Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Nintendo DS)

...originally introduced a year ago, Phoenix Wright has been a hit in Japan. Known as Gyakuten Saiban in Japan, this has been hitting GBA and DS for quite a while now. Yet for us this is the first time we can experience this crime thriller.

-(The Story)-
The story follows a rookie defense attorney called Phoenix Wright. You start the game as he does his first case, which involves his (kind of crazy) friend Larry Butz, as someone ...
...the characters are simply wonderful. Phoenix Wright is a really great protagonist, as most of the time he makes some funny jokes yet he's really quite serious. There's also Miles Edgeworth, who is quite nasty to Phoenix, but we find out that they were at school together, but they got separated. He starts to go soft on Phoenix nearer to the end. Also there's Mia and Maya, who are two sisters and Phoenix's sidekicks. The second case involves these ... more

-(Game Information)-
Name:Phoenix Wright:Ace Attorney
Publisher/Developer:Capcom
Genre:Adventure
Release Date:March 16, 2006
Age Rating:7+ for Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence and Language
Number Of Players:1
Wi-Fi:No
Developer Site:www.capcom.com
Product Site:www.capcom.com/phoenixwright

-(History)-
Starting as an electronic game machines distributor in 1979, Capcom has been producing video game titles since 1983. The company features studios in Tokyo, Osaka, California, England, Germany, and Hong Kong. Their speciality is survival horror games including Resident Evil, Dino Crisis and Onimusha. though originally introduced a year ago, Phoenix Wright has been a hit in Japan. Known as Gyakuten Saiban in Japan, this has been hitting GBA and DS for quite a while now. Yet for us this is the first time we can experience this crime thriller.

-(The Story)-
The story follows a rookie defense attorney called Phoenix Wright. You start the game as he does his first case, which involves his (kind of crazy) friend Larry Butz, as someone has framed him for a murder he didn't commit. There are a total of 5 cases, and they all have crazy stories to them. The first is pretty basic and a little engaging (it ends quickly though), but as the game carries on, the stories get more and more engaging. The second case is quite engaging, while the third and the four are amazing. But the fifth is by far the best. Each case has their own unique twists and turns that really surprise you. Perhaps the reason for this is because the characters are simply wonderful. Phoenix Wright is a really great protagonist, as most of the time he makes some funny jokes yet he's really quite serious. There's also Miles Edgeworth, who is quite nasty to Phoenix, but we find out that they were at school together, but they got separated. He starts to go soft on Phoenix nearer to the end. Also there's Mia and Maya, who are two sisters and Phoenix's sidekicks. The second case involves these characters quite a bit. Both are really charming and funny when interacting with Phoenix. There's lots of characters as well. All of the characters that make an appearance in the game are amazing, and they help to make the story that more engaging. One problem with the story is that it's not very realistic. If you want a game that shows the law seriously, then this isn't it. Though the judge gets a little angry if you present the wrong evidence, a lot of the witnesses cover ups the judge will seem to go along with, which is quite annoying. It's okay with the story, but it's a little annoying. And it makes the story a little more engaging, as you'll really feel like a rookie and an underdog.

-(The Controls)-
Phoenix Wright takes full advantage of the DS's abilities. The touch screen is used to scroll through dialogue and the menus, but that's not all. The touch screen is also used for many things, including picking out evidence, examining the area, picking out the murder's location on a map and even sprinkling this dust that finds traces of fingerprints. All these features are really cool, but it's a shame most of them are in the last chapter of the game. And you only use them in that chapter. Also the DS Mic is used. You can shout 'OBJECTION!' and 'TAKE THAT!' into the microphone. You mostly do that, but you also do things like blow into the mic after sprinkling thw dust so you can find the fingerprints. All these features are optional, as you can just use the normal D-Pad and side triggers, but these special features are really fun to use.

-(The Gameplay)-
There are two parts to Phoenix Wright. There are moments when you're in court, defending your client and finding contradictions (lies) in witnesses testimonies. And there's the parts where you're exploring areas, finding clues and asking those questions that need to be asked. In court, you must find a way to make the witness crack and find the lies in the testimony. First the witness will give a testimony. Once he/she has given a testimony, you must do your job-cross examine it. Once the witness has given a testimony, you can look through the testimony as much as needed. There are two ways to make a person crack and confess. Firstly you can press statements a witness has given. You can either do it by pressing the Left Trigger on the DS, touching press on the touch screen or by shouting HOLD IT into the microphone (which is really fun). This basically is needed when a statement sounds fishy, and when you do that, you'll ask questions and try to make the witness crack.

