This game was a massive improvement to the already decent first game and you get one of the strongest entries in the series. Every single case is connected in someway and the twists of whats going on is just great just like any other Ace Attorney game. Edgeworth continues to grow even further as a character (whos secretly a weeb for Steel Samurai) as hes strays away from what made him an antagonist from the previous entries. The new characters were just great and were as just well developed as Edgeworth was with the antagonist being very interesting to find out who it was. i thought every single case (case 2 was probably the weakest) was extremely solid and just kept getting more interesting as you kept playing. the localizers did a great job to make it just like an official translation

The events that unfold in this title in the Ace Attorney series are something to behold. A beautiful story, told through the best cast of characters in the series to date. Unfortunately, it was never officially released outside of Japan due to the low sales of the previous game. But that didn't stop fans from experiencing this masterpiece, as a team got to work and translated the entire game, which includes in-game images and voice clips. My deepest thanks goes out to the team that worked so hard to translate the title for Ace Attorney fans to enjoy.

The classic Ace Attorney gameplay is all here, with the new additions that the first Investigations added. Like the previous title, this entry follows prosecutor Miles Edgeworth and his search for the truth behind brilliantly crafted cases. Expanding the gameplay beyond the norm by being able to walk around the crime scene is an addition I'm glad to see return, it makes investigation segments much more interesting and helps you get a better grasp of the locations you're in. While investigating, you'll uncover evidence, which is added to the organizer. Not everything you find will be a piece of evidence, sometimes it'll be a question that some piece of evidence brings up. These points are what make up Logic. Once you get enough leads through Logic, you can add together two points that seem connected, answering a question about the case without relying on testimony. If you do need testimony, you'll start an argument with a witness, in which you'll rebuttal them in response. This functions as the classic testimony and cross-examination portions of the main games. You can press for more details, or present evidence when you've found a contradiction.

New to this sequel is another ability exclusive to Edgeworth related to his fondness of chess, Logic Chess. When Edgeworth encounters an unruly or difficult adversary, he visualizes a chessboard, as well as pieces in front of his opponent, representing their guard. He then goes through several lines of questioning to extract info from his opponent. Some questions may not lead you to the answer, but could instead provide a valuable clue that can be useful during another line of attack. It's important that when the opponent starts getting defensive, Edgeworth simply sits and waits for them to calm down, or he risks getting lost and having to start over. Each opponent has their own tells as to when you can further press them and when it's better to wait and see. This gets more and more difficult, especially later in the game. It's used sparingly enough so it doesn't feel shoehorned into any situations. It's a new and more interesting take on Phoenix's Psyche-Locks, where instead of using evidence to question people, Edgeworth uses his words and his opponent's words against them to extract that info himself. It fits Edgeworth well and is incredibly engaging whenever it shows up.

Spoilers for pretty much everything in this game beyond this point, stop reading now if you plan on playing this game.

With that out of the way, the heart of Ace Attorney is with it's characters and story, with the gameplay being there just to make it a more engaging experience. Once again, the story follows Miles Edgeworth as he gets entangled in a series of five connected cases forming an overarching plot. The cases include: an attempted presidential assassination that turns into a murder, a murder inside a prison, an old case resurfacing a similar incident with the same people, a murder where the main suspect suffers from amnesia, and one final murder that ties every past case together to reveal someone pulling the strings behind it all. Each of these cases is incredibly interesting even when you don't consider the overarching plot, they're good enough to stand on their own.

Many characters return from past titles, most notably Miles Edgeworth, Dick Gumshoe, Kay Faraday, and Shi-Long Lang. I'll talk more about Edgeworth later, since he actually gets considerable development throughout the game. Gumshoe is as lovable as ever, although he doesn't do much this time around. Kay is adorable, and is Edgeworth's investigative partner most of the time. The characters that really steal the show for me and mostly the new ones. Raymond Shields, Sebastian Debeste, and Justine Courtney most notably are all some of the best characters in the series. What's more, every other character in the game, whether they're a simple one off witness or a villain, is great. Although some left little to no impact on me, I didn't hate a single character. Every character is fun to interact with and most are tied to the plot in interesting ways.

