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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Review
Written by Dan Dormer on Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Yelling 'OBJECTION' at the top of your lungs in a crowded train.
Legal litigation loopholes.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
"I do."
"Please be seated, Mr. Dormer. To start these proceedings accordingly, just tell me briefly about this game called Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney"
"Well, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a new title from Capcom for the Nintendo DS that follows the adventures of a lawyer named Phoenix Wright. He's just passed the bar exam, and is putting his new skills to work as we join him in medias res."
"Is that so?"
"Why yes, thank you. Phoenix is working on his first case under the supervision of his mentor Mia Fey, who instructs the flippant Wright on proper courtroom procedure. Of course, it wouldn't make for an interesting story if Mia was able to hold his hand forever, so she up and dies making way for her younger sister Maya to become the Abbot to Wright's Costello. This also helps the game fill the quota of saccharine characters, as Maya is a generic combination of the energetic, outspoken youth and psychic able to channel her dead sister's spirit (which involves her physical appearance, including certain attributes, changing greatly)."
"All right, Mr. Dormer, enough with the drivel and character analysis. Get to the meat of this game. What's it all about? How is it played?"
"The game is broken up into five chapters, each a different court case litigated by Wright. As a defense attorney, he'll need to construct a strong case for his client because in this kangaroo court, it's guilty till proven innocent. Plus, the judge only allows you five mistakes before throwing the book at your client. To prove the innocence of your client, you'll need to not only have your head in the game during the legal proceedings, but hone your skills as a gumshoe as well."
"Care to elaborate any more on those two?"
"Well, in the court room you can prove the innocence of your client by finding faults in the testimony of other witnesses, which involves pressing them for more info, and providing evidence contrary to the fact. During the cross examination, you'll have the chance to press witnesses by using the touch screen, but you can also use the microphone on the Nintendo DS as well by yelling 'HOLD IT!' You don't need to yell 'OBJECTION' either, but it just makes the game that much better."
"So you can grill them in the court room like a 4th of July bratwurst, and yell at your DS like a madman, but what about the evidence, do you just conjure it out of thin air?"
"That's where the detective work comes in to the whole scheme of things. It's where the game finally gets that Law and Order feel about it, as you have to use both the court room song and dance and police style footwork to get your client off the hook. The footwork involves you traveling to the scene of the crime, looking for evidence that might have been missed by the police. You'll also be talking to various people in the community as well; the police, other attorneys, the defendant, and what have you."
"You sound like you have a problem with that."
"It's just that... it makes things extremely linear. You go through the same steps each time to do it, different events of course, but what happens is you can't really fail in Phoenix Wright. While Mia isn't there to coddle Phoenix anymore, the game is always there holding your hand (to a point) and making sure that if you decide not to press a client that someone will prompt you to do so. It's allows more trial and error rather than knowing someone is guilty. It's like using hearsay instead of DNA evidence in a court case."
"I see. Is that the only complaint you can lodge against it, then?"
"Yeah, I can't think of anything else that I have a problem with."
"Something you haven't mentioned is presentation. Why don't you tell us about that?"
"Top notch all the way. It's all very minimalist in how the story progresses. You have the characters in an anime/manga style fashion imposed over a scene in a variety of poses to convey their emotions along with some text. It's rich and vibrant enough to make it seems like a lot is going on, when in fact the exact opposite is taking place."
"Before you're dismissed Mr. Dormer, do you have anything else to say?"
"We all love a good mystery, from the classic who-done-it to uncovering where you left the house keys. Phoenix Wright capitalizes on humanity's inherent love for a slightly aggravating puzzle that we secretly relish. With fantastic presentation, an amicable and humorous cast, and plenty of length to validate a purchase, Phoenix Wright is the game the Dick Tracy and Sherlock Homes in all of us have been craving.
"Thank you, Mr. Dormer. You may step down now."
posted October 18, 2005