Overall 8.2 Graphics 8.1 Sound 8.9 Addictive 7.3 Story 9.4 Depth 6.9 Difficulty 7.9
7.7
OBJECTION! Mistress
Phoenix Wright – Ace Attorney is the first installment of the Ace Attorney series. Originally Japan exclusive for the GBA, this game came out on the Nintendo DS, Wii, and several other platforms. It is a visual novel attorney game where the truth must be found in order to prove one’s innocence or guilt.
The storyline and gameplay is practically the same for all platforms, but I’m going to be reviewing the Nintendo DS port of this game. What makes the Nintendo DS version so special? To answer this, I must explain that the original game only had 4 episodes in its port. So the Nintendo DS comes with a special 5th episode that involves using the microphone and touch screen features. For the Wii version, the 5th episode must be bought separately from the main game; other systems might not even have the whole game released yet.
Gameplay
The first mode the player will be introduced to is the courtroom. The player will have control of Phoenix Wright, attorney at law. His mission is to convince the judge and prosecutor that his client is innocent with supporting evidence.
The courtroom system will be in 3rd person view. In this mode, the witness of the crime will testify to the court on what he/she saw. After the testimony, the judge will grant Phoenix Wright the ability to cross-examine (questioning) the witness. The player can either press the witness for more information, or present evidence that contradicts part of the testimony. This is where all the ‘action’ of the game happens.
Evidence can be checked in advance via Court Record. The Court Record holds all evidence information and character profiles that are needed to win the case. It’s important to check the Court Record frequently.
The second mode the player will have to go through is called investigation. The player will have to control Phoenix Wright and investigate any suspicious looking objects, or talk to people to gain information. Most of the Court Record’s evidence can be found during investigation mode.
Investigation will be viewed in 1st person. This mode has 4 options: Talk, Present, Examine, and Move. The Talk option will let Phoenix Wright have a conversation with the person in the current room. This will let Phoenix know what is going on in the story. Present is when evidence will be presented from the Court Record to the person in the room. While not used frequently, it usually gives out more information about the crime than talking would. Examine will allow the player to inspect the current room for evidence. If the object isn’t evidence, there’s usually some sort of random dialog about the object to keep the player interested. Finally, the Move option will let Phoenix Wright move from one room to another.
*Note – Sometimes a room may be too big to view in the screen. If this happens, arrows will show at the bottom of the screen. This will let the player view from one portion of the room to another.
The investigation mode is most likely the tedious part of the game. It’s not as fun as courtroom mode, but it is vital since majority of the evidence and information needed are located in this section. The ending of each investigation will usually leave the player excited for the beginning of the courtroom battle. Investigation ends once the game decided all information and evidence needed is obtained.
[Breakdown]
-Courtroom system is the fun part.
-Investigation is boring, but essential.
-Court Records must be checked frequently.
__________
Graphics - 8
Like any regular visual novels, the graphics of this game consist of 2D illustrations. The background of each scene is fully drawn and colored to give a great visualization of how the written version of the setting would look like. The characters are probably the most notable part of the graphics; each character has unique personalities and styles. It’s almost unlikely that one could find two characters that are similar to each other. Their styles and appearances may be over exaggerated to explain (or sometimes hide) the type of people they are.
Speaking of characters, their expressions are probably one of the most amusing things in the game. When I first played, I was introduced to my client. He kept saying how he wanted to die, while having a cartoony expression on his face. His dialog and facial expression made it hard to take him seriously, which was probably what the developers of this game wanted to do. Then there are the breakdown expressions. The guilty will sometimes show unusual nervous habits when something unexpected is revealed.
Sometimes cut-scenes will be shown to the player on what has happened, but it’s almost always never the whole story. While the cut-scenes may be mainly still pictures, the animations used give a great emphasis of the emotion behind the scene.
[Breakdown]
-Novel like illustrations.
-Interesting characters and expressions.
-Cut-scenes to keep players guessing.
__________
Sound - 10
How can I describe perfection? The music in this game is so incredible, that I can almost guarantee that people who hate the game will say the exact opposite about its soundtrack. While it may not be similar to the medieval fantasy music, it definitely is one of the greatest
gaming modern music. And it’s not just this game, the whole Ace Attorney series and its spin-offs are complied with outstanding soundtracks. That’s how incredible the music is.
Ominous music will sometimes accompany cut-scenes to enhance the dramatic thriller. Relaxing music will be with casual conversations to help feel what the characters are feeling. Inspiring music will be played when everything’s going to be alright. The themes are just so amazing that it can’t be properly described by a newbie reviewer, like myself.
Not only is the music very fitting for the game, it also plays an important role. Fans of the game will know what I mean when I say; “If the music stops, you’re on the right track.” The music is definitely one of the greatest things about the Ace Attorney series.
