"Phoenix Comes Back Alright"

Phoenix Wright finally makes his 2nd comeback appearance for the Nintendo DS. The original game/story told a set of quirky tales in the setting of modern courtroom drama, and this sequel is essentially more of the same. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was the trigger for me in obtaining a DS, but does this new release have a similar impact? Simply put, no. But I'm sure to hear an "Objection" come up sometime soon...

Graphics - 8
Sound - 9
Gameplay - 7
Lasting Value - 8 (20-25 hours)
Replay Value - 5
Difficulty - 8 (Challenging at a cerebral level)

Humour - 9
VERDICT - 7.5/10

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All (herein JFA) is the direct sequel to last year's cult-hit DS remaster, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban in Japan). If you haven't played the original, then what are you doing here?! Go read a review for that and play it first! For the initiated, this sequel is more of the same crazy and crafty courtroom cases you would come to expect from a competent comeback (heh!) There are only 4 cases compared to the original game's 5 (no DS-specific case unfortunately), but together the game lasts just as long. And even if you think you know your law well, it may pay to hit the books again - this sequel is a much tougher beast to crack.

Courtroom in-anime
JFA exhibits the same unique visual style and presentation as its predecessor; big, bold, colourful sprites are in order here. There are few frames of animation, but everything is put together so well that you probably won't notice or mind too much. Just like the typical anime-style, several stills put together expertly can effectively show dynamics with impact. Each character features their own quirks and these are conveyed through some radically off-the-top animations; just wait until you see the dummy explode or the comm. radio sweat!

The Sound of the Law Speaking
The music featured in JFA is truly a mixed-bag. The new pieces are not as captivating as the original ones, and some of them even grate on my nerves. Overall they lack intensity as can be witnessed by the new courtroom and objection themes. There are a few I like such as the new success theme, but the rest are "meh". Luckily it's not all new; some of the classics do make a comeback too! Suspense; Warrior of Great Edo, Tonosaman (AKA Steel Samurai), a brief flirtation of the original objection and many more feature yet again.

The audio, on the other hand, is of high quality. Compared to the original GBA's synth, the tracks featured here sound good regardless of the poorer new compositions. Combined with the wacky sound effects, the aural side of JFA still does a good job of putting you right in the shoes of our loveable defence attorney. And yes, I've got the same cellphone ringtone as he does too! Gogo Steel Samurai <3

Just-ice like the first time in court
I can't go into a whole lot of detail without spoiling some of the story, so I'll just keep to the point. The game plays out exactly like it did last time. You go through investigation and courtroom phases as you seek to exonerate your defendant for a wrongly accused crime. The 4 cases are all long and involving (yes, even the 'introductory' case) and it will take some time to finish this (20+ hours). If you loved the original, then you'll love this as well. If the first wasn't your cup of tea, then you may want to skip this one.

The new additions come in the way of 'Psyche-locks' which are essentially presenting evidence outside court in order to break people and discover their hidden personal secrets (Jedi mind-tricks eh?) This is a nice idea, but having to go through repeat previously broken locks in order to get to the one you stuffed up can be annoying. The other new addition is being able to present profiles as evidence or to gather info. This adds more variety, and allows for more choices to sift through when thinking how you will go about solving things.

Now I said this game is quite long, but sometimes it does seem to drag on too much, especially in the last case. The investigation to courtroom ratio is about 3:1 which means you will be spending a lot of time just speaking to everyone and searching everywhere to gain enough evidence. This can get tiresome and repetitive after a while. Luckily the courtroom sections are mentally challenging, exciting, fast-paced, and wholly satisfying; this really makes you look forward to getting back on the stand.

JFA is tougher than the the first Ace Attorney, even if you think you're an ace from too much fan-boy replays. The problem here is that sometimes it is unclear as to how evidence you currently possess can be used to make progress. There are more moments in this sequel where the lack of freedom in choosing evidence hurts the game flow; it is very easy to lose life, a lot of life, fast, and not having your gauge refilled automatically between scenes just goes to make life all the more harder too. Make sure you save often and make sure you are familiar with something called 'soft-reset'.

If you rolled on the floor laughing from the original's spunky dialogue, there's no doubt you'll have to get a new carpet just for this one. The jokes hit just as hard and there are a decent amount of video references to look out for (Terminator, James Bond, Lord of the Rings, Zelda cartoon, and probably more). The translators have done yet another superb effort to really bring to life the characters we all know and love (Gumshoe! Will Powers!) as well as the new faces (Wellington, and gosh Pearl is so cute!) There are a few typos, but so what? Overall excellent job. And yes, if you are wondering, Gyakuten Saiban 2 Best Price includes BOTH Japanese and English text/voices; very much import friendly!

Objection!
No matter what I say, it will still come to how much you want to play this. If you really want to follow on with the adventures of Mr. Lawyer here, there's no doubt you will, especially once the English version is officially released in the US, Europe and other territories. If you had mixed feelings about the first game, take heed of my comments and then decide whether or not you are willing to spend 1 day's worth of hours to read, er play through another grand courtroom saga.

Quote of the Game
Maya: C'mon Nick, just listen to his joke!
Phoenix: There are three reasons why I don't want to...
One, I probably won't laugh.
Two, I'll get hit with a penalty.
Three, I'll get whipped.

7.5/10 - Good follow-up with more off-the-hook courtroom antics.

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Mini: Hey you're that dentist guy right?
Kel: Damn straight! :P

04/11/06
modified 07/11/06

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/07/06