A baby could finish this game. More sappy drama with easy clues than Lawyer-Sim, Phoenix Wright pretty much plays itself
Lawyer-Simulations have yet to really grow up. That's my complete take on Phoenix Wright, the first game in the franchise I've played. You might journey to find clues, interview subjects, and partake in (very fictional) trial events, but Wright strips all the thought out of the entire process. For most of the game, a baby could complete the required objectives, and even when things get a tad harder, you've got assistants practically screaming what to do. Which is quite frankly better than assistants repeating the days events over and over, as if you weren't there to remember them!
No, sadly Phoenix Wright is so terrible for the most part that it hardly qualifies as interactive media (read: video game). Most of the time you simply tab through stupid conversations, which is only livened by the adorable Mia/Maya sisters. Every single phase of the game is either overly obvious (looking for clues, interviewing people, etc) or worse. In fact, the trial-parts of the game are just awful. Rather than proceeding as with an actual trial (jury, presentation of a case, interviewing lots of witnesses, or ACTUALLY KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT LAW) Phoenix Wright purports a fantasy fiction which is more Saturday Morning cartoon than legal process.
Even the good parts of Phoenix Wright (yes there are some) are bungled. Perhaps the best parts are the multi-layered murder events which keep many of the same players involved. These parts, and the colorful characters that inhabit this world, are great. Sadly, however, the animations are way over the top, and the way these characters interact is just laughable. Heck, if Phoenix Wright has possibly even have graduated from a Law School and knew next to anything about trial, I'd pass by all of this. It's just unbearable when even parts of the game that are supposed to be logic-clue based come down to trial and error, or simply someone telling you exactly what to do. It's not logic, it's pure fantasy fluff.
So.... If you're looking to play a game that vaguely resembles the Legal Process, steer far clear of Phoenix Wright. Sure, it's charming and has a wonderful story, but it has next to nothing to do with anything legal. Mostly, it's a fairy tale. And it's so easy a baby could beat this game (mostly because of lack of actual decision). Be warned.