Ace Attorney

I Object to the sky.

This year for Halloween I was Phoenix Wright, of the Ace Attorney series of Nintendo DS games produced by Capcom. There were about two people who recognized my costume without having prior knowledge of my costume, which is about what I'd expected. The Ace Attorney games have a pretty good following, but they're not exactly pop culture. I thought I'd discuss the games here, because I think they're awesome.

Currently, the series consists of five games: the first three starring Phoenix Wright, the fourth following Phoenix's protegee Apollo Justice, and the latest is about Phoenix's childhood friend and sometime antagonist Miles Edgeworth. This latest installment is notable in that it is the only one where Phoenix does not make a personal appearance, though he is alluded to several times in the game.

Phoenix Wright is a rookie defense attorney (at least, he is in the first game) who defends clients who for some reason are always alleged murderers. As you can imagine, these are not your classic run around killing people kind of games. Instead, they're very heavily story-based. Each case is roughly divided into two parts: Phoenix running around investigating the crime, and then cross-examining witnesses and presenting evidence in court. Even though the American translations of the games suggest that it's all taking place in America, it's plainly obvious to anyone paying attention that you're actually in Japan. I don't know how trials are run in Japan, but I'm going to guess that it's not like what's shown in these games.

To call the courthouse scenes chaotic would be an understatement. The games run very much on Rule of Funny, with ridiculous antics and quirky characters all around. Each manual for the game includes a disclaimer that these games are not an accurate representation of any court of law, and I don't doubt it. For instance, I doubt very much that any legal system would allow a prosecutor to carry around a whip, let alone stand idly by while she uses it to thrash witnesses, Phoenix, and the Judge. Miscarriage of justice is also a very common theme in these games. For instance, if Japan has such laws, I imagine the courts in this game would be filled to the brim with people up on perjury charges. If you were to bet someone every time a witness appeared on the stand that they were going to lie about something, you wouldn't win every bet, but I guarantee you'd come out well ahead.

Lay the legal smack-down on this guy.

The main weapon in Phoenix's arsenal during court scenes is the evidence he has acquired throughout the game. Each time a witness gives testimony, Phoenix is allowed to cross-examine, and the player has to carefully examine each part of the witnesses testimony and find a contradiction in that testimony (often a flat-out lie, but sometimes an honest mistake). Expect the Idiot Ball to get passed around a lot in these situations. When the player finds a contradiction in the testimony, he has to locate the piece of evidence that proves the contradiction, which is when the drama starts. When the player presents the right piece of evidence, the music stops, and Phoenix (or whoever else the player is controlling depending on the game) shouts his most memed line: OBJECTION! Then you get to sit back and smirk as you watch the witness sweats in the light of his exposed lie. Even when the contradiction is plain as day, it is very satisfying to see the accusatory finger of Phoenix extended triumphantly.

Of course, no courtroom drama would be complete without a slimeball lawyer. In a lot of movies and books, it's the defense attorney who takes this mantle, as they're often shown to be money-grubbing liars who are more interested in an acquittal than the truth. Since that wouldn't work in a game were you are the defense attorney, the dirtbag job goes to the prosecutor. Most prosecutors in the games have a very cut-and-dry view of the law. Namely, their job is to get the defendant declared guilty. Is it possible he's innocent? Who cares? All that matters to these guys is a conviction. The actual guilt or innocence of the defendant is someone else's problem.

These games are proof that video games don't have to be about blood and body counts to be a hell of a lot of fun. With all the wacky characterizations, convoluted cases, and mixture of humor and high drama, they're more than enough to keep you entertained for hours. And they're now out for the Wii, so even people who don't own a DS can try them out.

-Long Days and Pleasant Nights