Nick Tonks has followed up his Noby Noby Boy kicks -- it's a PS3 game, don't worry about it -- by making a pair of Phoenix Wright-inspired Vans. Tonks tells us the project took 12 hours and cost £30, those interested in how the design was created can check out the step-by-step on his blog.

Tonks tells us he got kicked out of art class in school, so if you're looking to support his footwear art career, you can bid for the sneaks on a little site called eBay. He also says he's open to feedback and suggestions, so if you've got an idea of what he should do next, drop a comment below.

The Phoenix Wright musical that ran in Japan last month was a success for the all-female Takarazuka Revue theatre troupe, with tickets selling out on opening day. If you thought an operatic, all-female performance of stories based on video game characters couldn't be a hit, TAKE THAT! In its press release about the show, Capcom described this presentation as part of its "One Property with Multiple Uses" strategy, in which Capcom properties are marketed for multiple media.

Because of the success of the courtroom crooning, Capcom and the Revue have announced plans for a sequel! The revue will perform Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 2 (which, like the first one, will probably be an original story) at the Takarazuka Bow Hall from August 20 through August 31, and at the Akasaka ACT Theatre from September 5 through September 15.

We eagerly await the first pictures from the new show -- will we see a female Godot this time? A Female Dr. Hotti? A female Franziska von Karma -- oh, wait.

We're sure that a gigantic portion of our readership has a boundless love for two seemingly unrelated items: Nintendo DS adventure games, and the opera (staged musicals, that is, not the web browser). This large, imaginary group of people will likely flip their imaginary lids when they hear that Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney will be making it's theatrical debut in Japan in the form of an Ace Attorney Opera.

The production is being performed by the Takarazuka Revue, an all-female troupe, raising some ponder-worthy questions about the girlification of the game's heavily-bearded Judge. According to the Revue's producer, the troupe is currently finishing up rehearsals and should be ready to harmonize their "Objections!" in front of a crowd by the end of February.

Pedigree

Well, we've found one of the weirdest game company names in existence: Aksys Games. It's right up there with "Infogrames" and "Camerica." I was surprised to learn that they're not as obscure as their name would lead one to imagine: they're the folks behind the Guilty Gear series.

Jake Hunter was developed by Arc System Works, which is a large Japanese developer and publisher who publishes overseas via Aksys Games. That'll be something I've gotta keep an eye on in the future: the same-developer-same-publisher factor. I'd probably have to talk to a few people who work for a development team or a publisher to learn more about that one. Any such folks reading this who'd like to help me out? Come on, I know you're out there.

The Critics Said ...

IGN was quick to note that this is a Phoenix Wright-inspired adventure, but also added that "Jake is a stereotype, and the stories are straight forward, humorless affairs." Game Informer followed suit, stating that the game "takes itself way too seriously." So ... the game is being criticized for not being closer to what inspired it? This leaves me a bit befuddled. If Jake Hunter copied Phoenix Wright to a T, it would be criticized for not being original. But when it decides to take a serious approach (as opposed to PW's humorous presentation), it's criticized for not being enough like the original. Poor Jake Hunter can't do anything right.

Criticism of critics aside, the two reviews were basically on-par with their peers: the game holds a 47% aggregate score at Metacritic.

Ace Attorney spin-off Gyakuten Kenji has been dated for Japan. To add onto the spring release window we've heard already, we now have an actual date: May 28th. Just another reason to be jealous of Japan, we suppose.

We don't have to tell you how much we love the Ace Attorney games, so we're incredibly excited for this game. What about you all? Had enough of these games or are you as big a fan as we are?

In the comments area of our recent post about the adventure game Lux-Pain, a discussion popped up about length in adventure games. Basically, they tend to be short. Some people avoid some adventures because of this (a problem that is exacerbated by the fact that most adventure games have zero replay value), and some accept it (understanding that an adventure game requires a great deal more dialogue than most other games).

Where do you stand on this issue? Do you love adventure games, but wish they could be longer? Do you steer clear of them in general in an effort to get the most game time out of your money?

We can't even begin to imagine how upset we'll be if Capcom doesn't bring Gyakuten Kenji -- that's Turnabout Prosecutor for you and me -- to the West. In fact, we can't imagine how upset we'll be if Capcom doesn't bring Gyakuten Kenji to the West tomorrow. Sure, we can't understand a word in the above trailer, but the very thought of prancing around as puffy-collared Edgeworth (Gumshoe in tow!) and interrogating effeminate weirdos simply shatters our precious psycho-locks.

If you understood that reference, you know exactly how we feel. If not, go play the Phoenix Wright games, you uncultured oaf.

Nintendo has confirmed a super official European release date for Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, and it's soon: October 3rd. With any luck, the game will arrive before we're all sucked into the Swiss countryside (if there's anything that really gets our goat, it's our Trials and Tribulations play time being interrupted by the cessation of the universe as we know it).

This announcement comes after months of fretting over whether the third Phoenix Wright game would ever come out in Europe. At one point, we had serious reasons to doubt it would, but recent ratings and a confirmation from series producer Minae Matsukawa have since prevented us from egging Capcom Europe's windows. Even if the series is now out of order, we'll take October 3rd.