The journey that these characters go on is nothing short of spectacular, especially the path that lies ahead of Miles Edgeworth. In the second case, The Imprisoned Turnabout, we meet Raymond Shields, defense attorney at Edgeworth and Co. Law Offices. Raymond worked under Edgeworth's father, who was also a defense attorney, as an apprentice. In previous titles, we learn that Edgeworth did intend to become a defense attorney himself, but strayed away from that path after his father had been murdered. The main suspect got away scot-free after the defense claimed he was ill. After that point, Edgeworth swore that he would become a prosecutor so no guilty culprits would get away like the one that killed his father.

Raymond comes onto the scene because he's the attorney assigned to the suspect, Simon Keyes, for the murder of the culprit from the first case, Horace Knightley. Edgeworth was the one to put Knightley behind bars, and he intended to learn the truth of his murder. To his dismay, a member of the Prosecutorial Investigation Committee, Justine Courtney, had already assigned a rookie prosecutor, Sebastian Debeste, to the case. The only way for him to continue with his investigation is to do so as an assistant to the defense attorney. Thanks to this incident, he gets to experience firsthand what it's like to defend someone. The case following has Edgeworth solve his father's final case, which he never found the truth to due to his untimely demise, further showing how great Edgeworth would be as a defense attorney. After this, Raymond Shields makes a proposition, "to fight crime as a prosecutor, or to save people as a defense attorney. I want you to think carefully about how you want to live your life from now on."

Further cementing this dilemma of Edgeworth is the fourth case, where Kay is suspected of murder, but due to an accident, has amnesia and can't remember the incident at all. She's the only suspect of the case, and Edgeworth can't seem to shake suspicion off of her. On top of that, Judge Courtney and P.I.C. chairman Blaise Debeste limit his ability to investigate due to their power over prosecutors. In order to save his friend, Edgeworth puts everything on the line and gives up his prosecutor's badge so he wouldn't be under any authority. As you may recall in Trials and Tribulations when Edgeworth fills in for Wright, he says "A defense attorney's job is to believe in people, and to believe until the bitter end." This is exactly what Edgeworth is doing now, not just to find the truth, but to protect his friend. During the final confrontation with the culprit, Blaise Debeste, we see his son, Sebastian, attempting to defend him. He knows a piece of information that would make him guilty if exposed, and does everything he can to defend his father whom he looks up to. But, in the end, he's almost convinced to tell the truth before being scared off by his own father.

AAI2 tells a story of making choices and deciding one's own path in life. It encourages it's characters to make their own path instead of choosing one given to them by someone else. Edgeworth confronts Sebastian, now on the verge of an emotional breakdown, about what happened. Through some counseling and a good game of Logic Chess, Edgeworth convinces Sebastian to not choose the path his father set out for him. His father, who paid his son's teachers to give him the best grades at his law school so he could graduate at the top of his class and get a jacket to show it, is not someone that should be looked up to. Sebastian runs away again, and Edgeworth returns to the courthouse where Blaise is being questioned for destroying evidence. Thanks to the evidence he destroyed, the villain of the second case, Patricia Roland, will get away scott-free. That is, until Sebastian arrives on the scene after being gone for who knows how long. He returns, with a new theme accompanying him, to stand up to his father. He decided that he wants to choose his own path and be a prosecutor that doesn't forge and falsify evidence, like his father is. He wants to be someone better than his father, and he makes that start by going to the dump, digging through mountains of trash, and finding the piece of evidence his father threw away to get Patricia Roland off the hook. At first, he's still a bit shaken and needs assistance from Edgeworth, but eventually, Edgeworth takes a step back and Sebastian takes the reins. He musters up the courage to solidify this path he's taking and puts his father behind bars.

Similarly, at the end of the game, Edgeworth has to decide for himself now what path to take. To continue his life as a prosecutor, or become a defense attorney like his late father. "To fight crime as a prosecutor, or to save people as a defense attorney." These words haunted him, the foundation for his decision. After all the dust settles, he decides he wants to save people as a prosecutor. This is thanks to the main antagonist of the game, Simon Keyes. Simon grew up without a father and without friends. At a young age, he witnessed a presidential assassination right in front of his orphanage. Because he witnessed this, the owner of the orphanage at the time, Patricia Roland, kept him up, night after night, asking him countless questions and pushing him to his breaking point. He ran away, wanting to prove the guilt of the two culprits of the case, Patricia Roland and Blaise Debeste. But, no matter where he went, he couldn't. Blaise was the chief prosecutor at the time and was assigned to the case, so any evidence and testimony went directly to him, which he could then falsify however he liked.

