Review: Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All

Written by Jim Thomas Tuesday, 02 March 2010 18:26

Law is a system of rules a society sets to maintain order and protect harm to persons and property (thanks wisegeek.)  Why on earth would anyone want to study this non-sense?  Isn't it more fun just to break?  It's certainly how I got my kicks off as a youth in revolt.  But fear not, you no longer need to study endless hours of case law and pass the bar to become a lawyer;  Enter Phoenix Wright.  This teenage prodigy knows a thing or two about being a lawyer, as well as making a mockery of our judicial system.

The second game in the Ace Attorney series features all the things you've come to love from the DS version.  This Wii Ware game is a straight port form the DS title, barring some contrived waggle support.  Although the WiiWare port of Justice for all doesn't add any new features, it still includes the same courtroom shenanigans not seen since Night Court.

Once again players step into the shoes of defense lawyer prodigy Phoenix Wright.  As always, Phoenix is up to the task of representing the innocent in a court of law.  Justice for all features 4 cases which are loosely connected.  The first of which serves as a glorified tutorial teaching your the ropes of being a defense attorney.  While the first case proves child’s play, future endeavors will have you collecting evidence, interrogating witnesses, and formulating alibis.

While the interrogation and crime scene game play prove fun, the real draw is of course the courtroom.  Scenes play with the prosecutor calling a witness, at which point both sides listen to the testimony.  After the testimony players are given an opportunity to cross examine the witness.  Cross examination tasks players to find contradictions in testimony and present evidence to invalidate the prosecutions argument.  However, choosing the right evidence is key, as every wrong step angers the judge.  Making too many mistakes will lead to summary judgement Dredd style, and then its case closed.

If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit