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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Action/Adventure Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Reviewed By: Dale Kulas |
Capcom proved the court room can be an ideal setting for a videogame with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Ace Attorney was a surprise
hit, and the instant success shocked Capcom. So much so that before our favorite spiky-haired defense lawyer could shout
“Objection!,” Capcom made haste porting over the original GBA sequel the very next year with Phoenix Wright: Justice For All. This time
there are no exclusive DS touch control cases, just a straight up port, but is that enough to win Justice For All a purchase verdict?
So what has transpired at the Wright Law Office since the ending of Ace Attorney? Phoenix is still the upstart attorney. He is undefeated
yet still uncertain of himself after only several cases under his belt. He still has spirit medium Maya Fey by his side to assist him, and
now Maya is joined by her cousin Pearl, so Phoenix now has two Feys by his side offering their words of wisdom and cravings for
cheeseburgers. If you are curious about past supporting characters rest assured plenty of characters and fan favorites from the first
game return, but I do not want to spoil them for those who have yet to play Ace Attorney. The burning question is what happened to the
lead prosecutor of the last game, Miles Edgeworth? He went AWOL since the events of Ace Attorney, and is constantly referred to
throughout Phoenix’s cases in the sequel. The writing in Justice For All is just as fresh and entertaining as Ace Attorney; it is filled with
plenty of laughs and knows how to reel you in for all the highs and lows of each case.
With the exception of three game play changes, the overall controls remain identical for Justice For All. Like almost how any crime
drama show is initiated, a cut scene of the opening series of events that leads to the crime and how Phoenix is stuck representing his
newest client is bestowed upon the player. Players then lead Wright and the Feys out on an investigation, searching out the crime
scene and interrogating witnesses for clues. The proceedings then go to the courtroom, where both the prosecution and defense
question witnesses, and it is Phoenix’s duty to find contradictions in the testimony with the clues he has gathered.
Two of the three additions to the core game play are minor. One of them being is that a character’s profile can be used to submit during
court for proof instead of strictly evidence. Secondly, Phoenix now has a life bar instead of having three strikes from the judge before it is
game over. Depending on how vital each piece of evidence Phoenix has to present, the size of the penalty to his life bar will vary. Finally,
during the investigation phase of each case, some of the witnesses Phoenix interrogates who are not being all that cooperative will
have “Psyche-Locks” on them. In these scenarios, Phoenix will have to present evidence and character profiles to break the locks and
get them to spill their beans. The Psyche Locks add a new dimension to the investigation phase which makes it just as interactive and
entertaining as the action in the court room. This is in part due to the fact that it can now be game over during an investigation because
Phoenix is penalized if he presents the wrong proof when trying to break a lock. Thankfully, Justice For All has a save anytime system
that is as easy to abuse just like its predecessor.
My only gripe with Ace Attorney was with the pacing, due to the bonus mission lasting mind-numbingly longer than what I was previously
conditioned to with the prior cases. That is not the problem here. The four cases gradually get longer, with the first case serving as a
tutorial case that can be completed in under two hours. Cases two and three last around roughly four to five hours each, with the final
act in case four going out with guns blazing and shenanigans galore in a case that serves up around seven to eight hours of play,
totaling all together for a near 20 hour gavel pounding extravaganza.
As much as that DS bonus mission tested my patience, I definitely dug the new touch screen controls for some of the new puzzles it
introduced into play from Ace Attorney. Sadly, other than using the same touch screen interface to maneuver around the menus (a
traditional button control scheme is still available), there is no other touch screen implementation. This is disappointing because there
are a few points during game play later on that seemed all too convenient for the developers to add in a little bonus touch screen puzzle
to diversify the game play.
Since Justice For All is a port of a GBA game like its predecessor, it reuses many of the same sprites, animations and sounds of the
original title. Needless to say, this is not one of the premiere graphical powerhouses on the DS. For what it is worth however, the 2D
character sprites are still just as elegantly detailed and animated as they were prior. For seeing many of the same animations recycled
from Phoenix and other recurring characters throughout the 20 hour trek, they somehow do not manage to get old. The same can be
said for the themes throughout the game. Each character has their own unique theme song played when engaged in conversation, and
most of the returning characters bring back their theme from Ace Attorney. Like the animations, they never get stale and stray from
grating my ear drums, instead it all comes together as part of the charm of the Phoenix Wright series.
