More fun than a dozen LSATs!

The Nintendo DS and Wii are two systems that encourage the development of "innovative" games because of their lack of power compared to the PSP, Xbox 360, and the PS3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a perfect example of a DS game that's a little different. I originally bought the game to serve as a diversion when flying, but the game's so fun that I've been playing it ever since I got it! In PWAA, you're Phoenix "Nick" Wright, a n00b defense attorney and the experience is fun and incredibly unrealistic.

The game involves just as much investigation (snooping around) as actual in-court hi-jinks. The investigation works much one of those Myst-like games where you move around to different rooms and the like and can click on things to examine them, which is done with either the stylus or the D-pad and buttons. You also talk to suspects based on predetermined conversation topics and present evidence and things to them to hurry this along. This part of the game is OK, and heavily scripted, but it works because the characters in the game are fairly compelling and each murder trial you work on has so many twists and turns.

The real fun is in the courtroom. There, the prosecution calls a witness who will give his testimony. Then you get to cross-examine, and can press the witness for further information until you see a contradiction. That's when you present the relevant evidence to the judge, and if you're right, the testimony will be reconsidered. Some of the contradictions are obvious, but many actually require thinking. Snobs everywhere say that reading is oh so much better for you than playing a stupid video game, but I'm sure that playing PWAA will stimulate your mind more than reading Danielle Steel or some crap.

The game is completely unrealistic. If you’ve played Trauma Center, a surgery DS/Wii game, you’ve experienced some really stupid ailments along with a sprinkle of anime magic and crap. PWAA is no different. Forget about creating a reasonable doubt for your client to get him off the hook. Basically, in the game, you're also a prosecutor, in a sense, because to get your Not Guilty verdict, you have to pretty much prove your client's innocence 110% as well as find the person who is truly guilty. The game also makes you pretty much steal evidence as you go along, which is should be more offensive to a good citizen than hardcore porno. There's a bit of the anime-supernatural in here with "spirit mediums" and stuff. But of course, that's why it's a video game! My only real complaint about the game is that your partner for most of the game can be very annoying at times, but there's some clever dialogue sprinkled in the game, so it's mostly ok.

Graphics? Um, it's not 1080p or anything, but the graphics work. There's not too many movements in the game (again, it's like Myst in that regard), so they manage to pull off a nice cartoony look. It's kind of funny how much cleavage is in the game, though. The sound is actually pretty nice and the MIDI-sounding tracks do a very good job of capturing the atmosphere and a few are quite memorable actually. Best music in a game I've played since Katamari, maybe.

If you've ever dreamed about winning some big case, then PWAA can be for you. In fact, I might not have done a good job spelling this out so far, but the game's loads of fun. If you want to play a fun DS game that's a little different, and you aren't turned off by the fact that you'll have to think a bit while playing, definitely try it out! If you like detective stories, you'll also like this, as each murder is vastly different from what it seems like at first. Happy objecting!