There are times in life when I say to myself "boy I wish I knew Japanese." Which is why last week I started studying Japanese on my own, with a little help from here and there. Why would I do this?

 

1. Because I am on a quest to learn a bunch of languages. I find it mentally stimulating and a fun way to bide my time. Additionally, learning different launguages can be incredibly useful in a business. 

 

2. Because some companies refuse to localize their games until at least a year or two after their Japanese release, if at all. Take Mother 3, for example. There is a game that people have begged to be localized, but there doesn't seem to be any plan of doing so. 

There are a few franchises dear to me (although I only got into them fairly recently) that have a few games coming to Japan in the next year. 

 

 

The Ace Attorney series was first introduced to the world with the 2001 release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Essentially, this game is about investigating crimes and BEING A LAWYER IN A COURTROOM. Now, if that doesn't sound intriguing, don't worry. I didn't give it a second thought until last year, when I joined my school's mock trial team, and decided to try it. Not only did I get hooked, but I managed to suck in my brother and my friend. We took turns playing all three games, which I now have in my possesion. The fourth game in the series, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney was met with dissappointed fans because it didn't star Phoenix Wright, the protagonist of the last 3 games. I was also quite annoyed, and by the end, I had mixed feelings. The story was great, but Capcom managed to mildly soil the name of Phoenix Wright. I'm not going to touch upon Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth because I don't feel it is really connected to the story of the other games, nor much in gameplay. 

 

Aside from AAI:ME, the Ace Attorney name has gone dry for a couple of years. FINALLY, this year at the Tokyo Game Show, Ace Attorney 5 was announced. The game was announced for a loclaization, but no information has been given since. The game has appeared in the Japanese weekly periodical Famitsu a couple of times. Luckily, I don't have to translate as that is done for me by the wonderful site www.court-records.net, bringing you all the latest Ace Attorney news. 

 

So why do we need this game? 

 

1. This guy. While he was not the main focus of the latest game, Capcom decided to, wait for it, LISTEN TO THE FANS! They actually care! They are bringing back Phoenix in the new installment, after he said in the last game that <spoiler> he won't be coming back as a lawyer </spoiler>. I want to know what happened. 

 

2. I swear the story NEVER gets bad in these games. Even if I disagree with the direction the story took in the last game, the overall picture was a great one. It actually left me wanting more, and I am slightly dissapointed we didn't get to see what happened next to Apollo after the final twist of the game. 

 

3. It's on the 3DS. After seeing the brilliant work of art that was Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (even though it was made by a different company), I have high hopes for later games that fall in the same type of category. 

 

 

Which brings us to...

 

The first time I played a Layton game was almost at the end of May last year. It was a little bit after I finished playing Apollo Justice. I didn't want to buy it, so I used an emulator to play it. I finished it a couple of days later, and immediatly went on to play the second, third, and fourth games. I now own the first three, and plan on buying the Last Spectre at some point. 

They came out with a movie which I was super excited about, but wathced it before playing the fourth game, which was a little mistake. They are meant to be reversed, with the game canonically coming first. It doesn't make too much of a difference, except that the big reveal of the villain was spoiled a little. I didn't realize the awesome of this guy until I played the Last Specter. Just his theme sends shivers down my sides.

 

You can't believe my excietement when I heard they made a game for the 3DS. I was so dissapointed that it wasn't being localized, and I kept waiting for the news. Finally, one day, it was announced that the game would be releasing on October 28th in North America. This wouldn't stick out in my mind so much if it wasn't my birthday. Anyway, I got the game, and a little bit after finishing it, I wrote a review which you could check out here. 

 

Right before the release of the game, during a Nintendo Direct, and later at the Tokyo Game Show, the sixth and final game of the *Hershel* Layton series was announced- Professor Layton and the Legacy of Super-Civilization A which was shortened to and the Azran Legacies to the North American public (which makes more sense if you play Miracle Mask). This game has absolutely no plans on localization yet. Usually, games aren't localized because the sales of the last game aren't high enough, or sales of the whole series (which is why I implore everyone who reads this to play the games). But why do we need this game here in the USofA?

 

 

1. That picture up there.

 

2. Just like the Ace Attorney series, the story is masterfully crafted. Except, even more so than the aforementioned, this franchise manages to weave whole games together, not just a couple of stories. This game is going to bring the whole past trilogy of Hershel Layton's life to a satisfying and thrilling conclusion, explaining just what the hell is actually going on between the plots of the Last Specter, Eternal Diva, and Miracle Mask. Seeing how well they wrapped up the present trilogy, there is no doubt in my mind that this game is going to surpass any belief that I had that a game will top the emotional quality of the masterpiece that is Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. 

 

3. It's on the 3DS. 'NUFF SAID

 

4. DEAR GOD THAT VILLAIN'S THEME! And just the heck is he anyway? It will be explained here. We can pretty much assume that unless you learn Japanese, you won't be able to enjoy these answers for another year or two. 

 

NOW WAIT A MOMENT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING? Aren't we missing something? Perhaps the greatest thing that ever happened to humanity? I believe the top of this page say THREE games, and last I counted I only wrote about two. Well, this game isn't something to scoff at. This game was announced WAY back when (TGS 2010), and hasn't heard any news until very recently, at the Tokyo Game Show, where a new trailer and gameplay was shown off. There is even a release date- November 29th, 2012- for Japan. What is this game that will raise the dead from their tombs, cause mass destruction with it's awesome? 

 

Why, it must be...

 

The excitement that this game brings me has no bounds. This game will be the game to end all games. I just went semi-in-depth at two franchises- Ace Attorney and Professor Layton. Capcom and Level-5 have teamed up to bring us what we wanted since the inception of earth. This crossover is essentially going to combine aspects from both games- there will be puzzles aplenty, and many Objections! in the courtroom, as tears of joy will be shed. Why is this game going to be amazing, and why does this, above all, have to be localized?

 

1. There is no doubt, that's a big fat 0%, that the story in this game will one that no one will be able to forget. The stories in both series' are all masterfully crafted, and leave the player with a sense of satisfaction- no holes that remain open for sequels (at the end of the trilogy anyway). The plot in the two franchises have to be, without a doubt, the best stories in video games, with the exception of the indie game To The Moon, but I'll leave that for another time. These games (including the latter) all have made me cry, and I am not afraid to mention it. These games evoked tears solely through the storytelling, and nothing else. My policy is, that if a game, movie, or any form of entertainment can make me cry, it has accomplished it's task. 

 

2. I think we all want to hear Layton yell Objection! The gameplay is going to be great- a mixture between detective mode, puzzle solving, and courtroom battles? Who doesn't want to see our pointy-haired protagonist duke it out with the top hat wearing gentleman? To quote Egoraptor- "Electrical engineering- pretty smart. General relativity- pretty fuckin' smart. Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney- FUCKING. GENIUS." Well, that last part may have been a slight misquote *cough cough*.

 

3. Three. Dimensions. 

 

Well, I hope you agree to some points I make here, and hopefully you feel the same way I do. Capcom/Level-5, if you are reading this, please, PLEASE, make this a reality. 

 

Have a good day.