Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - my thoughts
 

I've been very distracted with Phoenix Wright for all of the last week :P
Havent quite finished it yet, but I've really enjoyed (enjoying?) it overall. I really like the murder mystery/adventure gameplay and the game also has a surprisingly good script as well as a good story (stories?) that actually display some continuity. The wry animé style humour, in the form of Phoenix's asides and *sweatdrop* comments make me smile :D Its not as good as Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door script though.
Having said that, the "humour" can get annoying sometimes (punning names like Will Powers, Lotta Hart and Misty Fey [say "mystify" etc] and a companion who acts about 10 years old despite being 17)
BUT
The stories are very clever!
Gotta love the title of the last "Episode" though, and the idea of having to play each level in turn and unlocking a new one when complete is a good one, pretty much a joy to play, loving it! :)
I found myself thinking that the storyline of Episode 4 would work well as animé or something and would suit the game's comic style.
Is the sequel worth getting?

I thought the fourth case was dripping with homoerotic subtext. :lol:

I enjoyed the game, but it got tedious for me after the first 3 cases or so and I really had to labor to finish the last couple.

The humor wasn't my bag most of the time, and it would get pretty annoying when you had the case solved, but had to keep trying to figure out what random thing the game required you to do (i.e. what piece of seemingly irrelevant evidence to present) to move forward.

I passed on the second one and Hotel Dusk as I just don't think text adventures are my bag.

If you liked the first one, yes. It's essentially more of the same, with more plot twists, and a few new gameplay twists as well (like the Psyche Lock, which is basically a cross-examination that takes place during the investigation stages).

Yes if you enjoyed the first game. The last case is really well done.

Yeah, and don't forget the bit when one of your responses to Grossberg (in Case 2 I think) is "I think you and Redd White are lovers" :lol:
I thought if this were an anime, it could even suggest a romantic attraction between Phoenix and Maya as it goes on (near the end of Ep 4)?

Agreed sometimes its hard to figure out what to do (eg in the 4th episode

The sweatdrop moments are very funny :D
Von Karma: My granddaughter has a dog named "Phoenix". Does that make you her fiancee?
Phoenix: But she's 7 years old!

:D

BTW is the microphone supposed to "pick up your voice" or what? My mic isnt broken or on the blink - I hold down the Y button, and yell, but it doesnt play back my voice?

Maybe its just me but I found Episode 4 a sad one for some reason, maybe it was because you were saying goodbye to your assistant :( It was an excellent case though, and Episode 3 was great as well.

I recall playing the second one was when I began to feel the tedium of the series. I really felt like I was just going through the same game. I still enjoyed it, however, and am looking forward to the 3rd in September and the 4th whenever they localize it.

I never felt like that at all. In fact, aside from one or two instances, I think every piece of evidence you had to present had a logical reason behind it, and I enjoyed thinking through the cases.

It did drive me crazy how stupid the judge was most of the time, though.

Pinata where did you hear there'd be a 3rd one? :)
Agreed the judge was stupid and actually has a "guilty until proven innocent" stance, the opposite of how it would (should?) work in a real world court.
Right at the end of Episode 4 though (where you show Maya some evidence to cheer her up, ie you use reverse psychology to make her beleive she isnt useless)..

the 3rd and 4th installments are already out in Japan


they will be hitting the US eventually

Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations ships 9/14
http://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Wright...2354660&sr=8-3

Maybe my logic just sucks. :D

And I'll admit I was probably just overly harsh on the game as I'd never played a text adventure before, and the game/genre was just not my cup of tea at all and yet I forced my self to slog through all 20+ hours of it so I was getting pretty annoyed toward the end.

Pinata, thank you :) I've got to import the 3rd one now :D
Hmmm... looks like some sort of prequel.. interesting!
If its "5 years ago" why do Phoenix and Maya sound like little kids? Was it "15 years ago"?
Also playing the first game, the 15 years ago date is 2001 - not sure why it's set in 2016 but anyway.. :D

I'm pretty sure you can import right now from Japan as it has an English language option. The 4th, however, doesn't so you'll need to wait for that which afaik hasn't been announced yet for English-readers.

Thanks, I havent played the 2nd one yet though so willl play that first and then maybe import :)

I believe there is a fourth game coming in Japan...

