Title Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations Date 09.03.2007 Genre Strategy Platform Nintendo DS Developer Capcom Publisher Capcom

Once in awhile a video game comes out, breaks the mold set by other games and is loved by gamers everywhere because of it. The Sims for example was very popular, and it wasn't your normal kill-this go-there game. It was pretty much a life simulation, you went around doing chores and other things you wouldn't normally do in a traditional video game. Gyakuten Saiban/Phoenix Wright is one of these games. When I heard about a lawyer simulation game, I laughed. I thought the idea was another way for Capcom to make a quick buck. I was wrong, the clever dialogue, great difficulty, and cast of characters makes the Gyakuten Saiban games some of the best games money can buy. And it's developed a cult following that's unmatched in the video game industry. Of course as a huge fan of the series, I picked up Gyakuten Saiban 3 the second it came out in Japan and I've loved every single minute of it. In this review, I'll try to be as spoiler-free as possible. I know a lot of people would say I'm leaving a ton of details out of this review, but I want the reader to find out as much as possible by themselves playing the game.

Let's start with the graphics. I'll just get this out so everyone knows, the Gyakuten Saiban/Phoenix Wright games on the DS are ports of the Gameboy Advance games. Nothing new is added to this game besides a few touch ups. The characters in this game are definitely more "colorful" than the games before it. You've got characters with wacky hair, a monocle, a visor, and many other noticeable features. The backgrounds are pleasant to look at especially the ones in the last case. They are quite beautiful. While the overall quality doesn't push the DS to its limits, it's still satisfying.

The sound in this game is great, the best yet. The quality isn't amazing (the game's music isn't orchestral, done with super expensive equipment or by a famous artist like BoA). But the songs are fantastic. All the main characters have their own theme which you'll end up humming to yourself after the game is over. A lot of people felt that the court music of the second game wasn't superior to the first; however that won't be a problem here. The court music in this game has been redone almost entirely, save one or two songs.

Now let's start getting into the gameplay. The game is split into two parts: An investigation period and a courtroom period. Investigating is just that, you go around talking to characters, looking around for clues, and persuading victims to confess their secrets to you. When a character is keeping a secret from you, a lock will show upon their heart. You'll have to bust the lock open with evidence. ("Evidence" refers to anything you've picked up in the game) Attempting to break someone's lock doesn't go without its risks, if you attempt and fail, you will be punished and it may decide how successful you are in court.

So now we've made it into court. In the upper right corner lies your health bar. If you make false accusations or present evidence that has nothing to do with the case the bar will deplete. Once it's no more, your client will be found guilty and it's game over for you. This is where all the real action takes place. Most of the progress in the game is from witness testimonies. A witness will say what they witnessed and it's your job to cross examine them for any contradictions. At any time in your cross examination you have the opportunity to press the witness for more information or present a piece of evidence that contradicts with the witness's testimony. When you do find a contradiction, the music speeds up, the witness starts panicking, and the prosecution starts sweating. This is what this series is known for. "OBJECTION!'s” being traded back and forth, desk slamming, finger pointing, you're here to prove that the witness is lying, forgetting things, or just plain didn't see the crime. Keep finding contradictions in testimonies until you find the truth, then it's all over.

Probably the most memorable things about the Gyakuten Saiban/Phoenix Wright games are the characters and the story. You play most of this game as Ryuichi Naruhodo (Phoenix Wright for Americans), a spiky haired defense attorney. In the other cases you play as Ryuichi's mentor, Chihiro Ayasato (Mia Fey). You play Chihiro's/Mia's very first cases which took place years ago. These cases from the past prove to be incredibly important in the present. The story is high quality. Since this is the last game in the series, Capcom wanted to go out with a bang. Every unsolved mystery solved, loose ends tied up, anything that was unfinished before is taken care of. They didn't want you guessing at the end.

The dialogue in these games, are very well written. Some may even say the games are composed of nothing but dialogue. So of course with so much dialogue they'd have to have really great writers to make up with the hours of text. Well they are great. This game is full of clever jokes and very depressing moments. You could be laughing one minute and crying the next, that's how awesome the dialogue is.

Gyakuten Saiban 3 contains even more pop culture references than the games that came before it, and some of the references (as of August 2007) are VERY recent.

Each of these games range from 15 to 20 hours. Pretty good for an adventure game. Gyakuten Saiban 3/Phoenix Wright T&T is longer than the second game of the series, but shorter than the first (if including the bonus case). Well if there was any flaw in the Gyakuten Saiban/Phoenix Wright games it would be replayability. After you finish the games there really isn't much to do. You know the solution to every case, and there's nothing new to be unlocked the second time.

If you've ever enjoyed a Gyakuten Saiban/Phoenix Wright game, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't pick up this game. It clears up everything in the series and ends the series on a high note. The last case of this game was the most epic moment in a video game I've ever played and the ending drove me to tears. If you want to get into an anime style video game with an amazing story, this is the series for you. Just remember to play the games in order, I can't stress this enough. I give this game my highest recommendation; it's more than worth your money.

Game Score

A-

Reviewed By: Contributed