Gyakuten Saiben 4. (1Up Preview)

[Placebo Headwound]

Who is this bright-eyed youngster taking the place of our beloved Phoenix Wright, the courtroom hero of the previous games? And who is that scruffy-looking fellow in the "Papa" ski cap and hoodie -- oh wait, that's Phoenix, and he's been charged with smashing a guy over the head with a bottle...of grape juice. Little investigation is needed to discover that the new protagonist in Gyakuten Saiban 4 (which we affectionately nicknamed Not-Phoenix Wright) is Housuke Odoroki, budding defense attorney under the tutelage of the famous lawyer Kirihito Garyuu.

From the start, Odoroki's potential is apparent, even to Phoenix. Players can take advantage of his keen powers of observation by touching the "see through" bracelet icon with the Stylus. By watching the behavior of the witnesses, Odoroki can tell if they're hiding something. If they are, then it's the player's job to point it out with the "There!" command.

But main character shuffling aside, the game plays pretty much like we've come to expect of the Ace Attorney series. There are four episodes, with all but the first -- which takes place entirely in the courtroom -- consisting of investigation and trial sections. Since this game is the first in the series to be made especially for DS, it well takes advantage of the touch screen, and not just for advancing conversations.


SCREENS: Oh dear -- Phoenix really should stick to his courtroom apparel. He's been known to wear a sweater with a heart on it in the past; now it's a ski cap with the words "Papa" on it. What's next? [Click the image above to check out all Gyakuten Saiban 4 screens.]

The life bar system carries over from the second game and players use various types of scientific procedures to gather clues, whether it be plaster-casting a footprint or dusting for fingerprints. Players even get to rearrange furniture a bit in a 3D mock-up of the first case's crime scene.

Coincidentally, the game's first case is also Odoroki's first case (and you can tell, because he's nervous as hell, earning the name Mr. "All Right" for his constant vocal self-affirmations). And defending Phoenix will not be easy. Our former hero is working at this shady Russian restaurant as a "pianist," which is to say he spends his time playing poker. For those of you who haven't played Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations yet (coming out in the U.S. later this year), I bet you're dying to know just how our upstanding Phoenix has gotten so objectionable.

Zany courtroom drama is always in season so we're keeping our ears open for news of a U.S. release. If the words "panty thief" don't get you excited about the second case, we don't know what will.

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3159038