Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - T

Best in text-driven, courtroom drama series on DS.

Publisher: Capcom Category/Genre: Video Games - Adventure Platform: Nintendo DS Price: $29.99 Online Enabled: No Graphics: Good.The best yet in an Ace Attorney game. Playability: Easy. Like an interactive novel with plenty of clicking. Reading Level: Heavy Release Date: 02/19/2008 ESRB Rating: T for Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violent References

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that like the earlier games in this series, this game will expose players to mature topics like murder (by shooting and poisoning), crime scenes, and the odd blood-stain in photographs. Nothing is overly graphic thanks to a cartoonish and tasteful art style. The game is text-driven and requires above average reading and comprehension skills to fully appreciate the game.

Families can talk about the similarities between this type of text-driven game and a book or TV show. Which medium does the best job of telling a story? The character of Apollo can tell when someone is lying -- have you ever been able to do that?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Erin Bell

Capcom has shaken things up with the fourth game in its Ace Attorney courtroom simulation series, which is set about seven years after Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations. Defense lawyer Phoenix has been stripped of his attorney status for reasons that aren't immediately clear, and players step into the shoes of 22-year-old rookie lawyer Apollo Justice. The dialogue-heavy, menu-driven game spans four cases divided into the investigation phase -- where players interview witnesses, gather evidence, and search the crime scene -- and the courtroom phase where testimony is heard and evidence is presented.

Designed from the ground up for the Nintendo DS (unlike the first three games which were ports of Japanese Game Boy Advance titles), APOLLO JUSTICE: ACE ATTORNEY boasts significantly better audio quality and crisper graphics. You can now explore crime scenes in 3D, rotate and zoom in on pieces of evidence, lift fingerprints and bootprints, and use Apollo's special powers of perception in court to tell if a person is lying through body language.

It's best to think of the Ace Attorney games as serialized novels, so if you haven't played the first three games, chances are you'll be rather lost amongst all the in-jokes and references to past characters and events. Nonetheless, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is as polished, intriguing, and entertaining as its predecessors.

Before tackling this game it's best to start from the beginning with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney -- Justice for All, and Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations. If you like this game, you might also enjoy Professor Layton and the Curious Village.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content Some mild innuendo like a sleazy doctor making fondling gestures at a 15-year-old girl. There's a running joke about panties.
Violence Each case involves a murder. Murder victims are depicted in flashbacks and photos with the occasional blood stains.
Language
Message
	Social Behavior Some gambling -- a man is killed while playing poker.
	Commercialism This is the 4th title in the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney series.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco
	Educational Value Players use reading comprehension and critical thinking skills to solve cases.