[Breakdown]
-Incredible music.
-Very fitting themes.
-One of the greatest things about the series.
__________
Addictiveness - 7
Is this game addicting? Not during investigation mode, probably. Like I stated before, investigation is the boring part of the game. I would often find myself taking a break from the game during this sequence, since it takes so long. But when the courtroom mode starts, it’s definitely hard to put down.
Unlike the investigation mode where you just search on anything to find information, the courtroom mode requires the player to think and find contradictions to the witness’ testimony (if any). This mode can turn an incredibly focused paying attention scene into a battle of objections. It’ll make the player’s heart beat with anticipation with every contradiction they find. This is in fact the most exciting part of the game.
[Breakdown]
-Investigation = not addicting.
-Courtroom = very addicting.
__________
Story - 9
Since this is a visual novel type of game, the story plays an important aspect of whether or not the game will succeed. So in short, Phoenix Wright – Ace Attorney wouldn’t have been well known if it didn’t have a good story. Also note, the characters are just as important as the story itself.
Phoenix Wright is a defense lawyer. Why did he become a lawyer? His reason is integrated with the main story. For now, he must prove his clients innocent from the charges they face. Unfortunately for him, all his clients seem to have been accused with murder.
The story consists of four episodes and a special fifth episode for the Nintendo DS. The special fifth isn’t required to understand the main story; it’s basically just an extra that can be played.
During the storyline, Phoenix battles head to head with prosecutor Miles Edgeworth in order to find out who is the guilty party. The first episode is a tutorial for the gameplay, but the next two are when Phoenix faces Edgeworth. Why does Phoenix have to face Edgeworth twice before going to the final part of the game? Capcom wanted the audience to know what kind of character Edgeworth is and what kind of relationship Phoenix has with him. When that’s done, the final part of the game will reveal the whole truth of what happened, and why it happened.
The fifth episode happens two months after the main storyline. It isn’t related to it, but Edgeworth and Phoenix still goes face to face in this one as well. And like the rest of the episodes, it is also a murder case. This one; however, is notably the longest case out of all the episodes.
In this episode, chief prosecutor Lana Skye admits to the murder of Bruce Goodman. Her sister, Ema Skye, doesn’t believe it. Phoenix Wright, with the help of Ema, must find out who the real murderer is. During the investigation, they unfold a dark past that could turn everything around.
[Breakdown]
-Amazing story.
-Cases are always about murder.
-Characters and their relationships make the game.
__________
Depth - 7
The depth portion of this game is based upon whether or not the player likes reading and thinking. Being a visual novel, the game doesn’t offer much freedom to the players on what they can do. However, the game offers a lot of dialog to keep the players interested in the investigation mode. Some may be random, but majority are intended humor.
The thinking portion comes from the courtroom mode. It’s necessary to pay attention to what the witness says, while checking the evidence for contradictions. This multitasking keeps the players occupied throughout the gameplay.
[Breakdown]
-Amusing dialogs in investigation mode.
-Careful tactics in courtroom mode.
__________
Difficulty - 5
This game is not all that difficult to complete. However, I’d like to point out that the game follows a certain pattern of actions in order to complete the game. What I mean by this is that the player may have figured out a way to solve the case; unfortunately, the game will be much slower to process it. There’s a chance that evidence in the Court Record will finally prove the client innocent, but it can’t be presented unless it contradicts the witness’ testimony.
The courtroom system has these things called ‘penalty points’. When Phoenix presents evidence that does not relate nor contradict the testimony, he gains a penalty point. What a penalty point does is take away Phoenix’s exclamation mark-like health points. If he loses all health points, it’s automatically game over. Making wrong decisions can sometimes cause Phoenix to lose a health point, but the game can be saved anytime before the decision.
The only hard part about the investigation sequence is trying to find and gather all evidence and information for the case. Sometimes Phoenix has to backtrack in order to find them. This is a long and tedious process, but the developers put in extra work on this part to make sure it isn’t too boring to go through.
[Breakdown]
-Game’s intellect might be slower than player’s.
-Penalty points given as a warning to not present irrelevant evidence.
-Investigating takes more time than courtroom mode.
__________
Overall - 7.7
I just want the reader to know that
Phoenix Wright – Ace Attorney is definitely NOT for those who seek action in the game. It is a visual novel, so there isn’t much freedom to what the player can do. It is also a dialog based game, so those who hate reading will hate this game. The game’s puzzles are different from regular ones. It doesn’t have mini-game puzzles like the Professor Layton series. Also, this game has a balance of drama thriller and humor. So those expecting it to be a seriously realistic type of game; a button mashing type of game; a game with a vast variety of puzzles; or a game one can go through without having to read anything, will be utterly disappointed.If the above warning has not turned you off, then I really do recommend you try out the game. It’s probably one of the best visual novels that Capcom has ever made. The story and music are amazing, the graphics are good, and it can be very addicting once you go into the courtroom. And this is only the beginning of the series!
