Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations
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Preview
By Michael "TYP" Cole, Senior Editor
May 14, 2007
Commence the finger-pointing!
The Gyakuten Saiban series was introduced in 2001 on the GBA in Japan, but the world is slowing catching up thanks to the Nintendo DS. Despite distribution issues, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney captured American gamers' hearts in 2005 with its simple but endearing premise, zany attitude and excellent localization. The second entry, Justice for All, continued Wright's saga in early 2007. Capcom is clearly making up for lost time, because in September it is releasing Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations, the third Gyakuten Saiban title…and also the last featuring defense superhero Phoenix Wright.
Trials and Tribulations continues the half-baked investigations and absurd cross-examinations that brought the first two PW games to life. The action flows much as it did in Justice for All, with both investigative and courtroom phases taking place within a fictional legal system. When investigating, Wright searches crime scenes for evidence, talks with potential witnesses, and (at times) plays hardball with the enemy. The "psyche-lock" introduced in Justice for All returns, so Wright will have to present evidence to make close-lipped witnesses talk. Knowledge gathered during investigations must be used carefully in the courtroom to dispel untruths and smoke out the true criminal. Helping Wright interrogate and challenge the prosecution are his trusted friends and assistants, such as the spunky Maya and her little cousin Pearls (who also happen to be spirit mediums).
As usual, the player must weed out corrupt officials and dirty, dirty lies, this time spanning five trials. Wright must also overcome a devious new prosecutor known as "Godot" and determine how a case in the present is linked to Wright's past, when the spiky-haired lawyer was a teenager on the defendant's chair with none other than future mentor, then-rookie defense attorney Mia Fey at his side. Indeed, in this final game in the trilogy the player even assumes the role of young Mia. Of course, the honorable prosecutor Miles Edgeworth and the ragged Detective Gumshoe will surely lend their aid if Wright gets in a bind….
The exciting conclusion to Wright's story is nearly at hand, so get ready to yell, "Objection!"
