Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law (Wii) - Review by jofra01

Introduction

Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law is a title from Capcom based on the tv show of the same name. Both the game and show revolve around ex-superhero Harvey T. Birdman of Birdman and the Galaxy Trio who is now an attorney working for a law firm along side many cartoon characters from the 60s and 70s.

Harvey Birdman hasn't changed since his day as a super hero as he still defends the innocent, and some times guilty, clients he have that are from Hanna-Barbera cartoon series. Harvey's archenemies also make an appearance but this time they are the prosecutors who try to find Harvey's clients guilty. The game contains five cases ranging from you defending Magilla Gorilla and Secret Squirrel who robbed you to cases of finding Yakky Doodle innocent for a crime he didn't commit with his new name Nailgun.

The game contains various antics that one would find present in the tv series along with various other shenanigans.

Gameplay

This title really doesn't offer much in terms of gameplay, having very similar gameplay mechanics to the Phoenix Wright series. Most of the time in the game you are in different locations using the Wii Remote as a pointer and clicking around on items and trying to find evidence that will find your client innocent, and sometimes guilty.

Whenever your not searching for evidence and clues you can talk to various characters who each have their own unique personality, and if it is a character from a Hanna-Barbera cartoon you can expect them to have the same personality but with style. When talking to someone you are given the chance to choose what you want to say to get the responses you do or want. Although it isn't the greatest thing to do in a game developers, High Voltage, have actually made it so that it is actually fun to say the wrong things purposely to see how the character you are speaking to reacts.

When it comes court time you are given the chance to present the evidence that you have and haven't found to the court and the jury to find your client guilty. During the court sessions in the game many mishaps will occur usually caused by Harvey's friend Portamus, who has a knack for say 'Did you get that thing I sent you, you know that thing I sent you'?.

Although there are actually five cases you will find that you will get past each case in less than an hour each meaning the game will be completed in under five hours. There are unlockables which are worth unlocking and they actually revolve around Street Fighter characters with one making an appearance in each case doing something totally out of character.

Controls

Using the Nintendo Wii Remote only the controls are extremely simple and accurate as all you find yourself doing is pointing and click on an item or choosing something to say.

Although the controls are very simplistic they are all that is needed for this point'n'clicking title. Sure it could get a bit boring after a while of only have the ability to not have that much control in terms of what you do in the game but true fans of point'n'clicking games will really love the idea of having the Wii Remote to use as a pointer making it a more realistic and truer experience on the Nintendo Wii then any other console.

Graphics

The graphics are animated in 2D and are very similar to the tv show. The characters and environments of the levels are each highly detailed and animated.

Very really isn't anything else to say about the graphics because if your a fan of the Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law tv series you will find yourself at home with this game.

Sound

When it comes to the music of the game it really isn't much containing really only the Harvey Birdman theme song along with some minor songs played in the background while you are looking for the evidence.

Sound however is a strong part of the game featuring the cast from the series doing voice overs both fans and nonfans of the series will find the voice acting humorous with what is said. However there are a few minor problems with some of the voice acting as characters like Mogilla Gorialla aren't actually voiced by the original actor from their series but are voiced by the ones who portray them in the Attorney at Law series.

Final comments

Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law is a great humorous game that will really only apply to two groups of people, one group would be people who enjoyed the Phoenix Wright series and other similar games and the other group would be actual fans of the show itself.

The game doesn't offer much in terms of gameplay and control, and it also won't last you long but if you are looking for a title that will offer you a good laugh then you should pick this game up.

Pro: Similar to tv series, great voice acting, graphics great
Con: Only few hours to finish, could have offered more in gameplay
Final score: 6.8

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