Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is the first game in the Ace Attorney series. Although it was originally released in Japan on the Gameboy Advance system, it didn't get an international release until 2005, and at that time it was available to play on the Nintendo DS. It has since been made available on the Wii, 3DS as well as IOS and Android devices.

The story follows Phoenix Wright, a rookie attorney who serves under his mentor, Mia Fey. You play as Phoenix both in and out of the courtroom, investigating crime scenes to collect evidence, interrogating key witnesses and suspects, as well as presenting your case in court. Your job is to point out flaws in testimony by pressing thw witness or presenting contradictions via evidence in the court record. By doing this, you will come to the conclusion of who committed the crime in question.

There are a total of five cases in the first game, which are as follows:

1) The First Turnabout -- This is basically just a tutorial, as the case is quite short and is only used as a means to introduce the player to the gameplay. You'll quickly learn how to spot a contradiction in court as you cross-examine the suspect Larry Butz, Phoenix's childhood friend and an absolute idiot.

2) Turnabout Sisters -- This case starts with a bang as someone close to Phoenix is murdered, and he must investigate. This will be the first time collecting actual evidence since the first case takes place in court only.

3) Turnabout Samurai -- This case is about a television actor who is accused of murdering his co-star. This is where the game begins to get a little more complex.

4) Turnabout Goodbyes -- This case puts Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth in the spotlight, as he's accused of murder. This is one of the best cases of the entire series.

5) Rise From the Ashes -- This is a bonus case which was added specifically for the DS release. It takes advantage of the touch screen as you use the stylus to examine evidence for fingerprints and other forms of DNA.

This remains one of the best games in the series. The cases are strong, with great writing and memorable characters. If you're not really a hardcore gamer but you enjoy games that put your mind to use, this is a good place to start.