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The Point-and-Click genre has been in decline for many years now.
Gone are the heady days of Lucas Arts’ The Secret Of Monkey
Island, Day Of The Tentacle, Sam & Max and the
much-fabled
Myst. “In” are fast cars, angry rappers and
theft - usually of the aforementioned fast cars. However, many
people fondly remember the unique humour, original concepts and
mend-bending puzzles of the classic Point-and-Click Adventure,
which makes the genre’s decline seem a little harsh. So why do
these games seem doomed to be forgotten? There are many factors,
but none as prominent as the Point-and-Click’s control
incompatibility with the majority of consoles. Some have tried to
bring these games to the consoles, occasionally with fairly
positive results, namely Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
and Cosmic Spacehead, the first receiving a reasonably
successful PlayStation2 port and the second being a great
Mega-Drive title which seems, unfortunately, to only be remembered
by a few gamers, namely certain
Electronic Articles Staff
Writers! However, a D-Pad and Analogue Stick is no match for a
Mouse when it comes to Point-and-Click gaming and these control
issues, coupled with the genre’s injection into other videogaming
genres, such as Survival Horror, mean that despite it’s frequently
great storytelling and puzzle solving, the Point-and-Click is
basically a lost cause for developers.
Fortunately these control issues are only a problem for traditional
consoles, and as nearly fourteen and a half million gamers will
tell you: traditional gaming is out; enter the NintendoDS. This
isn’t going to be another religious praising of Nintendo’s frankly
astounding handheld console, but to the Point-and-Click genre, it
might as well be the messiah.
The NintendoDS’ second foray into Point-and-Click gaming, after the
surprising UK release of
Sprung,
Another Code: Two
Memories was universally panned by critics, although few could
deny the potential of the genre
 on the NintendoDS. Following in the
footsteps of Another Code: Two Memories is Phoenix
Wright: Ace Attorney. Yes, that’s right, it’s a game where you
play as a lawyer. For all you sceptics, try to remember that
playing as a surgeon was good, playing as a plumber is fun, why not
skimp on another lengthy higher-education course and give law a
chance?
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is primarily a Point-and-Click
game with courtroom situated option-based gameplay. You play as
Phoenix Wright, an inexperienced defence attorney attempting to
prove the innocence of several clients over five Trials. The
Point-and-Click sections are very similar to that of Myst;
you move from location-to-location, each of which are illustrated
by a 2D background and can be examined through the use of the Touch
Screen. All interactive characters are also represented in 2D and
converse with the player through text. The purpose of these
sections is to find out as much about each case as you can and
gather evidence to use in the Trials. Once you have all the clues
the game changes into the courtroom-based sequence in which you
must cross-examine the witnesses in order to reveal their
contradictions and, often, their downright lies. In order to do
this you can press the witness on the facts and present evidence
that contradicts their testimony. You can go over the testimony as
many times as you like, but if you present evidence that is not
related fives times throughout the case, you lose the Trial. It is
a fairly simple system but it works without flaw for this type of
game.
The real star of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is the story
and its characters. Every individual in the title is different,
quirky and ultimately, highly entertaining. Despite the 2D nature
of the graphics, the story can’t fail to keep you engrossed from
start to finish. Who did it? Why? What are they hiding? You always
want to know the outcome, a factor that is enhanced through
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney’s multiple plot twists and
excellent presentation. The humour is spot-on every time and
Phoenix Wright’s internal dialogue will frequently be exactly the
same as yours, prompting some genuinely comical moments. The
inherent anime-style of the title also helps proceedings, with each
cross-examination being accompanied by a DragonBall Z-esque
face-off between the prosecutor and Phoenix, complete with
scrolling backgrounds and fight-scene sound effects. Surprisingly,
there is actually no fighting in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney,
but if there were, you wouldn’t even bat an eyelid. It’s this
quirky, original and totally over-the-top approach that gives
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney its charm and makes you want to
finish each-and-every Case. Fortunately you won’t be finishing them
particularly quickly either, since most take at least four hours
each, meaning that despite Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney only
having five Trials, you are still in for a game that will take you
at least twice as long as your average Action title.
However, there is a contrast to the longevity. Much like Peter
Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game Of The Movie, Phoenix
Wright: Ace Attorney features a Diminutive Difficulty Curve;
the game asks you plenty of questions but in general, picking the
wrong one will result in another character rectifying you and
forcing you to take the correct course. Surprisingly though, this
doesn’t really decrease the appeal in anyway; in actual fact, it’s
clearly been included as a subtle incentive for the player to
continue to the story’s completion: and you never want to
fail, and end-up doing the last hour of a Trial twice anyway.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney does not, at any point, try to
use any 3D graphics. It does, however, feature some very well drawn
2D characters and landscapes. The characters have Lip-Synching and
a few different animations, but nothing that could be considered
outstanding. Fortunately, the strength of the story means that you
won’t feel the need for eye-candy and, in-general, each character’s
animation presents them in the way that the text describes. In
keeping with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney’s excellent
production values, sound is brilliant, despite the lack of
extensive speech. The music changes with the mood of the game
flawlessly. If you are in a bad situation, the music is sinister,
if you discover something beneficial; the music is cheerier and
greatly enhances your immersion in the game, as well as giving you
clues. The sound effects are also pitch-perfect, with each
occurring exactly when you’d expect. There is also a small amount
of Speech Samples, mainly the cry of “objection” from Phoenix and
the prosecution. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney also features
Voice Recognition in the courtroom segments in order to present
evidence. This is optional, but don’t be surprised if you feel the
need to shout “objection” at the top of your lungs; it’s that
engrossing.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is not only a great use of the
NintendoDS’ features; it’s also an outstanding game. Perhaps more
akin to an interactive story than a game in the classic sense, it
is still one of the best games
 you’ll play on the NintendoDS -
despite its heavy reliance on text. It also has few flaws, mainly
due to the inherent simplicity of the game and the obvious
attention paid to detail by Capcom. There is little opportunity for
replaying, but the story is long enough to keep you going long
after most AAA releases would have finished, Unlockables and all.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a hugely entertaining game
that almost anyone can play and deserves to be in your collection.
But, perhaps most importantly, it paves the way for resurgence of
that most loved genre, the Point-and-Click; a Phoenix risen from
the ashes indeed.
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