I really liked how they introduced the characters in this case. It really made all the characters feel distinct and alive. I really only have two issues with the case, one you touched on and another I guess we will speak about towards the end of the case. The first problem is how many times they flashback. I know that you have to have many flashbacks in case the player decides to take several breaks in completing the case but my goodness, it makes one sit down session for the case excruciating lol
It's not as many times as I remember, but this case probably has somewhere close to the most flashbacks to a single event, up there with Bridge referencing DL-6 and Succession referencing...well, we'll get into that later, too.
Also, I am going to get a LOT more critical of this case. My overall opinion on it is that I love the ideas at play, and think there were a lot of creative risks taken, but that they just don't pay off because they were executed poorly. I feel that way about the game in general tbh
@@MikeTheEntei I think it's towards the end of the case where they reeaaaally do the flashbacks, but I might be misremembering. I like the song but it gets old very fast.
Respect for singing The Guitar's Serenade hahahaha I agree with the video's sentiment. Used to be kinda indifferent, bordering on hostile towards Serenade, but having replayed it recently I quite enjoyed myself. The setting is cool, the characters act like you'd expect them to (as cliche as this sounds), and it has some interesting ideas (like the mixing board). The fact that you have to see the concert recording SOOO many times really adds a lot of frustration to the case (just like the Blue Badger in RFTA), as you've said yourself. Really wish that AJ wasn't rushed. The game had so much potential. Just one thing, around the part near 7:44, the BGM is waaaay too loud compared to your mic, so that's something to think about.
@@SPACERACECAR666 Thank you greatly for the feedback and criticism. I do plan on going through the entire review and adjusting the audio before I upload it. [It is a very big Filmora file already, and the full review is almost certainly going to be over 2, maybe even 3, hours long.] Singing it was fun, especially trying and failing to sing it live. 83 As I said in response to the other comment here, this case has a lot of really cool ideas but executes them poorly. I didn't know the game was rushed, but given how quickly these games came out back then, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AJ was. I respect this case for trying, but that doesn't mean I think it's good.
@@MikeTheEntei AAAJ was indeed rushed, at least that's what I remember reading a couple of times. I don't know if you've played the whole game or not, I'm gonna assume not. Basically, the entire final case would've turned out differently if Takumi was allowed to fully realize his vision. A lot of the characters have also suffered from this (one reason why Kristoph Gavin is so underdeveloped) I don't remember the exact reasons why the game was rushed but...yeah. The final nail in the coffin was Dual Destinies having a different director, as well as pressure from Capcom to bring back Phoenix as the main protagonist, completely abandoning all the characterization done in AJ (Hobo Phoenix, for example).
@SPACERACECAR666 Oh, I have played through the game numerous times. I did the entire dub on my Twitch before uploading any of this to my YT channel, so that I could refine the YT archive [e.g. by replacing the live Guitar's Serenade takes] and so I could have a vision on the whole game when writing the review. I know that the game, and the fourth case in particular, was basically meant to be propaganda, and I've fallen down a rabbit hole of Japan's legal history. It has been...quite a ride.
I really liked how they introduced the characters in this case. It really made all the characters feel distinct and alive. I really only have two issues with the case, one you touched on and another I guess we will speak about towards the end of the case. The first problem is how many times they flashback. I know that you have to have many flashbacks in case the player decides to take several breaks in completing the case but my goodness, it makes one sit down session for the case excruciating lol
It's not as many times as I remember, but this case probably has somewhere close to the most flashbacks to a single event, up there with Bridge referencing DL-6 and Succession referencing...well, we'll get into that later, too.
Also, I am going to get a LOT more critical of this case. My overall opinion on it is that I love the ideas at play, and think there were a lot of creative risks taken, but that they just don't pay off because they were executed poorly. I feel that way about the game in general tbh
@@MikeTheEntei I think it's towards the end of the case where they reeaaaally do the flashbacks, but I might be misremembering. I like the song but it gets old very fast.
They reference it about seven times in total, if you count the half-flashbacks to talk about certain parts.
@@MikeTheEntei Oh it's just 7? It really feels like more 🤣
Respect for singing The Guitar's Serenade hahahaha
I agree with the video's sentiment. Used to be kinda indifferent, bordering on hostile towards Serenade, but having replayed it recently I quite enjoyed myself. The setting is cool, the characters act like you'd expect them to (as cliche as this sounds), and it has some interesting ideas (like the mixing board).
The fact that you have to see the concert recording SOOO many times really adds a lot of frustration to the case (just like the Blue Badger in RFTA), as you've said yourself. Really wish that AJ wasn't rushed. The game had so much potential.
Just one thing, around the part near 7:44, the BGM is waaaay too loud compared to your mic, so that's something to think about.
@@SPACERACECAR666 Thank you greatly for the feedback and criticism. I do plan on going through the entire review and adjusting the audio before I upload it. [It is a very big Filmora file already, and the full review is almost certainly going to be over 2, maybe even 3, hours long.]
Singing it was fun, especially trying and failing to sing it live. 83
As I said in response to the other comment here, this case has a lot of really cool ideas but executes them poorly. I didn't know the game was rushed, but given how quickly these games came out back then, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AJ was. I respect this case for trying, but that doesn't mean I think it's good.
@@MikeTheEntei AAAJ was indeed rushed, at least that's what I remember reading a couple of times.
I don't know if you've played the whole game or not, I'm gonna assume not. Basically, the entire final case would've turned out differently if Takumi was allowed to fully realize his vision. A lot of the characters have also suffered from this (one reason why Kristoph Gavin is so underdeveloped)
I don't remember the exact reasons why the game was rushed but...yeah.
The final nail in the coffin was Dual Destinies having a different director, as well as pressure from Capcom to bring back Phoenix as the main protagonist, completely abandoning all the characterization done in AJ (Hobo Phoenix, for example).
@SPACERACECAR666 Oh, I have played through the game numerous times. I did the entire dub on my Twitch before uploading any of this to my YT channel, so that I could refine the YT archive [e.g. by replacing the live Guitar's Serenade takes] and so I could have a vision on the whole game when writing the review. I know that the game, and the fourth case in particular, was basically meant to be propaganda, and I've fallen down a rabbit hole of Japan's legal history. It has been...quite a ride.