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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney DS
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Image
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Metascore
81 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 53 Critics What's this?

User Score
9.0 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 63 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: (Known in Japan as "Gyakuten Saiban") Not everyone is innocent until proven guilty! Players star as a defense attorney, who must prove his seemingly guilty client’s innocence no matter how dire the circumstances may seem. The game presents twisting storylines and intriguing gameplay in a comical anime style. Players must collect evidence, weed through inconsistent testimonies, and overcome corrupt agendas to ensure that justice prevails. [Capcom]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 53
  3. Negative: 0 out of 53
  1. Just Adventure
    100
    Character reactions are exaggerated, heck, they're waaaaay over-exaggerated, the main setting is a courtroom and it is - *gasp* - adventure. In fact, to label Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney as 'kooky' would be an understatement, but somehow it works.
  2. N-Europe
    90
    Proof that even lawyer games can be fun. Addictive, challenging and inventive; Capcom have struck gold once again.
  3. netjak
    73
    If Capcom could just get some better scenario writers; someone to weed out the contradictions of their own storylines, and someone to make this a little less "out of left field" and a bit more logical progression towards the truth, this could be fun for a larger audience.

See all 53 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 27
  3. Negative: 3 out of 27
  1. Calciferus
    10
    Masterful writing, great scoring, unforgettable characters, one-of-a-kind gameplay. Yes, those are the words echoing through my mind after I finished the last case.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. ExpEchoX5
    10
    I bought this game on a whim and instantly fell in love with the series. I was familiar with Capcom from their games on the NES and SNES, but had not played much else by them at that point. I really enjoyed the refreshing anime style for the story, characters, and humor of the game. The game combines puzzle solving into the investigations and courtroom battles of the stories in a smooth, accessible way. Case 1 was a great tutorial to the game-play. Instead of an endless progression of textboxes explaining what to do, the game teaches you how to play through having you press and present in the courtroom for the player’s (and Phoenix’s) first case as a defense attorney. I enjoyed that there were two types of stories being told, the story of the current case and a deeper story that ties many characters and cases together. Most of the cases last for more than one day, meaning that there are multiple investigation and courtroom sessions to complete. Case 4, which was the original final case of the game, resolved some of the deeper story mysteries, but not all of them. I felt it was an excellent finale to the first game. Case 5 was created for the US release of the game on the DS (the first 3 games were originally released on the GBA). It is an impressive side-story that definitely feels right for the Ace Attorney universe. That case had new concepts using the touchscreen (ex. spraying for blood on objects) and introduced new characters that would re-appear in future games, especially Apollo Justice (AA4). This is a game that has aged very well, and I still recommend it for fans of mystery games and fans of dynamic stories.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. Warren
    4
    The writing of Phoenix Wright is pretty much on-par with every-other anime you've ever seen. I don't hate anime, not at all, but unlike a lot of anime fans I realize a lot of it is just plain cliched, and Phoenix Wright's writing is on that very level. But of course this is a game, so the writing isn't everything. If the gameplay is challenging and interesting it's all good, but unfortunately PW doesn't have that going for it either. The game is far, far too lenient on you. For example, you can't go to court unless you have all the evidence, (meaning you can't accidentally miss evidence, which would be more interesting because then cases could be easier/harder/have different verdicts depending on your detective work), if the judge or someone else asks you a question the answer is either extremely obvious or if you pick the wrong one you just get another chance to choose, and when things get dire the game will sometimes toss a deus ex machina factor at you to save the day; you see where I'm going with this? If the game wants to do so much for me, why am I even playing? Sometimes it's a bit difficult to find evidence when you're out investigating, and sometimes it's puzzling as to what evidence you should be presenting during a cross-examination, but that's as challenging as the game gets. Also, once you beat Phoenix Wright you've done everything there is to do, even fans of the game often admit this. Zero replay value. So ultimately, you're playing a generic anime that you can easily get through just by paying a bit of attention with maybe some guesswork thrown in, then you'll probably never touch it again. But at the very least Phoenix Wright is not painful to play. Often boring, but not painful. It can even be mildly entertaining at times and is generally likable. It's just not good, is what I'm saying. If you're a huge anime/niche games/general Japanophile you'll probably enjoy this game. If not, at best I'd say borrow it and see for yourself, but do not pay money for this game. A 4 for barely even being a game, but at least not making me want to kill myself.… Expand
    • 0 of 8 users said yes

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