Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (NDS, 2005)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8 Control-7 Challenge-6.5 Story-6.5
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-7.5 Fun-6.5 Originality-8
Overall Score-6.5
+
Innovative gameplay (defense lawyer cross examination in court mixed with detective gameplay in a point and click adventure style)
Some memorable characters (Phoenix, Maya, Mia, Oldbag, Edgeworth)
Often comedic and silly tone (puns, too much at times)
Nice intro cutscenes to each chapter (detective story style)
Decent-good dialogue overall with some good jokes
Deals with some unusually mature themes considering the cartoony visuals
Some decent puzzles (metal detector in court, videotape details, case 5's murder weapon from 2 years back)
You can keep reviewing a testimony during trial to find contradicting statements which you can then prove to be false
Voice commands (Objection! Hold it! Take That! - these are optional) as well as blowing into the mic to uncover finger prints at one point (if emulating set the mic config to internal sample and then set a hotkey for it)
Pretty good ending showing what everyone's up to and commenting on the MC
Parrot cross examination
+/-
Kinda weird how when someone defends their story after being caught lying you can't interject until they're finished
Save almost anywhere (can load from where you were or the start of the chapter, makes the energy bar (HP) pretty much redundant)
Mia dying already after the first case means there's less of an emotional impact to her death (the game also doesn't reference her at all during the ending after case 5)
Every action in court has the same HP value
"Pressing" command in court is mostly automated - sometimes Wright makes a good point and sometimes he'll act like an idiot
No ranking system or special challenges (like trying to finish a trial with fewer pieces of evidence or fewer cross examinations)
No "rewind/review text" button
Sometimes you're not able to loop the statements in a testimony (to present evidence against them) because the Judge decides he had enough and just buys it - while annoying the info you could've gained isn't crucial to the case
Only one ending
No difficulty options
-
Annoying flashes and screen shaking effects in pretty much every dialogue
Only one save slot per game
Some control/interface issues (default text speed is too slow and can't be sped up (before completing the game?, fast forward added in the sequel) unless you're re-reading something (but the same messages also reset between days), dialogue can't be reviewed without reloading, lack of an in-game journal (to jot down notes and date/time/locations - sometimes a seemingly minor detail is needed to proceed later on (for example detective Gumshoe's testimony in Chapter 2 where a clue is given in an earlier scene and not found by pressing)), sometimes lacking evidence descriptions meaning you might have to write down details outside of the game (the clock being empty in case 2+its origin for example, many pieces of evidence to keep track of during case 5 which is also a very long case), on a few occasions characters throw a fit and start talking quickly without you pressing the button (making it hard to follow what they're saying at the end of each text box))
The scene with Mia communicating through Maya to give you pieces of evidence (first about the receipt that you couldn't examine before and then the paper with the list of names which was in the statue earlier but how the hell did it get to Maya?) feels contrived and basically steals the satisfaction of winning the trial through skill from the player. A similar thing happens again near the end of the Samurai case, where Edgeworth nonsensically steps in to press Vasquez instead of the game letting the player cause the next testimony (the few things left to do afterwards aren't particularly hard). Then AGAIN near the end of case 4 where you have to act nonsensically and be helped by Mia and Maya instead of being able to accuse von Karma yourself. These and other examples make the player feel like they're along for the ride rather than in the driver's seat in various parts
The over the top silliness and disregard for logic can get on ones nerves (starts with your character apologizing for being nervous to the judge and a really stupid quiz where he forgets the victim's name+doesn't know what a cross-examination is nor various details about the case, court proceedings get thrown out the window pretty quickly)
Some trial & error (knowing the time difference between US (apparently it takes place there and not in Japan) and France for the first case, part of the cross examination of White doesn't make sense (May's testimony about dodging should've been a contradiction while the autopsy does not state that she died from a single blow as the game says it does! PLUS it makes no sense that you can't call him out on May saying she saw Maya kill Mia), the zoomed out photo in case 4 suddenly disappears from your inventory after asking for the enlarged one and being questioned about contradictions - reappears after that day's trial (important because in that one the gun isn't shooting), what to show the old man in the boat shack, getting the evidence room location to trigger during case 5, impossible to tell how far the mascot is from the locker in the evidence room tape+how the two in it move implies they can move in-between it and the locker, too easy to miss Edgeworth's letter of resignation, weird how the game forces you to defend Lana's sister to succeed in defending her (especially after pointing towards her as the murderer helped you progress earlier in case 5)+have to present the cloth at a later time even though you've given good proof of the chief hiding that piece of evidence in his safe (otherwise you get an immediate game over)+how could Ema misremember not impaling Neil on the statue's blade?, the illegal evidence question - answering no makes Phoenix answer yes and then explain himself (the answer the player could see should've at least been "I couldn't" or imply that you would explain it further), )
