Phoenix Wright: Justice for All

Phoenix Wright may be a newbie when it comes to video game icons, but that doesn’t stop him from being one of the coolest of the bunch. With last year’s Ace Attorney, Phoenix found himself in a web of betrayal, shocking plot twists, and even tragedy as he figured out each one of the cases related to his attorney debut. In Phoenix Wright: Justice for All, Phoenix is again ready to take on multiple cases that are just as interesting, and just as exciting as the ones in the first. But is being “just as exciting,” exciting enough? We’ve got the final verdict ready, so please enter the court and sit tight.

Facts and Features:

• Discover clues, uncover tracks, and solve four extremely interesting cases!
• The same satisfying point and tap gameplay that made the first game so memorable.
• Reunite with some old friends and enemies, and meet up some new ones as well.
• Lengthy adventure that takes up to 30 hours to complete!

All Rise!
In the now very profitable dual screen world, Phoenix Wright: Justice for All is yet another excellent adventure game. Like any other adventure game, it has to rely mostly on its script, but we can assure you that the story delivers in the final product. In Justice for All, you take the role of Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney who has a heart of gold, and will do anything in his power to help his clients (sometimes without the right price). Murder’s the story in Justice for All, and in this sequel, you’ll have to protect and defend an eclectic mix of clients that may or may not be guilty of murder, and that may or may not be friends. Either way, it’s your job to help them, and Phoenix is ready to take on anyone who gets in between.

Justice for All starts more dynamically than the previous game. Of course, if you’re a returning attorney, you should already know how to work your way through the judicial world… but what if you are a newbie in this whole prosecutor and defense extravaganza? Well, thanks to Phoenix Wright: Justice for All’s tutorial –- you don’t have to worry. It is actually one of the most original parts of the game. During the first chapter, Phoenix (our “hero”) suffers from a mild case of amnesia. How does he know how to act defend, object and do all that lawyer/attorney-esque stuff, then? Well, you get help from your client, that’s how –- and as weird as that sounds — she will give you enough pointers to succeed in your first dual screened case (which is, ironically, defending her).

The same wacky character design that was present in the first game is also back in Justice for All. There’s even a pseudo-reunion going on in this sequel, as you’ll get a chance to see some of your old friends again, including Maya Fey and the always fun to watch, Detective Gumshoe. You’ll even get an update on some other characters that weren’t really your “friends,” but we are sure that you’re dying to know what’s been going on with them. In this sense, it is better to experience Justice for All if you’ve played the first game –- it will certainly make the story that much deeper if you already know the background of each of the returning characters. If you haven’t played the first Phoenix Wright (and why haven’t you, may we ask?), don’t worry, because as mentioned before, the game teaches you how to play in a way that you won’t feel like you’re missing out on any back-story. Still, it is highly recommended to play the first one in order to experience the story as it was meant to be told. So try and find a copy, yes?

A new feature: The Psyche Lock

Worried about the lack of new characters? Oh please, Justice for All has plenty of those too. One of the biggest additions to the new cast of attorneys is Franziska Von Karma – that’s right – daughter of Phoenix’s previous “enemy.” Other memorable characters that you will meet in this sequel include Richard Wellington, and the cutie Pearl (Pearly) Fey. These are just some of them, too. As you did in the previous game, you will have to examine profiles via the touch screen (giving you special details about the characters related to the case), examine objects (that can be used as evidence in the trial), and of course, therapeutically scream into the microphone to yell “Take That!” and “Objection!” every time you have a point. Careful though –- if you scream “Objection!” and you have no clue about what you are saying, the game will punish you (and you will know thanks to a green gauge on the top of the screen that will show your “energy”), so you better be careful with what you say, or better yet, think about what you want to say before saying it. Yeah, we said it.

---

Phoenix Wright veterans are probably already asleep at this point of the review. After all, this is the same way the first game worked. Anything new? Yeah, the new feature in this sequel is the “Psyche Lock.” Thanks to the help of the Fey peeps, you will get a chance to see chains and locks over the characters when they are holding a secret. Of course, not everyone can see these locks -– but you can –- and that’s all that matters. When you see these locks, you’ll need to collect enough evidence to break them, and then use the gathered info to complete your case. This is basically the only new feature in the sequel, and while interesting enough, we can’t help but think what else could have been implemented in the mix.

Cross Examine the witnesses!

Some have complained about the lack of realism that the Phoenix Wright games possess. Even though we don’t mind playing a game that isn’t entirely realistic when it comes to the judicial system, we can’t help but wonder how the games would be if they were less linear, and were more “just.” For instance, sometimes the judge will overlook a clear answer in favor of another that sounds incredibly ridiculous, or will try and decide the verdict with little evidence in hand. In that sense, yes, Phoenix Wright isn’t following true “law,” but rather taking a bit of a left, unrealistic turn. It may be annoying sometimes, but once you learn to go with the flow, you’ll be an expert attorney in no time. It also maintains the humorous tone of the game, so that’s all right with us.

Cute Little Pearly Sings
Visually speaking, Justice for All looks a lot like its predecessor. In fact, it looks so much alike that returning characters are even wearing the same outfits. Sounds lazy? Yeah, it’s lazy from the developer’s part. Especially considering that most of the time we see stationary character models (with a moving mouth), and only one or two distinct animations when the characters experience different emotions. But even so, the characters are charming enough, and even though they’re just animated sprites –- you’ll feel connected to them, and isn’t that what this is all about? It’s also kind of disappointing that some of the locales also look exactly the same, but to be fair, it makes more sense to have the same office, than the same set of clothes, eh?

What about the music? It’s not necessarily earth shattering, but it at least works. It adds suspense when the game needs it, conveys excitement when the game does, and it’s interactive enough without having to overdo it. There’s also –- surprise, surprise –- a lot of reused tunes from the first game, but we can learn to live with that.

Sustained or Overruled?
So what’s our final verdict on Phoenix Wright: Justice for All? First, let us examine the all the facts. The motive? Making a sequel to one of the best Nintendo DS games. In that case, Justice for All has everything the first game had and… well, that’s about it. Make no mistake, though, the first Phoenix Wright is good enough to warrant a great sequel even if it doesn’t add anything new to the already established gameplay table — but Phoenix veterans may simply want more out of their next dual screen court adventure. What about the suspects? Mr. Wright’s second DS outing has plenty of characters that are just as memorable as the first one, and also has four huge chapters with storylines that are just as engaging as the ones featured in the first game. And is there enough fresh evidence to issue a verdict? Well, Phoenix Wright: Justice for All has the same quirks that the first game had, but still missed out on implementing new features that would take advantage of the Nintendo DS hardware.

Now that we’ve gathered enough information, what’s the final verdict? Phoenix Wright: Justice for All is an exceptional adventure game, and a great follow-up to 2005’s Ace Attorney. In the end, the only negative we can think of is that Justice for All didn’t push the envelope further when stacked against its prequel, but when you stop and think about it — is being as good as one of Nintendo DS’ best adventure games reason enough to ignore this title, and leave it on the store shelf? Overruled.

— Miguel Yanez