Games for Lunch: Harvey Birdman
In a nutshell: Lawyer of the absurd
4/10/2008 1:11 PM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 3
Developer: High Voltage Software
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: Jan. 8, 2008
System: Wii
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web site
0:00 I'm a casual fan of both the "Harvey Birdman" cartoon series and the Phoenix Wright games on which this game is ostensibly based, so I should be right in the target audience for this one, right? Right?
0:01 The menu screen is set up like a disorganized desk of papers. I love the remixed theme song from the show.
0:02 A twig snaps. "You damn twig-snappers, people are trying to sleep," cries a random voice. Then someone sets fire to an apartment building. Peter Potamus (the classic Hanna-Barbera character) happened to be driving by. Did he set the fire? Nice to see they kept the manic pace and somewhat confusing openings from the show.
0:03 Cut to Harvey's office. A cut scene is interrupted when I'm asked to help Harvey solve a crossword puzzle: What seven letter word starts with "A" and means "long and hard?" Choices are "ayoqowb," "arduous" and "arousal." I hope both the gameplay and the humor get better than this.
0:04 Peter Potamus runs into the office just as he's being arrested for the arson. Turns out the house was Harvey's, but Peter says he didn't do it, (though he says he did throw a mailbox into the fire so he could continue cooking s'mores, heh). The story is delivered incredibly rapid-fire -- those not used to Adult Swim's manic pacing might be confused.
0:06 Harvey takes Peter's case (because of some lightly-established friendship between them) and before you know it they're in court with silver-tongued and silver-winged prosecutor Vulturo as the opposing counsel. In rapid succession, there's some flirting, some evidence being barfed up by the judge, and a bailiff zipping up his fly. Feels just like the show.
0:07 I can examine the barfed-up evidence on a menu screen. It includes the Squalking Heads' album "Burning Down Your House." Heh.
0:09 On the stand, Peter says he has laryngitis so he can't talk. He SAYS this. Harvey (i.e., me) is asked if it's true. Um, how am I supposed to answer that? I'll stay in character and lie. "He probably couldn't even say one more word." Peter: "That's right sir! Case dismissed." My first belly laugh -- a good sign. I guess I picked right.
0:10 So far, the entirety of the gameplay has been picking from multiple choice questions. I wasn't looking for a Scantron test mixed in with my crazy cartoon caperings.
0:11 Harvey argues that Peter couldn't strike a match to start a fire because he doesn't have fingers. It's a surprisingly good point.
0:12 Harvey's "wife" Gigi goes on the stand and says she saw Peter with matches in his hand. She also implies she's sleeping with the butcher. They miss an obvious "Hide the salami" joke here.
0:15 No more multiple choice -- now we're getting closer to the standard Phoenix Wright model of reading witness testimony and challenging it with evidence. So far it's incredibly simple to pick out the inconsistencies, but it's still early.
0:16 Birdgirl barges in with new evidence -- a lighter with P.P. written on it -- but Gigi changes her testimony to say Peter was actually was using a lighter, not matches, to start the fire. Don't courts usually frown on changing testimony in the middle of trial? Or juries do, at least. Then again, I suppose asking for legal accuracy from a game with a bird/man hybrid for a lawyer is a bit much.
