"Unless you're willing to risk the consequences of doubting me? I'll fry you like a fritter! Crispy on the outside...chewy on the inside!!!". What on earth is wrong with this witness!
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney has you play the role of Phoenix Wright, a freshly trained defense attorney taking his first major cases. Under the wing of your employer, Mia Fey, you are first set the task of defending your childhood friend in court. This first case teaches you all the basics you need to know to try and complete further cases. Each case will start with a brief cinematic showing the moment of the crime. You then get the opportunity to investigate various related scenes and interrogate certain characters to help uncover evidence that can help you in court. Court session's will involve you breaking down witness testimonies in hope that you can find a contradiction and bring the case closer to finding out the truth. Court sessions will usually be broken into several sections with parts in between which give you the chance to investigate further into what you heard that day.
The game can be described as a lawyer sim by some, however if this were true we would live in a very different world than we did today. I feel a more accurate description would be an interactive story. The script will always follow a set path when you have done things correct and when you get things wrong (5 times to be precise) the judge will declare a guilty verdict. While this may not sound good at a glance, without this in place the game's script wouldn't be as clever as it is.
In each of the investigation chapters you will visit several locations of key importance. In each area you are given the option to talk to someone involved in the case and present evidence when someone is there, you are also given the option to examine the area around you to search for clues. The story will not progress onto the trial sections unless you have talked to certain people or picked up certain evidence in order to ensure you don't miss any vital clues that otherwise would prevent you from completing a case.
The trial chapters will involve you breaking down witness testimonies and pointing out contradictions. Each phrase in their testimony can be pressed on to try and uncover more information or you can object to their testimony and present evidence to back up why their testimony contradicts the evidence.
The game can be controlled either by the buttons or with the stylus, the latter being the more comfortable and easier approach. If dialogue has been viewed before, holding the stylus on the next button will fast forward through text.
The game would not win any awards for gameplay, but would win for one of the best story-lines and plays host to some of the best one liners that have ever been in a game to date. The script for the game is incredibly well written and will draw you in very easily. The gameplay mechanics do however compliment the story a lot. As you are actively choosing what to do you feel a greater sense of involvement and participation in the plot.
The characters are portraited very well throughout and their look will usually help this. From the young Phoenix Wright who looks like he's grasping at ideas half the time to the experienced prosecuter von Karma who looks menacing and unbeatable in court. The various animations characters perform during the game can be highly amusing and give the game a good touch. The music and sound in the game is great and easily conveys mood changes as well as being spot on for certain characters and animations.
-Pros-
Highly entertaining plot
Can achieve around 20 hours of gameplay
One of the funniest and well written games of all time
-Cons-
Sometimes you know what you want to say however the games plot path may take a different approach.
Sometimes you might try trial and error as you have no clue how to approach a problem. However this con is very minor as words of note are accompanied by a puzzled sound effect to say that this has something to do with the plot advancment
Overall Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney was a fresh game for me, despite it being released quite a while ago. An interesting game genre coupled with genius writting definately puts this as one of my favourite games.
My advice: Buy it
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney has you play the role of Phoenix Wright, a freshly trained defense attorney taking his first major cases. Under the wing of your employer, Mia Fey, you are first set the task of defending your childhood friend in court. This first case teaches you all the basics you need to know to try and complete further cases. Each case will start with a brief cinematic showing the moment of the crime. You then get the opportunity to investigate various related scenes and interrogate certain characters to help uncover evidence that can help you in court. Court session's will involve you breaking down witness testimonies in hope that you can find a contradiction and bring the case closer to finding out the truth. Court sessions will usually be broken into several sections with parts in between which give you the chance to investigate further into what you heard that day.
The game can be described as a lawyer sim by some, however if this were true we would live in a very different world than we did today. I feel a more accurate description would be an interactive story. The script will always follow a set path when you have done things correct and when you get things wrong (5 times to be precise) the judge will declare a guilty verdict. While this may not sound good at a glance, without this in place the game's script wouldn't be as clever as it is.
In each of the investigation chapters you will visit several locations of key importance. In each area you are given the option to talk to someone involved in the case and present evidence when someone is there, you are also given the option to examine the area around you to search for clues. The story will not progress onto the trial sections unless you have talked to certain people or picked up certain evidence in order to ensure you don't miss any vital clues that otherwise would prevent you from completing a case.
The trial chapters will involve you breaking down witness testimonies and pointing out contradictions. Each phrase in their testimony can be pressed on to try and uncover more information or you can object to their testimony and present evidence to back up why their testimony contradicts the evidence.
The game can be controlled either by the buttons or with the stylus, the latter being the more comfortable and easier approach. If dialogue has been viewed before, holding the stylus on the next button will fast forward through text.
The game would not win any awards for gameplay, but would win for one of the best story-lines and plays host to some of the best one liners that have ever been in a game to date. The script for the game is incredibly well written and will draw you in very easily. The gameplay mechanics do however compliment the story a lot. As you are actively choosing what to do you feel a greater sense of involvement and participation in the plot.
The characters are portraited very well throughout and their look will usually help this. From the young Phoenix Wright who looks like he's grasping at ideas half the time to the experienced prosecuter von Karma who looks menacing and unbeatable in court. The various animations characters perform during the game can be highly amusing and give the game a good touch. The music and sound in the game is great and easily conveys mood changes as well as being spot on for certain characters and animations.
-Pros-
Highly entertaining plot
Can achieve around 20 hours of gameplay
One of the funniest and well written games of all time
-Cons-
Sometimes you know what you want to say however the games plot path may take a different approach.
Sometimes you might try trial and error as you have no clue how to approach a problem. However this con is very minor as words of note are accompanied by a puzzled sound effect to say that this has something to do with the plot advancment
Overall Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney was a fresh game for me, despite it being released quite a while ago. An interesting game genre coupled with genius writting definately puts this as one of my favourite games.
My advice: Buy it