I have no idea how they keep coming up with puzzles for the Professor Layton games. I would think that they would have to start repeating themselves more, but Professor Layton and the Unwound Future has an even greater puzzle variety than the previous games. So when the waitress asks you to solve a stacking puzzle before she gets you your drink, you don't have to worry about seeing the same puzzle but with more objects when you talk to her again later; you end up with a slider puzzle or a visual puzzle instead. While I do miss having increasingly complex variations on a single puzzle idea, the variety more than makes up for that. This also eliminates the problem of simply being bad at a certain puzzle and getting stuck as it shows up more and more often.

There are, of course, the slider puzzles and mathematical tricks, but they tend to have a little twist on them that makes them feel new, such as having to solve a slider puzzle in a certain number of moves. To facilitate these sometimes more complex puzzles, the memo system has been redone so that you can use different brush sizes and colors on your memo overlay. Especially welcome is the addition of an eraser brush — no more clearing all of your written notes because you made one mistake. Another welcome addition is the Super Hint, which all but solves the riddle for you. It is available after you use up the other three hints and costs an additional two hit coins. So on those puzzles that you just cannot seem to solve, you now have a way out.

While the plot does feel contrived at times, the puzzles and just plain quirky fun of the character interactions more than make up for it. The addition of more animated, fully voiced cutscenes also adds to the experience and never failed to put a smile on my face. The game is great fun and I look forward to the next Layton game.

[Highly Recommended]

This review is based on a retail copy purchased by the reviewer.

However, what adds an interesting new dimension to the tried-and-true platforming formula of Lost in Shadow is the simple fact that most of the platforms are actually shadows of foreground objects projected on the background. Thus, the game actually forces you to rethink the way your character relates to the platforms he is standing on. Initially the only complexity lies in keeping your mind focused on the shadows despite changes in the objects casting them and the surfaces upon which they are cast, but later the game introduces areas called "Shadow Corridors" which feature more complex ideas like Echochrome-esque 90-degree perspective shifts and even three-dimensional movement.

Just playing as a shadow without any effect on the real world rather limits your options, however, so Hudson includes another character, a small fairy-like creature called a sylph who floats by your side but can become your Wiimote pointer at any time to help you past obstacles. Her main function is to find objects that can be energized and then moved, creating new shadow shapes for you to climb over, but there are some particularly mind-bending sequences where she can be used to move a light source, thus stretching all of the shadows on screen and making it possible to heavily modify the entire shadow landscape.

Some of the individual pieces have been used before (especially the cliché "ruinous fantasy adventure" aesthetic), but the overall effect of Lost in Shadow is quite striking in its novelty, and makes for an experience full of wide-eyed surprise as you are forced to rethink many of the basic physical properties of the platformer genre. Watch out for this innovative title when it hits North American stores on January 4, 2011 and look out for a full Ani-Gamers review in the near future.

Click here for more of our New York Comic Con 2010 coverage

Plants vs Zombies HD

If you have already played the PC version of this PopCap-developed game, odds are you’ve already bought this version too.

Plants vs Zombies is a streamlined take on the "tower defense" genre, wherein you place aggressive plants in your back garden to fend off invading hordes of humorous zombies who are after your sweet, sweet brains. The game oozes charm, and looks even better on the iPad than it ever did on my PC, primarily because the graphics have been optimized for a single screen resolution rather than the innumerable screen resolutions of monitors. Another thing optimized for the iPad is the interaction; controlling everything directly through the touchscreen makes the game much easier and more pleasant to interact with than using a mouse. Like the original, PvZ has a perfectly tweaked learning curve that eases you into the many different gameplay facets that keep the experience fresh for level after level. The only problem is that once your opening strategy is perfected, the game can feel excruciatingly dull running through the same motions every time and you will find yourself wishing for a "speed up" button.

The game is priced at £7, and so can be said to be rather pricey, but considering the amount of hours you can sink into it and the high production values, I would say it is well worth a go.

