Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is one of the most interesting games you'll ever play, or even heard of. The concept is a bit esoteric. Initially, many people's first thoughts would be "A lawyer game? Wow, they really must be running out of ideas!" But this is a well thought-out, clever, and interesting piece of video game. It was created by Capcom, the same Japanese company that has brought us many other high quality video game franchises such as Street Fighter, Mega Man, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and more.

The graphics and animations are okay. Acceptable for Nintendo DS standards, I guess. See, though this was released for the DS in the United States in 2005, it was actually originally released for the Game Boy Advance, but only in Japan, and was released in 2001, so even when it came out in America, it was outdated. But it was still good to look at. The anime animations and art were great, but the animations themselves are repeated over and over and over again.

The sound, on the other hand, is great. For a Game Boy Advance game ported to the Nintendo DS, that is. The sounds are simple, but get the job done. The music steals the spotlight, though. The reason why Capcom's video games are so great is partly because the music is phenomenal. There are many great themes, such as Objection!, Inform the Truth, Cornered, Congratulations Everyone!, the Dick Gumshoe Theme Song, Turnabout Sisters, the Steel Samurai theme, the DL-6 Incident, and much more. Music is always awesome in Capcom video games. 'Nuff said.

Though this game is very good, I say there's very little chance you'll play it again after finishing it. It's really just one of those games you'll play again when you're really bored or something. Moving on to the subject of "Story," it's quite interesting. The game is split into five cases, the fifth one being added to the Nintendo DS port and every other port after this. The first one, appropriately named "The First Turnabout" has you in your first trial and your mentor, Mia Fey, defending your childhood friend, Larry Butz, who has been charged with murder of his girlfriend, Cindy Stone. Things start out simple. There's a witness; Frank Sahwit, and a prosecutor; Winston Payne.

In Case 2 -- Turnabout Sisters, you're introduced to Maya Fey, Mia's younger sister, who will be your assistant for the rest of the Phoenix Wright trilogy. The other cases, Turnabout Samurai, Turnabout Goodbyes, and Rise from the Ashes, are all great. I consider this one of the better Ace Attorney video games, right up there with Trials & Tribulations (which is for another day to cover). 

Like I mentioned earlier, the game is very clever. You really have to think and use your brain. Investigation is relatively simple. You go around different areas, questioning witnesses and other people, gathering clues and evidence to unravel the truth, but sometimes, you have to present a piece of evidence outside of court to get them to talk or something. Trial Mode is the highlight of the game. The breakdown is that the prosecution will call up a witness, who will testify against your client/the defendant. You have to look through the testimony and see if what the witness says contradicts the evidence in the Court Record. If you can't find anything, you have to press them for more information.

Overall, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a great game, and would give birth to a great franchise and many other games, such as Justice for All, Trials & Tribulations, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, and Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, as well as a sequel to that, a crossover with Professor Layton, and Wright even makes an appearance as a playable character in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The Objection! internet meme also exists if you haven't already heard it...