[Summary]
-Read underlined portion for warnings.
-One of the greatest visual novels with a lot of humor.
Graphics 8 Sound 10 Addictive 7 Story 9 Depth 7 Difficulty 5
Review Rating: 5/5
Submitted: 09-24-13
Updated: 09-24-13
Review Replies: 5
8
Review: DS Game - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (OBJECTION!) AwesomeTrinket
Sooner or later, I knew I was going to be doing at least one of the Phoenix Wright games for a game review. After all, next to the Pokemon games, Phoenix Wright is both my favorite standalone games and series for the Nintendo DS. It's also made by Capcom, the same people who made the Mega Man and Street Fighter series. Due to this being a series where all the games are more or less the same, I'd probably only review one of the games, (With the exception of the two Miles Edgeworth games, they're different enough from the main series I could do one of them.) so this review would be like many reviews for every game in the main series combined into one.
Graphics - 10
The Nintendo DS was released around 2004, so of course, the graphics for most of the games that are released on it are going to be at least worth a 7, maybe even more if they were made recently before the 3DS basically replaced the DS. By recently, I mean the years 2011 and up.
However, the first game was released the same year as the Nintendo DS itself, so it's actually really surprising that a game this early could have such good graphics that are even better than Undertale. It's bright, colorful, and the backgrounds don't hurt my eyes, like some DS games I know but won't name any names. What I have noticed, though, is that because this is a visual novel, the NPCs aren't really sometimes part of the background itself, like adventure games. I'm not complaining, though. I've seen this happens many times with visual novels, I think this might have set the standards for the genre.
Sound - 8
Before I discovered Undertale, I thought that the music for the Phoenix Wright series was the best music that a game could have. Of course, now I know better, but still. When I first discovered this game, it was around 2014. Back then, the only kind of music I was impressed by was Vocaloid music.
If the music for this game was enough to impress 2014 me, that says a lot. I loved it so much that, next to Vocaloid songs, I had downloaded some of the Phoenix Wright soundtrack onto my tablet to listen to when I'm in the car for things like road trips. I loved it for good reason, too! When you're in court and you're getting somewhere, this awesome song plays. A wave of excitement rushes through your body as you present evidence that eventually leads to the truth and reveals which one of the witnesses is the true murderer.
Not only that, when you first start cross-examining a witness, an important-sounding tune starts playing. It gives you the thought "Alright, let's stop fooling around, it's time to get down to business!" as you analyze every sentence that the witness says while looking at the descriptions for all the evidence you collected. There's no voice acting in the game, which makes it better when lets players play the game and do voice acting for it.
Addictiveness - 6
Each case takes about two hours to complete, depending on what case it is. For example, for the first case of every game, it's the beginning case, so it's easy for new players to pick up and play. For the final case of the game, it's the hardest in the game, so it's going to take a long while for you to complete it.
As you uncover more and more evidence and facts, you'll learn shocking twists that'll leave you hungry for more. You'll want to keep playing to learn more and finally figure out who the murderer is, and when you do, the feeling is one of the most satisfying feelings during each and every case.
When you finish the game, it's kind of sad. You finished all four (Sometimes five) cases, and there isn't any more in the game. It's not as fun replaying it, because you're expecting all the curve balls and twists that the game throws at you. When it's played the first time, you don't expect any of the twists.
Story - 10
A visual novel is basically a novel that's been created into an interactive movie. The story for a novel has to be good, or else you won't be motivated to finish it. Graphics and a setting isn't everything in a game, especially a game like this.
For example, the most unliked game in the main trilogy is the second game in the series: Phoenix Wright - Justice for All, even though case four is one of the most heart-wrenching cases if you mess up at the last second. Everyone says that case three is basically a filler case, and the twist on who the murderer is isn't that much of a twist.
For me, I feel like Justice for All is heavily overlooked, and it's my favorite game in the trilogy. When you really delve deep into the stories on the cases, you find that the stories are some of the best in the trilogy. Let's take the most hated case in the game for an example, Turnabout Big Top, or case three. People say that you could completely skip the case in the game (It's not possible to do that unless you hack it) and go on to case four, and the main story won't have a huge chunk missing out of it, unlike if you were to do that for the original game, in which it would have a chunk missing.
To me, I think the case is sweet. It has mixes of tragedy with a hint of romance thrown into the blender. Making the case take place in a big top is only a way of making it different than most of the cases in the game. The twist they took for the murderer isn't that much of a twist, they say, well I say Capcom had to try it sometime. Don't judge a case by what people are saying about it.