Years passed, Simon is now an animal tamer at the circus. Still hungry for revenge, he orchestrates an ingenious plan to get Patricia and Blaise behind bars. He is the mastermind behind literally every single thing that happens in this game. He gave Knightley the idea to make a fake assassination attempt on the president, which lead him to murder, and then his arrest. Simon plays correspondence chess with an imprisoned assassin, Sirhan Dogen, and he changed these letters to make it seem like Knightley was the one who played chess with Dogen. Patricia, knowing Dogen's involvement in the presidential assassination all those years ago, feared for her life of anyone related to him, and murdered Knightley under the false pretense that they worked together. She's incarcerated, one down, one to go.

Simon then makes two false letters to two members of the P.I.C., Blaise Debeste and Jill Crane. One letter to each, both with information about each other's "secrets." He watched the events unfold, as Jill attempted to confront Blaise, only for him to silence her forever. Simon then drugged and kidnapped Kay before escorting her to the scene of the crime. He knew that ace attorney Miles Edgeworth would be able to solve this case, so Kay's kidnapping and inclusion was just a way to get him involved. Simon accounted for every eventuality, except one. Flying Kay to the top of the Grand Tower in a hot air balloon, he met the body double who now served as president of Zheng Fa, and the final member of the presidential assassination all those years ago. In an attempt to save his life, he crushed the body double with his balloon. This is perfect, every guilty party of the presidential assassination is now either behind bars or dead. But because that last murder was unaccounted for, he left a trail. A trail that led Miles Edgeworth all the way to him.

The strangest part in all of this is that Simon was kind of doing a good thing. His plan was to take down corrupted authoritative figures, and that's what he did, it's just his methods that got him caught in the end. This is why Edgeworth chose to save people as a prosecutor. Simon was a victim in his own way, being on the run for most of his life. He had nobody to turn to for help because it would all lead back to Blaise Debeste. Edgeworth wants to ensure that the law is something trustworthy, that people can turn to when they need help. Defense attorneys protect those in need, but it's the job of the prosecutor to first seek out the truth and put it all into action. Edgeworth had learned before that the only thing that matters in court is the truth, but how would that truth ever come to light if the prosecutor hadn't eliminated all other possibilities first? Edgeworth chose to fight the law itself, to fight the contradictions of the law, and ensure it can be something that anyone can rely on.

There are two more interesting parallels that Simon Keyes presents with other characters. The first is with Edgeworth, and how he shares similar traits of his father of saving himself while sacrificing others. Simon had an ingenious plan, but what he didn't plan on was getting arrested in the second case. He had to do everything he could to get himself out of that jam, which is why he let Knightley take the fall for his correspondence chess. Edgeworth is the complete opposite, especially in the fourth case, where he puts everything on the line to save Kay, including his own prosecutor's badge. This further plays into Edgeworth's dilemma of choosing to be either a defense attorney or prosecutor. The second parallel is with a smaller character, John Marsh. John was the son of the real president of Zheng Fa who was murdered by Sirhan Dogen, the assassin. When Dogen is present at the end of fifth case, John confronts him. Dogen is amused and gives the boy a knife, just to see what he'll do with it. John wanted to take revenge so badly against the man who killed his father, but now that the opportunity presented itself, he can't do it. He would feel great satisfaction from it, but he would hurt his friends and family by doing it. Simon's entire plan was motivated by revenge, and he had nobody to turn to for help. Knightley was his only friend, and he betrayed him at a young age. Simon didn't need to think about who he would hurt because he had no family or friends, he was alone, and he let that anger consume him until he took action.

Miles Edgeworth, Sebastian Debeste, and Simon Keyes and three of the best Ace Attorney characters to date. But there are other characters just as good that don't tie into the main theme of the game. Raymond Shields is one of the series' best. He fully supports Edgeworth's decision to stay on the prosecutor's path. He does lose a bit of relevancy after the third case, but that's only because the third case is quite possibly the best case in the series. You play as both Gregory Edgeworth from 18 years ago and Miles Edgeworth in the present to solve Gregory's final case. Raymond was there on both occasions, and attempted to get a retrial after Gregory's passing due to the defendant being found guilty. In the end, he wasn't strong enough to get that not guilty verdict, but with the new incident coming to light, he was finally able to see the case come to a close. He reports everything to Gregory. Seeing him take his hat off and bow as the music kicks in as he finally puts the case that haunted him for 18 years to rest is the most beautiful thing this series has done and ever will do.

