Review by: Brandon "Blue Badger" Cackowski-Schnell

The Phoenix Wright series has always been a form of comfort gaming for me, ever since the first game hit North American shores almost five years ago. The games have never rocked my gaming foundations or made me see adventure gaming in a new light, but they have always provided entertaining episodes of quality gaming filled with interesting stories and downright awesome characters. Despite moving one of the more stiff necked characters into the foreground, the latest entry in the series loses none of the charm and manages to provide more of the same, which, in this case, is a good thing.

Miles Edgeworth, Phoenix's frequent sparring partner from the first three games, may not be spending a lot of time in the courtroom these days but that doesn't mean that crime is leaving him alone. Whether he's coming to work to find a dead body in his office or getting captured as part of a kidnapping ransom drop, Edgie just can't leave crime alone. As he delves further into a huge case involving counterfeit cash and art the stakes increase as do the size of the episodes. As with all of the games in the series, this is best played with breaks in between the episodes lest one get burned out on logical deductions and ear splitting objections.

Edgeworth may not be in the courtroom but that doesn't mean that he has to take fools at their word. He will still listen to the testimony of others and use his keen, analytical mind to reduce their testimony to shreds. Not one to use fancy, supernatural geegaws, Edgeworth instead uses cold logic to get to the truth of the matter. As Miles investigates crime scenes he'll collect thoughts that can later be connected with logic to gain greater insight into the crime at hand and open up new conversation and investigative options. It's a great mechanism, and one that fits the character perfectly. Edgeworth can also use his deductive powers to spot discrepancies with a crime scene or a piece of evidence. This is less effective than the logic method if only because it's a tad overused to the point where something as simple as unlocking a door with a found key can only be accomplished after deducing the key's purpose.

To go along with the new deductive powers, the game sports a third person mode for crime scene investigation for the first time in the series' history. As Edgeworth and his constant, wonderfully hapless partner, Detective Gumshoe, move around the crime scene, Edgeworth can examine the area as well as talk to the various participants. In a nice touch, once all of the evidence in a particular area has been found the player is presented with an "Investigation Complete" screen, letting them know that it's time to move on to a new area or a new conversation. The third person view also gives you a splendid view of Miles' wardrobe, seemingly purloined from the recesses of Prince's closet.

Unfortunately not everything is as streamlined. As with all of the games in the series, and adventure games in general, finding the "right" piece of contradictory evidence from a store of items that could all be used tends to make the game last longer in sections than it needs to. Combined with a system of text presentation that doesn't allow the user to control the speed of the text and you're looking at an already lengthy game being made even longer.

Even with these complaints, it's still an entertaining jaunt through the Phoenix Wright universe. There are plenty of nods to the various tv shows and other pop culture artifacts found in previous games, giving the game a familiar feel. You'll also get a chance to get reacquainted with characters from the previous games such as Franziska von Karma, Manfred von Karma, the Gavineers and everyone's favorite geriatric, Wendy Oldbag. It's a great mix of new faces to allow for some steps forward while still playing well with all of the other games.

As with all the four games before it, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth takes the usual adventure gaming tropes and surrounds them with delightfully complex cases and a healthy dollop of character whackines. Heck, if the game can take Miles Edgeworth, one of the least interesting characters in the game and make him a protagonist you enjoy spending time with, they have to be doing something right.