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Capcom Bringing GBA Court Drama To West?

Posted by simoniker on from the speculation-plus-plus dept.

Thanks to The Magic Box for relaying the unconfirmed rumor that "Capcom is planning to release the popular court simulation game Gyakuten Saiban for Game Boy Advance in US later this year, as they have applied for a [trademark] for the title in US." Searching the USPTO database certainly reveals a U.S.-specific "Trademark 78416207... [filed] May 10th, 2004" by Capcom for the Japanese courtroom adventure title with intriguing handheld gameplay, which is helpfully explained in a recent InsertCredit review: "Listen to witnesses speak; at the right time, use the L button to question them... [which] may reveal holes in their stories... Point to the right pieces of evidence at the right times (hey! you can see the victim's watch in that picture with the bottle of pills!), and look really good to the judge as the witness stutters out a confession." Although the game's release is distinctly unconfirmed, would you buy this title if Capcom opted to translate it?

37 comments

  1. Some Highlights by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From the story:

    So it is that the joy of playing Gyakuten Saiban 3 is a joy I can enjoy only when sitting on the straw mat with my back to the glass balcony door, sun shining in thanks to my still not having the money to buy a damned curtain.

    I still had some Coca-Cola-brand Aquarius Sports Drink and some 99-yen Mini-Stop Animal Biscuits left over. I thought of them as "Animal Biscuits," not as "Doubutsu Bisuketsu," because I had been eating them a lot.

    I took a year of creative writing classes in college before a professor told me to quit for my own sake.

    I know this because I studied Japanese law for four years. Didn't know that, did you? . . . sadly, it's . . . true. We shall speak no further on my former career aspirations, however. I believe we were talking about a videogame.

    I believe we were talking about a videogame, indeed. This is part video game review, part bitch because I have nowhere else to bitch session.

    1. Re:Some Highlights by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The insert credit crew are self-involved folk. No matter which of their articles you read, you're reading ten times as much about the authors than the topic they're supposed to be telling you about.

      And that's why I don't read insert credit.

  2. Unfortunately... by Tickenest · · Score: 1, Insightful

    This strikes me as an awful lot like the FMV games of the early 90's that plagued systems like the Sega CD. Obviously, I don't know all the details, but I don't want a game where I have to push the right button at the right time to win by setting into motion 27 other events that I'll only be able to watch and not participate in.

    --
    This is the NFL, which stands for "Not For Long" if you keep making those bulls*** calls.
    1. Re:Unfortunately... by Pluvius · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Try playing one of the PC Law & Order games. They're not as FMV-game-like as you think. The only time in that game where you have to press a button at a specific time is when you're objecting during the courtroom scenes, and then you have to give a reason for your objection. And it's not like trying to figure out what arbitrary button to press at an arbitrary time; objecting works just like it does in a real courtroom. I imagine this GBA game isn't that much different.

      Rob

    2. Re:Unfortunately... by British · · Score: 1

      The worst offender(not for Sega) was King of Chicago. You spend 90% listening to gangsters talk, and sometimes you get to do a drive-by shooting or make a decision.

  3. SPOILERS: Excerpts from translations by B00yah · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lawyer: What happen?
    Witness: Someone set up us the bomb.
    Lawyer: What you say!!
    Witness: We get signal!
    Defense Lawyer: How are you gentlemen !!
    Judge: All your base are belong to us.

    (note, I know they're not in order. They have a poor court clerk)

    --

    How Jaded Are You?
  4. Try it Yourself! by mowph · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This game does have one very interesting feature that I've never seen before. There is a flash demo available on the official site, which lets you try out a few episodes of the game. The slightly grainy graphics and BGM are very GBA-esque, but you're in for a special treat of not having to squint at kanji -- it seems to use a truetype font for the main game text.

    The demo can be accessed from the "taikenban" ( in unicode) button, the second from the left on the main page.