Depth - 6
You basically do three things in the game: Talk to people, look at the crime scenes and any related places, and you cross examine witnesses. However, the places are different enough that it feels fresh every time you go to a new place, and sometimes the characters can be quite comical to be around. This is what you would call a point and click game, like Five Nights at Freddy's.
There isn't much to say here, even though I've given this section of the game a pretty high rating compared to the depths of some of the other games I've reviewed.
Difficulty - 8
The cases can get extremely frustrating sometimes. Half the time I have to pull up a walkthrough for the investigation parts, becaue I have little to no idea what to do, or sometimes I forgot to do something that's essential on making progress, and I have to backtrack.
The trial parts are sometimes even harder than the investigation parts. About 90% of the time you look at every sentence the witness says, compare it to all the evidence you have, and you press every sentence, honestly trying your absolute hardest to not cheat and use the internet, and you find nothing. So, you pull up a walkthrough, and you realize you have to press certain sentences to revise testimony and then present evidence on the hidden testimony. If you had a dollar for every time that happened in the game, you'd probably have enough money to buy a bicycle, or about $50 in my case.
Overall - 8
First of all, this is the second highest overall score I've given a game, I just realized! As for my recommendation for the game, if you could find it cheap in your local GameStop or something, I'd buy it if I were you! If the game is Justice for All, that would be even better. It's the most overlooked game in the series, and is actually a hidden gem.
Graphics 10 Sound 8 Addictive 6 Story 10 Depth 6 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 5/5
Submitted: 05-11-16
Review Replies: 3
8
Objection!- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Popeye116
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a surprisingly good game. You play as Phoenix Wright, a beginner lawyer making his way into the world of law. Now, the concept of playing as a defense attorney isn’t exactly enticing to the average person, but the game comes through with hilarious dialogue, great music, and compelling visual-novel esque gameplay.
Gameplay
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, is a visual novel type game. There are two different modes: Investigation Mode and Trial Mode. In investigation mode, you search areas of interest that have to do with the crime, talking to witnesses and looking for evidence. Trial mode is where the lawyering comes into play. You must cross examine witnesses and present evidence, trying to find the true culprit while at the same time stopping your client from being found guilty. If you present a wrong piece of evidence, you get a penalty. 5 penalties and it’s game over, and you must start again from your last save point. That’s the gameplay of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.
Graphics: 5
The graphics could definitely use some work in this game. There are interesting settings, but the graphics on a whole are pixely for a Nintendo DS game. The sprites are pretty detailed for sprites, albeit being pixely. You can definitely tell different body shapes apart. The graphics are great in the cutscenes, but other than that they need work. A game like this doesn’t rely on the graphics, though, and it doesn’t affect the gameplay whatsoever. This is why I give the graphics a 5
Sound: 7
The music in Phoenix Wright adds to the feeling of the game. Even when you start up the first case you can tell that the music will be spectacular. The cornered theme is great, and gives you a rush when you find something shocking out. The music tends to become repetitive during cross examinations, though. When you do not know what to do on a certain piece of testimony, the repetitive cross examination music can get in your head. There’s not much more I can say about the sound other than you have to experience it yourself.
Addictiveness: 7
This game is moderately addicting. It can get hard fast, and you just want to finish that cross examination...You might spend hours trying to crack a case. Due to it being like a visual novel, the replay value is low. On the whole, the game is pretty addicting.This is why I give the addictiveness a 7.
Story: 9
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney has a top-notch story. It turns a dull and drab concept into something wonderful and entertaining. As I stated before, you play as Phoenix Wright. Phoenix is a defense attorney that chose his job so he could stand up for those that have nobody on his side. With a diverse cast of characters, colorful settings and great character development, the story is a near 10. It’s also a nice reward to see the culprit break down when you prove him guilty. Some of the cases are a bit predictable, though. Sometimes it’s all too easy to predict who did the crime. The story on the whole is great, and I’d give it a 9.
Depth: 5
There’s not much to do other than the main storyline in this game. It’s very linear. You follow the storyline until you finish the game, and that’s it. The game has a lot of dialogue, so that adds to the depth. While the game can last a while, there isn’t much to do once you finish it unless you want to replay it. That’s why I give the depth a 3.
Difficulty: 8
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is really tough. I’m not going to lie; I had to use a walkthrough at certain parts. Sometimes you get stuck while investigating, or you’re just not sure what evidence to present during a cross examination. It can get frustrating fast, especially with that repetitive cross examination music playing while you hopelessly present piece after piece of wrong evidence. Luckily, there aren’t too many moments like this, and the rest of the game is moderately difficult. This is why I give the difficulty an 8.
