Generally, when it comes to the DS, we tend to associate the name "Phoenix" with good things. European publisher Phoenix Games, though, is determined to break the mold, tainting the name we've come to know and love on our handhelds. The company is bringing twelve games to the DS this year (with twelve Wii titles to match), none of which sound fun unless you like the sound of Jungle Crew, Love Heart, and Dalmatians 4.
Grabbed from the bowels of the "rejected game ideas" pile, these twelve games probably never even had a chance. Of course, if they're developed with care, we'd be able to overlook some bad concept decisions. Seeing how Phoenix is popping them out faster than an over-sexed rabbit, though, we doubt this is the case.
Even though these games are budget titles and obviously marketed to kids, we don't think we're being too harsh. Phoenix has a track record for releasing awful titles, and we wouldn't recommend subjecting children to these horrors.
For a list of what games to expect from Phoenix, check out the company's website here.
Famitsu has precious few (well, precious two) screens of DS de Yomu Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori, the DS adaptation of Tezuka's Phoenix manga, but there's enough information there for us to get an idea of the presentation, at least. Basically, the full page appears on the bottom screen, and one panel at a time is zoomed in on the top screen. It's a very similar approach to Marvel Digital Comics' Smart Panels viewing style. We just hope that, unlike with Smart Panels, you are also able to move the panel view around manually in order to see more than just the focal point of each panel.
The 12 volumes of Phoenix are being divided into three DS cartridges, each retailing for 4,179 yen ($37). $37 isn't terrible for four books' worth of manga, but collecting whole series in DS format could still become painful quickly.
You may expect some terrible DS platformer or something to be built from this comic license from legendary Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka, but that is not at all what developer Compile Heart is doing. Phoenix (also known as Hi no Tori/Fire Bird) is coming to the DS in its original form. As manga.
DS de Yomu Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori is a collection of Phoenix comics to be read on the DS, featuring extra visual and sound effects (such as the screen shaking to emphasize a dramatic panel). Of course, other helpful features like bookmarking are also included. No word as to how much of the Phoenix backlog will be covered in this collection, though we doubt it's the whole thing. It'll be released in May for 4,179 yen ($37.50). If it works out, Compile Heart will expand the Read on DS series.
We're slowly gathering entries for our yet-to-be-announced Phoenix Wright Shirt Makers' Club. These elite crafters have decided to express their fandom for Capcom's graphic adventure series and its characters in the most reverent way they know: by giving Phoenix Wright a place of honor on the front of a t-shirt.
The latest, from reader Maxy, goes beyond the limitations of home crafting. Maxy's sister has access to professional apparel-printing machinery at a uniform company, and transferred this iconic image of Phoenix on what looks like a 3/4 sleeve baseball shirt. Maya Fey, as pictured on the Gyakuten Saiban boxart, appears on the back. It's kind of unfair that we can't follow Maxy's example and make one of these! It may be unfair enough to warrant an OBJECTION!
Amazon has cut the price of Phoenix Wright: Justice for All, the sequel to everyone's favorite court-based adventure game, bringing it down to $19.99. We don't expect this deal to last for long, so race your shopping cart to the checkout lane as fast as your feet will allow.
If for some reason, God forbid, you haven't played Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney yet and are hesitant to start the series midway through, don't forget that you can also pick up a used copy at GameStop or EB Games for as low as $21.99! We admit, that's still pretty expensive for a game as old as this one, but it's better than paying full price. All you'll need to take advantage of this sorta-bargain is the coupon we posted earlier this morning.
We were just coming down from our adrenaline-fueled reverie over Contra 4 when this came along and OBJECTED its way into our lives. TAKE THAT!, normal heart rate! It's a trailer for Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations!
What's more, Capcom USA bloggers promise frequent updates on the official blog and in the forums! It's so nice when a company thinks about all of us non-E3-goers who just want to see some cartoon arguing.
Sometimes the Internet randomly drops some delightful content on our laps. Depending on our mood, we feel that either the forces of the Intertron love us and are giving us wonderful gifts, or that they're conspiring to keep us from working.
Case in point: we knew about Court Records and all of the good works they do for those of us afflicted with Gyakutendonitis. But until GoNintendo pointed it out, we hadn't realized that there were fan translations of official GyakutenSaiban/PhoenixWright manga available on the site right now. We'll, uh, try to keep posting while we read.
We hinted in the Phoenix Wrightcovers post that we're completely in the thrall of the preorder bonus. Sometimes, a free thing that we don't really want will help tip the scales in favor of buying a game. We were totally going to get Gyakuten Saiban 3 anyway, but now we're feeling more pressure to get our preorder in expediently.
