At a glance...

Reviewer	Platform	Publisher	Developer	Players	Screenshots
Ross Gilder	Nintendo DS	Capcom	Capcom	1	Here
Requirements					Buy from Amazon.co.uk
None.					Click here to buy Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All review

Edgeworth: "So, have you heard of Phoenix Wright?"
Witness: "Yeah, he's that district attorney, right?"

Present Evidence: CUP CAKE

Phoenix: "OBJECTION!"

Judge: "What is it Mr Wright?"
Phoenix: "This evidence; it er... clearly contradicts the er... witness' statement?"
Judge: "Mr Wright?"
Phoenix: "It doesn't does it?"
Judge: "Not in the slightest!"
Phoenix: (That didn't go so well...!)
Edgeworth: "If you have found a contradiction please present the EVIDENCE, Mr Wright."

Present Evidence: DEFENCE ATTORNEY BADGE

Phoenix: "OBJECTION!"

Phoenix: "This piece of evidence clearly shows that I am, in fact, a DEFENCE attorney."
Judge: "What does this prove, Mr Wright?"
Phoenix: "Well, not more than a minute ago the witness clearly stated that I was a DISTRICT attorney. I bring to the court this assumption; the witness does not have a clue who I am, yet it was only yesterday when the witness clearly said..."
{Yesterday} Witness: "Is that a DEFENCE attorney's badge?"
Phoenix: "I believe this clearly indicates that the WITNESS' testimony is invalid and should be stricken from the record!"
Judge: "Mr Edgeworth?"
Edgeworth: "Not so soon, Mr Wright!... The prosecution acknowledges the faults in this witness' statement and would like to call our next witness to the stand. Please state your name and occupation for the court."
?????: "I'm Ross Gilder, and I'm reviewing the game."
Edgeworth: "Mr Gilder, would you please testify for the court on the matter of the game."

WITNESS TESTIMONY: About the Game
Ross: "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All, is a 'law game' where you get to play as defence attorney, Phoenix Wright."
Ross: "The game challenges you to find the contradictions in witness' testimonies, and provide the evidence to try and prove your client innocent."
Ross: "The game works by taking place both inside and outside of the courtroom, and requires you to think outside of the box."

CROSS EXAMINATION
Phoenix: "Mr Gilder, you say you play as Phoenix Wright. However, aren't I "Phoenix Wright"?..."
Ross: "Er, yeah... but, this isn't the game, this is a review of the game."
Phoenix: (Oh, forgot about that...!)
Edgeworth: "I think you'll agree, Mr Wright, there is NOTHING wrong with that testimony."
Phoenix: "Er... I suppose not!"
Judge: "Mr Edgeworth, please have the witness provide his next testimony."
Edgeworth: "Mr Gilder, could you please testify about the Out of Court gameplay."

WITNESS TESTIMONY: Out of Court Gameplay
Ross: "Outside of the courtroom, Phoenix has to attempt to gather evidence in order to find out the real reasons and motives to the case he is defending."
Ross: "You do this by moving around, talking to people and examining the crime scenes for evidence and clues."
Ross: "A piece of evidence could be anything from a poster to a lost camera; they are all important, you just have to work out how they are."
Ross: "Some of the characters hide secrets from you. When they do, a psyche lock appears; the more psyche locks, the harder it may be to retrieve their secrets."
Ross: "This really adds excitement to the game as they play out like 1-on-1 mini court cases."

CROSS EXAMINATION
Phoenix: "HOLD IT!"
Phoenix: "I'm getting tired, who am I defending again?"
Judge: "You're NOT, this is a review."
Phoenix: "Do we have to do it in this courtroom th..." (OW)
#WHACK#
Von Karma: "Foolish Fools, are Foolishly Foolish with their Foolish Fools words! You will not break my 100%, Mr Wright."
Judge: "What is going on here... ORDER, ORDER!"
#WHACK# #WHACK# #WHACK# #WHACK# #WHACK# #WHACK# #WHACK# #WHACK# #WHACK# #WHACK#
Judge: "I have no reason to keep us here, Court will be suspended until Ms Von Karma hands us her whip!"

So, OK, my little piece above may not be a work of a literary genius, nor is it particularly funny either. However, this is basically what Phoenix Wright is, except it's funny and with the liter... OK, still without literacy genius, but much better than me anyhow! Still, though the script alone is what makes this game, it is brilliant, revealing information about the characters and keeping you on your toes! This really isn't a conventional game, it's a collection of interactive stories with gameplay much like an old adventure game. The characters are deranged, the stories are involving, and while all of them are generally very far fetched, you won't care; you'll just want to press on, and find out the truth.

As with most DS titles, the game is controlled using the touch screen, but can also be done using the buttons. My only complaint with the control scheme is that you have to hold Y to turn on the microphone, so you can shout "Objection", "Take that!" and "Hold it!" in your loudest possible voice. But at least there's the option not to shout it as well! Menus are well organised and you won't need a few minutes to work everything out. The save function is also good, allowing you to save wherever you are in the game, and return to that exact same spot; there are some exceptions, such as you can't save if you're presenting evidence, for example.

My least favourite thing about the game is the music. It's probably, nay, it is, the cheesiest music ever. It's like if you were to take 'It's a small world' from Disneyland, change it a bit so it sounds a bit more cheesy, and then stick it in an elevator. I'm not kidding; it's bad.

However, this one bad point alone, detracts from Phoenix Wright: Ace Att... "OBJECTION!" However, this one bad point alone, can't detract from the brilliance that is Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All!

Ratings

Graphics	The graphics themselves aren't the pinnacle of the DS, but the game does have a great style that conveys the story and emotions brilliantly.	7/10
Gameplay	Gameplay is hard, very hard in points. The game is fairly linear in progression, it's just not linear in telling you how to progress! Excellent.	8/10
Value	There is nothing outside of the main game to do, but who cares with a story this good!	9/10
Lifespan	It's not very long and probably only take you a maximum of about 20 hours or so to complete all 4 cases. However, I currently have an urge to play the game again... I'm sure a lot of you will too.	9/10
Audio	Music is very cheesy, and it's obvious that the sound effects were once part of the GBA version of the game. You can't even tell if the sound is in stereo!	4/10
Overall	It would be near impossible to not recommend this game. It is a breath of fresh air compared to the usual rubbish that seems to be chucked out each year from some publishers. When you get that case right it just feels so good! (after failing with nearly every other piece of evidence you have, "Oh, that's right... she said the "key" was the key to win this case!...")	9/10

Click here to buy Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All from Amazon.co.uk.

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