[Recommended]

Strategery

No, that name is not a typo, honest. Strategery is, as you may guess, a strategy game in the vein of the board game Risk. You invade regions with troops, conquer them, and then place more troops down in your captured regions in preparation of the enemy counterattack. The main draws of the game are its neat, clean art style and randomly generated maps. Every game map looks subtly different, and there are a few options available when starting that slightly alter the way the game plays

Strategery feels well made, moving along at a brisk pace you could never achieve with a physical war game, but this is where my praise ends. The strategy core of the game feels rough and unrefined, lacking any advanced planning potential due to the basic blocky maps it draws. With its current mechanics, every game boils down to making the biggest blob of a county possible and then throwing obscene numbers of troops with no fear of effective counterattack. This inevitability sucks a lot of fun out of repeated play, especially as there are few options available that would spice this up. Including continents or encouraging conservation of troops would go a long way to solving these issues.

Sadly I have been unable to test the online multiplayer as there is no matchmaking and I could not manage to con anyone into playing with me directly. Local multiplayer works fine, but the game boils down to the pattern described above.

While the game includes both an iPad and iPhone version together, I would suggest spending your time and money elsewhere.

[Bad]

Words With Friends HD

For those who have never heard of this before, Words With Friends is a competitive 2-player version of scrabble where you send moves back and forth between each other in a way reminiscent of play-by-email strategy games.

The game handles everything effortlessly, including in-game chat, a complete and accurate dictionary and very nice presentation throughout.

Anyone who has played the iPhone version: yes, it is the same as the iPhone version with an updated interface and shinier graphics. Yes, it is well worth your money even if you forked out for the iPhone version. You can use the same account and play games between both devices.

I heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys word games but can’t get people to sit still long enough to play a tabletop version of Scrabble. If you fancy it, you can play against me; my username is "Elliotpage."

[Highly Recommended]

Geared HD

Geared is a wonderfully simple puzzle game wherein you use a set of gears to link a moving starter gear up to one or more target gears. More gameplay twists are added at welcome intervals to help keep things fresh, and the difficulty curve is exceptionally well tuned. The game has grown considerably since I first bought it on the iPhone and now sports 150 levels as well as a helpful level skip function for when you get really stuck. The graphics are clean and simple, allowing you to concentrate on the puzzle. It even has a very nice win chime once you complete a stage, an encouraging little extra when you have spent 5 minutes staring blankly at the screen.

Geared HD is cheap as hell and amazingly addictive. I can attest to its grabbing power as both my parents love playing it and getting my iPad back from them once they start playing is like drawing blood from a stone.

[Highly Recommended]

Let me know in the comments if any of you find these helpful, and perhaps I'll check out another batch of iPad games.

Reggie Fils-Aime, president of the North American division of the game publisher and console manufacturer unveiled new title after new title in a rapid-fire series of announcements, surely sating the appetites of even the most hardcore Nintendo fanboys. First off, legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto showed off the new Wii Zelda title, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. During an admittedly awkward demonstration (held up by so-called "interference" with the Wii's motion-sensing capabilities), Miyamoto gave us a glimpse into the new control scheme in which the sword is mapped to the Wiimote and the shield is mapped to the nunchuck and the graphical style, which marries the matured designs of Twilight Princess to the cel shading of The Wind Waker while presumably running on the Super Mario Galaxy graphics engine. At the very end of the presentation, Miyamoto tried his very best to gracefully tell the audience that Skyward Sword still needs a lot of work done, and will take until 2011 before it's finished.

But it wasn't long before Reggie launched into what we all expected from a Nintendo presentation casual games. However, much to my surprise, we only saw two new casual games: Mario Sports Mix (think Wii Sports with Mario) and Wii Party (think Mario Party with Miis). The former will hit shelves sometime in 2011, while Reggie promised that we'll see the latter this holiday season. Meanwhile, Ubisoft presented a trailer for Just Dance 2 on the Wii, which will hit this fall.

