Buckle in, folks

I don't know about you, but I'm a bit of an anxious flyer. There's something about being on a plane that makes it impossible for me to get comfortable. I think it might have to do with being in such close proximity to strangers, especially right now. That can make it a bit difficult to get through the ?five-hour flight I've had to take to get home the past few years since I moved to the West Coast. Thankfully, gaming has been the one thing that seems to help during my holiday travels.

Of all the things I've tried to bring onto a plane to keep me busy, games seem to b??e the only thing I can have with me that helps me relax a little. I think it's because games are such an active activity, I usually get so involved with what I'm playing that I? completely forget I'm on a plane at all.

So, in an attempt to help any other travelers who get a bit nervous during their journey, here's my guide to the types of games to play when you're traveling. Oh, and I travel with my Nintendo Switch, so you're going to need one of those if you want?? to follow along.

Simulators

Alright so you're gonna wanna go ahead and start with your favorite sim?ulator game. I find these ar??e great for the ride to the airport, waiting in line for TSA, waiting at the gate, and waiting for takeoff once you've boarded. They're obviously some of the most relaxing games you can play, which is going to help you deal with all the stress of getting through the airport. 

Animal Crossing is a gr??eat one as you can use th??is time to get all your daily chores done, but Stardew Valley is also a solid go-to for me here because it divides up time into nice, digestible chunks. You need to? wait an hour? Nah, that's only four days in Stardew time. Plus, the slow-paced nature of this game means? that you can easily look up from your console as needed without risk of dying or loss of progress.

Other good simulator games to try are My Time at Portia, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, Spiri??tf??arer, and Farming Simulator.

Turn-based

If you're someone who needs a little more action in your life, turn-based games are a great way to go. Like simulators, they're easy to have going when you're multitasking, because they kind of pause themselves every few seconds while waiting for you? to do your button input, whether it's making your turn or simply pressing A to progress the dialogue. These are great for any of the lead up to your trip, plus the first half of your flight when you're waiting to be interrupted by the drink cart. 

My favorite turn-based or otherwise visual-novel-esque game?s to travel with are Ace Attorney and Slay the Spire. Ace Attorney has the benefi??t of its episode structures, becaus??e I can make it through one during the five-hour flight it takes to get back to the East Coast. Slay the Spire is such a fun game and it's honestly slept on �it's a deck-builder roguelike that??'s perfect to play in shor??t bursts.

Other great turn-based or visual-nov??el-style games to try are Pokemon (duh), Octopath Traveler, Fire Emblem, Paper Mario: The Origami King, and pretty much any of the famous JRPGs.

Immersive

Okay, this one will ?come in clutch fo??r any of my other anxious flyers out there �download an open-world game you know you love. You're gonna start playing, and soon you're going to be so consumed with what you're doing that you totally forget about your holiday travels. Anything with real-time action will be your best friend, because it forces you to focus more on what you're doing.

My personal go-to is Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, because no matter where I jump in?to a save file, I can immediately have fun with it. It's become something of a comfort game on planes for me, honestly. I've also considered trying out shooters that I know I enjoy like the BioShock series, because the storytelling and gameplay are so involved, I think it would have the same effect. More than genre, what's key here is to find a game that you? feel sucked into.

Other immersive ga?mes to play while traveling are Minecraft, The Witcher 3, Monster Hu?nter, Assassin's Cre?ed, and Xenoblade Chronicles.

Twitchy

If all else fails, that's alright, we just need to bring out the big guns. If I'm really having a hard time on the plane, I put on whatever game has the twitchiest controls I can find. I want fast-paced, real-time gameplay that requires dodging, strategy, timed jumps, and so on. These types of mechanics not only require all of my attention, but my active brainpower, so I really have no other choice than to focus on the game over my anxi?ety.

The one catch with this one is that you usually need to bring a Switch Pro Controller along, set up the screen on the tray table, and play that way. It actually works pretty ??well, if you don't mind the extr??a bit of hassle. Hades is hands down my go-to for this, and has gotten me through those last few ?exhausting hours of the flight pretty ??nicely.

Other twitchy games to try are Hollow Knight, Celeste, Cuphead, Super Smash Bros., and really any other fighti??ng game ??that you might enjoy.

Man, typing this all out really makes me feel crazy, but this is really the process I go through playing g??ames during my travels. If nothing else, I hope that this could help someone else as they navigate one of the most stressful times of the year. And of course, feel free to give these a try if you're just at home needing an escape from your family this Christmas. I have a feeling I'm going to this year. Good luck? out there, gamers.

The post Gaming through your holiday travels: a guide appeared first on Destructoid.

