You haven’t played Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney yet? OBJECTION!
I’ve finally just about finished Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations, and it’s such a solid piece of work that I decided to re-sing my praises of the series. What makes Phoenix Wright so popular, and why is it worth checking out? Since the series has started to be re-released on Wiiware, I figured it’d be a good time to answer that question.
At its heart, the Ace Attorney series consists of character driven, story heavy games. You follow the career of Phoenix Wright, a spikey-haired defense attorney. Along the way you meet a cast of insane characters: some funny, some annoying, all memorable. The gameplay revolves around solving “cases”, which is done in two parts. First, there is an “investigation” mode, where you look for clues and evidence to help you in the courtroom, and the second part of the gameplay involves using that evidence to exonerate your client in the courtroom.
The games are mostly text driven, so if you don’t like reading, they’re probably not for you. But if you enjoy a good story and solving puzzles using logic (usually you need to present evidence that will contradict a witness’ statement), then you should definitely check the game out. More importantly (for me), the story is written so well that you get really attached to the characters. I found myself genuinely being concerned about them and what would happen to them. The dialogue is funny: sometimes clever, and sometimes corny.
Trials and Tribulation, the third episode in the series, has the best story yet. All 5 cases in the game link to one another, and at times it’s like watching a 12-15 hour movie. The biggest problem with the game is that sometimes you can’t figure what to do, but that is how it is with any puzzle-based adventure game. Justice for All, the second episode in the series, is being released on Wiiware this week, and the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is already there. You can try to find the original games on the DS, but they generally cost a lot of money unless you get them used today. 10 dollars on Wiiware is a small price to pay for these quality games!
the phoenix wright games are excellent titles and probably my go-to games on lengthy bus or plane trips. by the time you’re done with a couple cases, you’ve arrived at your destination!
it’s hard to believe that there was a time before the first game launched that many people were skeptical if a lawyer game would actually be popular in the US. now it’s hard to imagine a DS library without this stellar series.