Overall: 8
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is an amazing game as a whole. As I said, colorful characters and great plot lines make the game what it is. While the graphics and depth are lacking, everything else makes up for it. While I personally think the sequels are better, this is a great game on it’s own. This is why I give it an 8 overall.
Graphics 5 Sound 7 Addictive 7 Story 9 Depth 5 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 4.7/5
Submitted: 08-31-15
Review Replies: 3
9
Turnabout Review Itachi9695
It's been a while since I wrote a review here and I sincerely apologize for my slacking off, but many things like college and this particular game franchise have stood in my way. Nonetheless, I'm back now and I figured that since the Ace Attorney franchise has been taking up a lot of my time within the past few months, I should do an "Ace Attorney Month". Seeing as how Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies comes out in two days, I figured this month would be as good as any to do this. Now for some background! Originally released exclusively to Japan in 2001 on the GBA as Gyakuten Saiban, which roughly translates to "Turnabout Court" or "Turnabout Trial", it was ported to the Nintendo DS and released in America in 2005 under the name Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. I'll be honest, when I first heard of this series, I didn't think much of it. "A game where you play as a lawyer? How can that possibly be fun?" I thought, but recently I started seeing the spikey-haired attorney all over the Internet. So, mostly due to Smooth McGroove's acapella version of the Cornered theme, I decided to check it out. What do I think now? Let's find out!
Graphics
The graphics consist mostly of sprites, though I guess it should be expected considering it was originally a GBA game, but they look very good. The sprites are very well detailed and you definitely wouldn't catch yourself confusing one character with another in this game. The backgrounds, while not nearly as detailed still look pretty good. It's a good thing too, because you'll be traveling to many different areas throughout the course of the game and having to look at so many backgrounds is far less excruciating when they all look different and detailed well enough to tell them apart.
Sound
The soundtrack for this game is absolutely AMAZING! I find myself humming the Objection and Cornered themes quite often. Even the music that plays for certain characters is pretty catchy. The music you hear during trials is some of the best video game music I've ever heard. The music that plays during tense moments make those moments much more exciting. I even find myself moving my head to the beat on occasion. Heck, I almost shed a tear whenever I hear Maya's theme just because of everything you go through with her in the games. What I'm trying to say is that this is a great soundtrack that every gamer should hear.
Addictiveness
I find myself coming back to this game every so often. I would probably come back even more if I wasn't trying to complete Ace Attorney Investigations in time for the release of Dual Destinies. I sometimes just go back to the first case just to relive those moments all over again. The addictive nature of these games comes from the story, which I'll talk about in a little bit. The music adds to this as well, perfectly fitting the mood of the scene at hand and giving you a bit more encouragement to continue playing.
Story
Okay, if I wasn't afraid of spoiling the game, this section would probably be longer than one of my reviews. I'm not kidding here, the story is so interesting and well written that in order to keep myself from spoiling anything, I'm going to have to limit myself a little here, I'll only give the opening for each case and a few characters you meet that will become important later on. In the first case, you must defend your childhood friend Larry Butz (Don't worry, the weird names are far from done) who has been accused of murdering his girlfriend. You also meet Mia Fey, boss of Fey and Co. Law Offices, where you work, and your mentor. You'll also meet the Judge, who will judge the vast majority of your trials throughout the series, and Winston Payne, a prosecutor who usually prosecutes the first case in every game. In the second case, you meet and defend Maya Fey, Mia's younger sister and your assistant until the fifth case, who has been accused of murdering Mia...wait...Mia dies? I'm going to stop myself from going in full-on rage mode at the moment, but if you've played the game, you know how infuriating that is at first. In this case you'll meet two more recurring characters. Detective Dick Gumshoe, who will be the lead detective for most of your cases and isn't exactly known for his brains, but rather his aloofness and sometimes obliviousness. He works under Miles Edgeworth, the main prosecutor for this game and your rival, known for being a prosecuting genius. In the third case, you're tasked with defending Will Powers, an actor known for his role as the main character in the hit TV series, The Steel Samurai, who has been accused of murdering co-star and actor, who just so happens to play the villain in The Steel Samurai, Jack Hammer. In this case you'll meet Wendy Oldbag, a recurring character known for babbling on and on about how things were better back in "her day". In the fourth and final case of the original game, you must defend...Edgeworth? Yeah, Edgeworth's been accused of murdering a defense attorney called Robert Hammond. In this case you'll meet Manfred Von Karma, Edgeworth's mentor, a prosecutor who has never lost a case in his 40 years of prosecuting. (This isn't suspicious at all, right?) That would be it if it weren't for the added fifth case, where you defend the chief prosecutor, Lana Skye, with the help of her younger sister, Ema. This case introduces a few gameplay elements added on specifically for the DS, namely fingerprinting and examining evidence in a full 3D view. There are many characters I didn't touch up on, but there's so many story elements I didn't touch either, but this game has one of the most well written stories in video game history and I definitely recommend checking it out sometime.