On the third party front, Nintendo didn't have very much to show off, though the titles themselves were certainly worth talking about. First is a remake (or maybe it's a sequel) of Goldeneye, the beloved Nintendo 64 first-person shooter that has stuck in many gamers' minds as a reminder of the golden days (har har) of Nintendo's consoles. After that was Disney's Epic Mickey, featuring a fascinating discussion of the importance of play style from designer Warren Specter. The game will feature choices between solving puzzles by creating or destroying the environment, which Specter hopes will provide a rich experience that is different for every player.

Meanwhile, Nintendo unveiled the subtitle, a new trailer, and a 2010 holiday season release date for their previously announced Golden Sun DS sequel, now entitled Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Additionally, the Wii will see the release of Kirby's Epic Yarn, the first Kirby console game since the Gamecube's Kirby Air Ride (2003) and the first side-scrolling console Kirby game since Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (2000) on yes my friends the Nintendo 64. Kirby's Epic Yarn, which sports an interesting new art style reminiscent of the Super Nintendo's Kirby's Dream Land 3 (1997), is already prepped for release this fall. We also got a trailer for the Team Ninja-developed Metroid: Other M, which will arrive on August 31.

Last but certainly not least, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stepped on stage to present the Nintendo 3DS, a successor to the DS that features a touch screen on the bottom and a slightly larger 3-D screen on the top half (It displays 3-D WITHOUT glasses). The left side of the handheld has a "slide pad" that acts as an analog stick, the insides have a motion sensor and a gyro sensor, and the system can display more powerful graphics than the current DS models. Additionally, the front of the device features two cameras, allowing the 3DS to take 3-D photographs. On the software side of things, Iwata confirmed that the 3DS is capable of playing 3-D Hollywood movies, and Nintendo has already partnered with Disney, Warner Bros., and Dreamworks to provide that content. Finally, a slew of third-party developers, including CAPCOM, EA, Harmonix, Konami, Level-5, and Ubisoft, have signed on to create games for the system, and some of the confirmed games (first- and third-party) are listed below:

• Kid Icarus: Uprising from Kirby/Smash Bros. developer Masahiro Sakurai and Sora Ltd.
• A new Nintendogs game from Miyamoto
• a Metal Gear Solid game from Kojima himself
• an Assassin's Creed game from Ubisoft
• a "completely original Resident Evil game" from CAPCOM

Overall, I was very impressed with Nintendo's press conference. While a lot of the technology (3DS, swordfighting with Wii MotionPlus) still seems a little wonky or hazy [[EDIT: and I was very disappointed in the continued lack of any new IPs]], their presentation was refreshing in how to-the-point it was. Nintendo made it clear much moreso than Microsoft did with their awful Kinect presentations that this was all about games, and whether you are interested in their titles or not, it's hard to deny that they put on a damn good show.

For more news and commentary out of E3 2010, check back with our E3 2010 label page.

