Racing through the sky like a Missile
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Location: LA, Japanifornia
Rank: Ace Attorney
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:17 am
Posts: 6180
CatMuto wrote:
No, no, I never wanted the entirety of a 3rd Case removed!
Merely that I would prefer to have only 4 Cases to play through, where all make sense in terms of necessary plot they are building up to, rather than 5 Cases where the one in the middle seems completely out of place.
For example, look at GS3.
1st Case - Mia's past, Dahlia's introduced as a little bitch
2nd Case - Introduction of Godot
4th Case - More Mia's past, obviousness that is called Diego Armando (Seriously, after getting to Case 4, who didn't know?), Dahlia's first appearance
5th Case - Huge festival about the Fey Clan and why Godot is how and what he is
Granted, without the 3rd Case, Phoenix and Godot would've faced each other in court only twice in total. But it would've kept the plot tight - it's all about Godot. Phoenix actually takes a place in the back of the stage while everything else seems to center about the mysterious Godot and how he came to be.
At least, that's a reason what I do not like about GS3.
It didn't focus much on Phoenix, not giving us any new information (aside from him being a naive idiot even prior to GS1) and basically feels like a game that focuses on this guy who was randomly introduced in this game and now we have to create a giant plot arc with betrayal and lost and unlost family members and explain how the Fey clan fits into it all. I'm digressing ...
But Less can be More at times, remember.
Ignoring the fact that the 3rd Case is just the obligatory "Fight new Prosecutor before Big Case" part of the game, with it lacking, we could get a bigger message. Okay, for GS2, if we had gone from Morgan plots Something in Case 2 to Phoenix learns an important Message in Case 4, it would've felt weird. But Case 3 just felt even weirder in its place.
C-A
Although I agree that the 3rd cases do seem out of place sometimes, what keeps the cases together isn't just story or the characters - it's the overlying theme within a game or some morality story. Let's go through them one by one.
GS1-3, Turnabout Samurai. At first glance, it seems like an excuse to sidetrack from the main plot for random stuff and giggles. Sure, it's a homage to popular shows like Power Rangers and whatnot; a good time for the players to relax. Only, not really. What ties this case to the others isn't only facing against Edgeworth (nor is it Oldbag, sadly). Nor is it about Nick and Maya's bonding time; plenty of time for that later. This is the first case that brings in a major subversion to the routine case: the actual criminal is not a murderer. She caused a death, but it wasn't intentional. That alone adds so much more depth to the game and a wider perspective on the world these characters reside in. Bringing in Cody suggests the proper level of discipline handled by a court of law, as the previous case revealed a powerful and influential enemy that held the court in his hands. And of course, Edgeworth's shining moment the first time he broke out from his usual a**hole parade. There's so much character development going on that no matter what, I can't hate this case.
GS2-3, Turnabout Circus. Oh, a random circus is in town! Time for more ill-placed jokes! And then, Nick himself says no. All these outrageous personalities make his courtroom antics seem sane. Though we find the Judge as one of the silliest characters in this series, even he can't stand Moe and is generally speechless about Ben and Trilo. But the key player here is Acro. I may be alone here when I say this, but I like his story, simple and tragic. That's what makes the final breakdown so touching; it was all by ill chance. This is a case solidly brings in the meaning of "justice for all," as in there were no "bad" people in that case. Even the murderer was someone you could sympathize with. And Franzy, as little as she contributes to this case, could not be replaced by anyone - Edgey's gone off to repent, and any new character introduced here would be out of place. We still need an unforgiving prosecutor that players can hate. The battle victory feels so much sweeter, not to mention learning about Franzy's "revenge".
GS3-3, Recipe for Turnabout. Although there's the running gag of Nick and Maya gaining imitators, it's more development for both attorneys. Like the previous case, Nick has a lot of trouble understanding Godot because he's oblivious to the latter's past (beside the coffeenese). But Maggie's predicament can be related to Nick's when he's facing Godot. There is such a strong sense of distrust and betrayal all around in this case. The Judge was at first reluctant to believe the real Nick was back. Tigre was playing Viola for a fool (look, there's the pun in her name!). Nick's rep was ruined thanks to Tigre; now, it's not just the usual "turn Nick into the butt-monkey" charade (not really a charade, but it's definitely a running gag). And above all, the deceive-poison betrayal combo that Tigre shows - it brings back bad memories for Nick. Trials and Tribulations, out of the entire series, focuses on the theme of betrayal and deception the most. Godot is there as a pinnacle of doubt, but it isn't all about him, as he himself comes to realize.
GS4-3, Turnabout Serenade. This is indeed my least favorite of the third cases, but that isn't to say it's that bad. At first, I thought little of Klavier because his character was so simple and moral. By the third case, I added "whiny little brat" in there. JK. This case is another one that throws in a few surprising twists: the client isn't completely off the hook, the culprit was someone close to the prosecutor, and the one who was blind was the lady. Focus on the 2nd point. It wasn't until after the game when I slowly realized how tragically Klavier's story is presented. He's always been too naive, and those who are close to him can easily deceive him. In a way, it's just like Nick before he became an attorney (even the "whiny brat" part fits!). What does Apollo gain from this case? He's still growing as an attorney himself. Both of his previous cases were practically laid out for him: one by Nick and Kristoph, the other by Klavier. Now, Klav's caught in a tight spot and isn't going to make it easy for Apollo - finally, the challenge and the true reward. Also, it's a case when Nick can get some rest from being onscreen... waiting for the results of his 7-year trap.
GK1-3, The Kidnapped Turnabout. I dunno, but I like Kay's intro. Never mind Edgey becomes a hostage for the sake of fanservice. But gawrsh... more naivety in relationships.
Easy deception should be the main theme of the third cases, above all else. You'd think Edgey would be able to better choose his partnerships than Nick would. NOPE. Proven by the paucity of Gumshoe (that's gotta be a rule somewhere). Oh, of course there's the "happy" couple. And another young lady whose loving parent dies an underwhelming death. Even I'm getting tired of these recurrences as I type. But what's the overlying theme of this game anyway? Edgeworth is being compared and contrasted to Phoenix in terms of the protagonist's view
a little too much at times. Unfortunately, both this game and its sequel don't have their amazing concepts applied as tangibly and as collectively as the original trilogy. At least they do a decent job of expanding the AAverse with more foreign interaction.
GK2-3, The Inherited Turnabout. I've played it, so I can talk. Compared to the rest of the cases in GK2, this one definitely brings in a huge nostalgia quotient into the equation. It's the case that leads into the DL-6 incident, so obviously, Gregory Edgeworth and Manfred von Karma are going to face off. According to this case, they had some fierce arguments out of the courtroom, which comes to the best part of this case. The rest of the case... I have mixed feelings. It's a creative case, filled with candy and cake, but the way the murder was hidden for so long is beyond what I can take seriously. But, the important point here is the introduction to the background of the game's mastermind and how the first and second cases tie to the end. Though, like its prequel, the organization of the story is a bit sloppy. But I have to disagree that this third case is the "weakest link" in GK2. If anything, it's the strongest.
In conclusion: A paucity of Gumshoe means someone's gonna suffer by way of betrayal. As the "filler" cases of each game, the 3rd cases can hold their own for the most part, just as much as the 2nd cases, because their primary purpose is gradual revelation of the plot and its twists.
A disclaimer: This is a defensive rant. I don't expect it to be that well-spun, so expect holes.