Depth
This games has a lot to offer, though it's mostly through story and evidence. You'll also visit tons of different locations throughout the game. The amount of dialogue alone is enough to give this game a ton of depth. There's also the fact that the amount of evidence you carry throughout each case increases with each case. The fifth case has you carry 3 full pages worth of evidence, with each page consisting of 8 pieces of evidence. Since I already covered the majority of what I would talk about here, let's move on to the next section.
Gameplay/Controls
Gameplay is split up into 2 parts, Investigation and Trial. In Investigation Mode, you examine the crime scene and other places in order to find evidence for the upcoming trial. You also talk to people to gather more information on the crime and/or the people involved in the crime. Trial Mode is where the game gets really fun. In this mode, it's your job to cross-examine witnesses and find any contradictions in their testimony. You do this by doing one of two things. The first is Pressing, where you question the witness on a particular part of their testimony and sometimes have things added to the testimony. The second is Presenting, or as I like to call it, Objecting, where you present evidence at a particular part of the testimony to prove an existing contradiction and reveal new information. But be careful, in Trials, you're "health" is a set of 5 exclamation marks, which indicate how many penalties you have left before your client is found guilty and you effectively get a "Game Over". I would say that the most difficult part sometimes is choosing what evidence to present and when. Sometimes your logic will either be ahead of the game, or just flat out wrong at times. However, once you present the correct evidence, everything starts becoming more clear. I recommend saving often on your first time through so that you can easily go back and correct yourself if you make a mistake.
Overall, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is definitely a great game. While the concept may seem odd at first, once the game has you, it sucks you right in with its unique characters and story. The plot twists you encounter and the overall genius writing make hard to put down. The soundtrack is another key factor in keeping you hooked as it perfectly fits the game. With a great soundtrack, good sprite work and one of the best plots in gaming history, I give Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney a 9 out of 10. See you guys next time for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For All! Until then, OBJECTION! Uh...I mean PEACE OUT!
Graphics 8 Sound 9 Addictive 8 Story 9 Depth 8 Difficulty 7
Review Rating: 4.3/5
Submitted: 10-22-13
Review Replies: 1
9.1
HOLD IT, TAKE THAT, ETC. Lexatom
Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney was released in Japan for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. Nintendo of America decided to bring the Phoenix Wright series to America as well. However, the DS was already released. They decided to port all 3 of the original trilogy games onto the DS, and Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney was released onto the Nintendo DS on October 2005. This port of the GBA series has improved graphics, an improved soundtrack, and touch screen controls. They even added a new episode, Episode 5, making use of the new touch screen and microphone mechanics.
Graphics - 9
The graphics in Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney are awesome, despite the few issues I have with them. Each of the characters have their own distinct personality, and you can figure that since they have their own unique animations. Some of the animations are kind of dorky, but that's not always a thing to frown upon. The character's facial expressions show the mood they are currently in perfectly. The backgrounds are sort of nice, too. You can examine areas with the touch screen, if you see anything suspicious. Although sometimes, it is kind of hard to see whether or not something should be examined, but this is just one of those games where you have to look closely.
Sound - 9
The music in this game is awesome, specifically the music that plays at different times in the courtroom. For example, The Truth, Cross-Examination (Allegro), and of course, Objection!, are all amazing songs from this game's soundtrack. The songs I listed really give you that feeling that it would give you in real life if you were in this courtroom. The feeling of almost being defeated, or the feeling of almost winning. Even the feeling of losing someone dear to you. The only complaint I have with the sound is that some of the sounds sound like exactly how they were in the Game Boy Advance version, although this is just a minor complaint.
Addictiveness - 8
This game can get addicting, especially while you're in a trial. Even after the short recess you sometimes get in some of the trials, I keep on playing after I save. I have the feeling of wanting to help out my client, because I know they're innocent. Nobody deserves to go into custody if they're not guilty. The only time I can recall when you won't be playing this game a lot is when you get frusturated or confused, although that can just be gamer's instinct. Whenever I lose a game too many times, I wait a bit before I start playing it again.
Story - 10
This game is a game where you are an attorney. This is the perfect opportunity for many amazing stories to be told throughout the series. The main storyline has to do with an incident known as DL-6, which has been the topic of speculation for a while. 15 years, to be exact. The cause of the accident is unknown, and the day the case gets closed for good is soon approaching. You don't go deep into the DL-6 incident until Episode 4, but it's a thrill ride nonetheless. It is constantly mentioned throughout the game. And when you figure out the truth of the incident, you will DEFINITELY be surprised. I was on the edge of my seat the whole case, waiting to find out the truth. It was amazing.