Court is back in session

Previous entries in the Ace Attorney series never examined the legal system beyond surface commentary. Apollo Justice came close when it examined the idea and consequences of a jurist system (something Japan was about to re-implement at the time, and an idea disappointingly dropped completely from this installment), and Justice for All posed an ethical dilemma in its final cas??e when Phoenix discovered his client was actually guilty (although the solution to that dilemma was a cop-out). However, these themes and ideas were introduced in the games' final cases, usually brought out as a surprise near the end, and touched upon only briefly. 

Dual Destinies uses all five cases to discuss much broader themes that are directly relevant to the real-world legal system. Despite the inherent ridiculousness of the Phoenix Wright series' depictions of a courtroom, with over the top witnesses, constant objections, and streamers and confetti as a verdict is announced, Dual Destinies actually raises some valid questions about the legal process and how our courtrooms work. As someone who has been involved in numerous criminal tri??als and has been on both sides of the courtroom in murder cases, I've confronted these issues head-on through my own work, and I was pleasantly surprised to see them discussed in an over-the-top fictional courtroom game.

What happens when and if the public loses trust in the legal system entirely? How do you define j?ustice? And, most importan?tly, what happens when "winning" becomes more important than finding the truth?

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies (3DS [eShop Only; 4432 blocks])
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
To be released: October 24, 2013
MSRP: $29.99

Dual Destinies takes place after the events of Apollo Justice, in a time that the game refers to (over, and over, and over) as the "Dark Age of the Law." Shortly after Phoenix's disbarment in the early events of Apollo Justice for unintentionally producing false evidence thanks to Kristoph, Simon Blackquill, a rising star ??of the prosecutor's office, was indicted and found guilty of murder. Because of his talents, he's still allowed to try cases while incarcerated, and is your main opponent in this installment of the series. 

With two of the best attorneys on both sides of the aisle disgraced, the public loses faith in the system. Attorneys begin resorting to underhanded tactics to win cases -- if Phoenix Wright was fabricating evidence to save his clients, why shouldn't they? If defense attorneys are ?going to fabricate evidence, the prosecution needs to find a way to secure convictions. If the prosecution is convicting by any means necessary, defense attorneys have to fabricate evidence to defend? the innocent.

It becomes a vicious cycle, and gets to the point the top legal academy in the country begins training it students to win at all costs, teaching that the ends always justify the means. It's our own legal system taken to the extreme -- while nothing in American jurisprudence is as blatant or overt as what occurs in Phoenix Wright, we're reminded that we still live in a country where local prosecutors are often politicians looking to move up, and defense attorneys are paid to defend their client at all costs. It's in a similar environment Dual Destinies takes place -- Apollo, Phoenix, and new attorney Athena Cyk??es try cases, defend clients, and try to put an end to the Dark Age of the Law while sticking to their morals.

The structure of the game will be familiar to any who have played any of the previous installments. After a short, courtroom-only introductory case, the rest of the cases play out similarly -- an anime cutscene introduces the murder, Phoenix, Apollo, and/or Athena show up on scene to investigate, and then present their findings in a courtroom sequence. For longer cases, an additional investiga??tion/courtroom sequence or two are added, but the general s?tructure remains the same.

Investigative portions play out like they always have: you move from area to area, interrogating witnesses and presenting evidence to them, gathering ammunition for court. Certain areas, usually the actual scenes of the crime, allow you to search the whole room in a point-and-click style sequence reminisce?nt of classic adventure games. After you've thoroughly searched the required areas and spoken to all of the ne?cessary witnesses, the game moves to the courtroom phase.

There aren't many changes to the courtroom action either, where gameplay primarily consists of the cross-examination of witnesses. As you discover contradictions in witness testimony, you present e?vidence to blow their statements out of the water or, when you don't have evidence, bluff your way ?through the examination by selecting the appropriate responses from small dialogue prompts. It's simple, it's basic, and it works, just like it has in the four previous installments.

The one si??gnificant new addition to witness examination comes from Athena Cykes, who can use her robot, Widget, and her skills in analytical psychology to read the emotions of a witness as they testify. During these sequences, you listen to a witnesses testimony while monitoring their four basic emotions -- joy, anger, sadness, and surprise, and look to find where their emotions (or lack thereof) don't match the testimony they're giving. Back on the investigative side, Apollo Justice's bracelet, which allows you to observe a witness in slow motion to look for physical tells that show they're lying. Phoenix's Magatama and the Psyche-Lock system also make a relatively brief return. 

On the whole, Dual Destinies is an extremely strong addition to the series, and my favorite Ace Attorney game so far. The cohesive themes and narrative tie the game's cases together more strongly than any previous title, and I think the final case just barely beats the Case 5 of Trials and Tribulations in terms of drama and surprise. New prosecutor Simon Blackquill is a solid addition to the seri??es, although I don't think he can stand up t?o Godot or Edgeworth.