Activision Publishing, Inc.
• DJ Hero® 3D
AQ INTERACTIVE
• cubic ninja
ATLUS
• Etrian Odyssey
• Shin Megami Tensei
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Capcom
• RESIDENT EVIL® REVELATIONS
• SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV 3D Edition (name not final)
Electronic Arts
• FIFA Soccer
• Madden NFL
• The Sims™ 3
Gameloft
• Asphalt GT
Harmonix
• Music game
HUDSON SOFT
• Bomberman franchise
• DECA SPORTS franchise
• KORORINPA franchise
KONAMI
• Baseball franchise
• Contra franchise
• Frogger franchise
• HIDEO KOJIMA’S METAL GEAR SOLID SNAKE EATER 3D “The Naked Sample”
• PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER franchise
• WINNING ELEVEN franchise
LEVEL-5
• Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle (name not final)
Majesco Entertainment
• BloodRayne: The Shroud
• A Boy and His Blob
• Face Racers: Photo Finish
• Lion’s Pride: Adventures on the Serengeti
• Martha Stewart
• WonderWorld Amusement Park
• Marvelous Entertainment BOKUJYOUMONOGATARI 3D (name not final)
NAMCO BANDAI Games
• Dragon Ball® franchise (name not final)
• Gundam® franchise (name not final)
• PAC-MAN™ & GALAGA™ (name not final)
• RIDGE RACER® (name not final)
• Super Robot franchise (name not final)
Nintendo
• Animal Crossing™
• Kid Icarus™: Uprising
• Mario Kart™
• nintendogs™ + cats
• Paper Mario™
• PilotWings Resort™
• Star Fox 64™ 3D
• Steel Diver™
• ROCKET Crash-City GP
• VS-robo
SEGA
• Sonic (name not final)
• Super Monkey Ball (name not final)
SQUARE ENIX
• CODENAME: Chocobo Racing® 3D
• DRAGON QUEST® franchise
• FINAL FANTASY® franchise
• KINGDOM HEARTS franchise
Take-Two Interactive
• Carnival Games® franchise
TECMO KOEI GAMES
• DEAD OR ALIVE® 3D (name not final)
• DYNASTY WARRIORS® (name not final)
• NINJA GAIDEN® (name not final)
• SAMURAI WARRIORS® 3D (name not final)
TOMY
• LOVELY LISA 3D
• NARUTO SHIPPUDEN ACTION
THQ
• de Blob 2
• Kung Fu Panda Kaboom of Doom
• Marvel Super Hero Squad Infinity Gauntlet
• The Penguins of Madagascar
• Puss N Boots
• Saints Row: Drive-By
Ubisoft
• Assassin’s Creed™ Lost Legacy
• Battle of Giants™: Dinosaur Strike
• Driver® Renegade
• Hollywood 61 (name not final)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon™
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory™
Warner Bros
• Batman franchise
• LEGO franchise

CLICK HERE to read the original list. (PDF format)

For more news and commentary out of E3 2010, check back with our E3 2010 label page.

The best part of the whole thing is that this is a character who thousands of other otaku have probably fallen in love with. Now that one guy has married her, is she off-limits to everybody else? Oooh, brutal! Maybe you guys will have to start widening your horizons a bit. Think outside the box if you know what I mean.

[via Tiny Cartridge]

Speaking of CrunchyRoll, the website announced a couple of days ago that in celebration of "Global Shinkai Day," they will be streaming three of director Makoto Shinkai's works (5 Centimeters Per Second, Voices of a Distant Star, and The Place Promised In Our Early Days) on Saturday, February 28 for 24 hours only. I've yet to experience Shinkai's critically-acclaimed anime, so I'll definitely be taking advantage of that limited time offer come Saturday to watch 5 Centimeters Per Second, a movie that is unfortunately stuck in limbo, as no North American anime distributor has officially picked it up yet.

Best Buy is cutting down on their in-store anime selection due to the economic situation, but it's not all bad news for anime fans. Select stores will be holding 50% off sales, which will make that Haruhi boxset that you haven't bought yet seem so. much. jucier. ANN has a preliminary list of participating stores, but it's still subject to change.

For those of you who watched the Oscars, you might have noticed that when La Maison En Petits Cubes won the award for Best Animated Short Film, it was not a French animator who stood up to take the award. That's because despite it's extremely French name, Cubes is actually an anime, created by Japanese director and writer Kunio Kato. This marks the second Oscar win for an anime, and the first in the Animated Short Film Category. (Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away won for Best Animated Picture in 2003.)

Finally, on the video game front, Nintendo has announced a release date for the DSi, the third redesign of the bestselling DS platform. The system will launch in the United States on April 5, 2009 in two colors (blue and black) and for an MSRP of $169.99. It will sell millions and will top the NPD charts for months on end, despite the fact that it provides no significant gameplay upgrades to the DS Lite. Such is life in this Nintendo-world of ours...

