David Milazzo
Ace Attorney's Transition To 3D Wasn't Easy
What do you throw to a drowning lawyer? His partners.
08.01.13 - 11:12 PM

In a recent interview with Game Watch, Ace Attorney series producer Motohide Eshiro and scenario director Takeshi Yamazaki discussed the difficulties transitioning to 3D models for the next series installment, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies. They said that 3D has its advantages over 2D when modifying character models.

Yamazaki: "Yes, in addition to being able to go backwards in the work process, it's also easier to change motions and angles now."

Eshiro: "I believe the creative side has widened with questions such as, 'How can we effectively show the directed ideas and patterns?' Since going 3D, we have more room; however, the 'trouble of making it 3D' was actually very problematic. Simply taking the original 2D screen's perspectives and camera angles and tossing in 3D models ended up making it appear completely different. That’s where the person in charge of the modeling devised various models according to different situations."


Here are some screens showcasing the difference between court scene (left) and adventure scene (right) models:

They stated that the inconsistencies between using the courtroom models for the adventure scenes would be too great.

They also utilized the new models to enhance Phoenix's iconic pose:

"Without making it larger, it ended up looking like a very bitter pose, which lacked intensity," Yamazaki says with a laugh. "So, before the finger pointing hits, we've used a regular court-purpose model, then the moment he sharply points, it switches to a specific model that serves the single purpose of the pose with large hands."

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies is slated for a fall release for the Nintendo 3DS. It's also worth to note that the game will be a download only on the eShop.


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