Speaking of music, this is the best soundtrack in the series. The best objection theme, the best pursuit theme, along with investigation and character themes in the middle to round it all out. Sebastian stands out in particular, as he gets two character themes, one for before his development when he's a snotty brat, titled First-Class Reasoning, and one for after where he gains confidence in the path he chose, titled First-Class Farewell. The Man Who Masterminds the Game is easily the best villain theme, it fits perfectly for a twisted clown like Simon. Raymond Shields ~ Joking Motive is the best character theme in the series to date, nothing will ever top it. You could put his theme in any of the AA soundtracks and it would then turn into the best soundtrack, it's that good. This also stands true for Bonds ~ A Heart that Believes, which is perhaps the best song in the series in general. It plays at all the perfect moments, punching you in the gut each and every time with an emotion filled scene.

A lot of this review was probably just me rambling because it was hard to put into words what makes this game so great and why. Everything about this game is just perfect. Each of the five cases range from good to amazing, making this the best set of cases in the series to date. The characters that make these cases up are also a series best. There's not a single bad character, each one offering something of their own. Miles, Sebastian, Simon, and Raymond in particular are some of, if not, the best characters in the series. The gameplay is engaging; Logic Chess is always a thrill and is the best character ability to date. The sprite work and music make this experience both eye candy and ear candy. There's not a single bad thing I can say about this game. It's the best Ace Attorney game, and one of my favorite games of all time.

It is a crying shame this game never got a english localization. I think it was a victim of timing and budget. It came out at the very end of the DS's life and I guess Capcom didn't see it worth it at the time with people moving on from the system. However the great fans of AA made a super top notch English fan localization. I can't stress enoug how excellent it is. If you would have told me it was official I would totally believe you.

This game was a huge step up from AAI1 and is a top tier AA game IMO. Everything just comes togather so well. All the characters and Edgeworth get a lot of development and the story direction and call backs to past events are fantastic. Everything you come to expect from an AA game outside the courtroom are here in shining spades. The gameplay in investagations are much better and the logic chess can be a true test of wit. This is easily the best game since the OG trilogy and one for the ages.

It truly is a shame that this game never did well enough to be localized for the west. Because, with the help of a high-quality fan translation, it becomes apparent that this game has one of the strongest narratives in the series. And, being a sequel to Investigations, has the same quality gameplay, with a few new bells and whistles thrown in!

Now we have Logic Chess, a new “minigame” of sorts where Edgeworth must “battle” against a character in order to find the truth hidden beneath their lies. It’s all in the tone of your opponent’s voice; if they sound flustered, perhaps they’re hiding something? The visuals and music for this minigame are quite nice as well.

The story and its characters have improved since the first Investigations game. The overarching plot feels more personal to Edgeworth, meeting his father’s investigative partner and the leader of the Prosecutorial Investigation Committee. Not only that, the secondary characters this time around are far more memorable, even including some familiar faces like Frank Sahwit or Will Powers. However, I do think that some investigations take a little too long. The first case, which is meant to be the tutorial for each Ace Attorney game, is, at most, around 2 hours long. And that’s if you don’t read all the extra fluff dialogue! Each subsequent case gets longer, so be ready for a marathon of Edgeworth. Though it’s not always a bad thing. The final case is a TRIP, and debuts one of the greatest antagonists in the series (at least in my humble opinion)!

A step up from the first game, though not without its faults. I still thoroughly enjoyed this game, and hope that some day, more fans can experience this game for themselves. If the Apollo Trilogy does well, maaaayybe they’ll do an Investigations Duology?? Yeah, that’s copium, but I will gladly keep hoping anyway!

Inacreditável como um jogo incrível desses consegue continuar preso na terra do sol nascente mesmo após mais de uma década. Sou muito grato pela equipe de fãs que localizou o jogo, de qualidade tão próxima à oficial que se torna difícil sequer perceber que não se trata de um trabalho profissional.

Investigations 2 mantém a fórmula bem estabelecida de seu predecessor e adiciona todo o impacto, intriga, emoção e reviravoltas que faltavam. O início é forte e cada capítulo consegue se sobressair sobre o anterior, de forma que faz o primeiro jogo parecer uma montanha russa em linha reta; como ficar horas na fila do pão para conseguir migalhas no final. O elenco forte retorna, em uma narrativa onde todos recebem a devida importância e desenvolvimento. Os novos personagens não ficam para trás, e cada caso introduz novas presenças marcantes que contribuem não só para as suas histórias isoladas mas no fim também para a narrativa abrangente do jogo, algo que outros da franquia não conseguiram alcançar.

