Best Action Adventure Game
Best Adventure Game
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Best Platformer
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Best Strategy Game

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: Q4 2005

The Nintendo DS had a very strong lineup at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, and one of its most distinctive games turned out to be our favorite adventure game of the show. We're talking about Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, a game that we can begin to describe by calling it a holy matrimony of Law & Order, Legally Blonde, and Dragon Ball Z.

In the game, you play as Phoenix Wright, a nervous defense attorney who just recently passed the bar. You'll help Wright legally battle his way through a series of increasingly complex cases by investigating the scenes of the crimes, cross-examining witness testimonies, presenting evidence to sway the judge and jury, and more. Despite the game's goofy anime look and often humorous dialogue, it broaches some pretty serious material in its cases, requiring you to make some careful leaps of logic as you try to keep your clients out of the slammer.

For a game that's got all kinds of sordid courtroom proceedings in it, Phoenix Wright is surprisingly funny. The E3 demo even ended with a laugh-out-loud cliff-hanger, teasing the retail version and suggesting that this game may well end up being greater than the sum of its parts. All the quirky charm on display in Phoenix Wright kept us talking about it all throughout the week of E3, even as dozens of other much more technically sophisticated games seemed to come and go.

Official Trailer

Objection! Check out this crazy trailer and let your mind begin to fathom the impossible genius that is Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

Watch It »

Phoenix Wright is actually part of a long-running series of Japanese adventure games, but it's the first title in the series to make it onto the Nintendo DS and to get a release date on this side of the globe. We happily embraced the game's unique combination of disparate elements and its distinctive style, and we heartily encourage you to be on the lookout for it this fall.

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