Reviewed on DS.
A visual novel game about where you're a lawyer trying to win your case? On the surface, it sounds absolutely terrible. Who wants to play a game about being a lawyer? Turns out, you're in for a treat. Quirky characters, light-hearted fun, challenging and rewarding in the end. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney proved to be a hit, with many sequels, and cross-overs to come.
I'm a huge fan of the Nintendo DS. Any Nintendo handheld to be honest. There's just a ton of fantastic games to keep me entertained, whether I'm in the car, at home, anywhere. When the DS was out and the stylus was introduced, it all seemed too much of a gimmick. Nintendo is true to constantly try out new gimmicks each time around and this was no different. Other companies tried using a stylus but it never worked out. Nintendo somehow figured out how to use it effectively, and so did many video game developers. As long as your fingers are super clean, you don't really need a stylus but the touch screen effects are very cool.
I heard about Phoenix Wright and at first, I thought it was ridiculous. Many consoles have cheesy games for kids that just aren't fun, whether you're a kid or an adult and I thought this was one of them. After sitting on it and hearing the reviews, I thought no way. This is fascinating, so I got it.
You play as Phoenix Wright, solving 5 cases which in the end, all tie together. It's so good that it spun many sequels, prequels, cross-overs, and more. There's even an anime of Phoenix Wright covering the games because it's just so good. On the surface, it's very light-hearted. The reactions, the facial expressions, and the blurted OBJECTION with the finger-pointing. So much of it is so funny and enjoyable to see. The characters you witness break down and have absolutely funny reactions and keeps the momentum going. One of the big flaws if you go back to play it is the lack of audio. Technically it's considered a visual novel game, so you're forced to read the dialogue-heavy script. Nowadays, a full audio dialogue is a must.
The game is split into two parts. Being a detective and collecting clues. The other part is being in the court you're examining evidence, cross-examining witnesses, to ultimately win your case. If you get it wrong, you have a life bar so to speak. Once it depletes, it's game over and you need to start it again. The game may seem short, but it's about 15-20 hours to beat the game. That's 3-4 hours per case. You can sit down and plow through one case and realized you've spent a good 3 hours on it, but it's very captivating. Future games added a lot more quirky options and multiple endings, but this was the start of it all.
Of the many Nintendo DS games out there, I actually completed this game once on the DS, a second time on my phone, and then I watched the anime and the live-action movie. It's crazy but I really enjoyed everything about the Ace Attorney series. There is a PS4 re-release but I didn't go for it. Right now, there are just way too many games I want to play so it's hard for me to go back and spent another 15-20 hours on this. Some games sure...but after going through this story 4 times, I think that's enough.
All in all, Phoenix Wright is absolutely awesome.
I'm a huge fan of the Nintendo DS. Any Nintendo handheld to be honest. There's just a ton of fantastic games to keep me entertained, whether I'm in the car, at home, anywhere. When the DS was out and the stylus was introduced, it all seemed too much of a gimmick. Nintendo is true to constantly try out new gimmicks each time around and this was no different. Other companies tried using a stylus but it never worked out. Nintendo somehow figured out how to use it effectively, and so did many video game developers. As long as your fingers are super clean, you don't really need a stylus but the touch screen effects are very cool.
I heard about Phoenix Wright and at first, I thought it was ridiculous. Many consoles have cheesy games for kids that just aren't fun, whether you're a kid or an adult and I thought this was one of them. After sitting on it and hearing the reviews, I thought no way. This is fascinating, so I got it.
You play as Phoenix Wright, solving 5 cases which in the end, all tie together. It's so good that it spun many sequels, prequels, cross-overs, and more. There's even an anime of Phoenix Wright covering the games because it's just so good. On the surface, it's very light-hearted. The reactions, the facial expressions, and the blurted OBJECTION with the finger-pointing. So much of it is so funny and enjoyable to see. The characters you witness break down and have absolutely funny reactions and keeps the momentum going. One of the big flaws if you go back to play it is the lack of audio. Technically it's considered a visual novel game, so you're forced to read the dialogue-heavy script. Nowadays, a full audio dialogue is a must.
The game is split into two parts. Being a detective and collecting clues. The other part is being in the court you're examining evidence, cross-examining witnesses, to ultimately win your case. If you get it wrong, you have a life bar so to speak. Once it depletes, it's game over and you need to start it again. The game may seem short, but it's about 15-20 hours to beat the game. That's 3-4 hours per case. You can sit down and plow through one case and realized you've spent a good 3 hours on it, but it's very captivating. Future games added a lot more quirky options and multiple endings, but this was the start of it all.
Of the many Nintendo DS games out there, I actually completed this game once on the DS, a second time on my phone, and then I watched the anime and the live-action movie. It's crazy but I really enjoyed everything about the Ace Attorney series. There is a PS4 re-release but I didn't go for it. Right now, there are just way too many games I want to play so it's hard for me to go back and spent another 15-20 hours on this. Some games sure...but after going through this story 4 times, I think that's enough.
All in all, Phoenix Wright is absolutely awesome.
