Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations

"The gameplay's the exact same, but new and improved plotlines keep it fresh and exciting."

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (PW3 from here on) is a quirky point-and-click game with a courtroom setting. It's known for its unique characters, ridiculous plot lines and wild plot twists. PW3 doesn't do anything to break the mold from the previous titles in the series, but a number of new plot ideas make PW3 the most interesting title of the series thus far.

PW3 is heavily dependent on having played the previous games in the series, so if you haven't done that, don't even think about buying this game until you have. You can enjoy it as a standalone title, but you'd lose so much background information about characters and previous cases that it just wouldn't be worth it. Besides, the first two titles in the series are great games.

Graphics in PW3 are pretty much the exact same as previous titles. I really wish they'd add some new poses for the main characters, because by the time you get to 3 you've seen some of them a hundred times. They're never bad, though. Nobody plays the PW series for graphics, anyway. The character models are usually pretty good and the animations are always enjoyable. A lot of the music is new, and overall it's better than PW2. I can't help but miss a couple of the old "staples" of the series, though. Sometimes you just don't want things to change. Overall, the aesthetics of the game are pretty good. The music sets the mood perfectly and the visual reactions from the characters when you're cross-examining them are great. They're not blow-you-away amazing visually, but they certainly get the job done.

Gameplay in PW3 is the exact same as PW2. There are two main "modes": investigation and trial. In the investigation, you'll be moving around, talking to people, examining areas, collecting evidence and breaking people's secrets. "Psych-locks" make their return as well, where you cross-examine a character by presenting the correct evidence and profiles. The investigation scenes can get tedious due to how "trigger-pointy" they can be, but the stories usually hold your attention as long as you don't get lost. Once you've hit all the trigger points and learned everything needed, you'll go into the exciting part of the game, the trials. During a trial, you'll press a witness for new information, find a contradiction in a statement and present the information to move on. You'll find yourself saving often during trials because the correct answers can be fairly tricky. I only got really stuck on a trial once or twice though, so it's far from impossible. Overall, the gameplay is pretty good for a point-and-click game.

Nobody really plays the PW games for gameplay, though. It's all about the wild, crazy stories with plot twists galore. PW3 really delivers here with its five cases. Two of the cases are one-day trials, but the other three are full-blown cases that will take you a full day of playing to finish at the very least. The last case in particular takes the average person about ten hours to complete.

The storylines in PW3 are easily the most creative of the series. The main aspect of PW3 that appeals to me is how connected the cases are. Usually, each case is a standalone trial that has no relation to the others, but in PW3 they're very cohesive. I can't praise this point enough - it makes for an awesome atmosphere and a thrilling conclusion. By the time you get to the fifth case, everything is so intense that you pretty much can't stop playing until you see the resolution.

They're not perfect, though. Some of the cases are so complex and convoluted that they fall victim to plot holes and second-guessing. It's not game-breaking, but if you get really into PW story lines, you'll find yourself saying "why?" and thinking about it a lot. The other problem with this game is the translation. PW3 is riddled with typos. There's a lot of text there, but it's like nobody even bothered to proofread it. You've got some crazy fans, Capcom! I would have gladly proofread the game for you! Again, it's not game-breaking, but a poorly worded sentence or a mis-used word at a climactic scene can really take you out of the moment.

Overall though, this is a fantastic way for the series to go out. PW3 has amazing characters and plot, quirky humour and good enough gameplay. It's absolutely worth a play if you've enjoyed previous titles in the series.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/28/07