Another thing you might have noticed from the list above is the open world environment. In between the various levels of the game you’ll find yourself back at the Hunter Base - an area where you’re free to run around and accept missions from other characters, buy items, or re-visit previous levels. Again, while this feature is an appreciated one, it also has its setbacks – namely a lack of substance. There are really only a handful of missions to accept and you quickly find yourself with more cash than you’ll ever be able to spend. It’s a step in the right direction and in future releases we’ll hopefully see a more fleshed out game world.

A traditional feature that does carry over from classic Mega Man is the difficulty. While it’s nothing impossible, I must say that quick saves and save states have spoiled me over the years. While the levels are longer than in previous Mega Man titles I’ve played, Advent does a good job of providing a challenge (especially the final level) without having you throw yourself against the game over and over to get it right. It’s a fine line between challenging and frustrating, and Advent seems to maneuver it quite well.

So, you blast your way through the game, defeat the disappointingly easy final boss, and find yourself staring back at the title screen once more. Normally at this point we’d hit the power switch and say it was a job well done - but Advent throws a bit more content our way in the post game. As you’d expect, you can battle your defeated foes once more, only now the game will reward you with medals for fulfilling certain conditions in the battle, such as using only a specific weapon or damaging the enemy at a certain time. While this is all fine and dandy, my personal favorite would have to be "Mega Man a," a mini-game which has you playing an 8-bit version of yourself in what feels like a classic NES Mega Man title. Oh, and if you manage to rack up all of the gold medals from the robot masters, you can use that 8-bit version of yourself in the main game.

There are really only a few constants in this world: death, taxes, and yearly Mega Man releases. The Advent series seems to have a lot going for it, and the various additions brought out in this game will hopefully continue to be improved upon in the inevitable sequels that are to come. For those of us who remember the Mega Man games as a lesson in traditional platforming action but have grown tired of the newer titles - this might be a good point to jump back in.

good.

• Mitchell "MitchyD" Dyer: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (360)
• "Ink": Rock Band 2 (360)
• Maxwell "Pigeonflu" McGee: Left 4 Dead (360)
• Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto: The World Ends with You (DS)
• "Yumeka": Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (Wii)

"Gold or Platinum status is based on the number of Coins earned in a Club Nintendo year. Each Club Nintendo year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. If you earn 300 Coins during a Club Nintendo year you will reach Gold status. Earn 600 Coins during a Club Nintendo year and reach Platinum status!"

It doesn't seem too difficult to earn a lot of coin if you're an avid Wii or DS gamer, as the breakdown of earning coins offers a decent amount per product:

• Wii games = 50 Coins
• Nintendo DS games = 30 Coins
• Wii Shop Channel games and Wii Channels = 10 Coins

You can also earn additional cash for indicating your intent for buying a game or registering the product within a month of its release.

So if you're interested in grabbing some grab-bags, check it out at Club Nintendo. The Ani-Gamers staff will surely be suckered in to this marketing gimmick in order to earn rad free goodies as well, and we'll be back with reports on product quality for those who are curious.

While Nintendo claims that this revision is a "third platform," we all know what they said about the DS when it came out and squashed the GBA. DS Phat and Lite owners reluctant to switch over should watch Nintendo warily so they don't get caught unawares by a surprise generational shift for the platform.

Finally, a Joystiq post confirms that according to Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, the DSi will not be coming to the United States until "well into calendar year 2009." Too bad!

Of course, the game pans out almost exactly like every Zelda you've ever played. There are magic stones, a mystical sword, and nine dungeons to complete. Luckily, this game takes a leaf out of Majora's Mask's book and creates a story that adds to the previous game rather than simply mimicking it. This time, you are riding in a boat with two other companions, and the plot ends up being much more about side characters and their personalities than any Zelda since Majora's Mask.

In terms of truly new additions, Phantom Hourglass relies heavily on touch control, to the point where the face buttons never actually perform any significant functions in the gameplay. Link moves toward wherever you point on the screen (a la Animal Crossing), attacks when you pull the stylus across the screen, and uses an item when you tap it on the top-right. That means an almost excessive amount of tapping, which makes one wonder why the face buttons aren't used more. While it's cluttered and hard to learn, I won't deny that it is a refreshing experience for longtime Zelda fans.

