Gyakuten Kenji: new Phoenix Wright prequel starring Edgeworth

by JC Fletcher { Apr 9th 2008 at 9:45AM }

How about a morning MEGATON? The latest issue of Famitsu contains an announcement of a new Ace Attorney game: a spinoff called Gyakuten Kenji (Turnabout Prosecutor). Like the previous AA games, Kenji will focus on crime scene investigation (but not courtroom theatrics). This time the action follows Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth and Detective Dick Gumshoe. Using new gameplay systems, you'll check out crime scenes for unseen evidence, and argue cases in court. Unlike Saiban, Edgeworth will actually be visible on screen, making this more of a point-and-click adventure, versus a graphical text adventure.

It seems pretty likely that this is the big announcement Capcom was planning to make about the series, unless they've got something even bigger on the way. This is quite enough, however -- we're roughly 1% as excited as the Edgeworth fanfic community will be, which is to say outrageously excited.

Click for larger image

[Thanks to Nmaster for the scans!]

Tags: ace-attorney, capcom, edgeworth, gyakuten-kenji, gyakuten-saiban, perfect-prosecutor, turnabout-prosecutor

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Nightstar @ Apr 9th 2008 9:58AM

Nice!

But who will be the defense????

Swampgirl Inez @ Apr 9th 2008 10:04AM

Seconded. Who will defend?

P.S. Abso-frickin-lutely WOOHOO!!!! :D

Mertruve @ Apr 9th 2008 10:45AM

since it's a prequel, maybe Mia Fey?

Mad Martin Kinderhook @ Apr 9th 2008 12:28PM

There had better be at least one trial where Diego Armando is the defense; we would have on our hands the most epic clash of courtroom badassery ever witnessed. And considering this is pre-PW1, heads will roll if Manfred von Karma isn't in here somewhere helping Edgeworth out.

Joshua @ Apr 9th 2008 8:59PM

Wait, how do you know it's pre-PW1?

Aaanndd...How do we know it won't just be investigations, but also involve trials?

Anyway, I. AM. EXCITED.

Mad Martin Kinderhook @ Apr 9th 2008 10:00PM

Edgeworth only participated in two cases after the first Phoenix Wright game, having gone into hiding and, later, traveling abroad to study foreign legal systems. This requires it either taking place during the PW1 timeline or before it, so to hope that Diego Armando, Manfred von Karma, and/or Mia Fey are in the game is perfectly reasonable, especially considering that most other sites reporting this news are referring to it as a prequel as well as a spin-off.

The extent of courtroom activities is as of yet unknown and varies from site to site; I'm only going off of what the staff here have interpreted the information to mean. Admittedly we're being pretty quick to fill in the holes in information on the game with wishful thinking, but the prospect of this game is just too exciting to resist.

Joshua @ Apr 9th 2008 10:49PM

Gotcha. I guess we just have to wait until April 20, at that concert...

jsutcliffe @ Apr 9th 2008 10:17AM

Man, they pulled out all the stops coming up with the detective's name, huh?

iruka @ Apr 9th 2008 10:26AM

Great! I'll be expecting it to have more touch screen functionality aside from touching it to proceed with the next statement.

Eleniel @ Apr 9th 2008 12:33PM

IT LOOKS LIKE A SIERRA POINT-N-CLICK

GAME OF THE CENTURY 2000-2100!

Mad Martin Kinderhook @ Apr 9th 2008 12:38PM

I've been marathoning all four Ace Attorney games (currently at Apollo Justice case 3), which has tended to make me think about the game A LOT. Just the other day (after the temporary character switch in case 5 of Trials and Tribulations) I was imagining what a prosecution-based version of the game would look like, as I would imagine it's just as gratifying to lock guilty people away as it is to save people from false accusations. I'm beyond ecstatic at this news.

Considering this is, well, Miles Edgeworth: Ace Prosecutor and not Klavier Gavin: Ace Prosecutor, my fingers are crossed (in almost-certainly vain hope) that this is the first step toward kicking Apollo Justice out of canon and returning to the PW 1-3 characters.

Basman @ Apr 9th 2008 4:41PM

I thought Apollo and Trucy were pretty likable. I was affraid that Phoenix would show up once, and the whole cannon of the first three games would be destroyed, but it got neatly woven into the previous three games. Apollo deserves his place in the PW games, but as a side character that's occasionally playable, I want to play as Phoenix damnit!

I was sad not to see any sign of Maya and Pearls in AJ:AA though.

Mad Martin Kinderhook @ Apr 9th 2008 6:04PM

Yeah, Trucy and Apollo are likable characters in and of themselves, but not at the horrible cost inserting them into the storyline seems to have had on the character of Phoenix Wright. Of course since I'm not done with AJ:AA I don't know how this all resolves, but it's obvious that there's no way things are going back to the way they were for Phoenix. I imagine he'll be absolved of the supposed offense that ruined his career and Klavier will be shamed out of the prosecution business, but none of that is going to bring back his former glory, Maya, Pearl, Larry Butz, Gumshoe, Edgeworth, or any of the quirky minor recurring characters that made PW 1-3 what they were. Everything just feels so bleak and bland now.