The other way is to show evidence that contradicts the comment said. You can present evidence by shouting OBJECTION into the mic, which is a hoot. This will basically make the witness trip over themselves, so long as you present good evidence. If you present evidence that doesn't even make sense to the comment, then the judge will penalize you. To make sure you try not to do this again, you have 5 chances. Blow them all and your client will be found guilty and you will lose, but you can start the trial again from the beginning. If you do present the correct evidence however, you'll be in a chance of showing those lies. The witness will re-do their testimony a few times before you get him to crack, but once you've done that, you're starting to win the case.

As i mentioned before, you won't just be in the courtroom. You'll investigate areas to find evidence and clues to help you in the courtroom. You can scroll around from area to area. You interview people out of the courtroom and talk to your client (the defendant), as well as talk to the guys down at the police station. You can do many things, including interviewing people, examining the scenes and lots more. The way people react to Phoenix is hilarious (you'll hear a lot of 'that spiky haired porcupine' comments throughout the game), as you'll never know how they'll react to what you say. They react in many ways, whether it's in a happy, sad or angry way, and you'll never hear the same comments twice (unless you play the same case twice).

Unfortunetly the game is pretty linear. When it gives you choices, sometimes you'll get penalized if you get a wrong answer, but if you get a choice like 'Do you have any further questions?', if you say no your sidekick will say something like 'We can't give up now, there must be something wrong with this testimony' and you'll proceed anyway. It's pretty hard to lose in the courtroom, so long as you use your common sense and and don't be stupid with answering questions. It's little things like this that make the game into the linear form it is now, and it's a real shame that it could have a little open-endness.

-(The Graphics)-
Phoenix Wright has a lovely graphical engine. It's all in 2D, which help gives the game it's manga feel. All the characters look like they've been ripped from a manga movie, but what really makes these characters look amazing is the amount of detail. All the characters look fantastic and have a lot of detail and are expressed very well with fantastic facial, mouth and body animation which brings these amazing characters to life. Also the environments look outstanding. You'll explore many places including a lake with an apparent monster, the police station, the courtroom (obviously) and a load more places. Like the characters, these environments have a lot of detail. The game maintains a smooth frame rate throughout, which is really good as the game has a fast pace. The game looks fantastic, thanks to it's artistic manga style.

-(The Sound)-
Another reason that the characters are brought to life is because of the dialogue. Unfortunately not one piece of dialogue is spoken. Though you get the odd OBJECTION and TAKE THAT, most of the dialogue is text. But the dialogue itself is amazing, and it brings the characters to life. Each character speaks differently, with a certain tone to their words. Also the music helps build a lot of atmosphere. When it starts to get crazy, the music speeds up and is fast paced, when something helpful is found it has a sort of tuneful sound and when there's much more. The effects help to build atmosphere as well. It's just a shame it's heavily text driven, though due to the amount of dialogue in the game, it would be a hassle for Capcom trying to fit it all on the cartridge.

-(Replay Value)-
The game is quite long. The first case is pretty short as it serves as a tutorial, but the other cases are at least 5 hours long each, which is about 5x4=20 hours plus more with the first case. But there's little replayability, as there's only the cases themselves and that's it and there's not much reason to play them again, as you'll know all the secrets and you can fast forward the dialogue, which pretty much strips the game of its fun. It's a real shame as the game doesn't have any other modes like multiplayer or anything like that.

-(Score)-
Controls=10-Takes full advantage of the DS
Gameplay=9-Unique and fun
Graphics=10-Beautiful in a technical and artistic way
Sound=8-Lots of text, but the text is fantastically written
Replay Value=8-A lengthy adventure, but little replayability
Overall Score=9.0=Outstanding

-(Ending Comments)-
This is one of my first DS games and i love it. I've played Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros. and Sonic Rush, but they can't hold a candle to this game. It has an outstanding story, great presentation and a lengthy adventure. Despite a lack of replay value and lots of text, it's a really fun game and anyone who likes those noir styled murder mysteries will love this.

-(If You Like This I'd Suggest)-
Hotel Dusk:Room 215 (Coming Soon)
Another Code:Two Memories
Lost In Blue

-(Where You Can Buy It)-
Amazon for £18.98

Thanks for reading. 

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