The Ace Attorney series by Capcom is one of the most surprising games I have ever played in my life. On paper it just sounds like an absolute bore: a game about a defense attorney defending their client when they're charged with murder. Doesn't sound like anything you can see working as a video game. Yet, leave it to Capcom to turn such a concept into a franchise full of charm, heart, humor and fantastic stories that is still going strong for over a decade. The first game in the series, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney is actually an enhanced port of the GBA game of the same name that was made to utilize many of the DS's key features and was the first time the series was released outside of Japan. The series would eventually become popular enough to spawn 6 main titles and a few spin-offs.

This review may contain a couple of spoilers, but I'll do my best to try to avoid them if I can

GAMEPLAY:

Gameplay is set into two parts and both are very simple to get. One takes place out of the courtroom where start out going to the Detention Center where you meet the guy that needs your defense and often tells you what happened when the murder took place. Then you begin investigating key areas such as the scene of the crime or areas the murderer/victim/police/witnesses have been and can talk to various people about what happened or what they might know. You also come across key evidence that will prove useful to the courtroom and can help your case. You can also examine places you've which can reveal new areas, evidence or clues on what the to next. You can also present items to other people and look at your court records and see the profiles of the people you've met or see the details of the items and evidence you have in your possession

The second part of the gameplay involves the actual trial, where you go up against the prosecutor and prove your client innocent. When you start, you begin by hearing a witness's testimony and then cross-examine them, where you either press the witness to reveal more information of what they know, or you can present evidence that contradict's what the witness says, with some contradictions being harder to find than others. But be careful as presenting the wrong can result in a penalty, and five penalties will result in a game over. Other elements include looking at pictures to showing contradictions, or pointing out flaws in the witness's or prosecutions arguments.

Story

Obviously the main draw of the game, you play as newbie defense attorney Phoenix Wright and begin your career with the help of your mentor Mia Fey in five different cases throughout the game. The first case(The First Turnabout) is your usual tutorial case where you learn the basics of the game and defend your best friend Larry Butz(one of the series more prominent characters) who is accused of murdering his girlfriend. The second case(Turnabout Sisters) involves Mia's sister and the second main character in the game Maya Fey, who is accused of murdering Mia Fey. The second case also features many prominent characters in the series like Detective Dick Gumshoe and your and Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. It also features one of the story's odder elements such as spirit channeling(which is how Mia Few still remains a prominent character through out the series). The third case(Turnabout Samurai) is...how you say...the "filler" case. You see in every game in the series there's always at least one case that really is just kind of...there...and more often than not it's usually a pain to get through. It involves the TV star, Will Powers, of the in-game children's show "The Steel Samurai" who is accused of killing the actor of the show's villain. The fourth case(Turnabout Goodbyes, arguably the game's best trials) involves Miles Edgeworth who is accused of killing a defense attorney from his past. This is also the case where you learn about why Phoenix and Miles chose their careers, the DL-6 Incident(a case from the past that's a big part of Edgeworth's backstory) as well as some more background on Mia and Maya, including their disgraced mother. The final case(Rise From the Ashes) is an all new story exclusive to the DS version of the game, which could serve as a sort of prequel to the fourth game in the series "Apollo Justice. It revolves around Ema Skye(one of AJ's main characters) who is trying to get Phoenix to defend her sister Lana Skye who is accused of murdering one of the police force's major detectives(don't worry it's not Gumshoe). This case also features a lot of the gameplay elements you see in AJ including finger-scanning, forensics, and looking at evidence in a 3D plane which allows you to see more detail.

The game also has a large and colorful cast of characters. Phoenix himself is a very funny character that knows when to take his job seriously, while Mia serves as a great mentor for Phoenix who's and has her quirks as well. Maya Fey is an energetic girl with both a a spiritual connection to the supernatural and a love of hamburgers. Gumshoe is a hilariously incompetent goofball but still takes his job very seriously with one moment in the game where he becomes a straight up badass, Miles Edgeworth on the other hand is a pretty cold guy who doesn't care much for other people(though you'll understand him more after Turnabout Goodbyes). The rest of the cast such as the witnesses and the villains for each case range from pretty awesome(Larry Butz, Will Powers, Ema Skye) to downright infuriating(Lotta Hart, Wendy Oldbag, Sal Manella)

Visuals

The game has some nice visuals, backgrounds are very detail while making it easy for the most part to see oddities. But what everyone remembers the most are the in game sprites which are both very expressive and can be downright hilarious, especially when a character has their breakdown, they're often handled in some of the most hilarious and over the top ways possible. It's no wonder you see people use them on the internet all the time

Sound

The series has managed to create some of the most memorable, arguably even some to the most iconic sound design in the gaming industry. The series has become known for the over-the-top use of courtroom terms such as "OBJECTION", "HOLD IT!" and "TAKE THAT", as well as various soundbytes that are made when you call out the witnesses or the prosecutor. The soundtrack is also stellar with iconic tunes such as the famous "Cornered" theme or Phoenix's "Objection" theme that plays whenever you correctly point out a contradiction. The soundtrack also pumps out many other tracks that plays with your emotions, whether it be to get your adrenaline pumping, make you feel all happy inside, or tugging your heartstrings, the OST is easily one of the best out there

OVERALL
Phoenix Wright is a fantastic game that, despite an odd premise, manages to do everything wright. Strong Story, strong characters, charm and humor, it's easily one of the best games of its kind. It's a must-own for DS owners everywhere, and even if you don't have a DS you can still find the game on your iOS device or on the Wii's WiiWare shop. The best way to go is to get the AA on the 3DS eShop which has improved sprites and comes with the other two games in the original Ace Attorney Trilogy. But regardless of how you get it, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney is a great game to experience