Phoenix Wright: Most heavily underappreciated game ever?

[Katana314]

So only a few months ago, all I knew about the game "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney" was that you listen to "testimonies" and present evidence at the right statements. And the main character says "Objection!" a lot.

So at one point, out of boredom I watched some YouTube videos of full case runs, and it really caught my interest. I ended up getting a ROM of one of the games (please don't chew me out) and it was amazingly fun; there was a lot of humor, it was fun working out the contradictions, and I actually really enjoyed all the twists in the plot.

Now my first, buried thought is "THIS G4M3 R BE5T EVER!" but from the ascii-ization I could tell the subtext; I was just being a fanboy. I was newly introduced to it and thought it was great. My interest would die out, and chances are the game has many more flaws than I give it credit for. So I went looking for a second opinion. The sort of person that says to a Halo fanboy "Listen. There is nothing that sets that game apart from other FPSes! Get over yourself!" Thing was, not many of my friends had actually ever played the game, although many had heard of it.

So, all I could do was have them try the games and tell me what they thought. I would be satisfied with my suspicions if someone said "I'm sorry, this game makes no sense to me" or "Meh, I lost interest fast. It kinda sucks actually." But here's the thing...

So far I have introduced about five of my friends to the series, and given them a chance to play it. One of them is addicted, and is always consulting me for hints to it. One of them went out and bought a DS just in order to get the game for himself. Heck, I showed the game to my dad, someone who doesn't play ANY video games, and he really enjoyed solving the first case. NO ONE that I've shown the game to has any criticism for it; they all LOVE it. I started to wonder; why is this game not world-famous and million-award winning? Finally, I started to get over my belief that I was some over-obsessive fanboy, and came to a realization.

Maybe this game, like Psychonauts and other "underdog" games...is just massively underappreciated; the majority has never even had the chance to play it, and doesn't really know anything about it. So I come to my point of discussion for the topic.

If you have Ace Attorney or have played it, say what you think. If you didn't like it much, you'll be a first from me and I'd like your opinion. If you haven't played it...consider doing so! You play as an attorney defending various people on the charge of Murder, but you often need to find the true murderer yourself. It's certainly got a lot going for it; the murders are very intricate and take a while to figure out, the characters are very diverse, and some cases have some incredible twists that you would never predict. Something I didn't even expect was the great humor involved; it's not a humor-centered game, but on the occasion that they do crack jokes, they're pretty damn good. There are vague sexual innuendos, witty comments thought from Phoenix's head, and even some references to internet memes in the later games.

And so, that's that! Let's see what you have to hear.

--WITNESS TESTIMONY--
---Forum-goers---

 

[MRMIdAS2k]

Because nobody outside of Japan is willing to spend 30 (when I BOUGHT it) of their hard earned pounds, dollars, goats, or whatever passes for currency where you live, on a quirky game that might just be shit, has had NO FUCKING ADVERTISEMENT, and looks really bloody bizarre.

Most people will stay nice, safe and dull, getting yearly updates of mediocre titles and wallow in the bliss that is ignorance, not knowing that such a beautiful, quirky and FUN game exists.

All YOU need to do now is BUY IT SO THEY MIGHT PUBLICISE LATER GAMES.

 

[Gildedtongue]

It is a bloody awesome game.

Although, halfway through it I realized that the reason I liked the game was rather simple, the game is essentially a graphic adventure. Sure, you don't physically walk around a room, but it's a GA all the same. Not saying that's a bad thing, but, that's what it is.

I did like Ace Attourney, and I'm waiting for Perfect Prosecutor. Although... "Apollo Justice"? C'mon, sounds like a blaxploitation hero...

 

[stompy]

Most DS owners I know love this game, but they just randomly downloaded it (R4 cards). So, like MRMID said, no-one knows it, or willing to pay full price for it, so that's why practically no-one is worshipping Phoenix Wright.

Edit: Sorry, MRMID. I've changed it.

 

[MRMIdAS2k]

Most DS owners I know love this game, but they just randomly downloaded it (R4 cards). So, like MRMLD said, no-one knows it, or willing to pay full price for it, so that's why practically no-one is worshipping Phoenix Wright.