Have you felt this way? Are you drawn to free stuff that isn't really that great, because it's free, and because it's got pictures of characters from games you like? Does it influence your decision to purchase the game? Reallycool stuff we understand, but we're talking about a 'meh' bonus that drives you to change your purchasing habits. We'll put it another way: Who's got the Pokemonstylus holder?
We were taken aback by these screens of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They look fantastic. It could be using prerendered backgrounds to display these artistic views of Hogwarts, but whatever it is, it's working. Whenever Harry is walking around the (strangely empty) building, it's breathtaking, and one of the nicest-looking adventure games we've seen on any platform.
And then we see the other screenshots. The combat-- for which you apparently rotate the DS Brain Age style, and the magical minigames. They might be fun, but they don't quite evoke ICO in the same way as the environments do. Oh, well, this is still amazing for an EA licensed game.
If you buy the Japanese Best Price release of Gyakuten Saiban 3-- cue the chorus of "don't buy it or Capcom won't localize the next one"-- you may be entitled to a set of reversible box covers for the whole series of DS releases. It looks like they're designed so you can store 2 games to a case.
However, the Gyakuten Saiban series already uses a consistent boxart design in Japan, meaning that all four of the DS games already match. And on top of that, the design for these bonuses is significantly less interesting than the original boxart. Of course, we're still getting this thing.
We wish it was nicer-looking, but it's lovely of Capcom to hand out bonus stuff in general. We hope these get included with import orders (that's right, we're ordering the import!)
Accio free tickets! GameStop and Electronics Boutique are both offering a free Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie pass with every online purchase of the film's Nintendo DS and Wii games.
Due for release this June 25th, the action adventure title tracks the hocus-pocus hijinks of the lightning-scarred brit and his friends' fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Though we can't reveal whether or not Hermione dies in this one, we can summon up the console-universal trailer that Electronic Arts released not too long ago. Head past the post break to Platform 9¾ for the embedded video.
Anyone care to join us in a mournful, dejected "OBJECTION!"? We don't necessarily object to the release of a soundtrack CD for Gyakuten Saiban 4-- quite the opposite! We object to the Japan-only status of the release, and the similar lack of availability of its counterpart game. We haven't even heard the music from the game to know if it's worth buying, but the two US-released games have had great music. We just ... needmorestuff with cartoon lawyers on it, because we love the cartoon lawyer games so much!
While we're throwing useless objections out, we'd like to register our disgust with the prices of Japanese CD's. 3150 yen ($26) is actually on the low end of CD prices.
So, some of you didn't like "Apollo Justice" as the potential name for the hero of the fourth Ace Attorney game. We don't even know if that's the name yet, but it didn't stop anyone from reacting to it.
We want to see you do better. Here are the rules: the first name should be a mythological character (and not necessarily a Greek or Roman one, Anansi fans) and the last name should be a surname that has a relatively common homophone (like "Wright"/"Right"). Right? Right. If you can use a legal term, so much the better.
Oh, and remember, this is us, so we encourage ridiculousness. Bellerophon Bench, anyone?
We still get occasional comments from confused readers who can't decipher which Gyakuten Saiban games correlate to which Ace Attorney games. This has been especially confusing recently, as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (based on Gyakuten Saiban 3) was announced for the US at the same time as Gyakuten Saiban 4 was being released in Japan.
4cr must have gotten similar confused comments, but, unlike us, they decided to do something about it. Well, we're doing something about it now, but it's just linking their article, which is much easier. They've written a history of the series, detailing exactly which games were ported from the GBA, and the US and Japanese titles of each game. If this is too academic, you can always buy every lawyery-looking game you see, and figure it out when you get home.
Don't object to our speculation, but Capcom has registered a trademark that sounds like it may have relevance in our daily lives. "Apollo Justice" ... hmm. The first name is taken from a mythological figure, one associated with law and truth, and the last name is also legal-themed. Oh, we got it-- this is the name of the next Resident Evil game.
Oh, or Ace Attorney. "Apollo Justice" would be a pretty good name for Odoroki Housuke, the protagonist of Gyakuten Saiban 4. And if that's what the trademark is for, then it's a good sign for those of us hoping for a localized version.
Famitsu has precious few (well, precious two) screens of 
Amazon has cut the price of 
Sometimes the Internet randomly drops some delightful content on our laps. Depending on our mood, we feel that either the forces of the Intertron love us and are giving us wonderful gifts, or that they're conspiring to keep us from working.
Accio free tickets! GameStop and Electronics Boutique are both offering a free 
So, some of you didn't like "
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