What the Game's About
Harvey Birdman, Third Rate Superhero from a classic turner cartoon, went and got a correspondence degree for law. As such he is now Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law! -- Defender of Third Rate Cartoon characters. What this allows you to see is a series of jokes and random pop culture references about cartoon characters you barely recognize in a courtroom setting. Mix the funny theme with the gameplay of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and you get Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law: the Video Game.

What's Hot
The Phoenix Wright series is seriously underappreciated and this title basically rips off that franchise. But that's not a bad thing, as Harvey Birdman's odd courtroom antics and random pop culture humor fit the gameplay style really well. It's probably the best game High Voltage software has done since... ever. In fact, this is a solid step for the team towards redeeming itself from 50 Cent: Bulletproof, a game that many consider an executable offense. It's also filled with laugh-out-loud humor, references to classic films, and random pop culture references that will leave you in stitches. Voice-acting is also top notch, with each actor fitting their voices perfectly (Except Phil Ken Sebben, more on that in What's Not). Special mention has to be made of Lewis Black as the Deadly Duplicator; his bile filled delivery makes great use of the only villain from Birdman's old days to still hate him. Also the cases are interesting and filled with pop culture reference and laugh-out-loud jokes from start to finish. Sure they don't make any sense, but that's part of the charm.

The animation is taken straight from the original series itself, so it's all high quality -- or at least as high quality as Adult Swim could get.

What's Not
This game is short. Criminally short. You have comedy gold here and enough characters, back story, and vocal talent to make a twenty-hour game. Instead we get five cases in what could be a four-hour game? Even Phoenix Wright doesn't rob you of that much cash for so little gameplay time.
Also, as the game takes place before the death of Phil Ken Sebben, why didn't High Voltage replace the inferior voice actor with Steven Colbert, the original voice. While his other character, Reducto, was voiced competently; Phil Ken Sebben, who arguable is the funniest character on the show, comes off as an unfunny character who wastes screen time. Also, there is little depth to each case. You basically know instantly if you presented the correct evidence, and while there is plenty of time between cases, actual court gameplay only has new dialog that moves the plot forward. The simple linearity of it is shameful and offers reduced playtime. It's definitely not worth the full price you'd pay for a copy right now.

Final Word
Although it's a fun to play a Phoenix Wright-style game on your PSP or Wii, this isn't worth its full price right now. Wait for it to drop down to about $20, then grab it with both hands. Fans of Phoenix Wright or Harvey Birdman, this is a decent buy.