We're a mere three cases into the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney on PlayStation 4, so we're not quite ready to give you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help us Shuhei, the jury is still out. But we have seen enough to allow us to make a pretty compelling opening statement before we render our final verdict on 9th April.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a bundle of the first three Phoenix Wright games, originally released in Japan on the Game Boy Advance starting back in 2001 before finding a larger audience after a worldwide release on the Nintendo DS in 2005. The games have been ported to home console before when they were converted to the Wii, but this release marks the first time you'll be able to play the series on PlayStation in glorious high definition.
For the uninitiated, the Phoenix Wright games see the titular (order!) lawyer taking on cases and defending clients against increasingly overwhelming odds, while dealing with a gaggle of bizarre and frequently amusing supporting characters. These visual novel slash adventure games feature two distinct gameplay styles: first, Phoenix Wright needs to investigate the case which means interviewing witnesses and finding evidence; second, he needs to argue his case before a judge in court, cross-examining testimonies and pointing out contradictions in the prosecution's stories.
One of our biggest concerns we had going into this was how three games originally released on handheld consoles could handle the transition to the big telly in the living room, and the answer, thankfully, is rather well. The artwork – be it character designs or background locations – ooze personality, and while there's not much in the way of animation, that's not unusual for the genre. The lack of voice acting is a constant reminder that these games hail from a time long since passed, especially since many modern visual novels are fully voiced, so prepare to do some reading.
Fortunately, we're loving the writing so far. Visual novels do have a tendency to sometimes, well, go on a bit, so not being bombarded with exposition is certainly refreshing, and the quality of the dialogue is so high that reading hasn't started to feel like a chore. Throughout the three cases we've played so far we've been left chuckling to ourselves numerous times thanks to a deadpan rebuke from the judge or a wacky comment from one of the charming and likeable supporting characters. Of course, the quality of the writing could nosedive towards the end of the game, or in the later titles in the series, but so far, we're having a blast.
Frankly, we can't wait to delve a little deeper into the zany world of Phoenix Wright, and to see how the rest of his adventures hold up on PS4. For existing fans of the franchise, or newcomers interested in the prospect of taking part in some courtroom hijinks, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy looks like it could be well worth keeping an eye on – it's certainly winning over this jury.
Are you looking forward to Phoenix Wright's first case on a PlayStation console? Raise your objections in the comments below.
Comments 23
Other than that bloody clown one, or tbh most of JFA, the trilogy is absolutely unmissable. The cast is so lovable that a few groan-inducing puzzle solutions are forgivable.
Is this the Saul Goodman’s simulator?
Is there a physical release or is it purely digital?
Played the trilogy on DS then replayed much of it on 3DS. Highly recommend if it seems at all up your alley. Like Danganronpa, but more mature and less "mature".
The third game is by far the best of the original trilogy, and whilst the second gane is definitely the 'least good' (especially the circus case yikes) the final case in that game is my favourite in the entire series, so it's still worth playing! If you're enjoying it so far then you're going to adore some of the later cases you've got to come, I think the first three are very meh in terms of what the series can offer.
Still have these games on DS, but still looking forward to to having this trilogy on PS4.
I really hope that this does well off Nintendo systems. I love the original trilogy, they’re my favorite series of all time. The new ones don’t hold up and I doubt anything else in the future will, but seeing more love for 1-3 will always be great.
The final cases in these games are, more often than not, leagues better than the other cases. And while the second game isn't as good as the original, the third game blows the other two away.
@Discipledoctor Have you played Spirit of Justice? In my opinion, it's on par with the best games in the original trilogy. Although I was also a bit let down by Apollo Justice and Dual Destinies.
@LobsterJohnson Varies region to region. I was really disappointed to find out it's not getting a disc release in North America myself It's been out on disc in Japan for a while now though.
@Ralizah Sorry to cut in but I'm really glad to see another Spirit of Justice supporter - it's a very close second for me as best game in the franchise, since nothing's going to beat T&T, but it's a really strong argument for why this series shouldn't stop making games just yet
@Ralizah Sure did, I’m still day one with anything AA related. I just don’t like how the new writer is so focused on huge consiparacies and CUHRAZY twists rather than small scale character-driven stories. Even in the end of the original trilogy, the stakes were high for the characters involved but it wasn’t some insane “the entire country is depending on this” stuff.
But I did enjoy SoJ despite that. Not sure where I would want the series to go next but the new writer did earn my trust with that.
@BranJ0 I only started it rather late last year, so I'm pretty late to the party. I was shocked by how consistently good it was, though. It fully realized Apollo Justice as a character (imo), provided a really interesting new setting that turned series fundamentals on their head, had fantastic production values (the 3D models are so much more animated and vibrant than in Dual Destinies), and provided a strong overarching story that, like T&T before it, pulled the trilogy together on a narrative and thematic level. If the fourth story case and DLC case were both stronger, I'd call it my new favorite in the series. I'm still super impressed with how it turned out, though. I thought the series had lost its mojo, but you're right: SoJ makes a good case for continuing things. Although, given that ending, I'm not sure how things will evolve from this point on.
sooo...does this support the touch pad? probably not i guess cause it wasn't mentioned. why would you ever want to play these games without touch support? (yes i know the originals were on a system without it, but the touch versions exist and they are much better)
They're well worth playing. I really enjoyed the first two, and from what I've played of the third one (I completed the second case on the 3DS version of it only yesterday), it could potentially be the best one yet.
@gbanas92 I just checked play-asia and the Japanese version unsurprisingly doesnt support English subs 😭 Looks like a rare digital purchase for me.
@LobsterJohnson it does, there is an in game option to change it to english.
@manu0 Really? now that changes things, thanks.
@LobsterJohnson @manu0 Yeah can confirm, have a friend living in Japan who knows how much I prefer physical games, and he told me there are English subs as well! Cuz I'm very heavily considering importing it haha.
@BranJ0 I know it's sacrilegious but I really enjoyed Apollo Justice and Dual Destinies. Justice for All would have been worse than them if it wasn't for the last case, which I agree is possibly the best in the series, or at least a close second with the last T&T case.
@gbanas92 @manu0 Payday Friday, so I guess that’s sorted 😀👍🏻
@Ralizah Yeah I pretty much agree with all of that! I always felt like Apollo got a bit shafted in Dual Destinies to make way for Phoenix again, who didn't really need the spotlight, so I was so glad to see really take centre stage in Spirit of Justice. I haven't actually played the DLC case yet, and whilst I would say "it's DLC, it doesn't count as part of the main game", Dual Destinies' DLC is my second favourite case in that game and elevated it a lot for me. Spirit of Justice's fourth case doesn't actively offend me either, it's just a bit forgetful, which is fine considering it's so short.
I'm really hoping the next game puts Athena as the main protagonist, she is definitely lacking the most of the three main lawyers now
Pun-itive measures for over punning.
@nessisonett Oh no, not sacrilegious at all, I really enjoy all of them! Apollo Justice is probably my least favourite, but that's just because the only "amazing" case for me is the very first one, which really raises the bar for the rest of the game too high. I'm a pretty big Dual Destinies supporter though - it has its flaws, and I feel like Spirit of Justice improves upon every single one of these criticisms, but it's still an incredibly fun game, and looking back I might even prefer it to the first game
Tap here to load 23 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...