Thats a capital I (i) not a lowercase l (L)

Fucking font.........

 

[Caimekaze]

It is under appreciated.
I played this game at my friends place, and nearly finished it in one day.
Because it was that addictive.
But as MRMID said, the lack of advertisement for the game does not help it.
It's worth buying the game just so that it will become better known, which will result in more of them. =)

 

[Blayze]

I've played all four games so far, and the third one was the best of the lot. Case 3-5 in particular was so epic that it managed to kill my desire to write a massive, suitably epic fanfic for the series. It killed off that desire because it was *just too damn good for me to ruin*. Sadly, that hasn't stopped the rest of the fanbase, especially not the yaoi-lovers.

 

[disposable157]

I love the Phoenix Wright games but I wouldn't say they're under appreciated- every review of the games I've seen have been pretty positive... and it's not as if the games are without their flaws...

The price is a problem as has been said.

 

[The Reverend]

My friend imports them, and when he's done I happily steal them away and complete them myself, because they're damn good. (I don't actually own my own DS, if you're wondering why I don't buy them myself) Im currently on the 3rd Installment, which is great, as I expected. And Apollo Justice is good too. You have to look at their body language to tell if they're lying or not. That guy must be one hell of a poker player.

 

[Sasha Janre]

I had heard my friends go on about how funny and great the games were, and for my birthday, they got me the first two games. I finished them in like ... a week and a half, almost two weeks because I was so hooked. The thing that really draws me into the AA series is that the characters have SOUL to them, none of them are perfect, least of all the main character. The last cases of a game are almost ALWAYS doozies, and it tests you, as it should. The stories pull you in, and honestly, I like running around picking up clues and talking to people, then the trial portions are always hilarious.

A lot of people weren't too happy with Apollo being the new main character, but AJ:AA was a solid game and the last case pretty much cemented me as a fan of the series. With Perfect Prosecutor coming out, I'm really excited to be a fan of the series. Sure there's a lot of reading, but you get so caught up in it, you hardly notice it. So there's a solid fanbase, so I wouldn't say it's underappreciated per se, but it's always good to swell support for a good game.

And who can resist yelling OBJECTION! on the bus and having people stare at you? No one! What I want to ask is, what's better, the bracelet or the Magatama?

 

[Xenoveritas]

You have to look at their body language to tell if they're lying or not. That guy must be one hell of a poker player.

He isn't, but Phoenix Wright is. It's explained in the first case in Apollo Justice.

I don't think Phoenix Wright is underappreciated. It may not be well known, but most of the people who know it like it.

That being said, it's not without fault. It's linear to a somewhat annoying degree. (I remember figuring out how the murder happened in the third case in the first game well before the characters did and spending an excessive amount of time trying to trigger someone to notice.)

The penalty system is the most broken piece of gameplay ever designed. (Seriously, what would happen if they removed it? You might not have to compulsively save before every time you're asked something in fear that you'll miss whatever piece of evidence the programmers thought should trigger the "correct answer." The gun's not the murder weapon, the picture of the bullet holes is! That's a made-up example so as not to act as a spoiler, but I can think of a few real examples.)

But it's still fun to watch the stories progress. Sadly Apollo Justice isn't quite as fun as the Phoenix Wright games, and a lot of characters have simply vanished. What did Phoenix do to Maya and Pearls to make them not even worth a mention?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

why is this game not world-famous and million-award winning?

It's not on the PC, and it's full of manga; which everyone knows is just tentacle-pron.

 

[Sasha Janre]

But it's still fun to watch the stories progress. Sadly Apollo Justice isn't quite as fun as the Phoenix Wright games, and a lot of characters have simply vanished. What did Phoenix do to Maya and Pearls to make them not even worth a mention?

This was cut for the last part. I think, after T&T, we're to assume that Maya became the Master of the Kurain technique, and Pearls is with her. There's a vague reference to maya when phoenix says that some "kid" gave him all the steel samurai bits. They might show up more in the fifth game, which is coming out ALONGSIDE Perfect Prosector.

But your other points were good, as well. XD; I'm sometimes so slow I don't catch who the murderer is, much like poor Phoenix. The one case in particular that drove me mad was Case 2-4 with Engarde and the hotel killing.