Anyhow, the game is pretty good, if you think the last case is like the earlier ones, OBJECTION! You don't know jack, go play it and you'll see what i mean... I'm surprised that they saved all the "goodies" till the end.

I'm onto Part 2, Justice for all, but before that.... Puzzle Quest (PSP)... damn addictive... got the same game for the DS as well, but the graphic sucks big time.

On the last PW1 case ATM. Can't to play JFA now.
The 3rd game description says "The truth is revealed" - are we not seeing the entire Phoenix story by missing out?
Someone really should make a manga/animé out of it.

I know in China, the court system IS that way, but, I do not know about Japan. If that is the way the legal system actually works there, it would make loads of sense.

Hmmm... interesting, I didnt know that. I don't know much about courts I guess so saw *some* parts of the game as what *may* happen in reality but other parts are silly , like you have to present EXACTLY the right piece of evidence otherwise you get penalised or whatever.
In the manual it says "This game does not reflect events in real world courts" and "All characters, laws, legal matters in this game are works of fiction" for the American version.

I think only the US (or maybe the UK too) court system does the "innocent until proven guilty." Everywhere else pretty much the other way around.

Watched Red Corner (movie) once, yeah, that's how the Chinese court system works.

Pay no attention to the Judge in PW, he's a goof ball... especially the way he flirts with Starr, wft!

p.s. try not to make too much sense in the game, if you think too deep, *sigh* snap out it, it's a game...

The UK system is "innocent until proven guilty" (as it should be).
I didn't like the way the Judge kissed Von Karma's ass in Episode 4, but as you say its just a game :)

Von Karma's first appearance is funny as hell (with the judge as the jester).

If you're stuck, please don't waste more time, search for help! Chances are you gonna smack your forehead and yell "wtf!"

The funniest name has to be...

Wow, I had no idea they actually did! :)

Another funny/annoying bit is the pervy, leery Director of the Steel Samurai who only speaks in text - annoying as I don't speak text.
"I make the Steel Samurai! N00b! LOL!"
:D

Hey,

According to what I've read in preview at IGN, the 4th Phoenix Wright game doesnt acually have Phoenix Wright in it? :confused: It takes place sometime after the original, and you play as a new rookie lawyer.
So maybe the 3rd one is the end of the "Phoenix" story arc?
The 5th case in PW1 is getting wierder by the minute, but obviously

Just finished the game! :)
The judge is indeed a goofball,

I liked seeing older characters say goodbye too ;)

Does the 2nd game start where the 1st ended?

I'll get the 2nd game soon. :)
I'm not sure about a new character in a later game, right now I've got attatched to Phoenix ;) That may change after playing 2 and 3 though.

It's about two years later, I think.

Thanks :)

Actually I think its 6 months or something, but it doesnt really matter TBH, at the start of this 2nd game for some reason I guess this is to help new players who have never played the 1st game and maybe make the 2nd game stand more on its own?

Phoenix Wright 4 shipping on 1 January 2008 (according to Amazon).
They don't ship video games to the UK though.

That date is just a placeholder. Capcom hasn't even officially annouced the 4th game for a US release, although I'm sure they will. I would expect it to probably come out sometime after the first half of 2008 since the 3rd game isn't coming out until September '07.

OK, thanks :)
BTW I know the Japanese version of Justice For All contains the full US game but does it have English language instructions too (ie is the instruction manual in English)?

I just ordered Justice for All from Movietyme :)
Are there another DS games of a similar calibre with the same sort of "drama" as Phoenix? Hotel Dusk or Lifesigns maybe?

I'm not going to read that spoiler :D
It's a shame PW2 has no DS exclusive episode, though the cases are quite long I hear. At the end of Episode 5 of PW1 I was going "awww" when ends were tied up, like an animé/drama ending ;)

I don't think Edgeworth is in the 2nd one, he's not your rival anymore, Manfred Von Karma's daughter is.
What's the deal with Edgeworth anyway? ;) As Pixyjunket said the 4th case had a subtext to it (you'll have to point out lines to me), is something going on? :D

I'm getting in on this thread late, but I really liked PW1. I gave it to my wife to play now, and I'll be getting PW2 soon.

The last case was just way too long though, I know they wanted to go with a big finish and all, but come on.