Puzzles, minigames, and even driving Linebeck's ship are all controlled by the touch screen, often to great effect. Phantom Hourglass even mixes up the format a bit with boss fights stretching across both screens, adding a surprising new dimension to the game. The other important addition is the use of the touch screen as an interactive map, where the player can take notes and draw pathways: a truly brilliant use of touch control.

The dungeons can often become too easy, a common complaint about the game. However, I didn't find many problems with the difficulty curve, since there practically is none. Instead, there is a sort of difficulty scatter-plot, without any real feeling of increasing difficulty. Exacerbating these problems is a massive, tiring central dungeon. Players will have to brave this terrifyingly long (and timed) fortress at least six times in the game, and since each run is linear, Link restarts at the entrance for every 10-to-20-minute run.

Phantom Hourglass also serves as a reminder that the DS has indeed reached a plateau when it comes to graphical capabilities. The game (rendered in full 3D) looks competent, but not spectacular, just as we have seen with previous first-party DS endeavors like Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, and Metroid Prime. Oh, and I just couldn't get over how downright UGLY Link's bug eyes look in this game.

Finally, Phantom Hourglass packs some multiplayer punch as well, including the touted online mode, the first of any Zelda title. The battle mode is fun, if it sometimes feels less like a Zelda game and more like a strategy game. Sadly, only two players can play at once, unlike the other prominent multiplayer Zelda, Four Swords. I sadly didn't have a chance to play the online component.

Phantom Hourglass is not the revolutionary move to the DS that Nintendo had hoped it would be. It uses the touch screen for nearly everything, and while sometimes this results in a cluttered interface, there are many, many moments when players will find themselves delighted by the brilliance of a puzzle or the ease of control in a certain area. Some may decry difficulty inconsistencies and dungeon design problems, but a charming storyline and fun puzzles make Phantom Hourglass a highlight of the Nintendo DS library and a worthy, if imperfect, successor to the Zelda legacy.

Graphics/Sound:		3.5		Overall: (3.0 stars)
Gameplay:		2.5
Design/Story:		3.5
Lasting Appeal:		2.5

With TWEWY I definitely came for the extensive customization, but I ended up staying for the co-op play, if you can believe it. Being the turn-based strategy game junkie that I am, I have a deep-seated love for endlessly tweaking and adjusting my cast of characters between every encounter (my FF: Tactics game can attest to that). And while this isn’t a turn-based game, TWEWY delivers that customizable fix that I’ve come to enjoy so much. From the clothes on your back, to the food in your stomach, to the pins on your chest, everything here affects your characters either numerically, changes their move set, or gives them a special ability.

However, all of these fine details don’t amount to much if you can’t put them to good use. Luckily, the combat mechanics here will keep you engaged throughout by utilizing both the top and bottom screens of the DS. Up top you’ll be using the d-pad, or face buttons, to line up symbols in order to score hits on your opponent. On the bottom it’s the various motions of the stylus that dictate what actions you perform. Sure they both sound simple enough when they’re separate, but try controlling both at the same time and pretty soon you’ll find yourself setting up that auto-play feature.

Now, if you’re like me and can’t manage what feels like doing ten things at once, you could always play the game co-op. No, I don’t mean wireless co-op, I mean you and your partner sit side-by-side and each controls either the top or bottom screen. Sure there might be some arguments about skipping through dialog too quickly or what items to buy, but being able to devote full attention to both characters at once makes the game much more manageable at higher levels of play.

Aside from missing a true multiplayer component (no, the “local co-op” doesn’t count), TWEWY is a game perfectly crafted for the handheld mindset. The missions here never take too long and you’re always able to save on a whim. You can do as much or as little combat as you’d like since the encounters are by choice rather than at random. The game even gives an incentive for you to return by continuing to level up your pins while it’s shut off. Just like the fashion mecca it’s centered around, this game also never sleeps.

