Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is an adventure game for the Nintendo DS. In it, Phoenix Wright is a defense attorney who must uncover evidence and use it in court in order to defend his clients and discover the truth behind the crime. The game is most similar to point & click adventure games. Players navigate evidence, dialogue and sometimes areas in order to point out contradictions in testimonies.

It is a remake of a Japanese GBA game, Gyakuten Saiban. Compared to the original, it is virtually untouched, except with touch screen and microphone support. There is also a bonus 5th chapter/case which uses the touch screen, 3D graphics, and microphone much more.

Storyline

 * Main Article: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Storyline

In the near future of Los Angeles, Phoenix Wright is a new defense attorney, underneath the wing of Mia Fey, his superior. The game features five cases, which are all revealed to be connected to each other, creating a singular, running storyline.

Each case is a murder. Not only does Phoenix Wright manage to defend his innocent clients, he manages to find out the true culprit, who is usually a witness trying to frame the defendant. Unlike most defense attorneys, Phoenix also plays the part of the detective, investigating crime scenes and gathering evidence.

Gameplay
The game features two modes: Investigation and Trial. During investigation mode, which starts during the second trial, Phoenix can go to different locations by clicking on their name. At these places, he can examine objects in the background (sometimes revealing info or evidence), or talk to any character on the screen. He can ask characters about pre-set topics, or present to them any objects/evidence he gathers to ask them about it. When Phoenix gathers up all the necessary evidence, the game automatically wraps it up and takes him to the trial phase.

The trial phase consists of witness testimonies. Phoenix can choose to "press" the witness on the testimony, line by line. This is done by either pressing L, touching "press" on the screen, or by holding the "y" button and shouting a word, preferably "Objection!" The whole point is to point out contradictions, whether by presenting evidence at certain lines, or by pressing statements in a certain order. Presenting evidence that does not prove a contradiction will lose Phoenix one life. He has 5 lives before he must restart the phase from the beginning.

Unlike real defense attorneys, the main goal is not to just reasonable doubt that the defendant did it, but to point out the real murderer.