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Bring on Justice!
Jul. 23rd, 2010 12:07 amSorry for double posting in one night. ;3
I've been following this thread on Court-Records.Net for the last few days regarding rumors that there will not be another main entry to the Ace Attorney series, or at least, no sequel to Apollo Justice. The origin of this rumor came from a mistranslation of an interview with ex-producer Shu Takumi by Go-Nintendo, but even with the appropriate edits and explanations, I'm still not reassured, and it doesn't seem like many others are either. It's been three years since Apollo Justice was released in Japan, and we've heard no word regarding future development of the main series. Even if Capcom intended to leave a marketing buffer zone between Apollo Justice and Ace Attorney Investigations--even between AAI and Takumi's Ghost Trick for that matter--it doesn't sound like the game is even in production at this point. No one has stepped up to take charge of the project, and no one seems to have any answers. I fooled myself into thinking that the related parties were being secretive or that the game was still a few years out, but I get the inkling now that they actually haven't created anything for the sequel at this point and don't intend to any time soon.
So, aside from the obvious concern that there won't be another game, at least not for a while, I want to know how people would feel if Apollo Justice really was the last game. I'm not saying that that's the case, and I'm still trying to remain optimistic, but it's something to think about. Can you live with the conclusions? Was too much left unanswered? Was it satisfying in retrospect? It never, ever once crossed my mind that this would be the last game, and now that I've had time to ponder this, I'm viewing the game in a completely different way. It all feels like a horrible waste, particularly when it comes to the cast--was this new world created just to extend and conclude the Phoenix Wright arc, or is it coincidence that he got so much face time in the final conclusions of the game? Were Apollo and Klavier undeveloped again, by coincidence, or simply because they were never meant to be fleshed out in the first place? It's things like this that make me wonder now. :/
I'm also concerned about who will be taking over the project. Since Takumi is out, the next person in line appears to be Motohide Eshiro, who produced AAI. However, I have to admit, I wasn't pleased with the final product of that game--I thought the majority of the character designs missed the mark for either being forgettable, too gaudy, or downright stupid, that the dialogue wasn't as snappy and vibrant as we're used to, and that the plot itself was bland and uninteresting. I really couldn't sympathize with anyone but the old cast--Edgeworth, Franziska, Gumshoes--even though I walked in with high hopes and a readiness to accept the new characters. I consider it the weakest entry to the series at this point, and if these were productions choices made by Eshiro himself, well... I'm a little concerned with him tampering with the main series.
Also, my thoughts, as posted on Court-Records:
"...As for the actual content of the interview... wow. I feel like there really won't be another game at this point, more so than when the interview and the rumors first came out. The tone and the way Mr. Takumi answered the questions just seem so final to me. I understand and respect where he's coming from, but it's still very sad to hear that he considers himself done with this great series. D: (I'm still holding out though!)
One thing that has been bothering me about this interview however, is the following quote and what it implies:
It's a hard question to answer. For me, Ace Attorney ended with the fourth game. I think everything I wanted to do and everything that should have been done in the series was done with the last installment.
Something about this just seems fishy to me. I know that Ace Attorney is his 'baby' and that he can twist the plot around as he likes, but it just seems strange, in my mind, that he would make a new game--Apollo Justice--with an almost entirely new cast, some pretty intense cliffhangers, and only a few fleeting references to the previous games and then call this the true ending of the series when Trials and Tribulations was a perfectly acceptable way to wrap up the story. Apollo Justice doesn't strike me as a bittersweet ending to the first three games; it strikes me as unfinished work and something that begs for a sequel if closure is really to be gained. I don't mean to accuse him of anything or take a swipe at the man whose games I've faithfully enjoyed, but ultimately, I don't necessarily think he was being honest when he said that everything he wanted to do/thought needed to be done was taken care of in GS4. To me, I feel like GS4 was written with a sequel in mind, and that claiming that it was the end of the series is a cop-out to cover the fact that Takumi and/or the writers are losing steam. If GS4 was planned to be the final installment all along, as he claims, so many factors don't add up. Why wasn't Phoenix the main character, badge aside? Why bother introducing Apollo, Klavier and all the other characters not directly related to him, and cut out the old cast entirely? It just feels like a waste. :/
(Of course, this all changes if he means that this is as far as he wants to take the series, but after reading the rest of the interview, it sounds very much like he means that the series is over, with or without him.) ..."
Anyways, I ramble.