TWEWY was a total blast from confusing start to convoluted finish. Believe me, after the credits roll you’ll be just as bewildered as I was as to what on Earth just happened. But fear not, once completed you’ll be rewarded with a plethora of bonus content – including the ability to replay any day you wish to unlock extra swag and plot info. If you own a DS, put it to good use and check this title out! You have seven days.

Graphics/Sound:		4.0		Average: (3.9 stars)
Gameplay:		4.0
Design/Story:		3.5
Lasting Appeal:		4.0
Overall:		4.0

You are Phoenix Wright, a rookie defense lawyer walking into his first ever case. Helped by his mentor Mia Fey, Phoenix must learn the skills needed to win court cases and prove his clients innocent. You will play through four levels from the original game, in which you can examine crime scenes, question witnesses, and collect evidence. There is also a fifth case designed specifically for the Nintendo DS, which uses touch screen investigation tools to find blood traces, fingerprints, and more. Phoenix meets friends and foes along the way, such as Mia's younger sister Maya, the dim-witted Detective Gumshoe, and ruthless prosecutor Miles Edgeworth.

Being that this is a visual novel, the plot is naturally the most important aspect. And this is the key to Phoenix Wright's success. It writes a serious and intelligent plot with unforgettable characters and an unexpected amount of humor thrown in. This is like reading a good book. What makes it even better is the ability to control said book. It also maintains a steadily rising level of difficulty, forcing the player to think more and more for each case.

While this game does not require the same level of smooth control that, say, a first-person shooter needs, it still does its own job well. The touch screen integration in the DS makes what was already an easy-to-use control scheme into something truly streamlined. No instructions are even needed, since the touch screen takes care of everything. Want to examine the scene? Simply tap the "Examine" button. Want to find and present evidence? Scroll through the pages, tap the evidence you want, and hit "Present." The touch control almost completely eliminates the need for scrolling through choices that you do not want to find the button you want to press.

Nevertheless, this control is not perfect. Because of the fact that each area you go to is just a background with you looking at it at a fixed spot, you need to select each scene you wish to go to. When selecting a different place to move to, sometimes you will find that there is a confusing heirarchy that determines where you can go from each place. (To get to the Evidence Room, you must go outside the Police Station, then go to the Guard Office, and then into the room) Also, since there can only be 4 places to choose from each time, there are sometimes areas that do not show up at all unless you go to a certain spot.

As you might guess, Ace Attorney is not a graphics-based game. However, that does not mean that it is not visually appealing. The game blends painted and colorful backdrops with anime-style, well-drawn and designed characters. (all 2 dimensional of course) They look crisp and vibrant on the screen, and each one is designed with such a vivid creativity that it is impossible to confuse any two. There are a few 3D sections in the last case, and these are definitely good looking, with fairly natural looking motions and designs. Music in the game is simple, but is very effective for its ability to stop, start, and change dynamically at the right moments, increasing the impact of many scenes.

Finally, Phoenix Wright, however interesting on the first playthrough, is not a game created for replay value. While the game pulled quite a few hours out of me, (I'll put it this way, I got Zelda a month before it and I was still playing this until nearly 2 months after I had beaten a 60-hour game of Zelda) it is still only good for one time. I will probably never play this again, since I already know the answers to all of the problems in the cases.

Most hardcore gamers will dismiss Phoenix Wright out of hand. It is more of a choose-your-own story books, and less of a traditional game. However, for those who have put their time into the title, this game is a really fun experience. Capcom has combined the intriguing plot of a good mystery book with the interactivity of a video game and the absurdness of an anime. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a great example of when games can show true intelligence and good writing.

Graphics/Sound:		3.5		Average: (3.5 stars)
Gameplay:		3.5
Design/Story:		4.0
Lasting Appeal:		2.5
Overall:		4.0