The real standout is Athena. Initially introduced as an assistant attorney, Athena's background and her story soon become the core focus of Dual Destinies. While the Ace Attorney series frequently slips into stereotypes and caricature, particularly with witnesses, Athena makes for a unique character who's history, motivations, behavior, and eventual story arc may be the most well rounded of any characters in the f?ranchise.

Unfortunately, Dual Destinies still occasionally suffers from the same problem all of the previous games have had -- there are times when you piece together the mystery several steps ahead of the game, and get bogged down trying to figure out?? what you need to do next because you can't leap straight to your conclusion. You can't present the decisive piece of evidence you know will break the witness too early, because the game's script demands that you do otherwise. Similarly, events in the investigative phase often won't trigger until one very specific piece of evidence has been shown to a certain witness, and the game isn't always clear that this needs to happen for you to move forward. However, these incidents are relatively rare, particularly compared to the previous games, and don't cause significant trouble beyond brief annoyances.

Finally, those who might have gotten excited upon hearing the game had received the series' first ever M rating from the ESRB should temper their enthusiasm. Just like every other game in the Ace Attorney series, every case in Dual Destinies involves murder, but there's nothing I'd consider overly graphic. My guess is either that the ESRB is s??imply inconsistent in its ratings, or the M comes from the stories of two s??eparate witnesses who for whatever reason concerned someone at the ESRB: one witness is revealed to be a different gender than initially presented (their parents forced them to live as the opposite gender and the game leaves it at that), and another character hints at a same-sex attraction. Both issues are given cursory examination, and then the cases move forward. In any event, aside from the murder present in every game in the series, there's nothing here that's inappropriate for teenagers under 17.

However, even though it's not a new, gritty, ultra-violent courtroom drama, Dual Destinies delivers exactly what I wanted from a new Ace Attorney game. Interesting new cases, great new characters, lots of twists and surprises, and what is ultimately an excellent work of interactive fiction. Topped off with beautiful 3D animations, an unsurprisingly excellent soundtrack, and some great anime sequences that highlight major moments in each case, Dual Destinies is not to be missed.

The post Review: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies appeared first on Destructoid.

I have no objections

Getting ready for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies on October 24? Pump yourself with a demo on the 3DS eShop today. Get your finger pointing on as soon ??as you can.

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One of the first major DLCs for Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies

The first details of the Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies downloadable content plans have been revealed, in Japan at least. The Special Chapter: Turnabout Return DLC is the one I'm looking forward to as it will bridge the gap between Apollo Justice and Dual Destinies, focusing on Phoenix's first case after being allowed to practice law again. The case? Phoenix is hired by a trainer that dresses like a pirate to defend her orca against a murder charge in court. Rated M for Mature!

Players can also expect a costume pack for Phoenix that will give him his suit from the original Ace Attorney games, plus an outfit for Apollo and Athena. This will be free until August 15, ?after which it'll cost 150 Yen. There will also be three additional deduction quizzes releasing on August 1, August 8, and August 15, with each of them running for 150 yen.

DLC Content [Capcom Japan, via Siliconera]

The post You must defend this whale that’s been accused of MURDER appeared first on Destructoid.

Why North America and Europe aren't getting a boxed copy

When Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies leaves Japan this fall, it'll be available exclusively through the 3DS eShop. This reality of the publishing business has been met with backlash from some percentage of fans who really would just like a boxed copy, thanks. Taking to the Ask Capcom forums, senior V??P Christ?ian Svensson has clarified the nature of this release.

"... it is a sign of the times that increasingly our business is going digital and not everything is going to be in both formats," he commented. "Not every game is appropriate for both formats given the economics involved. This is similar to Darkstalkers Resurrection or [Resident Evil 4 HD] or Okami HD being physical in Jap?an, but digital in the West. Their COGS (costs of goods sold) ??and retail margins and reserve issues are entirely different there given the market differences. It's a sad fact, but it's still a fact."

One user raised a question I had wondered about as well, which is, will Dual Destinies be hurt by the eShop's discoverability? "I think you're selling yourself and the AA community short," Svensson wrote. "I also think you underestimate our relationship with [Nintendo of America] and what I hope will be our ability to keep it surfaced for more than just a few weeks. NOA has been extremely supportive of [Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate]. I see no reason why they wouldn't be equally supportive of AA:DD."

Svensson also brought up an interesting point about messaging. "We worked very hard to ensure a Western release on this title. If we'd said 'no, it's not coming', it would have triggered the inevitable 'please bring it to eShop, at least' cries. Instead we shortcutted?? that and brought it straight to eShop."

Dear Capcom: Please Reconsider Dig??ital-Only for Ace Attorney 5 [Ask Capcom]

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A Flash demo? How quaint!

