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
(find out more about our
grading system)