Point and Click adventures. An age old genre that has seemingly died out in the past ten years, a type of game that was very popular during the early days of PC gaming. The DS has single-handedly started a revival for Point and Click fans, with such games as Another Code, Hotel Dusk and of course the original Phoenix Wright. Justice for All has just recently hit UK shores, and I'm at hand to take it for a spin.
So, after gruelling sessions of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin I was quite open to the laid back welcome of JFA. Once again you play as Phoenix Wright, and as his business card quite rightly calls him 'Ace Attorney'. To open up the game for new comers, Capcom have chosen to go with the rather simple solution of giving our finger-wagging hero amnesia, by having a rather suspicious individual smack Phoenix over the head with a fire extinguisher. As logically absurd as this may sound its done in a such a charming way that you really couldn't care less- and this is the same case with quite a few other 'convenient truth' instances.
Admittedly, I had my own reservations when firing up the game, with the first thought in my mind being it would be a linear experience. I was proven wrong, in a somewhat frustrating way as I couldn't find the sufficient evidence to prove the witness wrong. After a game over screen or two and good amount of swearing I figured it out, and the solution to the 'puzzle' was so damn ingenious that after you've solved it you can't help but feel proud of yourself. And this is where Phoenix Wright shines- you feel connected to the game, you care for the characters, and you want to do best by your clients.
Of course the game is text heavy, but its a joy to read, the writing is always kept interesting and to the point. Each character has personality and what they say reflects this. Its an amazing job by Capcom's localisation team, taking such big text based Japanese game and not only soundly converting it to English but doing it to a very stylish degree, even including Western cultural references and puns. There's also quite a bit to do. Each case (with 4 in total) lasts a few hours, and while the options you choose from arn't as open-ended as you would like nor do they have as many repercussions as one would think they would, it still gives you enough freedom to make you think that you are this high flying attorney.
Touch screen functionality is dominant once again, as you would expect. The game can be played just with the use of your stylus. Navigating through text is simple with a big 'Play' icon taking up most of the touch screen. When cross examining a witness, menus are easy to navigate weather it be switching from the evidence screen or if your about to present a characters profile from the court record as evidence, which also happens to be a new feature. Another new feature is 'Psyche-Lock' which lets you interrogate your witness further. Making a triumphant return from the original game is the ability to once again shout 'Objection!' or 'Hold it!, which as gimmicky as it may sound, makes for a pleasurable experience, and its damn fun to do.
As with previous instalments of the franchise, Phoenix Wright and his quirky world are all once again presented in beautifully animated manga style slides. Facial expressions actually fit with what the characters are saying or how they are responding to a certain situation. The games art style is polished, from the cool witness reports of the crime to the awesome animations when two sides of the court are going head to head. The soundtrack is in the same boat as the graphics, they fit very well with what's going on. There are some cool audio effects, such as Phoenix waking up from a nightmare triggered by his ring tone. Other than these occurrences things are kept simple and is used well for pacing.
Phoenix Wright is sort of like a new album by a big band. You buy it, expecting the best thing in the world, realise its not so great and think you've just wasted your money. However, on the second day of having the CD it grows on you, to the point where its the only thing your listening to. This is the same with Phoenix Wright, its a grower. If you let it charm you, it will and you'll have a good damn time with. This isn't a 'must have' but it is something that is worth giving a go, if only because it lets you shout 'objection' at your DS and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside for doing so.
8/10