PWTAAT!
| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Nintendo DS | 7.50 |
| Overall | 7.50 |
|
Having just finished the third satisfying installment of the Ace Attorney series it is strange to remember a time when a cult-following of gamers were writing petitions and otherwise begging Capcom to bring the Gyakuten Saiban series to the west. Even when Capcom did release the initial title they did so in limited quantity, either not confident in the ability of the franchise to translate to western audiences, or out of slight embarrassment that they were releasing the formerly Game Boy Advance series on the Nintendo DS. The Japanese publisher soon realized the popularity of what up until now has been a staple of TV Drama but not console gaming -- criminal investigation and court room drama -- is just as popular in the west as it is in Japan. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, hereafter referred to as PWAATAT (for both comic and abbreviate purposes), is the final act for Phoenix Wright in the Ace Attorney trilogy. The series will continue on with a much needed new set of characters. I guess that like Dick Gephardt, the unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidate of 2004, the writers of Phoenix Wright believe that "we are all connected" albeit in a tangled and confusing chain of deceit and murder since almost all of the cast of the first two titles return in PWAATAT. Through a series of five cases that intertwine their stories in an incredible (and somewhat enjoyable) mess of crimes and coincidence we learn that almost every single character has something to do with each other. The Ace Attorney series, for the uninitiated, is basically a graphic novel with interaction. You control an attorney who both investigates crime scenes and presents evidence and cross examines witnesses. Choose-Your-Own-Adventure meets Click and Point Adventure gaming if you will. While PWAATAT is certainly the best of the three games released to date, this formula is starting to wear a little thin with some of the logical leaps of evidence being demanded going beyond a first, second and sometimes third guess as to what you are supposed to present next. Since the game does not progress until you have triggered all the events this sometimes results in a "charades" type interaction with your virtual witness, "Okay, so I've presented the umbrella, the haddock, the newspaper and the shard of glass, how about THIS (produces a cat)". *Note items substituted to avoid spoilers. Like the second game in the series PWAATAT makes limited use of the DS, presenting what is mostly what appears to be a direct port of the GBA version (unlike the first which did have some DS-centric features). The graphics are great, how the artists are able to express so much character out of just a few frames of animation continues to astound. The 16-bit style music is also as charming as ever. The original appeal of the series has never been better represented in a western release as it has with this third iteration a game that will be enjoyed by Ace Attorney enthusiasts and newcomers alike. |
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Posted by aspro Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:26:11
Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:09:32
Only 7.75? Bleh! 
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