Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Nintendo DS)

In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, you play as newbie defense lawyer Phoenix Wright as he attempts to save his clients from the "Guilty" verdict and prove their innocence. You'll usually have a helper of some sort with you to give you help and tips and add to the general shenanigans of the trials as well. There are a total of five cases to complete and they represent the five episodes of the game.



The game has two major parts to it: The trails and the investigations. At the beginning of each episode you will discover your case. meet your client, and learn of the crime. From there you will either go to a trial or an investigation, and there is plenty of both to complete in each case.



During a trial, you will hear a witness testimony. From there you must cross-examine the witness to find any contradictions in their testimony. You can press them for further details, or you can present evidence that points out a contradiction. Don't just present anything for no reason though, you'll be given strikes for each thing you do wrong. When your five exclamation points are gone, you could be putting your clients freedom on the line. During trials you will also be prompted with questions and you'll have to select the correct answer or risk getting more strikes.



During the investigative phases, you will go to different areas, examining crime scenes and locations, talking to different people and asking them questions pertaining to the trial, and sometimes present to them a piece of evidence in order to further their willingness to talk to you. This is also the main way you'll be gathering evidence for the trail. You will switch between investigations and trails many times throughout each episode.



Overall I can't say I was completely enamoured with the game. The cases tended to get drug out way too long and I overall disliked the investigative sections. The game had more plot holes than swiss cheese, and while obviously the game couldn't be exactly like real lawyering, it seemed so far removed that it broke the immersion for me. Stealing things that were just accepted as evidence without a second thought, having to prove an innocence rather than a guilt, a grossly incompetent judge. If I didn't know any better I would have thought I was the prosecution from the way the trials take place. Other than Detective Gumshoe around the 4th case, none of the characters really grabbed me or made me care about them, although they did get better by the end of it. Also I turned off the music early on because the sound effects annoyed me at first, but when I turned them back on later, the music made a huge difference as far as atmosphere. The game did have some good points, like the music. The cases were sometimes interesting and it was neat how things would tie together in the end. Overall I would say the game got better by the end, although sadly most of it just felt like a chore. With that being said, it did improve enough towards the end that I will at some point give the second game a chance. Don't let my opinion dissuade you though, the game is hugely popular and has it's good points. It just personally wasn't the most engaging or fun thing for me personally.

Verdict:
MEH