    My impression? Definitely seems wacky and stylistic. As the reviewer said, it may not be "literature", but it might be a nice break from trashy paperbacks for reading on your commute. Anyway, try it yourself and see. Of course, reading Japanese is necessary, but hopefully, they will have a similar demo for the English version if and when it's released.

    1. Re:Try it Yourself! by hunterx11 · · Score: 1

      I don't read much Japanese, but the first word I picked up after "yes" was "shit." I'd bet good money it'll be translated as "darn."

      --
      English is easier said than done.
    2. Re:Try it Yourself! by schild · · Score: 0

      Blizzard's Classic line for the GBA also has a flash demos available here.

      --
      schild
      editor, f13.net
    3. Re:Try it Yourself! by mowph · · Score: 1
      Hunterx11 wrote: I don't read much Japanese, but the first word I picked up after "yes" was "shit." I'd bet good money it'll be translated as "darn."

      Quite likely. "kuso" isn't really an obscenity per se in Japanese -- Although the literal meanings are the same, contextually, "kuso" can be used in children's TV and games in Japan, while "shit" cannot in most English-speaking countries.

  5. Only if.... by wheresdrew · · Score: 4, Funny
    would you buy this title if Capcom opted to translate it?

    Only if I'm able to use the Chewbacca Defense.

  6. you're kidding, right? by cold+wolf · · Score: 1, Insightful
    [sarcasm]I LOVE GOING TO COURT!! oh man i can't wait to listen to all those Super Exciting testimonies![/sarcasm]

    give me a fucking break. this is one of the lamest game ideas i've ever heard. press the button at the right time?? there's no strategy or replay value in pressing a button at a predtermined time, it'd be like reading a newspaper then tapping it whenever you come across the letter T, only you might actually learn something when reading the paper. no skill involved. i wouldn't waste my time with this piece of shit even if it was the last thing on earth.

    1. Re:you're kidding, right? by dancingmad · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I love getting carjacked or being attacked by zombies! Those could never make good game experiences! Just because you don't think an experience would make a good video game doesn't mean it won't; I personally have no interest in getting into a sword fight but Way of the Samurai and Soul Caliber are pretty fun.

      Who loves the police and the DA? That could never make a show people would want to watch! Wait, Law and Order has been on for 10 years with 2 spin offs...I must be off base.

      Don't knock it til you've tried it. My Japanese isn't as great as it should be, but the games are actually kinda fun.

      --
      "There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter," Jeeves, (Jeeves and the Impending Doom)
    2. Re:you're kidding, right? by mowph · · Score: 1

      Definitely a strange idea -- what is it with Japan and coming out with the wierdest simulations?? However, having tried out the demo, it's got a little more than just timing. In addition to interrupting the testimonies at the right time, you have to select the correct piece of evidence. It's much more about thinking quickly than rapidly responding to visual stimuli. I'd think of it as more of an interactive novel (much, much more popular there than here) in real-time.

      One last point, this game seems to be a lot more like reading tabloids than reading a newspaper!! It' very kooky and more like a comedy (Night Court, anyone?). Just because a setting is typically boring doesn't mean it can't be dramatized. The adaptation, on the other hand, could be very difficult -- peculiar Japanese humour, "funny" names for all of the characters, and a lot of cultural contexts based on everyday life (as opposed to giant robots and collectible cards).

    3. Re:you're kidding, right? by cold+wolf · · Score: 1
      I don't know what I was thinking... as if game concepts were objective and could be enjoyed by everyone who plays.

      I've tried giving games based on Real Life(c) a fair chance, but what I found is that I can only enjoy games that are NOT based in reality. I play games to escape it, actually, not to be limited by it. Sure, things like court hearings can be fun on a screen, just not to me. I hate the police as much as the next guy, and oddly enough I hate Law and Order et al even more. That's just me though.

      Besides, I couldn't try the game if I wanted to since I don't know a single word in Japanese. I had to base my conclusion on second hand accounts.

  7. I'd Buy It by dmarx · · Score: 1

    I have an interest in law. I used to do mock trial back in high school, I am a regular viewer of Law and Order. So, I probably would be interested in this game.

