Game: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (DS)

The pedigree of this game alone makes it a must-play. Being from the creators of one of my most favourite game series of the past decade, Phoenix Wright et al, I just knew I'd like it. And while not as slick as those games, it is genius and magical enough to warrant a hearty playthrough.

The premise of the game is a little... well, bizarre. You play a time travelling ghost who has the ability to possess and manipulate inanimate objects. What this essentially boils down to is a reverse mouse trap game, where the player gets an unlimited amount of tries to upset or dictate the course of events occurring in a set piece - usually to prevent the killing of another character. Although very clever, almost by definition this results in the game being more about trial and error than skill; not that it ever gets too frustrating since it's all a little too easy. There are other gameplay aspects too, including a bit of sleuthing and dialogue, but they make up a small proportion of game best described as filler.

The other striking thing about Ghost Trick are the graphics. Amazingly enough no motion capture was used - instead models manually puppeteered in 3D were rendered to 2D. The effect is pretty amazing too with smoother than smooth animation bringing the characters to life (possibly at the expense of some serious CPU grunt).

And then we have the excellent and engaging story, the lovably quirky characters and drama that we've become accustomed to with the Attorney games. Recommended.