NekoJonez: First Impression: Ace Attorney Miles Edgeworth Investigations 2 (DS) * Fan Translation * ~ Finally Finished!

80h6Wikipedia entry

Before I begin, I could link you to the translation patch. But that would involve piracy. While this is the ONLY way to play this game in English, I still don’t want to get my blog into trouble by providing you with links to the patch. For that reason, you will have to look up the patch yourself. You can find it quite easily and the instructions are pretty solid so if you never patched a game before with a translation patch, you won’t be lost! Anyways, I have waited for a long time with writing this article. That’s because the translation has only recently been finished. So, let’s take a look at the game. (All the screenshots are of the translation and the first case.) Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the game and or my article. 

Why no English release?

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The reason why this game didn’t saw an English release is because the first game didn’t bring enough profit. The first game was pirated too much. Now, we can debate this move. But in the long run, the pirates win here. In order to play the game you either have to learn to read Japanese OR play a rom translated to English.

Now, the patch that’s floating around on the internet is amazingly crafted. It’s more then just a patch to change the text. They went to the length of changing the art and even the sound into English. Now that’s dedication.

I have tested some beta versions of this patch and I have seen the patch progress and evolve. It’s very clear that they handled this with the uttermost care. It’s very clear that they wanted to release a patch without any bugs or mistakes. Seriously guys, my hat goes off to you. My Indy hat!

The story of this game is really interesting. We get a better look at who Miles actually is. That’s something I really missed in the first game. In the first game you only saw Miles in all his glory. Now you can see him from different angles. How he reacts to people from his past.

Because this is an Ace Attorney game, you can bet your law court that this is an amazing game in terms of story. It’s a visual novel adventure after all. The translation brought this game really to life. That’s what I love about the handheld communities, when they team up to help the devs to get their game out.

Now, if this is really helping out the devs in a positive way, that’s a subject for a whole other debate. So, let’s look at the game now. How much fun is this game to play? Was it worth translating? Let’s take a look!

Playing chess

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I was blown away by the new chess mechanic in this game. At first I was afraid that this would ruin the game. But it turns out very good. I only finished the first case and I’m halfway through the 2nd one. (I assume) and the mechanic really makes you feel like Egdeworth.

The mechanic is used when you want information out of somebody. And comparing it with chess is an amazing translation in the game. The clues and arguments you find in what the person says can indeed be used to corner him (or her) and get the information you need out of that person.

What I truly like about this mechanic is that it’s timed. This way the questioning doesn’t loose it’s feel of being just that. Don’t worry about running out of time since you get some time back if you break one barrier.

The rest of the gameplay is exactly the same as in the original. You can walk around one area to find clues or progress the story. The logic mechanic makes a great return as well. The game isn’t a boring game to play. I dare to call this game an example to other visual novels. The game has an amazing balance between gameplay and story.

One issue is still present. It’s a problem I have with the whole series. At some moments, you can possibly show more then one piece of evidence. But the game is programmed that only one piece of evidence is the correct piece. While this doesn’t happen very often, I don’t think this is a major issue.

Perfect game?

ss (2014-07-29 at 04.40.46)As a big Nintendo DS fan, I dare to say that this game is one of the best visual novel games that the system has to offer. But it’s not perfect. I have said earlier that this game sets a great example for other visual novel games.

But the game has some minor issues with the controls. The start button won’t always give you the ability to save. Now, that’s an irritant issue. It might possibly get fixed by the translation team but I doubt it myself.

After I have played two Ace Attorney games on the 3DS, I agree with the claims that the 2D games like a bit plain. But, it would be cheap to call this game ugly based on that. Actually this game isn’t ugly at all.

Graphically, this game is pretty well done. I have to admit that some of my favorite character designs of the series are in this very title. In addition with that, the animation is truly top notch! As we are used from Capcom.

And of course, I have to talk about the music. The music of this series is one of my favorite game music of all time. And in this game we find old and new tracks. They are a real joy to listen to and give that extra to the game which makes it even more fun.

Anyways, I think I’ll leave it here for this first impression. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as I enjoyed writing it. I will write a review of this game as soon as I beat beat, you guys may be sure of that. But for now, I hope to see you guys in another article!