like this, actually.
Ah, sorry for the shoddy review. Go play it for yourself. It's good and funny. Unless you don't think it's funny. Sorry about that. If it makes you feel any better, I originally didn't think much of it myself, but I've come to realise how much of it is still stuck in my head, and how much I liked some of the characters.
Spoiler : :
The winner is Gamer2002
Glad I got to play them.