Sakura3210 @ Apr 9th 2008 12:43PM

OH MY GOD!!!!!
...all I can say, sheer joy has caused my brain to stop functioning XD XD XD

Wilson @ Apr 9th 2008 12:52PM

This is AWESOME!!!

They better bring it to the US ASAP

ssuk @ Apr 9th 2008 1:02PM

MEGA awesome. I was discussing how awesome a prosecution side of Ace Attorney would be with friends ages ago. Good to see that dream wont be a dream for much longer.

GatorSax2010 @ Apr 9th 2008 2:20PM

I imagine the defense will be a new character, possibly someone really seedy, especially if it's a prequel. We won't be going up against Phoenix or Mia. Maybe Diego, which would be a truly epic grand finale. I can't wait to see how this plays. Best news all day!

Sean jdahsdka @ Apr 9th 2008 2:48PM

*droooooooooool*

hvnlysoldr @ Apr 9th 2008 3:11PM

Edgeworth just laid a big Objection into Phoenix's games.

Yan @ Apr 9th 2008 4:07PM

uh oh. its edgeworth! i wonder if we will experience the SL-9 incident in this prequel.

KamenRiderTakoyaki @ Apr 9th 2008 4:16PM

No courtroom?!
WAH!!!!

The Doctor @ Apr 9th 2008 4:44PM

the joystiq article says that there will be little courtoom, the dsfanboy says that it will be investigation/courtroom. I REALLY hope its the latter. 3-5= Best case in the series.

And a Diego VS Edgeworth battle would be amazing.

elsng @ Apr 9th 2008 5:35PM

We....we play as EDGEY?!?

Want.

Nmaster @ Apr 9th 2008 6:06PM

That murder in the scan is outside Wright's office.

Closeup of the scan:
http://i27.tinypic.com/2lk4b45.png

Map from Apollo Justice:
http://i30.tinypic.com/fm1cab.jpg

Hmmm...what could it mean...? >:3

Joshua @ Apr 9th 2008 10:50PM

I DUNNO, BUT IT'S AWESOME!!

Well, murder isn't awesome, but this game is!!!!

Dr_W@dsy @ Apr 9th 2008 6:36PM

Unless I'm much mistaken...

A Diego - Edgeworth confrontation is impossible.....

......SPOILERS.......................

IIRC: T&T case 4 is Edgey's first case. Since Diego was poisoned by Dahlia while he was still working on that case any kind of clash between them would be out of line with past events...

I could be wrong though...

Mad Martin Kinderhook @ Apr 9th 2008 6:59PM

Diego wasn't poisoned immediately after the Fawles trial--if I'm not mistaken, it was some months after, as it took him time to gather enough evidence to get too close to the truth for Dahlia's comfort. One could find the exact time difference by playing far enough through the first T&T trial to get the newspaper article on the Armando "murder" and then seeing the date of T&T trial 4.

Mad Martin Kinderhook @ Apr 9th 2008 7:07PM

Apologies for the double post, but I just verified it for myself. The Fawles trial happened on February 16, and the article on the Armando murder was from August 28, which leaves a roughly half-year span in which Edgeworth and Armando could have participated in a trial together. Provided that none of the dates were changed when T&T was localized, this problem is averted.

The Doctor @ Apr 9th 2008 7:47PM

Mad Martin:
Sir, you are amazing.

Nightstar @ Apr 9th 2008 9:31PM

Should have stated:

When can I pre-order it!

eight @ Apr 9th 2008 11:32PM

I really really hope this comes to America soon. I don't want to sit and wait and extra 6 months to a year to play this game. I'm already going through withdrawal from finishing AA4.

hopefully there will be some online sweetness like this guy suggests:

http://www.gamernode.com/news/6482-lawyers-abound-new-ace-attorney-game-on-its-way/index.html

Nightstar @ Apr 9th 2008 11:49PM

Same with AJ and the other three!

Wonder if they will also have a AJ #2

Nightstar @ Apr 9th 2008 11:46PM

Between this and the create your own { Japanese only } Nice.

Wonder what the trinket would be?

Robert Baldwin @ Apr 9th 2008 11:53PM

Woot!
Although the location of that murder disturbs me now.
Hopefully it will be able to be released either shortly after here or, dare I hope, simultaneously.

Aparoid @ Apr 10th 2008 9:57PM

NEW! NOT!

They must be slow with the whole April Fools' Concept.

Delayder @ Apr 11th 2008 5:47AM

Trucy Wins.
Apollo Fails.

I wasn't really impressed by Apollo Justice, it was all the same thing...Just without the cool characters. It had some quirky moments but it just didn't equal up to the PW series. Though Phoenix looked real cool in his beanie and the sassy badge. I even made one me self...still working on the beanie though T_T...kinda tattled off the job..

Apart from that, it was the horrible...EXTREME lack of closure on all the characters from the first series, focusing more on Maya and Pearls, that lack turned me off :/

Though getting back to the topic at hand..

AWESOME! IM GONNA Lub this game! Finally we get to be the tea loving, frill wearing, detective whipping, Red engerlish lover boy!

WOOOOOO!

RandomRedMage @ May 25th 2008 6:42PM

If I remember right, and considering I haven't played PW in a while, didn't edgy start out as a defense attorney and then turn to prosecution due to some odd thing...? No... wait... maybe not, it was either that or he was training to be a defense attorney then changed to prosecution because of some event...