What happens to my OTP! THEY WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER. D:<
I've been following this thread on Court-Records.Net for the last few days regarding rumors that there will not be another main entry to the Ace Attorney series, or at least, no sequel to Apollo Justice. The origin of this rumor came from a mistranslation of an interview with ex-producer Shu Takumi by Go-Nintendo, but even with the appropriate edits and explanations, I'm still not reassured, and it doesn't seem like many others are either. It's been three years since Apollo Justice was released in Japan, and we've heard no word regarding future development of the main series. Even if Capcom intended to leave a marketing buffer zone between Apollo Justice and Ace Attorney Investigations--even between AAI and Takumi's Ghost Trick for that matter--it doesn't sound like the game is even in production at this point. No one has stepped up to take charge of the project, and no one seems to have any answers. I fooled myself into thinking that the related parties were being secretive or that the game was still a few years out, but I get the inkling now that they actually haven't created anything for the sequel at this point and don't intend to any time soon.
So, aside from the obvious concern that there won't be another game, at least not for a while, I want to know how people would feel if Apollo Justice really was the last game. I'm not saying that that's the case, and I'm still trying to remain optimistic, but it's something to think about. Can you live with the conclusions? Was too much left unanswered? Was it satisfying in retrospect? It never, ever once crossed my mind that this would be the last game, and now that I've had time to ponder this, I'm viewing the game in a completely different way. It all feels like a horrible waste, particularly when it comes to the cast--was this new world created just to extend and conclude the Phoenix Wright arc, or is it coincidence that he got so much face time in the final conclusions of the game? Were Apollo and Klavier undeveloped again, by coincidence, or simply because they were never meant to be fleshed out in the first place? It's things like this that make me wonder now. :/
I'm also concerned about who will be taking over the project. Since Takumi is out, the next person in line appears to be Motohide Eshiro, who produced AAI. However, I have to admit, I wasn't pleased with the final product of that game--I thought the majority of the character designs missed the mark for either being forgettable, too gaudy, or downright stupid, that the dialogue wasn't as snappy and vibrant as we're used to, and that the plot itself was bland and uninteresting. I really couldn't sympathize with anyone but the old cast--Edgeworth, Franziska, Gumshoes--even though I walked in with high hopes and a readiness to accept the new characters. I consider it the weakest entry to the series at this point, and if these were productions choices made by Eshiro himself, well... I'm a little concerned with him tampering with the main series.
Also, my thoughts, as posted on Court-Records:
"...As for the actual content of the interview... wow. I feel like there really won't be another game at this point, more so than when the interview and the rumors first came out. The tone and the way Mr. Takumi answered the questions just seem so final to me. I understand and respect where he's coming from, but it's still very sad to hear that he considers himself done with this great series. D: (I'm still holding out though!)
One thing that has been bothering me about this interview however, is the following quote and what it implies:
It's a hard question to answer. For me, Ace Attorney ended with the fourth game. I think everything I wanted to do and everything that should have been done in the series was done with the last installment.
Something about this just seems fishy to me. I know that Ace Attorney is his 'baby' and that he can twist the plot around as he likes, but it just seems strange, in my mind, that he would make a new game--Apollo Justice--with an almost entirely new cast, some pretty intense cliffhangers, and only a few fleeting references to the previous games and then call this the true ending of the series when Trials and Tribulations was a perfectly acceptable way to wrap up the story. Apollo Justice doesn't strike me as a bittersweet ending to the first three games; it strikes me as unfinished work and something that begs for a sequel if closure is really to be gained. I don't mean to accuse him of anything or take a swipe at the man whose games I've faithfully enjoyed, but ultimately, I don't necessarily think he was being honest when he said that everything he wanted to do/thought needed to be done was taken care of in GS4. To me, I feel like GS4 was written with a sequel in mind, and that claiming that it was the end of the series is a cop-out to cover the fact that Takumi and/or the writers are losing steam. If GS4 was planned to be the final installment all along, as he claims, so many factors don't add up. Why wasn't Phoenix the main character, badge aside? Why bother introducing Apollo, Klavier and all the other characters not directly related to him, and cut out the old cast entirely? It just feels like a waste. :/
(Of course, this all changes if he means that this is as far as he wants to take the series, but after reading the rest of the interview, it sounds very much like he means that the series is over, with or without him.) ..."
Anyways, I ramble.
What happens to my OTP! THEY WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER. D:<
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