Linear and rigid gameplay to a fault - there's only one specific way to make progress in most scenes (knowing the solution or a logical course of action isn't enough as it needs to contradict a given statement, making up your own statements or going down a specific route at your own leisure isn't possible, during case 2 for example it would make sense to show that one can't see well into the office across the street, can't ask Gumshoe to show you the camera photo near the beginning of case 3 (samurai), can't go into studio 2+ask about a director+bring up WP's card key being in the dressing room early in case 3 (samurai), not being able to press people about the rumours in the samurai case, can't examine the trailer fence during case 3, not being able to question Lotta properly during her first testimony (case 4), no DNA/blood tests in case 5, can't ask Meekins to describe Goodman or the knife in the evidence room, can't check the jar for fingerprints, etc)
The script caters to a young audience and sometimes overexplains things by having Phoenix act like an idiot and someone else giving exposition
Plot oddities (Neither Phoenix nor Mia's sister calling the police after finding her in case 2, why would Mia use a previous murder weapon to store evidence for the next case (it's heavy and the shape isn't suitable for storing paper), why was Cody acting like he was new with the camera when he had been filling the photo album with previous "killing blows"+why couldn't you show the album at that part during the trial?, during case 3 the game both gives the impression that the studio was doing well (Vasquez) and that it was doing worse lately (others), weird in case 4 (among other things like breaking procedure) how the judge would give a guilty sentence without even hearing edgeworth, it doesn't even make sense that edgeworth would blame himself for his father's murder if he knew any details about the case such as there being two shots fired, the chief's id card could've been removed from Goodman's body by him or Lana and the jar (or part of it) could've been destroyed or hidden in a better place after the murder from 2 years back, why would lana think her sister murdered Neil if the jar was broken and it was dark?, seems Jake Marshall could've commented on the piece of cloth evidence (part of his brother's vest) considering he was obsessed with the case and for good reason)
Some meaningless dialogue choices such as choosing to object to the case 2 trial being prolonged by Hedgeworth
Some tedious aspects (having to move between locations over and over to receive pieces of information (case 3 (samurai) after the first part)+not being able to pick a location that isn't adjacent to the one you're in gets kinda tedious, sometimes the "I don't know/want to talk about it" NPC reply when "presenting" is quite long (making collecting info tedious - they could've just blocked you from presenting such evidence to people), Edgeworth's behavior during case 4 (boat), Meekins and Angel at times)
Characters are generally presented "on top of" the background art rather than as a part of it
A few spelling errors
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-7.5 Fun-6.5 Originality-8
Overall Score-6.5
+
Innovative gameplay (defense lawyer cross examination in court mixed with detective gameplay in a point and click adventure style)
Some memorable characters (Phoenix, Maya, Mia, Oldbag, Edgeworth)
Often comedic and silly tone (puns, too much at times)
Nice intro cutscenes to each chapter (detective story style)
Decent-good dialogue overall with some good jokes
Deals with some unusually mature themes considering the cartoony visuals
Some decent puzzles (metal detector in court, videotape details, case 5's murder weapon from 2 years back)
You can keep reviewing a testimony during trial to find contradicting statements which you can then prove to be false
Voice commands (Objection! Hold it! Take That! - these are optional) as well as blowing into the mic to uncover finger prints at one point (if emulating set the mic config to internal sample and then set a hotkey for it)
Pretty good ending showing what everyone's up to and commenting on the MC
Parrot cross examination
+/-
Kinda weird how when someone defends their story after being caught lying you can't interject until they're finished
Save almost anywhere (can load from where you were or the start of the chapter, makes the energy bar (HP) pretty much redundant)
Mia dying already after the first case means there's less of an emotional impact to her death (the game also doesn't reference her at all during the ending after case 5)
Every action in court has the same HP value
"Pressing" command in court is mostly automated - sometimes Wright makes a good point and sometimes he'll act like an idiot
No ranking system or special challenges (like trying to finish a trial with fewer pieces of evidence or fewer cross examinations)
No "rewind/review text" button
Sometimes you're not able to loop the statements in a testimony (to present evidence against them) because the Judge decides he had enough and just buys it - while annoying the info you could've gained isn't crucial to the case
Only one ending
No difficulty options
-
Annoying flashes and screen shaking effects in pretty much every dialogue
Only one save slot per game
Some control/interface issues (default text speed is too slow and can't be sped up (before completing the game?, fast forward added in the sequel) unless you're re-reading something (but the same messages also reset between days), dialogue can't be reviewed without reloading, lack of an in-game journal (to jot down notes and date/time/locations - sometimes a seemingly minor detail is needed to proceed later on (for example detective Gumshoe's testimony in Chapter 2 where a clue is given in an earlier scene and not found by pressing)), sometimes lacking evidence descriptions meaning you might have to write down details outside of the game (the clock being empty in case 2+its origin for example, many pieces of evidence to keep track of during case 5 which is also a very long case), on a few occasions characters throw a fit and start talking quickly without you pressing the button (making it hard to follow what they're saying at the end of each text box))
