My question to you is: do you have any definite feelings like I do on each game? what's your favorite? least favorite? any review-ish or opinionated thoughts on the games? Anything else you want to bring up? I'm interested in hearing everybody's thoughts on the franchise as a whole. Remember, though, that if you have thoughts on any unreleased games (DGS, SoJ, maybe GK2 I guess, although I think everyone has either played or read about that one by now?) not to mention any spoilers (or tag them), because a lot of us haven't played them yet!
Here was the final rating I got for each game, in percentage values with 100% being the best and 0% being the worst. (I gave each case a 1 to 5 rating and then averaged them to come up with this):
1. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - 95%
2. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - 92%
3. Trials and Tribulations - 88%
4. Gyakuten Kenji 2 - 88%
5. Dual Destinies - 86%
6. Justice for All - 85%
7. Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations - 80%
8. Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright - 75%
Some quick thoughts for each game (I try to keep it short, so I don't mention every admiration and critique for each game, but I'm happy to talk more about things if you wish:
Spoiler: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (GS1)
The first game is still the best one "objectively" (although nothing is actually objective) because of its simplicity, the relative-grounded nature of the narrative and the good variety between plot cases and stand-alone cases. However, the first case stops it from being the best on my personal list. Here are my individual case ratings:
1-1 The First Turnabout - 3/5 --- The first case is simple in order to show new players the game, but its too short and the fact that it shows the killer in the beginning doesn't leave a lot of mystery left in the case (other games have done this but they have a lot more details that throw off the player's assumptions. This one is pretty clear-cut. I admit I played AJ first and so this case from the beginning seemed too simple compared to my first "first case". I just don't enjoy it that much.
1-2 Turnabout Sisters 5/5 --- This one is pretty short but it's pretty perfect to me. It does show the killer, but as I said it offers a lot of other details that need to be sorted out like why he killed her and all the stuff about Bluecorp. It's a good intro to Maya and it sets up 4-4 in a way that doesn't scream "this is going to come up again!".
1-3 Turnabout Samurai 5/5 --- I love filler cases, and I think this case is really good. I like that it has nothing to do with the rest of the game; something that a lot of filler cases don't do anymore - a lot of times the developers now try and somehow connect every case in the game to the main plot, but personally I like how seeing a couple of unrelated "just doing my job" cases help to bring out the time that passes in each game. Each game (except for ones like AAI and VS) generally takes place over around a year or so, and the early games especially make you really feel like that amount of time has passed by the last case - something that I didn't really feel in later games. Overall I just like all the twists and the location.
1-4 Turnabout Goodbyes 5/5 --- Just like the other cases, I think the pacing is great in this, and I think it brings everything happening in the game together really well. While I'm not a huge fan of Manfred, the other parts of the plot make up for it and it all wraps up in a good way.
1-5 Rise from the Ashes 5/5 --- Just like with Turnabout Samurai, this is a case that I love but that a lot of people aren't a fan of. I'm much more lenient about plot holes and narrative contradictions generally (see my opinion of 4-3) if the case intrigues me, and that's the case here. It's really long, but that's alright with me since it is kind of a stand alone game rather than something directly tied to the last cases, and it offers a lot of variety in the locations and things to do (something which later long cases like I-5 didn't do well, in my opinion). It's kind of weird because if we didn't have the rest of the series ahead of this game, I might criticize this case a little bit for undermining the finality of 4-4's ending, (something I'm curious about with SoJ's DLC) but since we were all aware there were other games coming up I don't think it really is a valid point in-context. Overall, I just think it's a great stand-alone "minigame" which shows one of the few times Phoenix takes a case without any real connection to the Fey arc or whatever the plot of each game is.
Overall Thoughts --- As you can see, I really love all the cases with the exception of 1-1; if that case was as great as the rest this game would beat AJ on my list. I think it has a great presentation, and even though I love games like DD and GK2 I appreciate how "grounded" the first game is - the cases and characters aren't nearly as over-the-top as the later games. This isn't a criticism of that, but just that I like having a more subtle game along with the more exaggerated ones. I think it has the best pursuit theme, as well as the best "find the truth" theme Overall the music is great, and without a doubt the credits music for 1-4 is still my favorite out of the whole series. It's so sentimental, emotional, and hopeful at the same time.
1-1 The First Turnabout - 3/5 --- The first case is simple in order to show new players the game, but its too short and the fact that it shows the killer in the beginning doesn't leave a lot of mystery left in the case (other games have done this but they have a lot more details that throw off the player's assumptions. This one is pretty clear-cut. I admit I played AJ first and so this case from the beginning seemed too simple compared to my first "first case". I just don't enjoy it that much.
