 "Phoenix makes going to Court Fun!" | 2009-09-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1DIJVJMKYA8SR |
This is truly an unique game, im not sure what genre it fits into, but its definately an original game. Phoenix Wright is not going to win any awards for realism, but who would have thought a court room game would be fun? The basic flow of the game starts with a viewing of the crime without giving too much away, you are then tasked with investigating and questioning witnesses, then its off to trial after you have gathered all the clues you can find. An attorney out investigating a crime scene isn't very realistic but it makes for a fun part of the game.
What makes this DS title so addictive is the well written and often times humorous storyline. Its divided into 5 chapters for this first game, each chapter being a different case. The dialogue is fun to read, with the occasional filler line here and there that i could have done without. Events that happen in Phoenix Wright don't really go down like they would in real life but the developers clearly weren't going for realism. In fact, most of the time i couldn't believe how the story was unfolding, just when you think you know who the culprit is the writers lead you to another person, but that is what is so much fun, it keeps you guessing.
Phoenix Wright is a defense attorney, so you will be defending your client by questioning witnesses with the sole purpose of tearing their testimony apart to get to the truth. Watching witnesses slowly break down with each objection is what keeps you playing. Phoenix wright has spawned 3 sequels with a 4th one coming in 2010 so Capcom knows people are eating these games up like brownies, including myself. I got hooked after this first title and already bought the next 2 sequels. Trust me, this game will deliver the goods! |
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| "HOLD IT! Before you buy, check this out!" | 2009-09-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3S51WP5UWUK04 |
| I absolutely love this game. I saw various Phoenix Wright Youtube references as well as people at conventions/school shouting "OBJECTION!" randomly. I thought that if these people were so gung-ho about a game, I'd check it out. It's awesome! If you like whodunit mysteries, problem solving, an engaging soundtrack, or just have a weakness for great stories with unique (but well done) characters, you'll love it. I could sit and tell you all day about the gameplay, but that's already been reviewed. My personal experience has left me buying the other 2 sequels, the Apollo Justice game, soundtracks, t-shirts, and even live orchestrated concert soundtracks. I don't know if you'll get THAT much into it, but I can guarantee you'll like this game if you've read this far. |
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 "Objection! For passing this off as a puzzle game!" | 2009-07-18 |
| - Reviewed By User: AZUGK07AZG4TE |
I was extremely disappointed in the game. While the storyline seemed ok, and I thought we were getting somewhere, with each case, it just became more and more laborious to wade through the repetitive dialog with completely overblown gestures. It is very distracting to see a character swearing while you're still left wondering "what just happened?"
I finished about 3 cases and found it very tiresome to stick with it. I have no interest at all in continuing, so it's going straight back to the store.
To be fair though, I got this game hoping it would be another Prof Layton, so that was probably setting the bar too high to start with!
If the path to getting through the cases didn't seem so tiresome and laborious, it wouldn't be a bad game at all.
Bottom line - if like me, you're looking for another puzzle game to follow Prof Layton, Phoenix is not the way to go.
If you're looking for a game to kill time with and are not a zealous puzzling fan, this may be ok.
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| "Not afraid to go back to the beginning" | 2009-07-05 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1PZ6W89NAUSJ5 |
So when I first played Phoenix Wright games, I made a huge mistake. I only realized this mistake a week ago when I received Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. My mistake? I had bought the second game and then I bought the third. I didn't know that the stuff in this game (two whole cases) were going to help me understand all the confusing flashbacks in the second and third games. So if you haven't played any yet, you could probably skip this review.
First of all, I love Edgeworth. He's well-spoken (or written) and he has a story about how he became who he is. After a while of playing Justice for All and Trials and Tribulations, von Karma's whip and Godot's stupid coffee addiction just get frustrating.
There are no Psyche-Locks. But actually, I don't particularly miss them. You have basically the same routine by just presenting the evidence to whoever you're talking about, and they're unnecessary because you're health consists of five exclamation points, rather than the meter that changes how much you lose each time. Every time you make a mistake, you lose an exclamation point, but this is inconsistent and as a result, I only got a "Guilty" verdict once.
