Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth Hands-On Impressions

The popular Ace Attorney series of adventure games has always been about seeking out the hidden truths found in some of the most tightly wound-up court cases. Though the action has thus far centered on the exploits of the plucky defense attorneys called in to defend highly eccentric characters that find themselves falsely accused of all manners of evil, the series takes a somewhat unexpected turn with Ace Attorney Investigations. We recently had the chance to play through the Comic-Con demo and found out that logical reasoning can make a difference in the world of law.

This time around, you're in the shoes of high prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, the best friend/greatest rival of the friendly neighborhood defense attorney, Phoenix Wright. When a murder is committed within Edgeworth's own office, he's determined to solve the crime and piece together the truth of what happened. The bumbling but lovable detective Dick Gumshoe makes his return as Edgey's steadfast assistant, and after a brief cutscene and some dialogue, we got straight to work in the investigation phase.

Unlike previous Ace Attorney games, the bulk of the action didn't unfold in the first person--Edgeworth, Gumshoe, and a couple other police officers were all seen from the third person in a 2D view with depth, and we had full control of our prosecutor in the room. Using the stylus, we walked around Edgeworth's office and found several pieces of evidence, which we quickly added to our organizer (the prosecution's version of the court record). When we examined the victim's body, the game switched to the first-person view we were used to so we could better investigate, and right away, we found an important clue as to what happened.

Miles Edgeworth is a clever guy, and by carefully applying deductive reasoning, he's able to reveal the truths that are often hidden in plain sight. By hitting the Logic button, we were able to connect two of Edgey's thoughts together to form a new conclusion, which then shifted the investigation in another direction. We were also able to point out a vital contradiction in the crime scene by using the Deduce ability and present the appropriate piece of evidence, after which Edgeworth triumphantly shouted "Eureka!"

The final segment of the demo we played was a cross-examination scene. Though we weren't able to actually battle in court as a prosecutor, one of the characters we encountered presented his defective theory about the case at hand, and we were forced to set him straight. If you're familiar at all with the way cross-examinations worked in previous Ace Attorney games, you'll be pleased to know that it's identical: You listen to the testimony of your witnesses, press them for details, and present evidence that highlights a flaw in their story. Of course, things weren't quite what they seemed, but unfortunately, the demo ended shortly after introducing us to another familiar character from Phoenix Wright's past.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is shaping up to be an excellent addition to the series. Check back for continued coverage of this upcoming title, which will be released on the Nintendo DS on February 16, 2010.