The scene with Mia communicating through Maya to give you pieces of evidence (first about the receipt that you couldn't examine before and then the paper with the list of names which was in the statue earlier but how the hell did it get to Maya?) feels contrived and basically steals the satisfaction of winning the trial through skill from the player. A similar thing happens again near the end of the Samurai case, where Edgeworth nonsensically steps in to press Vasquez instead of the game letting the player cause the next testimony (the few things left to do afterwards aren't particularly hard). Then AGAIN near the end of case 4 where you have to act nonsensically and be helped by Mia and Maya instead of being able to accuse von Karma yourself. These and other examples make the player feel like they're along for the ride rather than in the driver's seat in various parts
The over the top silliness and disregard for logic can get on ones nerves (starts with your character apologizing for being nervous to the judge and a really stupid quiz where he forgets the victim's name+doesn't know what a cross-examination is nor various details about the case, court proceedings get thrown out the window pretty quickly)
Some trial & error (knowing the time difference between US (apparently it takes place there and not in Japan) and France for the first case, part of the cross examination of White doesn't make sense (May's testimony about dodging should've been a contradiction while the autopsy does not state that she died from a single blow as the game says it does! PLUS it makes no sense that you can't call him out on May saying she saw Maya kill Mia), the zoomed out photo in case 4 suddenly disappears from your inventory after asking for the enlarged one and being questioned about contradictions - reappears after that day's trial (important because in that one the gun isn't shooting), what to show the old man in the boat shack, getting the evidence room location to trigger during case 5, impossible to tell how far the mascot is from the locker in the evidence room tape+how the two in it move implies they can move in-between it and the locker, too easy to miss Edgeworth's letter of resignation, weird how the game forces you to defend Lana's sister to succeed in defending her (especially after pointing towards her as the murderer helped you progress earlier in case 5)+have to present the cloth at a later time even though you've given good proof of the chief hiding that piece of evidence in his safe (otherwise you get an immediate game over)+how could Ema misremember not impaling Neil on the statue's blade?, the illegal evidence question - answering no makes Phoenix answer yes and then explain himself (the answer the player could see should've at least been "I couldn't" or imply that you would explain it further), )
Linear and rigid gameplay to a fault - there's only one specific way to make progress in most scenes (knowing the solution or a logical course of action isn't enough as it needs to contradict a given statement, making up your own statements or going down a specific route at your own leisure isn't possible, during case 2 for example it would make sense to show that one can't see well into the office across the street, can't ask Gumshoe to show you the camera photo near the beginning of case 3 (samurai), can't go into studio 2+ask about a director+bring up WP's card key being in the dressing room early in case 3 (samurai), not being able to press people about the rumours in the samurai case, can't examine the trailer fence during case 3, not being able to question Lotta properly during her first testimony (case 4), no DNA/blood tests in case 5, can't ask Meekins to describe Goodman or the knife in the evidence room, can't check the jar for fingerprints, etc)
The script caters to a young audience and sometimes overexplains things by having Phoenix act like an idiot and someone else giving exposition
Plot oddities (Neither Phoenix nor Mia's sister calling the police after finding her in case 2, why would Mia use a previous murder weapon to store evidence for the next case (it's heavy and the shape isn't suitable for storing paper), why was Cody acting like he was new with the camera when he had been filling the photo album with previous "killing blows"+why couldn't you show the album at that part during the trial?, during case 3 the game both gives the impression that the studio was doing well (Vasquez) and that it was doing worse lately (others), weird in case 4 (among other things like breaking procedure) how the judge would give a guilty sentence without even hearing edgeworth, it doesn't even make sense that edgeworth would blame himself for his father's murder if he knew any details about the case such as there being two shots fired, the chief's id card could've been removed from Goodman's body by him or Lana and the jar (or part of it) could've been destroyed or hidden in a better place after the murder from 2 years back, why would lana think her sister murdered Neil if the jar was broken and it was dark?, seems Jake Marshall could've commented on the piece of cloth evidence (part of his brother's vest) considering he was obsessed with the case and for good reason)
Some meaningless dialogue choices such as choosing to object to the case 2 trial being prolonged by Hedgeworth
Some tedious aspects (having to move between locations over and over to receive pieces of information (case 3 (samurai) after the first part)+not being able to pick a location that isn't adjacent to the one you're in gets kinda tedious, sometimes the "I don't know/want to talk about it" NPC reply when "presenting" is quite long (making collecting info tedious - they could've just blocked you from presenting such evidence to people), Edgeworth's behavior during case 4 (boat), Meekins and Angel at times)
Characters are generally presented "on top of" the background art rather than as a part of it
A few spelling errors