[JemyM]

Phoenix Wright 2: Ace Attorney: Justice for All
The direct sequel to the first game.

Story
I will not go too deep into the storyline of the second game in order to not spoil the first. It is a direct sequel. It shouldn't be surprising that plenty of the characters return from the first game, including people who were in past trials.

Phoenix Wright 1-3 was originally developed for Gameboy Advance. When the NDS version of PW1 was released it was extended with a fifth trial that is supposed to take place between PW1 and PW2, however, PW2 ties very strongly into the events of the first four trials and is especially a direct sequel to the fourth. As a such, playing PW2 after playing the now added fifth PW1 trial adds some inconsistencies even if they tried to wedge in the fifth trial so it still fits the story.

That said, I found the story in PW2 to be much stronger than PW1, probably thanks to now knowing the main characters and being emotionally invested in their peculiar personalities. In fact, this is one of those games that I just couldn't put aside and pushed on just to find out what happens at the end and it's also one of those stories that made my eyes wet in the ending.

Let's just say that Phoenix Wright 2 isn't just about Phoenix Wright himself, there is at least one other character who play a such vital role that I kept pushing forward just to uncover the mystery regarding another character.

Engine: Graphics & Sound
Please read my comments on Phoenix Wright above on engine as it haven't really changed. Like Phoenix Wright, PW2 was originally made for GBA and there's no NDS bonuslevel this time around. This means no forensics.

Gameplay
Most of the gameplay in PW1 is the same as in the first one. Read my comments on Phoenix Wright above.

There's no forensics in PW2 but there have been at least two enhancements. First I do not remember ever having to show a profile during a trial in the first game. Now you get a character portrait for everyone involved and once in awhile you are asked to present a name and you can do this by using these profiles. An essential addon if you ask me. The second addition is something called as "Psyche-Lock", while having a somewhat supernatural theme it could simply be renamed "interrogation". You push a person with evidence in order to make them cough up their secrets. This also feels like an addition that makes sense. Finally you have a healthbar now, where doing screwups might cause you to loose different amount of health. In the first game you always had five chances.

Final Verdict
Adventuregames usually stand and fall on their characters and the story and this is one that stands but probably not stand-alone. Having played PW and gotten familiar with the characters allow you to appreciate the continuation of their individual storylines even more.