TRIALS
Trials are acts within episodes of the Ace Attorney games that take place in the District Court. The defense attorney participates in a criminal bench trial, representing his or her defendant against the accusations of the prosecution. The defense attorney's main method of attack is through the cross-examination of witnesses brought forth by the prosecution. Cross-examinations can lead to the uncovering of contradictions between testimony and evidence, as well as new information and even an opportunity for the defense attorney to call a witness. However, to keep their argument going, the defense attorney must be wary of the judge's confidence in them, which is represented by a health bar which the judge can damage via penalties.
CROSS-EXAMINATION
PRESSING
The defense attorney can ask for more details on a selected statement. The result of pressing a statement varies greatly across cross-examinations. The attorney may, for example, be given a chance to "press harder" or to present evidence to support a claim. Pressing a statement can also force the witness to modify their testimony. Pressing usually does not lead to penalties, although there are occasional exceptions.
Pressing can be initiated by pressing the "Press" button (L/+). On the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, one can also yell "Hold it!" into the microphone. This function is activated on the DS by holding the Y button, while on the 3DS, there is a microphone icon on the bottom right corner of the touchscreen. On the Wii, the player can wave the Wii Remote.
The defense attorney can ask for more details on a selected statement. The result of pressing a statement varies greatly across cross-examinations. The attorney may, for example, be given a chance to "press harder" or to present evidence to support a claim. Pressing a statement can also force the witness to modify their testimony. Pressing usually does not lead to penalties, although there are occasional exceptions.
Pressing can be initiated by pressing the "Press" button (L/+). On the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, one can also yell "Hold it!" into the microphone. This function is activated on the DS by holding the Y button, while on the 3DS, there is a microphone icon on the bottom right corner of the touchscreen. On the Wii, the player can wave the Wii Remote.
PRESENTING
The defense attorney can present evidence from the court record to point out a contradiction in the witness's testimony, or simply to prove a point based on the statement in question. In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations, profiles can also be presented. Sometimes, the player is asked to present evidence to prove a claim or answer a question.
To access the court record in order to present evidence, the player presses the "Present" button (R/-). To present evidence, the player selects the evidence and then presses "Present" (X). On the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, one can also yell "Objection!" or "Take that!" into the microphone. This function is activated on the DS by holding the Y button, while on the 3DS, there is a microphone icon on the bottom right corner of the touchscreen. On the Wii, the player can thrust the Wii Remote toward the motion sensor as if pointing at the witness. Presenting the wrong evidence will normally result in a penalty.
The defense attorney can present evidence from the court record to point out a contradiction in the witness's testimony, or simply to prove a point based on the statement in question. In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations, profiles can also be presented. Sometimes, the player is asked to present evidence to prove a claim or answer a question.
To access the court record in order to present evidence, the player presses the "Present" button (R/-). To present evidence, the player selects the evidence and then presses "Present" (X). On the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, one can also yell "Objection!" or "Take that!" into the microphone. This function is activated on the DS by holding the Y button, while on the 3DS, there is a microphone icon on the bottom right corner of the touchscreen. On the Wii, the player can thrust the Wii Remote toward the motion sensor as if pointing at the witness. Presenting the wrong evidence will normally result in a penalty.
BRACELET
Apollo Jusice has a bracelet with which he can sense tension in a witness. In Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, during a cross-examination, a bracelet button (X) will be colored and animated if Justice senses tension, and it will be grayed out if Justice does not sense tension. If the icon is activated, Justice can press it to focus on the witness as he or she makes the statement in question.
Apollo Jusice has a bracelet with which he can sense tension in a witness. In Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, during a cross-examination, a bracelet button (X) will be colored and animated if Justice senses tension, and it will be grayed out if Justice does not sense tension. If the icon is activated, Justice can press it to focus on the witness as he or she makes the statement in question.
MOOD MATRIX
In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, Athena Cykes can read emotions in people's voices and analyze them usings Widget's Mood Matrix program. This provides an alternate mode of cross-examination, in which the player examines the emotional outputs of a witness when making their statements. Usually, the goal is to find inconsistencies between a statement and its emotional output. However, sometimes one or more emotions overwhelm the others, and the player must find the source of the emotional overload. During these cross-examinations, "Press" (L) is replaced by "Pinpoint" or "Probe". The player can then use the d-pad or touchscreen to select the emotion or object of interest, and press "Pinpoint"/"Probe" (X) to confirm the selection.
In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, Athena Cykes can read emotions in people's voices and analyze them usings Widget's Mood Matrix program. This provides an alternate mode of cross-examination, in which the player examines the emotional outputs of a witness when making their statements. Usually, the goal is to find inconsistencies between a statement and its emotional output. However, sometimes one or more emotions overwhelm the others, and the player must find the source of the emotional overload. During these cross-examinations, "Press" (L) is replaced by "Pinpoint" or "Probe". The player can then use the d-pad or touchscreen to select the emotion or object of interest, and press "Pinpoint"/"Probe" (X) to confirm the selection.