You know, I was in the bathroom, doing what I invariably always do when I'm in the bathroom, reading a book. Specifically, re-reading the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. And I realized that the absolute best way, the most accurate by far, to describe the Phoenix Wright games is to call them MYSTERY GAMES.
More than any other game I can think of, you're truly trying to solve a mystery, just like mystery detective, where you're presented with a collection of clues and you have find "the truth." I wouldn't necessarily compare it to Sherlock Holmes, though--- in Sherlock Holmes mysteries, the "puzzle" to be solved hinges on finding who the culprit it.
The Ace Attorney games are closer in structure to Monk mysteries (you know, the TV show with Tony Shalhoub). Like in Monk, it becomes really clear, really fast who the real culprit is. In Monk, it's usually before the 2nd commercial, and in Ace Attorney, it's usually by the 2nd day of the trial.
Instead, the true mystery lies in the HOW. How did the culprit do what he/she did? How do you prove it? And that is where the fun of the game is, because just like Monk, the HOW is just absolutely implausibly crazy. But if the game finds you in the right mood, there will be times where you reach this precipice of zen where you see all the threads of evidence on the screen and everything will just "make sense." It's pretty damn thrilling.
I own the two that rereleased on WiiWare. Never finished the second one. I did d/l the 5th bonus case on the first one and had fun with that too.
Yeah, the 5th bonus case (made specifically for the DS release) was pretty good. I liked the shadow puzzle. But I would HIGHLY recommend the 2nd game, Justice For All. I remember all the cases in the game just being absolutely pitch perfect and constructed really well, especially the 2nd case where Maya was accused of murder (yeah, AGAIN).
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