I picked up the first one a few months ago and really enjoyed what I've played of it thus far. I'm barely into the game, but the story and the presentational polish are ace (pun intended).

I've read the third game's story starts before the first. Is it entirely a prequel?

I'm only on the first case so far but the boxart at least suggests that it's both a prequel and a sequel.

I really should go back to it. I'm usually pretty dedicated with my DS gaming, but of late I've not been well disciplined. Got Wario Master of Disguise the other day which I'll start a thread on at some point.

You've inspired me to give Pheonix another bash

Awesome. It's not that hard to get into on a regular basis, actually. The quick save makes it pretty conveniant so I tend to play last thing at night and first thing in the morning.

I think I missed something with this game, I found it not to be a game at all more of an interactive storybook. Although I found the progression of the cases that I played were very uninteresting.

I just gave up as I couldn't find it absorbing at all.

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It depends what your definition of a game is. Personally I find scrutinising statements and looking for contradictions about as compelling as videogames get.

If you take away the presentation then you've basically got a well crafted IF (Interactive Fiction). An IF is still a game in my eyes and there are plenty on the internet worth dipping into when you get bored at work. Maybe you have to be old enough to remember the Fighting Fantasy books to dig them .

I'm not that old but I was impoverished enough to be playing text adventures when all my friends were into Alex Kidd and Mario. Perhaps that's why I appreciate games like Phoenix Wright and Hotel Dusk.

Totally Off Topic, but there's a guy here at work who's totally into board games and games of any type. He's been twisting my arm to try a genre known as Roguelikes essentially ascii based adventure games that borrow elements from Rogue.

He recommentds www.adom.de for an easy entry point and then www.incursion-roguelike.org for a complex example.

If I get around to either I might start a thread on the subject. From his description they sound quite fun.

I've always been quite intrigued by those games myself. If you come across one that works on a Mac or DS then let me know.

Sorry for derailing this further but SHIREN THE WANDERER, play it right now

It's favourite SNES game (really!) and there's an excellent fan translation here:

http://agtp.romhack.net/project.php?id=shiren

It has loads of great characters and sidequests and it's ridiculously accessible, and I'm too lazy to write more so I'll just link these articles about it

http://www.dessgeega.com/furainoshiren.html
http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2007/07/play_journal_of_the_trip_to_ta.php
http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/05/column_parallax_memories_fushi.php
http://www.gamersquarter.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=795

edit: Also it's been ported to the DS, with a few balance changes (some good, some bad) and some new dungeons. It's rumoured to be getting a US release.

That looks cool. Thanks for posting.

I'm nearing the end of Ace Attorney 3 now and I have to say that it's the best yet. The gameplay is the same as ever but it's the way the story is crafted that makes it brilliant. It's a non-linear thing that skips back and forth over an 11 year period and has you playing from several different perspectives. It keeps things feeling fresh and ensures that there are loads of interesting twists throughout.

It's also the funniest of the three. There have been loads of moments that have made me laugh out loud. That almost never happens with a game but it must have happened at least 10 times so far.

So I finished Ace Attorney 3 today and I was fighting back the tears by the end of it. Not just because of the excellent story but also because it hurts to think that this is it... I'll never be in the company of many of these characters again.

It seems strange to say that about a bunch of fictional videogame personalities but that's really just a testament to how well written this trilogy has been. Rarely have I played a game where I truly feel part of the world and feel a connection with the people within it but it happens here and it's hard to let go.

I just hope that Ace Attorney 4, with it's new set of characters, can be just as involving.

Oh and anyone who's yet to be convinced of this series' awesomness should check out Mat Allen's review over on NTSC-uk. He sums the whole thing up perfectly.

Ooo not read that yet. Worth a look I should think.

An emotional connection is a tricky thing to pull off in a game. It has only happened to me a few times, but when it works it leaves a lasting imprint. Without wanting to sound like a broken record Panzer Dragoon Saga and the whole Panzer Dragoon canon are probably the games that have affected me most emotionally, closely followed by Shenmue.

The emotionally charged, uplifting finale to Space Channel 5 Part 2 is peerless, and probably makes it my favourite game. It never fades either, that game is endlessly playable. No one else seems to play it though.

The ghost story in Ouendan is also amazing, that gets me every time.

It's funny isn't it? I'm sure we've all found ourselves chanting the 'gameplay over story' mantra in the past but the games that often stay with us the most are those that we feel a connection to.

I haven't played Space Channel 5/2 myself. Keep meaning to but it's just so damn expensice. Does the Dreamcast one have English voices or am I better off tracking down the PS2 version?

DC is Japanese only, US Special Edition (Part 1 and Part 2) can be got new for about a tenner, all in English.

The English localisation is very, very good, but there is something far more charming about the Japanese language version. You do lose some nice little details though. Basically, its worth playing both versions.