 

[Pocket Apocalypse]

Phoenix Wright (the first one) was one of the oddest gaming experiences of my life. I got completely hooked on it for a week and played the whole game (except the DS-only last case, of which more in a second) despite violently disliking most of it. Maybe I was looking for too much realism, but I found the plots farcical, the gameplay frustrating and inane and the characters unconvincing and annoying. Then we get to the DS-only final case, in which several characters are replaced by even-more-annoying versions and the plot appears to consist of fangirl-baiting (and fanboy-baiting, to be fair) madness.

Most of my friends - most of whom are fangirls or one strip or another, for my sins - love the game to bits, but I really didn't like it, even if I couldn't put it down. I'm still trying to figure that one out myself...

 

[MaxRaine]

I guess this will make as good a first post as any =P

I've been wanting to play the Phoenix Wright games for a long time now but I don't have a DS nor do I know anyone who has one. I'm not much for handhelds at all but this series has got me seriously thinking of getting one. I probably won't though, they're still too expensive. What I want to see is a Wii port of the series. The Wii needs more good games and the AA series wouldn't hurt at all. I mean, they did remake Trauma Center for the Wii so why not Phoenix Wright?

So far all I've seen was the first case of the second game in a series of videos on YouTube but it was enough to get me very interested. And I've also laughed a lot at all the Phoenix Wrong vids, just wish I knew more about the characters, which I'm sure would add to the fun =P Too bad it's the only series for the DS that has gotten me even remotely interested in getting one...

 

[Shade Azuna]

Personally, all my friends that have played Phoenix Wright (myself included) absolutely love the game. I can't remember who made me play it first, but I thank them for adding this to my list of games that I played obsessively.

I love Phoenix Wright, and I hope that Perfect Prosecuter will be just as good.

 

[Katana314]

Phoenix Wright (the first one) was one of the oddest gaming experiences of my life. I got completely hooked on it for a week and played the whole game (except the DS-only last case, of which more in a second) despite violently disliking most of it. Maybe I was looking for too much realism, but I found the plots farcical, the gameplay frustrating and inane and the characters unconvincing and annoying. Then we get to the DS-only final case, in which several characters are replaced by even-more-annoying versions and the plot appears to consist of fangirl-baiting (and fanboy-baiting, to be fair) madness.

Most of my friends - most of whom are fangirls or one strip or another, for my sins - love the game to bits, but I really didn't like it, even if I couldn't put it down. I'm still trying to figure that one out myself...

Well, the thread was pretty much waiting for this opinion. At least we've ruled out the possibility that it sends mind-waves into your head that suck you into the plot.

There are a few things I have to acknowledge. The penalty system sucks. Everyone saves all the time, in order to get around it, but to be honest as a game developer I could never come up with a plausible punishment in such a linear game. Oh well...

The "real murderers" are usually pretty obvious, but that's why it's an ATTORNEY game, not a DETECTIVE game. You don't just have to declare the murderer, you have to PROVE them. But the satisfaction of the cases is usually lost if you can't identify with, or at least like, any of the characters.

Obviously, the big problem is that you play it once, and it's done, but it's like a $30 movie in that regard. And personally, I'd say for its length and value, it's definitely worth that much. However, I confess that I have downloaded ROMs of several of the games...at least I bought Apollo Justice though (it's the only one I could find at the local store)

 

[Sylocat]

Phoenix Wright is fun enough (although I've only played one of them and it was a while ago), but I'm not sure it works as a stand-alone game. One thing I might like to see is a much longer game with a Phoenix Wright-style trial as a mini-game partway through. Perhaps some action RPG could use that type of thing as a break from the action, it might be really funny.

(Also note that if you like Phoenix Wright, you might also like Detective Grimoire [http://armorgames.com/play/200/detective-grimoire], a casual game that I really like.)

 

[CaptainREBell]

I adore the Ace Attorney series, and am one of afformentioned fanboys (I even have an account on the fan site -_-").
The followers are few, but passionate, driving ahead a fast spread of popularity.
But it's not violent, not 'edge-of-your-seat' thrills, and is exclusive to the DS. It has a very low shelf life. We don't know why we adore it, but we do.
Besides, all the shippings people support are just retarded.