Depth - 6
Pretty much the only thing you'll be doing is following instructions and looking for clues in each of the episodes. That, and there are only 4 episodes that have to do with the main storyline. The 5th Episode is just for fun with the DS' new mechanics. There's not much you can really do after you complete all the episodes after that other than mess around. This is the only semi-bad score this game is going to get, this is still a very good game.
Difficulty - 8
This game's difficulty changes depending on the episode you are on. The puzzles and trials get harder and harder as you progress through the game, and I love the way they present the difficulty. There are some cases where you have to exhaust all of your options until there's nothing left for you to do, then someone jumps in and turns things around to help you. It's amazing how they handled the difficulty with this game.
Overall - 9.1
This game is a great game, as you read in the review, and it has grown with a giant fanbase, a lot of which are here on Vizzed. This series is getting another game to add to its collection of amazing titles, and the game, currently known as Ace Attorney 6, is scheduled to come out this year. If you're a fan of puzzles and mind-boggling questions and mysteries, this game is definitely for you. I hope you enjoyed this review.
[img]http://www.phoemarv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Objection-300x221.png[/img]
Graphics 9 Sound 9 Addictive 8 Story 10 Depth 6 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 4/5
Submitted: 01-10-16
Review Replies: 6
7.8
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney review alsonic
If you’re anything like me, I hate really slowgames. RPGs, Their okay, but visual novels, I actually like to get somegameplay, please. But one game that really interested me is Phoenix Wright: AceAttorney. And the concept seems pretty good. Play as a defense attorney anddefend the innocent and expose the guilty. Also, say objection a lot. Enoughchit chat, onto the review!Graphics: 7/10 This game’s graphics are prettydecent, but not at all the best on the DS (Yes, I know this is a Gameboy advancegame, but I’m Amurican, eating cheeseburgers and misspelling American so itfits a southern accent). All the sprites for the characters look alright, butsometimes something doesn’t look to polished and it looks out of place.Sound: 9/10 Where do I begin? This game’s soundtrackis amazing. The music got revamped when it was ported to the DS and it shows,this game sounds beautiful. All the music is perfectly placed to fit the mood(sometimes) and the music will stick in your head for weeks. The sounds thoughare kinda goofy, but eh, whatcha gonna do?Addictiveness: 6/10 Another so so category. On onehand, this game can keep you coming back to complete one more trial, and on theother, sometimes some parts are some excruciatingly hard I want to throw my DSacross the room.Story: 9/10 The game’s story is the real beef andpotatoes, if you know what I mean (America). You are Phoenix Wright, a rookiedefense attorney. You live in California and you are inexperienced in thefield. You work your way through trials and through murders to uncover thetruth! (I’m sorry I kept it on the light side, no spoilers :P) One of the onlygrudges I have with the story is the fact that the game is set in California.As in the U S of A. This game is obviously Japanese. It doesn’t even try tohide it.Depth 7/10 This game has 5 cases you can playthrough. The first you can blast through it in like 10-20 minutes in the firstgo. The later ones get… increasingly challenging. The last one I’m not evendone with (I know that this is “cheating” not playing through the whole game,but I got enough from the graphics, story, and Sound from the first 4 cases.And the 5th case wasn’t in the GBA version sooo….. America),Difficulty: 9/10 This game gets hard, and kindafast. I think it’s my fault because that whole “remember everything, it’simportant” philosophy. The first 2 cases are easy, but the others are moredifficult. I honestly got stuck and had to look up a walkthrough. (please don’tcondemn me).Overall: 7.8/10 I love this game, don’t get mewrong. This is my first visual novel I have ever played. The sound and storyare top notch, but some things like the difficulty and some visual quirks keepit from scoring any higher. Join me next time when I dig up an amazing game…. Hehehe….
OBEJECTION,That
was a horrible Shovel Knight pun.
SHUSH,
Nick,
they mustn’t know….
Graphics 7 Sound 9 Addictive 6 Story 9 Depth 7 Difficulty 9
Review Rating: 3.7/5
Submitted: 10-06-14
Review Replies: 4
9.7
The Steel Samurai: Warrior of Neo Olde Tokyo Furret
Hey you there who clicked on this thread, Hold it! Today I’ll be reviewing the first game of the greatest gaming franchise on earth, Ace Attorney, so you better get excited!
Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney is a visual novel revolving around Phoenix Wright, a rookie lawyer who has just received his badge to practice law. It has two styles of gameplay; point and click for the investigation segments and an interrogation/find the lie style for the trial segments of the game. It was originally made and released for the GBA in 2001 with 4 court cases total, however the developers changed their mind and decided to release the game for the Nintendo DS as well and even added an extra 5th case!