É claro que as conexões se analisadas meticulosamente acabam abrindo espaço para coincidências, mas se é esse o preço a se pagar para essa narrativa existir eu não me importo; minha suspensão de descrença não foi afetada.

Alguns podem se afetar pelo cadenciamento não tão consistente, especialmente no segundo capítulo, mas imagino que se acostumado com a fórmula da franquia o jogador não se incomodará; não é algo que subtrai da experiência.

Por falar nisso, esse é um jogo que recompensa aqueles que experienciaram os predecessores. Personagens isolados da trilogia retornam aqui, não só por fan service, mas também em serviço a própria história. Relações entre personagens novos e antigos são estabelecidas, tornando Investigations 2 não só uma nova experiência, mas também uma expansão muito bem-vinda do universo da franquia.

Nada está aqui à toa, tudo o que é apresentado tem um motivo narrativo, ou temático. Destaque para o vilão principal, que é talvez o meu favorito da franquia. Inclusive, EVITE qualquer tipo de pesquisa sobre o jogo para não descobrir sua identidade antes da hora.

Por fim, o character design do jogo é excelente como sempre, e as animações os trazem à vida de forma formidavelmente carismática. Me incomoda um pouco os sprites serem espelhados dependendo do lado da tela em que estão, mas consigo perdoar a falta de tempo ou de orçamento para desenharem um lado direito E um esquerdo para cada um.

A trilha sonora é talvez a única coisa que o predecessor faz melhor, mas isso não quer dizer que ela não seja excelente. Em especial o tema do vilão, com o nome bem apropriado de “The Man Who Masterminds the Game”, que é uma das melhores músicas que já ouvi sair de um jogo.

Por fim, fica então o apelo para todos que experienciaram a trilogia Ace Attorney: joguem Investigations 2. Saí dessa experiência chocado com o quão bom esse jogo é, e agradeço cada dia mais por ter dado uma chance a essa franquia.

how the hell did they fumble the first game so bad and follow it up with the best game in the series
everything about Investigations 2 feels like an answer to the problems of its prequel, the cases are all outstanding, the story is interesting and resolves in a nice way that doesn't drag on for 8 hours longer than necessary, and the characters revolving around each case are fantastic and enjoyable
all of this on top of easily my favorite soundtrack in the series, genuinely perfect ace attorney, and again, my new favorite in the series

I heard for years that the unlocalized sequel to Ace Attorney Investigations, which I regard as one of the worst games in the series, is against all odds one of debeste- er, the best. I didn't believe them! Why would I?

Turns out I was wrong! There's a first time for everything. Investigations 2 is a fantastic game that stands toe-to-toe with some of the best games in the series. I'll try to keep as much of this review on this game as I can but I gotta get this off my chest. It's my personal opinion that if you haven't played either Investigations games and are looking to start: Do not pass go, skip directly to Investigations 2. You are free to ignore this advice and I won't judge you for it, but I truly believe just about every character in that game is better for just pretending the first game didn't happen.

Moving on, Investigations 2 proved to me that Ace Attorney can live on without Shu Takumi at the helm. Of course I'd love for him to be, but they did just fine on their own here. It has most of the sauce that separates the Turnabout Academies from the Rise from the Ashes. You of course have your "case from [x] years ago" and the internal struggle that the protagonist goes through as a result of their morals and personal connections to events unfolding, except unlike the first game they're actually worth a damn here. Sorry, I know I promised. All of the arcs that the characters go through here are compelling and the resolutions feel earned. Edgeworth, especially. With Edgeworth's character already being pretty well defined by the arc he goes through over the course of the main trilogy, it's a tall order to then put him in the protagonist's seat of a new set of games and expect anything they come up with to approach that same level of impact. To my surprise they actually do a good job!

The newcomers to this game are all extremely fun and likeable, too. Raymond Shields is a great level-headed mentor figure to Edgeworth, which the game cleverly contrasts by showing him in his early years as Gregory Edgeworth's weird little girl/ assistant. Justine Courtney is a stoic, formidable foe who manages to maintain her status as an intimidating figure for as long as she stands opposed to Edgeworth's actions and ethics. Sebastian Debeste is a character that I really did not expect to like at all when he was first introduced, but he quickly grew to be my favorite.