    --
    "Do I dare disturb the universe?"
  8. Answer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Although the game's release is distinctly unconfirmed, would you buy this title if Capcom opted to translate it?

    No.

  9. I don't buy most video games by Ondo · · Score: 1

    Although the game's release is distinctly unconfirmed, would you buy this title if Capcom opted to translate it?

    No, probably not. But that's probably true of every title Capcom is thinking of releasing, except for Zelda games. Most people don't buy most games - that one sounds like it has about as much chance of success as most.

    1. Re:I don't buy most video games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > But that's probably true of every title Capcom is thinking of releasing, except for Zelda games.

      And since WHEN is Zelda a Capcom title?

      Zelda is, and has always been, a Nintendo title. Metroid is from Nintendo too, just in case you're confused about this one too.

    2. Re:I don't buy most video games by Ondo · · Score: 1

      And since WHEN is Zelda a Capcom title?

      Zelda is, and has always been, a Nintendo title.

      Since Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. Published by Nintendo, but developed by Capcom. The Minish Cap is the same way.

  10. Lawyers from hell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hmmm.... maybe Mutant Wizards should file suit. Especialy if there is an in house nude patch.

  11. Perhaps, with the right license by Tezkah · · Score: 1

    Single Female Lawyer!

  12. Would I buy this title? by Lepruhkawn · · Score: 1

    No. This game sounds like some feverish nightmare I'd have when I'm home with the flu or something. Dragon's Lair meets Perry Mason.

    --
    Jesus saves....And takes 1/2 damage.
  13. Birdman by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stick Harvey Birdman in it and I'll definitely buy it.

  14. The English name for the game by 88NoSoup4U88 · · Score: 1

    The English name for the game will be i-ANAL ;)

  15. Re:LASTMEASURE: THE TRUE OPEN SOURCE ALTERNATIVE by hunterx11 · · Score: 1

    You can use IE for Mac, though I honestly don't know why you'd want to. 99% of the Mac IE users probably just used it because it was the default, but now that Safari is the default I bet neither the nerds nor the lusers use it en masse.

    --
    English is easier said than done.
  16. Re:LASTMEASURE: THE TRUE OPEN SOURCE ALTERNATIVE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, well you have to PAY for a computer to be able to use any operating system. Does that mean you have to PAY for any operating system? No?

  17. yes by Brandon+Sheffield · · Score: 1

    I most certainly would. I hope the announced DS version is brought here as well!

  18. Re:SPOILERS: Excerpts from translations by Weirdofreak · · Score: 1

    Surely:

    Judge: Court in session. For great justice.
    Lawyer: What happen!
    Witness: He set up them the bomb!
    Defense lawyer: What you say!
    Judge: Cross-examination get.
    Defense lawyer: How are you gentlemen.
    Defense lawyer: All your exhibit are belong to us.

    (Afterwards)
    Convict: HA HA HA HA ....
    Convict: You know what you doing.

  19. It's a weird Japanese game... by sbszine · · Score: 1

    ... of course I would buy it, if it's fun and gets decent reviews. Think of all the great game ideas that must have sounded stupid at the time: PaRappa, Lemmings, Harvest Moon, Tetris etc.

    --

    Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling

  20. it's an adventure game. by 108 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    actually, this game is more than a courtroom drama. it's . . . insane. as in insane-crazy. i've played it through to the end. (i'm the guy who wrote the review linked up there.) by the end, it's not even about a courtroom anymore. it becomes about demons and the end of the world and all that.

    it's an anime, is what it is, only without a lot of the animation and voice-acting.

    the format is an adventure game. the review excerpt up there makes it sound like it's fucking dragon's lair or something. that's not entirely correct. you sit, and think, and pick things. later, you're in the lawyer's office, and you goo over case files and all that. it's like an old PC adventure game. the producer was heavily influenced by hideo kojima's snatcher and policenauts games. and hideo kojima says (to me) that this is his favorite game of the year. yes, it's an adventure game -- in three parts, no less -- though it's also a damned, damned fine one.