In this review I’ll be tackling several points regarding gameplay, story, etc. and I’ll also give an ending statement as this game did pioneer my favorite gaming franchise of all time.
Enjoy!
Graphics - 10/10The graphics in this game have stood the test of time very well. In just a few years they’ll be 2 decades old yet they still work wonders. Given the limitations of gaming consoles back then every character you meet on your adventure only has a few frames of animation but they take on different poses frequently so they don’t feel static at all. During investigations especially you’ll meet tons of wacky looking characters ranging from a hotdog salesman to a 7 feet tall hairy action hero, and they all get complimented really well by colorful 2D backgrounds.
Sound - 10/10I’d say this is this game’s - as well as the franchise’s - strongest suit. The OST is absolutely amazing. It has epic trial music, a wacky superhero theme that may or may not be Phoenix’s ringtone, a tragic theme relating to a past incident and many more. I’d highly advise you to stop every time a new theme comes up in the background and to just listen to it and appreciate how good it sounds before moving on. The sound effects are great as well, with the text and disappointment sound effects especially sounding really cartoony and fun.
Depth - 9/10This game might be the longest one in the franchise, which is surprising considering how the first case should only last around 30 minutes at most. Even the second and third cases only offer a few hours of gameplay. The fourth and especially the fifth case however last so long that sometimes you wonder if you haven’t exceeded the 3 day limit the justice system gives you for solving a crime. Obviously as the games are primarely focussed on story they will have less replay value than say RPG’s or platformers but it’s still fun to look back and see hints that you missed your first time playing.
Addictiveness - 9/10This game is so much fun to play through. It’s also set up perfectly as the first two cases basically follow each other directly so you’ll easily get hooked and pulled deeper into the story. The last two cases are also very easy to get involved in as you’ll meet clients who either don’t want your help or want a guilty verdict so you’ll have to work hard to even get to step 1. Obviously as the games are primarely focussed on story they will have less replay value than say RPG’s or platformers but it’s still fun to look back and see hints that you missed your first time playing.
Story - 10/10A game revolving around a lawyer? How does that even work? Well you’d be surprised. The game instantly shows you who the culprit in the first case is, which is something somewhat unique to this game as it almost never happens outside of the original. You’re then met with your client, Larry Butz, who happens to be your childhood friend, and you’re also met with your mentor, Mia Fey, who is here to assist you on your very first trial. You have to defend Larry from getting a guilty verdict as the justice system utilises a “guilty until proven innocent” mindset. Your opponent is the very scary and talented Winston Payne, a genius prosecutor who goes by the nickname “Rookie Killer” due to his infamous reputation of bullying new defense attorneys until they give up. Don’t let that be you! The first case is relatively straightforward but don’t think that applies to the rest of the game. The moment you start case 2 your heart will sink and you’ll realise how deep this game can really go. And that’s only the first of many such instances. Friendship, drama, hope and betrayal are all common themes you’ll find that get twisted in many, many different ways.
Difficulty - 10/10This game handles its difficulty very well. You’ll get five lives at the start of every segment and once those run out it’s game over. Get a question wrong, penalty! Present the wrong evidence, penalty! Waste time in court, penalty! Tell a joke, ULTIMATE penalty! Ergo, make sure not to do any of the above and you’ll be fine. However the game requires you to think outside the box a lot as not everything is clear as day from the information you’re given. A real brain teaser that is challenging but also very rewarding when getting it right.
Overall - 9.7/10A very deserved rating. This game is fantastic and I promise you it will get you hooked from the first case. Whether it’s the humor, the challenge it provides, or the story, it will all remain at that peak level or even increase throughout the game. And the games after that. Some of the series staples like Phoenix, Edgeworth, Maya, the Steel Samurai and even Wendy Oldbag are fantastic and the side characters all compliment their case very well. This game still gets recognised and respected by the games to come after it as its music very frequently gets
updated remixes added in for a sake of nostalgia. It’s honestly a classic and you can’t call yourself a real gamer having never played at least this one. For those who already played through it, there is even an anime out that covers this game as well as the second one. There exists a live action movie as well that you can find online.
Overall one of my top recommendations for anyone looking to play something new. It will open your eyes to the genre and make you realize that everything good doesn’t necessarily have to be a shooting game, or a racing game.
That’s it from me, I’ve got some clients to defend now. Feedback is always appreciated!
See you later!
Graphics 10 Sound 10 Addictive 9 Story 10 Depth 9 Difficulty 10
Review Rating: 3/5
Submitted: 01-10-19
Review Replies: 0
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