walueegee
93 reviews liked by walueegee
This game is weird. For as many good ideas as I think it DOES has it tends to miss a lot too. Notably speaking, I think a majority of the good ideas are fantastic, and probably some of my favorite things to come out of the series. My favorite cases were 5-3 and 5-DLC, as I thought the characters in those cases were really fun, and they’re just fun. Dual Destinies is easily one of my least favorite Ace Attorneys but I still had fun. I also liked 5-4 and 5-5, even though 5-5 is probably one of my least favorite finale cases. A lot of the story beats with Simon and Athena are really good, and both of them are easily some of my favorite characters to come out of this series. I really like Simon’s whole samurai aesthetic and how he interacts with his bird, Taka, in his animations. His role in the plot is cool and I enjoy him a lot. Similarly, I love Athena. Not only does she have one of my favorite objection themes in the series, but she’s just really funny, speaks phrases in different languages just for fun, and her new gameplay gimmick, mood matrix, is a really great way to change the way courtroom testimonies are typically handled, even if it is stupidly easy at times. She is definitely one of my favorite takes on the “assistant character” that Ace Attorney loves doing.
One of the biggest issues with the game though, I feel, are that the second trilogy of games cannot decide whether they want Phoenix to be Apollo and Athena’s mentor, or be the main character again, but I don’t like how they try to have their cake and eat it too. People really like Phoenix Wright, and I do too, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to introduce new main characters that could use the spotlight more just to be constantly overshadowed by Phoenix in almost every case in the game. Remember how I referred to Athena as an “assistant character”? Yeah, she’s a lawyer, and the plot is technically focused on her, but Phoenix is always in the drivers seat most of the time and I wish this wasn’t the case. I mean, out of the game’s 6 cases, Apollo leads 1, Athena leads 1 and a half, and Phoenix gets the other 4 and a half. The game is about issues both Apollo and Athena face yet they don’t get the opportunity to actually be the player character more than once. Combine that with the fact that Dual Destinies takes the poker-playing hobo version of Phoenix and throws it out the window in favor of having his trilogy self back, and I think it should be pretty obvious why I don’t really love Phoenix in this game compared to previous titles. He’s still a fun character, but to me, disbarred Phoenix felt like a harsh, but logical progression of the character (in the sense that Phoenix isn’t the one running cases all the time anymore) that Dual Destinies instead decided to treat like just another phase in his life.
Dual Destinies is a ok game, but a very lacking sequel to Apollo Justice and fails to capitalize on the true potential it could have as a sequel. Instead of trying to make something out of the unresolved plot threads from Apollo Justice, they instead do a reboot of a reboot and throw away mostly everything from that game in favor of new ideas. Some work well. Some don’t. Some really annoy me. For reference, I don’t think any Ace Attorney games are actually bad, but they can be pretty ok at times. Dual Destinies, in my opinion, misses a lot of what was interesting about Apollo Justice by lowering the tone that was present in that game and choosing to go a safer, less morally gray route. It’s a game that feels lacking because it plays it too safe, and while I did enjoy my time, I think the game could’ve been much better.
One of the biggest issues with the game though, I feel, are that the second trilogy of games cannot decide whether they want Phoenix to be Apollo and Athena’s mentor, or be the main character again, but I don’t like how they try to have their cake and eat it too. People really like Phoenix Wright, and I do too, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to introduce new main characters that could use the spotlight more just to be constantly overshadowed by Phoenix in almost every case in the game. Remember how I referred to Athena as an “assistant character”? Yeah, she’s a lawyer, and the plot is technically focused on her, but Phoenix is always in the drivers seat most of the time and I wish this wasn’t the case. I mean, out of the game’s 6 cases, Apollo leads 1, Athena leads 1 and a half, and Phoenix gets the other 4 and a half. The game is about issues both Apollo and Athena face yet they don’t get the opportunity to actually be the player character more than once. Combine that with the fact that Dual Destinies takes the poker-playing hobo version of Phoenix and throws it out the window in favor of having his trilogy self back, and I think it should be pretty obvious why I don’t really love Phoenix in this game compared to previous titles. He’s still a fun character, but to me, disbarred Phoenix felt like a harsh, but logical progression of the character (in the sense that Phoenix isn’t the one running cases all the time anymore) that Dual Destinies instead decided to treat like just another phase in his life.
Dual Destinies is a ok game, but a very lacking sequel to Apollo Justice and fails to capitalize on the true potential it could have as a sequel. Instead of trying to make something out of the unresolved plot threads from Apollo Justice, they instead do a reboot of a reboot and throw away mostly everything from that game in favor of new ideas. Some work well. Some don’t. Some really annoy me. For reference, I don’t think any Ace Attorney games are actually bad, but they can be pretty ok at times. Dual Destinies, in my opinion, misses a lot of what was interesting about Apollo Justice by lowering the tone that was present in that game and choosing to go a safer, less morally gray route. It’s a game that feels lacking because it plays it too safe, and while I did enjoy my time, I think the game could’ve been much better.
If I could rate it 6 stars I would complain that I couldn't rate it 7
Apollo Justice often gets overlooked when talking about Ace Attorney, for most people the original trilogy is where the series stays in their mind, for others it's symbolic of the down turn in quality present in the most recent two mainline games. However, I feel that Apollo Justice is the best game in the main series, there's not a case in this game I dislike, and though there are times where the cases can feel like they drag, the supporting cast of characters (Ema, Trucy, Phoenix, and Klavier) are so well written and just likeable you want to push through that for them. Apollo Justice deserved better in subsequent games.
There’s always that one entry in your favorite series that just.. irks you.