I have a couple of nitpicks though. Firstly, good LORD those cases are long. For transparency's sake, there were multiple instances of me taking several month-long breaks during cases, but by the 4th case I was playing it quite regularly and even still it felt incredibly long. There's good reason for it, as that game has a lot of ground to cover for that story to move, but at the same time I'm sure the amount of extra time spent actually having to move the characters around in cutscenes and walk around the environments adds some time that wouldn't be there in the more visual novel-esque main series. If a third entry in the series were to do away with this mode of play I would certainly not complain, but I'm sure this is marketed as a key defining feature of the spin-offs so I doubt it would.

My last gripe lies with the reveal in the finale case. I won't spoil it here, if you know you know, but the more I think about it the more I really don't know if I find any of that earned. The angle they were setting up was quite interesting, and from an overall story perspective I think was written well, but like... them? I dunno. Plus that last set of cross-examinations -rebuttals, whatever- really were dragging on by the end. It didn't feel like making holes in impenetrable armor but rather arguing in circles for so long you sanded the soles off your shoes. A weird misstep in momentum but otherwise not one that dampened my enjoyment that much.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - Prosecutor's Path is a ray of light that shines in my personal darkness that is "Almost Every Ace Attorney After 4." I'm glad that I got to play it, and doubly so that I enjoyed it. I would honestly love to see some of these characters show up in a mainline or """official""" Ace Attorney game, but then I would have to deal with the concept of anything in Investigations 1 actually taking place and not being anything more than a fever dream. So, sorry Kay, Tyrell, Sebastian, Raymond, and Courtney. Back in your hole you go, forevermore.

Case 1: Good
Case 2: Good
Case 3: Great
Case 4: INCREDIBLE
Case 5: Even more INCREDIBLE

The absolute Masterpiece of this kind of game, all of the cases are very much connected. I did not get into detail about every case just cause i have too much to talk about, and with all cases connected, i don't think i could separate reviews for each one individually.

If there is anything that I would call a perfect Ace Attorney game, it would be this one. I love Ace Attorney but is hard for me to say that any entry ever keeps the quality in the cases at a high level across the board, except for Prosecutor's Path, really a shame that it hasn't been localized.

I wouldn't put most of the weight on its consistent quality to the connective tissue of the story, since the first game also had that, but had its fair share of weaker/less interesting cases, not the case with this game, by its own merit it has 5 of the best crafted mysteries from the series, while on top of all that connecting them so well by the end of it.

The cast of characters is excellent, the extended dynamic for Edgeworth and Kay serves well for case 4's emotional stakes, Raymond Shields is a great mentor type character, Justine makes for another cool rival to the bunch, Sebastian is incredibly endearing and has one of the better arcs in the series, the rest is a lot of memorable characters and great antagonists that you want to take down without going much into spoilers, plus having one of, if not the best final villain of the franchise, beautifully crafted and their final confrontation is just excellent. The selection of returning characters is cool, fan service for sure, but incorporated well into the narrative and how it all ties into the grander scheme of the Ace Attorney world.

Continuing on with the themes of law, corruption, what it means to be an attorney/prosecutor, etc. which was always there in the beginnings of the series in some capacity, and later brought to the front in AA4, and much like every game after 4, Investigations 2 has that as a more prominent part of the main narrative but it doesn't leave strong characters and good interactions in the trash can in order to develop that idea like 4 does.

Genuinely adore this game, and is cemented more in the recent replay I did of it, every case is pure excellence, Ace Attorney at its best, a great soundtrack, and some of the best moments ever in the series, I have nothing bad to say about this game.

Being someone who thought the first Investigations title was fine but lacking, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting going into the second game. The first game definitely had it’s great moments, but combined with the fact that the story and many of the game’s cases didn’t grab me like they do in other Ace Attorney games, I was worried about what I’d think of this one. Especially considering that prior to my play-through I had heard from many people that it was one of the best Ace Attorney games, one of the best the series had to offer that wasn’t as appreciated by Capcom due to the fact that it was never released outside of Japan. However, I am happy to say that after finishing the game, I think the game is very great.

