Justice for All is the second game in the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney series on the Nintendo DS. The game is a point and click court room story driven game which sees Phoenix Wright take on four new cases. You play as the defence attorney Phoenix Wright who must defend his clients from being wrongly prosecuted.
The game is Japanese developed and that is evident throughout this game with quirky humour and the odd translation giving the game a very Japanese feel. The presentation of the game is very Manga; using Manga style cartoons the game has a very distinct style. The characters are animated very simply but have that Manga style of extremes; the characters go from a wide smile to crying in an instant. This visual style does lend itself to the game as it adds to the quirky nature of the game.
The audio in this game is a letdown, the music played throughout the game is very grating and players may want to turn the sound off when playing the game. There are some nice sound effects in the game such as when you shout objection but can get repetitive.
A new feature in this game is the ability to shout objection or hold it into the microphone during the trials. This does add something new to the game and can be funny to do, but when shouting objection at the screen can garner some very funny looks.
The stylus control of DS suits this game perfectly. One part of the game has the character looking for evidence to use in the game and this is where the touch screen controls come in. The player touches the area they want to examine and then click examine. This is one of the most natural uses of the DS's touch screen and suits the hand held perfectly. However because this was a GBA game, the game allows you to play through it without using the touch capabilities which gives the player more options which is good.
The game sees the player go through five cases which are all individually contained stories but with overall links to the characters and the story of Phoenix Wright. The cast of the game are a weird bunch with very odd characters. The game has a crazy plot with spirit mediums and killer circus freaks, but it does all make sense once you play through the game. The 'good' characters have a �likeability� about them whilst the 'bad' characters are very pantomime style bad which adds to the humour of the game.
The game does a bad choice of giving you the illusion of choice as the destination is always path is always the same. Whilst this gives the game less re-playability the game's story and charm allows for that to be forgiven.
This game requires a leap of faith to play it and get into the game. Most people will probably read the blurb on the back of the box and put it back but if they persevere they will get a unique and engaging game.
8.5/10
