Review- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

If the Game's a Hit, you Must Acquit

(Nintendo DS; $19.99; Rated T for Blood/Language/Suggestive Themes/Violence; capcom.com)

(three and a half stars)

Now this game is near and dear to my heart as it combines the two things I know the most about: video games and courtroom antics. Being, unfortunately, a part of the Esquire-club means that when I heard a litigation-based video game was being released for the DS- well, I nearly ruined my legal briefs.

“Phoenix Wright” harkens back to the point-and-click adventure games of the PC that have become almost extinct in the current climate of twitch-response action titles. Players control green-attorney Wright as he takes on the defense of the innocent as multiple murder cases develop.

As the stories unfold, Phoenix will have to interview multiple witnesses and examine scenes of the crimes for evidence in the pending trial. Once a full investigation has been completed, the trials begin and Phoenix will have to cross-examine with surgical precision in order to impeach the prosecution’s witnesses and defend his client.

The bravado with which this game treats the courtroom is enough to make any young kid want to take out $100,000 in student loans for a legal education. As Phoenix presses for inconsistencies in their testimony, witnesses will begin to sweat and make mistakes. When it is time to go in for the kill, Phoenix shouts “Objection!” with the muster of a barbarian’s battle cry. It’s enough to make F. Lee Bailey and Jerry Spence file for Substitution of Attorney.

Unlike “Electroplankton,” this is where originality is refreshing. It may not be the most revolutionary, nor even the most engaging, but it’s all the fun of lawyering with none of the billable hours or alcoholism.