This game probably has the best story out of any Ace Attorney game. You get five cases with 0 filler and every case in this game connects to the bigger picture in some way. It’s really cool and the interconnectedness of the game’s events along with the fact that it all comes together at the end is spectacular. Furthermore, the quality of the cases also does not disappoint. One of my favorite cases ever, “The Inherited Turnabout”, is a case that revolves around a murder at a museum for desserts. But what makes this case extremely fun (without getting into spoilers) is that it’s a case where you solve a mystery in the present by (quite literally) exploring the past events that happened there 18 years ago. The cases in this game are fantastic and I love them. The entire game also sets up the idea of a “mastermind” who controls the events of the game and when they’re revealed and all the events come together, it’s incredible.

Like Ace Attorney typically does, the characters in this game are excellent. Ray Shields, a defense attorney with a great theme, has a very nice arc in case 2 and 3, and is he does a really good job at representing a guy who’s fun to be around but is serious when the time calls. It’s cool that he’s a connection to Edgeworth’s past. Justine Courtney is an entirely new take on judges in Ace Attorney. Typically, the judge is just a bald guy with the long beard you see in every game, but AAI2 is an entirely new take on judges and I enjoy how Courtney insists on taking Edgeworth’s badge throughout the story. Her arc also feels similar to Edgeworth’s in Ace Attorney 1, in a sense, since she also realizes that the legal system is imperfect throughout the game. The last character I’ll mention is Sebastian Debeste. Yes, it’s kinda dumb to have a prosecutor be really bad at his job and be a major pushover, but to be honest… I just think he’s funny. He also has a really good arc in case 5 about learning to be better and outdo his guardian; once again mirroring Edgeworth in Ace Attorney 1.

However, while I love the way they concluded their arcs, these last two characters, while enjoyable, don’t really develop until case 4. Until that point they feel a little too much like roadblocks because they’re introduced way too early. The problem with them in “The Imprisoned Turnabout” and “The Inherited Turnabout” is they pull the classic “you can’t investigate here” while wearing out their quirks by being roadblocks.

However, the entire game suffers from one big flaw: the pacing. Personally, I’m not someone who’s that bothered by pacing ever, but the game really loves to take its time and crawl along here. Characters will gladly talk for long periods of time and use 100 words to say something that could’ve been said in 15. This also means that it feels like the cases can take actual hours - and they do - because the story is told at a snail’s pace most of the time. It’s not even close to something that ruined my enjoyment of the game, though.

The biggest thing that irked me during my play-through was, oddly, Edgeworth himself, Having the exact same issue he did last game. Edgeworth is very dry emotionally in this game; it’s something I critiqued in Investigations 1 and it has not changed. In this game, Edgeworth feels like has has most of his negative traits watered down or outright removed. He just doesn’t feel as emotionally deep as he does in the trilogy because it doesn’t feel like he shows anything other than “smart smug guy” a lot of the time. Sure, we can see this in text, but the amount of times I can say Edgeworth had much emotional depth to him that was more than him doubting his career or being worried because the truth almost escaped him is… very little.

I hope people don’t think I’m being too negative or patronizing with my review. I was just interested to see why people liked this game so much, and I thought it was great, even if it didn’t entirely deliver. However, the things it got right, it REALLY got right. I love the ambition and interconnectedness of the cases from the insane setups to how gripping the story connects to itself behind the scenes. It’s fantastic and comes together into a masterful piece of writing with some of the largest scale to come out of Ace Attorney, even if it’s told really slowly. While I love the ambitiousness of the game, It’s hard for me to look past what I didn’t like so much about it. While I like the characters, I do wish some of them changed sooner and while it is an improvement over its predecessor by miles, I don’t think it reaches the same level as The Great Ace Attorney 2 and Trials and Tribulations like people say it does, but it’s a great game.

Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is an oddity. A never-localised sequel to the worst entry in the series, it held many conflicting expectations for me before I went into it. I certainly didn't hate the first game, it was often painfully mediocre and overly drawn out but it went some way to satisfying that Ace Attorney itch. The sequel though had been sold to me as the potentially the best in the series, a landmark achievement in fan-localisation and and a total improvement on its predecessor. After over thirty hours, I'm not sure I can entirely agree...

I really, really wanted to love this game. There was plenty of stuff in the first Investigations that was interesting, but what that game needed more than anything was refinement. The new mechanics weren't fleshed out enough and there were too many characters, and too much arguing on technicality rather than substantial gotchas.AAI2 does not agree though, instead adding more of everything. As well as the logic system and deeper investigations from the first game, we now have logic chess - a system that boils down to a really crappy version of the psychic locks from the AA trilogy. It never felt like a substantial challenge, always playing out like a glorified flow chart where victory was all but confirmed. The puzzles in Ace Attorney are usually at their weakest when they rely on multiple choice questions, so having a puzzle mechanic that is entirely comprised of them is such an awful idea.