Capcom has finally slapped a proper localized title onto Ace Attorney 5, hereby known as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, and will be bringing it out West this fall. Unfortunately, it will be an eShop-only release, but I hope Capcom at least decides to put the "pull my finger" statue up on the online store.

Our Japanese brethren are now being treated to an Ace Attorney 5 demo, but as is common for demos of portable adventure games, it's a Flash production exclusive to browsers. Capcom does realize that the 3DS can do demos a billion times better than the DS did, r?ight? Doesn't make much difference to us as it's in Japanese, but it ought to give you an idea of how closely Phoenix's latest stick??s to tradition.

Famitsu magazine also laid out an AA5 spread in the latest issue, revealing the return of Apollo Justice starlet Trucy Wright and a glasses-sporting Miles Edgeworth. Oh, Ed??gy-poo!

Ace Attorney 5 Trial Version [Capcom JP via Japanator]
New JP Ace Attorney 5 traile?r and some familiar fa??ces [Japanator]

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Also included is a nifty pouch themed after Wright's pimpin' suit

For Phoenix Wright's grand return to the courtroom in Japan this summer, Capcom has put together a number of limited edition bundles to sell on the e-Capcom store. For ¥9990 (~$102), you get a copy of the game, three alternate box covers, a set of chibi character stickers, a 3DS pouch modeled after Wright's pimp-ass suit, and the pièce de résistance: a 1/10 scale statue of the defense atto??rney in total lawyering mode.

The remaining bundles are just cut-down versions of the big bundle. For ¥8990 (~$92), it's the game, the statue, and one random replacement cover; for ¥7590 (~$77), it's the game, the stickers, the pouch, and one cover; and for ¥5990 (~$61), it's the game and one cover. It also looks like Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is getting a budget reprint as well as? a statue for perfect prosecutor Mi?les Edgeworth.

Additionally, this announcement reveals the game's box art, which looks in line with previous entries in the franchise. You may notice that Apollo Justice is in excellent physical condition on the cover, which implies that his body-scaring accident doesn't happen immediately at the start.

I'm going to predict that Capcom will bring these goodies over during localizati?on, but you'll have to buy them separately on the US Capcom store. I wouldn't have a problem with that if true.

Ace Attorney 5 e-Capcom limited editions announc??ed [Gematsu via GoNintendo]

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No Western date announced just yet

The dynamic trio of Phoenix Wright, Mr. Grumpy Gus, and Chick with a Care Bear Stare is set to invade your 3DS this summer -- if you live in Japan, that is. In a post about an upcoming Nico Nico Q&A session, Capcom accidentally let slip a July 25 release date. The goof has since been removed, but not before Siliconera screen-grabbed the page.

No formal announcement has been made about a Western release for the 3DS courtroom drama, but Capcom did unofficially vocalize its localization intentions last year. Let's hope we don't have to wait long. I mean, we still haven't heard jack all about Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney.

Take That! Ace Attorney 5 Coming Out In Japan This July?? Read [Siliconera]

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He's taken some battle damage

Though they come few and far between, some say that Ace Attorney 4 is their favorite game in the series. These fans were rightfully disappointed to see Phoenix Wright return to the starring role in Ace Attorney 5. What co?uld have possibly happened to bring this outcast, bad hat wearing, former legal dynamo back to the bench, and what ??happened to the promising, spiky haired up and comer Apollo? 

Regardless of if you're on Team Wright or Team Justice, these are the questions you want answered. It looks like Ace Attorney 5 will make good on those answers, as Apollo has been confirmed to appear in the game, now with some big collar action, arms wrapped up like Sagat, and what looks like an eye wound. 

More on this breaking news as it comes in!

Ace Attorney 5 ??sees appearance from Apollo Justice [Gonintendo]

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One of the absolute worst things about coming to Japan and not knowing the language is being faced with the opportunity to play a new game from a series you love and not understand a goddamn thing that's going on. Such was the case when I took Ace Attorney 5 for a spin at Tokyo Game Show.

I can't speak to the lengthy dialogue exchanges, or the story, or the evidence or the characters, because I don't have a clue about any of it. It's pretty much the worst game ever if you can't read. But let me assure of one thing: It's friggin' gorgeous. 

It's the first game for the 3DS that I can say with all seriousness that I intend to play the entire way through in 3D. Capcom has made beautiful 3D models of all the characters, but you could be forgiven for thinking they were flat when not in motion due to cel-shaded art style. Once they begin gesturing and talking, however, the combination of the models and the 3D effect is captivating. I couldn't stop staring at it but, perhaps more telling, I never even thought for a second to check and see how it looked with the 3D slider sw??itched to the off position.

Capcom needs to hurry up and give a date for its North American re?lease. Whenever that is, it still won't be soon enough for me.

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