Released only in America on January 8th, 2008, Capcom’s Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law for PS2, Wii & PSP is primarily an interactive story that the player participates in, rather than a challenge-based game that needs to be won. Each case is a self-contained story, incorporating the characters, settings, and most importantly, the off-beat humor that Harvey Birdman fans have come to expect.
Over the course of the adventure game, players must guide Harvey through a series of odd and comical cases. In order to prove his client’s innocence, Harvey must explore the scene of the crime, gather evidence, talk with other cartoon characters, occasionally have drinks with opposing council, and of course, tear holes (no matter how ridiculous) in the testimony provided by the witnesses for the prosecution.
Is this the case that’ll ruin Harvey Birdman’s career? Watch the Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law video review.
To quote the video review: “Somewhere along the line, someone entertained the idea that legal practice would make for a compelling video game. And wouldn’t you know it, it did. Capcom’s Phoenix Wright, in all of its finger-pointing and objection-growling charm, was a hit, inspiring a series of sequels and remakes on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. In a not-so-parallel universe, someone somewhere fancied the fact that a game like Phoenix Wright would be perfect fit for Adult Swim superzero Harvey Birdman—and wouldn’t you know it, it is. Kinda.
Despite some blunt gameplay, the visual and audio elements that make up Harvey Birdman are every bit as sharp as the show. As a matter of fact, it is the show. Stacking up with the scribes who penned the game’s script is an equally genuine effort by the cartoon’s cast and crew where every line drawn and delivered is done with the same punch and pizzazz as its broadcast counterpart. Even established voice talent like Gary Cole and Peter MacNicol lend their pipes to the mix, though Colbert is still out of sight. Harvey Birdman is a wonderfully packaged game that makes intelligent use of its license.
A marathon viewing of the show’s 12-minute episodes are likely to eclipse the time spent playing through Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, but brief as the game is it does fans of the series service by providing new content. If it’s a game you want, the Birdman may not be the best video game attorney for the job, but when it comes to cracking cases to go with funny bones Harv is a class act.”
Story — 8.6
Design — 6.0
Gameplay — 6.2
Presentation — 8.2
Overall — 6.5