Aside from there being no new DS exclusive content, I have no gripes with this sequel and it receives a must buy recommendation from
me to anyone who has played Ace Attorney. Playing the first game is not necessary, though recommended to get the full experience
from previous references and moments throughout game play. Do not pass up Justice For All for a quick and easy sequel. While there
are only a handful of core game play changes, it is plenty enough to keep the four new cases that are just as intriguing and exciting as
the five in Ace Attorney.
hit, and the instant success shocked Capcom. So much so that before our favorite spiky-haired defense lawyer could shout
“Objection!,” Capcom made haste porting over the original GBA sequel the very next year with Phoenix Wright: Justice For All. This time
there are no exclusive DS touch control cases, just a straight up port, but is that enough to win Justice For All a purchase verdict?
So what has transpired at the Wright Law Office since the ending of Ace Attorney? Phoenix is still the upstart attorney. He is undefeated
yet still uncertain of himself after only several cases under his belt. He still has spirit medium Maya Fey by his side to assist him, and
now Maya is joined by her cousin Pearl, so Phoenix now has two Feys by his side offering their words of wisdom and cravings for
cheeseburgers. If you are curious about past supporting characters rest assured plenty of characters and fan favorites from the first
game return, but I do not want to spoil them for those who have yet to play Ace Attorney. The burning question is what happened to the
lead prosecutor of the last game, Miles Edgeworth? He went AWOL since the events of Ace Attorney, and is constantly referred to
throughout Phoenix’s cases in the sequel. The writing in Justice For All is just as fresh and entertaining as Ace Attorney; it is filled with
plenty of laughs and knows how to reel you in for all the highs and lows of each case.
With the exception of three game play changes, the overall controls remain identical for Justice For All. Like almost how any crime
drama show is initiated, a cut scene of the opening series of events that leads to the crime and how Phoenix is stuck representing his
newest client is bestowed upon the player. Players then lead Wright and the Feys out on an investigation, searching out the crime
scene and interrogating witnesses for clues. The proceedings then go to the courtroom, where both the prosecution and defense
question witnesses, and it is Phoenix’s duty to find contradictions in the testimony with the clues he has gathered.
Two of the three additions to the core game play are minor. One of them being is that a character’s profile can be used to submit during
court for proof instead of strictly evidence. Secondly, Phoenix now has a life bar instead of having three strikes from the judge before it is
game over. Depending on how vital each piece of evidence Phoenix has to present, the size of the penalty to his life bar will vary. Finally,
during the investigation phase of each case, some of the witnesses Phoenix interrogates who are not being all that cooperative will
have “Psyche-Locks” on them. In these scenarios, Phoenix will have to present evidence and character profiles to break the locks and
get them to spill their beans. The Psyche Locks add a new dimension to the investigation phase which makes it just as interactive and
entertaining as the action in the court room. This is in part due to the fact that it can now be game over during an investigation because
Phoenix is penalized if he presents the wrong proof when trying to break a lock. Thankfully, Justice For All has a save anytime system
that is as easy to abuse just like its predecessor.
My only gripe with Ace Attorney was with the pacing, due to the bonus mission lasting mind-numbingly longer than what I was previously
conditioned to with the prior cases. That is not the problem here. The four cases gradually get longer, with the first case serving as a
tutorial case that can be completed in under two hours. Cases two and three last around roughly four to five hours each, with the final
act in case four going out with guns blazing and shenanigans galore in a case that serves up around seven to eight hours of play,
totaling all together for a near 20 hour gavel pounding extravaganza.
As much as that DS bonus mission tested my patience, I definitely dug the new touch screen controls for some of the new puzzles it
introduced into play from Ace Attorney. Sadly, other than using the same touch screen interface to maneuver around the menus (a
traditional button control scheme is still available), there is no other touch screen implementation. This is disappointing because there
are a few points during game play later on that seemed all too convenient for the developers to add in a little bonus touch screen puzzle
to diversify the game play.
Since Justice For All is a port of a GBA game like its predecessor, it reuses many of the same sprites, animations and sounds of the
original title. Needless to say, this is not one of the premiere graphical powerhouses on the DS. For what it is worth however, the 2D
character sprites are still just as elegantly detailed and animated as they were prior. For seeing many of the same animations recycled
from Phoenix and other recurring characters throughout the 20 hour trek, they somehow do not manage to get old. The same can be
said for the themes throughout the game. Each character has their own unique theme song played when engaged in conversation, and
most of the returning characters bring back their theme from Ace Attorney. Like the animations, they never get stale and stray from
grating my ear drums, instead it all comes together as part of the charm of the Phoenix Wright series.
Aside from there being no new DS exclusive content, I have no gripes with this sequel and it receives a must buy recommendation from
me to anyone who has played Ace Attorney. Playing the first game is not necessary, though recommended to get the full experience
from previous references and moments throughout game play. Do not pass up Justice For All for a quick and easy sequel. While there
are only a handful of core game play changes, it is plenty enough to keep the four new cases that are just as intriguing and exciting as
the five in Ace Attorney.
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