Perhaps I'm being harsh there, logic chess definitely does not comprise much of the game's runtime. You don't spend more than two to three hours in it over the whole game, but honestly, that is part of the problem with it. The same problem exists for the investigations and logic connection systems (both returning from AAI). You simply don't use them enough for them to ever advance in complexity. I maybe had to use the deduction mechanic less than ten times across the whole game, no more than two or three times per case, and the logic system is always so easy it feels like a patronising attempt at making me feel included. Difficulty is a big problem here across the board, with constant flashbacks and hint dialogue bombarding you every other time you're called upon to solve a tricky puzzle. AAI2 is far and away the easiest game in the series, while still having twists that feel convoluted and at times nonsensical.

But puzzles are only one ingredient of the Ace Attorney recipe, perhaps less important than the other major component: the story. Improvements have been made from the first game, but at a cost. There are more characters than in any other AA game, with genuinely interesting new characters like Ray Shields being joined by a cavalcade of familiar faces. It's admittedly quite nice seeing returning characters like Frank Sahwit, but some of the choices are odd to say the least. Was anyone crying out for the return of Lotta Hart or Regina Berry? They're pleasant surrpises, but they detract from the stories and arcs of the new arrivals like Justine Courtney and Sebastian Debeste. The final case suffers the most from this bloating, the final scenes of which have a comedically large ensemble stuffed on to the DS screen. As much as I love them, did Franziska and Lang need to return? Why is Kay still so prominent when Ray is supposed to be the new foil to Miles? I like fan service (when it's done well) as much as anyone, and I tolerate it more than I would normally with the Ace Attorney games, but here it actively detracts from the story being told and the arcs we're supposed to be invested in.

This is normally where I would say at least the presentation is at its best as usual. Apollo Justice is a very flawed game, but it still has best-in-show music, character design and animation. I'm afraid that AAI2 is a mixed bag. Some stuff here is great, better than the previous game at least, but some sprites here are awful. Blaise Debeste and the President are particularly horrible designs, featuring ridiculous muscles in skin tight suits for seemingly no reason other than "look cool", and both have breakdowns that beggar belief. The Ace Attorney games normally feature designs that are a little silly and over the top, but in AAI2 they're downright cartoonish. Don't even get me started on Justine Courtney's gravity-immune boobs.

It probably sounds like I hate this game, but I honestly didn't. The translation work here is astounding, it feels completely in line with the style of the first game and I didn't notice any lines that felt out of place (nor even any typos). You can tell how much love has gone into this fan-effort and I'm glad that it exists, because I don't think Capcom will ever localise the game officially. Outside of that, it's really the third case in the game that saves it for me, and is leagues better than the other four. It's almost entirely new characters and has a totally new structure for the series, with a constant switching back and forth between past and present. The conclusion is still a little convoluted and silly, but it was a great case that only makes the rest seem all the worse by comparison. Play this if you've played every single other Ace Attorney game and are still dying for more, otherwise, probably give it a miss.

This is actually kino compared to the first Investigations game. The first two cases are alright but it really picks up around the 3rd case. The story overall gives some great development to Edgeworth's character, as well as Kay and Lang from the first game. The new characters in this one are also great. Raymond has an interesting connection to Edgeworth's dad (who we also learn a little bit more about in this game), and Sebastian starts out as a funny joke character but ends up having a whole character arc by the end.

In terms of mechanics it's pretty much the same as Investigations 1, but the new Logic Chess minigame is stupid fun. I have no idea why I enjoy that minigame as much as I do it's just great.

Sad that this never got an official localization but the fan translation is pretty good.

Investigations 3 when :(

The best Ace Attorney has to offer. It does everything Ace Attorney is best at perfectly and nails what its predecessor fumbled. The ost is one of if not the best in the series; it has some of the most interesting and compelling characters in the series; and it has just the right amount of wackiness. The cases are interconnected much like Investigations 1, but here they made every case feel like it mattered. There's nothing I can think of that I can complain about because even if I felt annoyed by something it felt worth it by the end. If you love Ace Attorney and somehow haven't played this game yet you need to treat yourself.