Dual Destinies tries to reboot the Ace Attorney franchise by bringing back Phoenix Wright, letting Apollo Justice return, and introducing yet another main character, Athena Cykes, all in the same game. Trying to balance all three of their storylines led to a MESSY game. In particular, Apollo gets shafted the most: he’s given a backstory where he was an orphan and befriended a boy named Clay, who becomes important later in the game, but we first hear of this backstory at the same time, he barely has any screen time outside of the one case where you play as him, and he doesn’t have much of a presence in the game’s finale. This is the NEXT GAME in the series after Apollo Justice, and yet, Apollo is barely relevant.
As for the mysteries, they can be hit or miss. And as for the new mechanics, I’d say they made progress for the series going forward! This game introduces 3D environments to investigate, a checklist during investigations, and a chat log you may consult if you missed a piece of dialogue. All great additions! However, it also introduces a “help button” of sorts. During trials, you can consult your co-counsel if you need a hint. Sure, this takes some of the pressure off of making a mistake and costing you a bit of meter, but it removes the satisfaction of figuring something out for yourself. Later games do this better, in my opinion, by just having a mode that plays the game automatically just so players can enjoy the story. There’s no option like that here, so the consult mechanic just acts as a get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s not like this game is hard, either. It’s, in my opinion, the easiest game in the series. They give you very heavy-handed hints throughout the trial segments, leading you down the correct path. That’s no fun! Let players use their brains! It’s part of what makes these games so satisfying to play! And then there’s the Mood Matrix.. Eh. I like the illustrations and the presentation, but, like the Perceive mechanic from the last game, it just drags a trial out needlessly. I guess it does give Athena her own niche, which I can appreciate!
With all that being said, I still enjoy this game. Though, I consider it the “problem child” for disregarding the previous game, and even REGRESSING some aspects of the previous game too.
At the very least, Simon Blackquill is a top-tier character. I’d love to see him in the same room as Edgeworth
Dual Destinies tries to reboot the Ace Attorney franchise by bringing back Phoenix Wright, letting Apollo Justice return, and introducing yet another main character, Athena Cykes, all in the same game. Trying to balance all three of their storylines led to a MESSY game. In particular, Apollo gets shafted the most: he’s given a backstory where he was an orphan and befriended a boy named Clay, who becomes important later in the game, but we first hear of this backstory at the same time, he barely has any screen time outside of the one case where you play as him, and he doesn’t have much of a presence in the game’s finale. This is the NEXT GAME in the series after Apollo Justice, and yet, Apollo is barely relevant.
As for the mysteries, they can be hit or miss. And as for the new mechanics, I’d say they made progress for the series going forward! This game introduces 3D environments to investigate, a checklist during investigations, and a chat log you may consult if you missed a piece of dialogue. All great additions! However, it also introduces a “help button” of sorts. During trials, you can consult your co-counsel if you need a hint. Sure, this takes some of the pressure off of making a mistake and costing you a bit of meter, but it removes the satisfaction of figuring something out for yourself. Later games do this better, in my opinion, by just having a mode that plays the game automatically just so players can enjoy the story. There’s no option like that here, so the consult mechanic just acts as a get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s not like this game is hard, either. It’s, in my opinion, the easiest game in the series. They give you very heavy-handed hints throughout the trial segments, leading you down the correct path. That’s no fun! Let players use their brains! It’s part of what makes these games so satisfying to play! And then there’s the Mood Matrix.. Eh. I like the illustrations and the presentation, but, like the Perceive mechanic from the last game, it just drags a trial out needlessly. I guess it does give Athena her own niche, which I can appreciate!
With all that being said, I still enjoy this game. Though, I consider it the “problem child” for disregarding the previous game, and even REGRESSING some aspects of the previous game too.
At the very least, Simon Blackquill is a top-tier character. I’d love to see him in the same room as Edgeworth
Lethal Company
2023
You are sent by a company to investigate randomly generated structures in search of treasures while avoiding giant and extremely hostile creatures all under a tight time limit
But enough about Pikmin 2
But enough about Pikmin 2
Flappy Bird
2013
Birds just wanna flap tho
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Live A Live
2022
This is coming from a very western perspective, but the SNES era of RPGs is firmly cemented in my brain as this near mythical explosion of classic game after classic game, almost all of which coming from Square. That myth has stayed relatively the same even as an adult now who absolutely did not grow up with them, with many of the highlights of the generation staying relatively the same. I had certainly heard of Live a Live before the remake's annoucement, but my knowledge essentially went to name alone, and the general praise I had heard for it. And to be frank, this game is earth-shattering. This is like finding out another Chrono-Trigger tier game existed with the big boys all along, and everyone who has played this finding that out, myself included, finding that out as they go along this excellent adventure, its so heartwarming. Who knows what other great gems are ready for a revival this good again.
Live A Live
2022
This was my GOTY of 2022. Someday I will elaborate further with a proper review.
Live A Live
2022
HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
I was never a big fan of 2D Mario. I mean... i liked the games, they were fun enough to play every once in a while, but they just didn't click with me.
Well, after shitting themselves for 15 years straight since the NSMB series' debut. Nintendo did the unthinkable:
What if we made an above average 2D Mario?
Wonder is bursting with creativity from the second you get control over Mario. Everything in this game is an improvement over the NSMB games, except for the music which is mostly forgettable imo. It's honestly shocking how much this game does compared to it's predecessors, it's such an insane jump in quality AND quantity that one starts to question DAMN where has this game been all my life?
Well, after shitting themselves for 15 years straight since the NSMB series' debut. Nintendo did the unthinkable:
What if we made an above average 2D Mario?
Wonder is bursting with creativity from the second you get control over Mario. Everything in this game is an improvement over the NSMB games, except for the music which is mostly forgettable imo. It's honestly shocking how much this game does compared to it's predecessors, it's such an insane jump in quality AND quantity that one starts to question DAMN where has this game been all my life?
