Review Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Genre: Adventure Release Date: October 2005 Platform: Review by Randy Sluganski November 16, 2005		Buy this game at Trade for this game at:

Games like Trace Memory, Lost in Blue and now Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney are three reasons why the Nintendo DS has become the must-buy purchase in the handheld wars (especially versus the overrated Sony PSP which has become nothing more than a glorified movie player).

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is somewhat of a misleading title as Phoenix is a rookie defense attorney and we are invited along to assist on the first five cases of his burgeoning career – by which time he earns his ace title. The first four cases have been ported over from the Japanese GBA Gyakuten Saiban game which was never released in North America. Episode five was specially created for the Nintendo DS to take advantage of its sophisticated touchscreen capabilities – but more later on this episode.

For those who are wondering if Phoenix Wright is worth the $30 price tag, well of the five cases, the last three are as long or longer than any of the cases in the pc CSI games. Plus, unlike the CSI and Law & Order franchises, the characters in Phoenix Wright undergo character growth and development that creates an emotional link that is usually absent in these type of games. The second case alone contains a somewhat shocking and totally unexpected twist.

If you need your courtroom drama to be spot-on serious, then Phoenix Wright is not for you as the characters and characterizations are outrageous in both their mannerisms and facial expressions. If you have ever seen an episode of Dragon Ball Z, then you’ll be familiar with the anime-style, at times over-the-top, graphics and outlandish sound effects. But what at first elicited chuckles, later became almost endearing in its quirkiness.

Many of the characters are saddled with silly names such as Sal Manella, Detective Dick Gumshoe, senior citizen Wendy Oldbag (*groan*) and Miss April May who is a hoot as she jiggles her assets and flashes her cavernous cleavage in an hysterical attempt to influence the male jurors. Also - for reasons unknown - Japanese imports almost always seem to make an issue of the age of their characters, probably in an attempt to identify with their younger demographics.

Each case is broken into two sections as you must first – usually after watching the crime unfold – act as detective and search the crime scene to procure evidence and obtain testimonies before proceeding to the courtroom to act as lawyer – much like an episode of Law & Order. None of the cases are particularly difficult, though there are moments where you may be momentarily baffled as to what course to take next. This does present a problem at times as the game is very linear, so if you do get stuck you cannot progress until figuring out the next move.

Gameplay itself could not better implemented. The top half of the DS screen is used for movies and dialogues. People you talk to will appear on this screen when you speak with them. Areas that can be examined also appear on this screen.

The bottom screen contains most of the relevant information. Here you can use the DS stylus (or, the available only in Japan, Phoenix Wright pointing finger stylus) to access the Court Records which consist of the Evidence Screen and the Suspect Profiles Screen.

The Evidence Screen contains all of the evidence for the current case along with a short description. The evidence can be presented to contradict a witness’s testimony anytime during cross-examination.

During cross-examination, you can press the witness for more details, and even force them to amend their testimony. When a contradicting statement is detected, you can also present evidence to counter the witness. Cross-examination is the most important aspect of the game, as it can make or break the trial. Your lawyerly skills will be graded during cross-examination by five exclamation marks at the top right corner of the screen. These are chances that you have to make an incorrect objection. If the judge doesn't agree with one of your objections, he'll cause one of these marks to disappear and if all five are used you lose the case immediately. This keeps the player from making random guesses and encourages strategy and strategic thinking.

Each day after court recesses, Phoenix can then continue his investigation based on any new evidence uncovered during that day’s court proceedings. One important aspect is the opportunity to thoroughly examine areas. The lower DS screen will show a picture of the area that can be examined by using your stylus to point out objects of interest. If an item is important, it will be added to the Court Record as Evidence. New areas can be reached or revisited by clicking on the ‘Move’ button on the lower screen.

Now about the little things that really make the game special. During proceedings if at any time you want to object to a witness’s testimony, all you need do is simply speak the word ‘objection’ into the microphone port on the DS. Phoenix will then parrot your command in a much more dramatic manner.

But for as cool as that is, even more amazing is that during the last case only the game transforms into a handheld CSI as you can now zoom in on and rotate evidence for closer inspection, conduct a forensics test by using luminal testing fluid to reveal blood stains and can touch the DS screen to apply aluminum flake powder to test for fingerprints. After the powder has been applied, you then blow on the screen to reveal fingerprints. If such ingenuity is the future of adventure games, then the genre is in good hands.

No objection here to Capcom for possessing the marketing savvy to bring such a quirky game as Phoenix Wright to North America. Character reactions are exaggerated, heck, they’re waaaaay over-exaggerated, the main setting is a courtroom and it is - *gasp* - adventure. In fact, to label Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney as ‘kooky’ would be an understatement, but somehow it works.

Final Grade: A
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