The Game:
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney changed my gaming life forever. Prior to its release, I had snubbed the Nintendo DS. Thoroughly disinterested with games like Nintendogs, which I saw as a gimmick (I later changed my tune), I used the release of the system as an excuse to buy as many GBA games as I could and praise Sony's PSP system (I later changed my tune on that, as well, although the PSP has had some great games as of late). Then, one day, a friend of mine casually mentioned that the DS had a game where you could play a lawyer. Now, Law & Order junkie that I am, this announcement immediately grabbed my attention. Delighted by the mere thought of an entire video game dedicated to being a steward of the law, I scraped together my money for a red Mario Kart-edition DS, and the rest is history.

Turns out I wasn't the only one enchanted with the gameplay opportunities provided by Phoenix Wright, as it became a surprise hit stateside. While the game wasn't exactly the best at showing off the capabilities of the DS (with the exception of the last case, designed from the ground up to make use of the two-screen touch pad system that the DS offers), the combination of strong writing, memorable characters, and some well-placed humor made the title a must have. It was such a smashing success that two sequels have made their way to the marketplace, Phoenix Wright: Justice for All and now Trials and Tribulations.

While Justice For All was a continuation of the events that the first game laid down, Trials and Tribulations takes a different approach. Acting as a coda for the series (while another sequel is already in the works, this is the last game where Phoenix Wright is the main character), Trials jumps through time, reliving important cases in Phoenix's life. Many of the five cases available take place before the events in the first game. As a result, you'll sometimes find yourself playing as other characters, such as Mia Fey.

I don't know if the writers had this tactic in mind when they started the series, but if they didn't, then there's some brilliant retconning here, as these past cases tie in well to the events of the last two games. And it's nice to get in the heads of some of the other characters, especially Mia, who gets a lot of face time here. It's also neat to see well known characters in different configurations from how we normally know them. To see Phoenix as an awkward college student just reminds us how much he has grown. To see Mia as a nervous, first time defense attorney takes her off the pedestal she's been on, only to make her more human in the process.

Anyone who's played an Ace Attorney game will know the drill here. Phoenix Wright is a very Japanese series in that very little in the way of innovation is offered, even as title after title is churned out. What we get plays identically to Justice For All, which played the same as the first four cases of the original. The only difference is in "psyche-locks," a little throwaway addition that doesn't affect the core gameplay (these in fact were present in Justice for All, as well).

For those of you who are new to the series, I highly recommend getting Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. It's the best of the three and this game will make no sense to you without a working knowledge of the characters and events from the original. Capcom is making no concessions to newcomers. On the other hand, as much of this game acts as a prequel to the first one, I suppose an argument could be made that this would be the game to play first. To me, though, that drains all the emotional impact out of both titles. Also, Ace Attorney offers the excellent DS-only case, with special control features that sadly are not replicated here.

Still, it's a testament to the high quality of the writing in this series that this game is as compulsively addictive as the last two. The scripts and dialogue are on par with anything we've seen, and had me laughing at loud constantly. At the same time, the game knows how to crank up the theatrics in order to increase suspense during the more intense moments of the trial. Just about every major character finds his or her way back for the third go around, making this one just as much of an ensemble effort as the others.

With little to no changes, it's safe to say that while the positive aspects of the game are unaffected, the same must be true for the negatives. The game still relies on a logic system that is usually dumber than you are. Often you will find yourself putting the pieces together far in advance of the characters, but you can't reveal your big break until you go through the correct sequence. Other times, the succession of evidence feels entirely arbitrary, demanding that you show some insignificant item to a person seemingly chosen at random in order to obtain information that is truly out of left field. It's moments like these that make me wish that Capcom had spent a little more time with the game, instead of rushing it out without improvements.

As I said, those with even a passing knowledge of the original will know exactly what this game is all about. For me, I find that the pros outweigh the cons, especially when you factor in the game's gracious save system, which essentially allows you to try whatever you want without any consequences. The Ace Attorney series may not be as young and fresh as it once was, but there's more than enough life left in her to make this outing a hell of a lot of fun.

The Graphics:
Phoenix Wright has never exactly been a powerhouse in the graphics department. Each character was an anime-style creation, usually with some sort of defining visual trait. They each had a stock grouping of about five or six animations, which all get re-used over and over and over. Again, nothing has changed for Trials and Tribulations, which uses both the same character animations and static location backgrounds. However, this surprisingly works in the game's favor, giving it a simplicity that dovetails nicely with its mostly text-based gameplay. Would it have been nice to see the Judge have more than three expressions? Sure. Am I losing only sleep over it? Nah.

The Audio:
There's a recurring theme to these games, that of recurring themes. Specifically, all the audio is also recycled from the previous titles. But with music and sound effects this good, I don't even consider that a negative. The score is appropriately epic, pushing the little DS speakers to their limit. The sound effects are alternately exciting and humorous, and sometimes they're both at once. Other games could take a lesson. Trials and Tribulations does so much with so little, and even though we've heard it all before, it's no less impressive for that.

The Conclusion:
Back on your DS for a third time, Phoenix Wright does what he does best. And for better or worse, he does it exactly the same way he did it the last two times. There's no new gameplay elements, no new character animations, no new sounds. So why is it that the game is still so good? Because the writing is still top notch, making even the longest cases feel fresh and engaging. By this point, Phoenix Wright is practicing law strictly for the devoted, but those that are hooked will find plenty to love in Trials and Tribulations. Highly Recommended.