I’ve put it off for quite a while now so that I could get a feel for the game, but as I’m currently playing through the first trial of the final case of Capcom’s fourth Ace Attorney game (and the first DS-exclusive one), I believe some impressions are in order.

The last time I critiqued an Ace Attorney game was when I rambled about the third game and how the narrative was excellent but it still had the same mechanical flaws - over-elaborate cases with far too many ways of explaining something in your head but only one way of explaining something in the game: that horrible problem where adding leniency and allowing different methods of answering could promote wild guessing - eventually I probably blamed the penalty system for punishing creative answers, but conceded that the ability to save almost anywhere in the game allowed some creative problem solving without too much risk.

Apollo Justice keeps the penalty system. It keeps the punishing consequences for failing to second-guess the game. It keeps the elaboration, the lack of “quick-burst” cases and the overload of information from the Court Record, testimonies and everything else. Re-reading that it sounds like I have my own idea of what an Ace Attorney game should play like, and that my opinions are at odds with those of other fans. Rest assured, I can tolerate the current structure, otherwise I wouldn’t have played and bought the first three games - I’d have probably said something like “oh, so these Psyche-Locks punish me before I’ve even entered court? Sod that.” What I am trying to say is that the fourth game probably won’t convert those who didn’t get on with the fundamental mechanics of the previous games. Aside from the gimmicks we already saw in the first game’s DS-exclusive fifth case, there are one or two other changes: Psyche-Locks are (so far, at least) absent, replaced by something called the “Minuku system” (more on that later), the 3D capabilities of the DS are put to good use in new crime scene investigation phases similar to the moments in Phoenix Wright games where you’d have a grey plan diagram of the scene and use it to prove your case, and there are even FMV style scenes between gameplay.

The Minuku system is arguably a bit simpler than the Psyche-Locks of old; again, you’ll know when you need to use it (rather than having to try and use it at every statement), and it doesn’t require cross-examination of evidence and testimony, so you won’t need to present everything at every statement; it’s more about looking for inconsistencies in behaviour (mostly via unique animations of characters) and then using the Minuku system to look into those inconsistencies in more detail as the statement is repeated in slow-motion: point out the moment in the statement when they occur, and you’ll succeed. It’s certainly weirder in presentational style than the Magatama’s locks and chains, but it’s very satisfying and perhaps slightly more accessible (since it’s just about visual cues - not evidence).

If not for the penalty system (why not allow infinite penalties, then rank the player - from D to S - based on how many times they were wrong? ) Apollo Justice would be the most accomplished follow-up yet. It bravely departs from the narrative and mechanics of old, whilst introducing new ones that are just as appealing. The new prosecutor, assistant and even Apollo himself are excellent: swiftly casting aside any fears that Capcom set the bar too high with Maya, Edgeworth et al. Meanwhile, the Minuku system adds depth without being different for the sake of it. To conclude, it hasn’t fixed the problems it already had, but it’s built on the foundations of the mechanics that make the series such a success.

Just a shame that the import-averse are still waiting for Trials and Tribulations… *grumble*

The latest issue of free downloadable online PDF magazine Disposable Media is now available online at www.disposablemedia.co.uk

Highlights include our exclusive interview with Mr Biffo on the current state of Kid’s TV, an exclusive interview with The Stone Gods (the reborn Darkness), Suda51, a look at both Battlestar Galactica and Californication, Manhwa (the comic genre of South Korea), and much much more…

There’s also my own column, and my retrospective look at a legendary comic - in this case, the Kevin Smith penned Daredevil….

Since it was the birthplace of the magazine, Disposable Media is often sourcing news and gossip from Edge Online spinoff Rllmukforum, and being the freeware/indie correspondent I’m always looking for news from the creatives and developers over there. So when vamecum, a passionate gamer and regular at the Development folder of Rllmukforum, publicised Umami, the latest work-in-progress from Tumbleweed Interactive - a fairly young development studio he co-founded with three other developery people last year - Disposable Media thought it’d be worth a mention over here. We can’t reveal a lot beyond the information on the official site, but having spoken to vamecum and had him share a few bits and pieces about the game, we think it’s well worth mentioning here. One to look out for.

forz (v.): to play the Xbox 360 game Forza Motorsport 2 (often shortened to Forza), usually online.

Example of forz in the present continuous form:

“I would be forzing tonight but my internet connection is playing up”

Additionally, the suffixal morpheme “er” can be applied when forz is used as a verbal stem:

“Is he playing Halo tonight?”

“Nah, he’s a veteran forzer these days.”

Due to the common pronounciation of the game’s title, however, it’s important to clarify whether you are using the noun or the verb+suffixal morpheme in conversation. Once understanding is established, using forz in casual conversation becomes effortless.

Usually when I’m looking for shooty material for my Freeware column I go to either Shoot The Core or Vector, and the former does occassionally provide download links from the latter when promoting new games. However, today I found StC referencing Freem, another nice eastern freeware site that has it’s own section for shooters. Time will tell if the material’s any good, but it’s nice to have another bookmark.

Norwich gig venue The Waterfront has never been as packed before, and there’s good reason. This is the hometown/last-night-of-the-tour show by the Stone Gods; the new band by the line-up of The Darkness (minus singer Justin Hawkins, the old bass player promoted to front man, and with a new bassist roped in. Got that? Good).

The extreme density of the crowd is no-doubt helped by a quarter of the audience being made up of friends and family of the band (guitarist Dan Hawkins’ mum alone has ‘plus sixteen’ on the guest list!), but the performance delivered more than warrants it.

On the whole, Stone Gods are a much ‘heavier’ proposition than their previous incarnation, delivering a 12 song set that hints at every rock sub-genre they can possibly think of, from classic metal, a bit of punkier stuff, and even what one gig-goer dubbed ‘theme tune from a crappy American teen drama’.

They may technically be a new band, but the stage-presence and musicianship of these guys is outstanding, with front man Richie Edwards clearly being born for the role.

Enjoy the pictures, and don’t forget to check out our exclusive interview with the band in Issue Ten of Disposable Media, due out any day now!

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