You also learn how the legal system in Phoenix Wright's world works. It's interesting and it also explains how all the cases are so cracked up in the other games.
Unfortuanately, for players of the 3rd game, the game never went into detail about what happened to Diego Armando. You get to investigate someone else's (someone very important to Phoenix and Maya) death, but never what happened to poor Diego Armando.
My other problem is the fifth case. While you do get to use snazzy detective techniques, it's painfully obvious that this case is an extra case only for the DS. The last case in each game is supposed to be the most intense (in the 2nd and 3rd games, they tie up loose ends and are also very engaging) ; the fact that the fifth case is completely unrelated to anything in any of the Phoenix Wright series (you even miss probably the 2nd most important character in the series). I felt that they should have ended the game with the fourth case by switching the order (the fifth case is still good) of the cases.
The last issue is the music. I'm used to all the trademark music, but only three tunes are the same (the courtroom music, the oh-my-goodness-something-flabbergasting-is-being-revealed music that basically consists of two notes, and the happy Maya-in-the-office music).
Apart from my stupid little complaints, the game is phenomenal and ties up all the loose ends I didn't understand.
This game is bound to be a classic, and like the other games, I am sure to play them over and over again! |
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 "Good ... and long." | 2009-06-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3J0DV423EEAL9 |
| Not for young kids. This game was much longer than I expected. That's both a good and bad thing. Classic anime drawings and characterizations. If you don't mind lots of reading, you'll enjoy this game. |
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| "Original, Addictive Courtroom Fun" | 2009-06-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3B8C7DY1SKWM |
I just purchased Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney about a week ago, and I just finished it minutes ago. Before you assume that the game is too short, I should probably admit that I've been playing the game almost non-stop outside of work and life obligations. It's that addicting. I couldn't put it down until the final credits were on the screen. I thoroughly enjoyed the game and found that it was a nice, fresh twist on video gaming. I know that I'm a bit late to the party and that many games like this have since been released in the US, but it is nice to see some good innovation.
Phoenix Wright is, as everyone knows, a game where you are a defense lawyer taking on murder cases which may originally seem hopeless for your clients but soon turn into complicated investigations and dramatic court room battles. Expect plot twists galore as you make your way through the game's five cases, each one progressively longer and more intricate than the last. And, unlike the majority of games on the market, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney pulls off these plot twists quite well. There were many times where I was caught off-guard by revelations during the five cases. This is one of the reasons that the game was so appealing to me. As if I was reading an interesting novel or watching an interesting film, I felt compelled to keep playing to find out what twists would occur in the cases and to find the underlying truth behind the the murders. It also helps that the game is well-written (though there are a few noticeable typos) and genuinely entertaining. The dialogue is humorous, and I found myself laughing quite often at the (intentionally) bizarre animations and lighthearted personalities of some of the characters as well as the witty, comedic dialogue that this series is famous for. Honestly, I didn't have any problem with the amount of text in this game. The player is supposed to be able to identify with Phoenix and place him/herself in the lawyer's shoes, so this amount of text was necessary for the player to uncover evidence, find discrepancies in testimonies, etc.
Below, I have listed some of the pros and cons of this game. However, the good things far outweigh the bad. I would recommend this game to nearly anyone who doesn't mind sitting through a bit of dialogue.
Pros:
-Original, innovative gaming experience
-Entertaining characters and dialogue
-Interesting cases with often unpredictable twists
-Makes good use of the DS's touch-screen capabilities
-Courtroom battles are suspenseful and exciting
-Addicting gameplay
-Challenge factor increases in later cases
Cons
-Heavily text-based (this may or may not be a con, depending on the type of game you prefer)
-There are times when events seem a bit...contrived
-The judge is unrealistically stupid, but I think this is supposed to add to the humor value of the game.
My conclusion? Buy it. Now. |
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