Good news -- we're expanding Show and Tell a little to include not only your personal creations (though these are, of course, our favorites), but all sorts of interesting fan-created things we find in the wide world of the internet. Each week, we'll show off a new set of Nintendo-inspired projects, and this week, we're starting with the basics: recipes and ingredients. Every creation has to begin somewhere, after all. Your journey can start right here.

The Brainy Gamer has an interesting op/ed piece, in which the author states that youths of today aren't interested in the puzzles that come along with adventure games. While crotchety old veterans like ourselves (who were actually alive when games like Monkey Island flooded shelves) still enjoy the genre, younger gamers don't have the patience and just don't see the point.

We're inclined to agree a bit, as adventure gaming has become a lot more niche than it was in the past. We would argue, however, that the DS has been doing a good job of reviving such puzzlers, even for younger fans craving more action. With the touchscreen making point-and-click (or point-and-touch, if you will) much more accessible, not to mention the added bonus of portability, we think adventure games reach more than just a veteran gamer demographic. Maybe that's just wishful thinking on our part, but we wouldn't be surprised to see young teens popping in a copy of Phoenix Wright or Professor Layton.

What do you think, though? Are we just too oldschool and stubborn to let the genre lay to rest? Maybe those of you with younger siblings might have more insight when it comes to the patience of the younger set of gamers.

[Via DCEmu]

The "self-help" era is upon us, even finding its way into the video game industry as of late. Aside from the obvious fitness awareness game on Nintendo's other system (we mean Wii Fit, of course), there have been quite a few attempts to help gamers improve their lifestyles and habits. Take, for example, the upcoming My Weight Loss Coach and Ubisoft's "Easyway" title to help people quit smoking.

Our favorite approach so far, though, was when DS Fanboy reader Dan used Pokémon to quit smoking. If there's anything we've learned from Dan's inspiring story, it's that the best way to curb an addiction is to replace it with another. We then decided that we wanted to help more of our fine readers that are suffering from such torments day in and day out. Pokémon may cure smoking, but what about other plaguing ailments? We're happy to say that after months of testing on monkeys and small children, we've finally come up with a few perfect video game cures.

So, look no further than Dr. DS Fanboy, and check out our ultimate self-help guide to find the fixes for your addictions.

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		Master that addiction!

Cosplayers are perpetual purveyors of entertainment. Die-hard fans never miss a chance to dress up, while some fans would rather die. Some do it so well that everyone becomes a fan, if only for a moment. Anyone grossly offended by the glory of cosplay should look away now (we're kidding, keep reading), as we present the new Guiness World Record for "Most Video Game Costumes in One Place."

It is estimated over 600 fans showed up to A-Kon 2008 dressed in video game attire, easily besting the previous "record" of 80 Marios. Characters from all walks of Nintendo life were found at A-Kon, and we've gathered a few of the best to check out after the break. Cosplay done right looks rad.

We've got our hands on some kind of confirmation (after a scare) that Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations is actually coming to Europe. Despite bunging it up just a little bit, fans of the series still wanted to wait around for the conclusion of the original trilogy -- before enjoying the adventures of a new young hotshot attorney with everything to prove.

In an official Nintendo interview, producer Minae Matsukawa stated outright that the team is "in the middle of localizing it right now." It's playable, and they just need to make some final adjustments on the text. After that, it should be all systems go for Europe, in multiple languages.

The only problem? Still no release date, which is all kinds of suck. Non-English-speaking fans will have to put up with the wait just a little longer, while all others might be better off shopping around online. Then again, if you go through those channels, you've probably done it already. Good for you!



[Via Aussie-Nintendo]

There's a light at the end of the tunnel in the ongoing European Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations saga. The good news is that those of you in Europe might be getting the game after all. While we're sure many of you English speakers have already imported Phoenix's final foray into law, people without English proficiency (and folks who just hate importing) have been unfairly deprived of this gem. Not only that, but some gamers are waiting to buy Apollo Justice until they get to play the third title in the series.

The German version of the ESRB (known as the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle) has recently rated the game for a multi-language release, though, meaning that Capcom hasn't forgotten about your poor little Europeans. So, just hold tight -- you won't have to endure these trials and tribulations much longer, we hope.


[Via Siliconera]

The spotlight this week is on Luminous Arc 2: Will, a game that has yet to be confirmed for English language localization. While we're forced to sit and wait jealously, though, forty thousand Japanese gamers ran out and bought the title. Only falling behind the juggernauts Monster Hunter and Mario Kart Wii (and almost squeezing past Nintendo's racer), Image Epoch's SRPG debuted pretty impressively.

In other sales news, the announcement for another Professor Layton game in Japan managed to push the first title in the series back into the top thirty. Aside from that, there weren't any differences in DS software worth mentioning.

In terms of hardware, the numbers for the DS weren't so hot. In fact, we don't remember the sales numbers for Nintendo's handheld ever being this low in Japan. With everyone and their mother already owning a DS in the country, does the system still have room for growth? We won't know for sure until the next big software push, but for now it looks like the dual-screened handheld should get comfy in that third place spot.

• PSP: 70,536 (19,348)
  
• Wii: 41,572 (25,736)
• Nintendo DS: 34,905 (16,323)
• PlayStation 3: 7,701 (353)
• PlayStation 2: 7,022 (442)
• Xbox 360: 1,474 (176)

The software numbers are located after the break, so go on and take a look. They won't bite!*

*DS Fanboy claims no responsibility for those who get bitten by our sales figures.