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.
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.