1-2 Turnabout Sisters 5/5 --- This one is pretty short but it's pretty perfect to me. It does show the killer, but as I said it offers a lot of other details that need to be sorted out like why he killed her and all the stuff about Bluecorp. It's a good intro to Maya and it sets up 4-4 in a way that doesn't scream "this is going to come up again!".
1-3 Turnabout Samurai 5/5 --- I love filler cases, and I think this case is really good. I like that it has nothing to do with the rest of the game; something that a lot of filler cases don't do anymore - a lot of times the developers now try and somehow connect every case in the game to the main plot, but personally I like how seeing a couple of unrelated "just doing my job" cases help to bring out the time that passes in each game. Each game (except for ones like AAI and VS) generally takes place over around a year or so, and the early games especially make you really feel like that amount of time has passed by the last case - something that I didn't really feel in later games. Overall I just like all the twists and the location.
1-4 Turnabout Goodbyes 5/5 --- Just like the other cases, I think the pacing is great in this, and I think it brings everything happening in the game together really well. While I'm not a huge fan of Manfred, the other parts of the plot make up for it and it all wraps up in a good way.
1-5 Rise from the Ashes 5/5 --- Just like with Turnabout Samurai, this is a case that I love but that a lot of people aren't a fan of. I'm much more lenient about plot holes and narrative contradictions generally (see my opinion of 4-3) if the case intrigues me, and that's the case here. It's really long, but that's alright with me since it is kind of a stand alone game rather than something directly tied to the last cases, and it offers a lot of variety in the locations and things to do (something which later long cases like I-5 didn't do well, in my opinion). It's kind of weird because if we didn't have the rest of the series ahead of this game, I might criticize this case a little bit for undermining the finality of 4-4's ending, (something I'm curious about with SoJ's DLC) but since we were all aware there were other games coming up I don't think it really is a valid point in-context. Overall, I just think it's a great stand-alone "minigame" which shows one of the few times Phoenix takes a case without any real connection to the Fey arc or whatever the plot of each game is.
Overall Thoughts --- As you can see, I really love all the cases with the exception of 1-1; if that case was as great as the rest this game would beat AJ on my list. I think it has a great presentation, and even though I love games like DD and GK2 I appreciate how "grounded" the first game is - the cases and characters aren't nearly as over-the-top as the later games. This isn't a criticism of that, but just that I like having a more subtle game along with the more exaggerated ones. I think it has the best pursuit theme, as well as the best "find the truth" theme Overall the music is great, and without a doubt the credits music for 1-4 is still my favorite out of the whole series. It's so sentimental, emotional, and hopeful at the same time.
Spoiler: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All (GS2)
Overall, I don't think Justice for All is as bad as I used to, although I still really dislike the Circus case. I realized I actually like the other cases more than I thought. Here are my specific thoughts:
2-1 The Lost Turnabout 4/5 Generally 4/5 seems to be the average AA case score: I like it a lot and it's fun but it isn't the most memorable case on the planet. That's my thought on this case. Overall, it's better than 1-1 but isn't as good as a case like 4-1. I like Maggey as a character and the crime is interesting. I like the amnesia plot point but I'm not as big on Maya showing up - while it's more interesting than just having her come back in 2-2, I think her appearance in 2-2 has more weight and in general I'm not huge on the non-linear progression of the games which occur over long periods of time. I prefer it like they did with GS1 and AJ.
2-2 Reunion, and Turnabout 5/5 --- I really like this case. I always like the "supernatural" cases (I'm a big fan of things like The X-Files which also blend crime and seeming supernatural occurrences) and this one has a great setup: your client is a jerk, your assistant seemingly is caught on camera murdering him, and in the end there's a big family conspiracy. I also like that they leave it open in a vague way. While they show Morgan scheming to put Pearl in charge, it's not mentioned in the rest of the game and first-time players generally won't know this comes back in 3-5, so it puts out this lingering sense of tension, where you wonder when it's going to come up again in this game and it never does.
2-3 Turnabout Big Top 3/5 --- I don't have any interest in circuses at all, and I don't really like any of the characters in this case, so I just generally don't care a lot about the case. This is purely subjective; if someone loved circuses but had no interest in television production then our scores for this case and 1-3 would probably be flipped. But I just don't ever feel the need to know what happens next like other cases. Having said that, even the worst AA case is still a really fun time, and I still enjoy it (for the record, no AA case actually got less than a 3/5, to my surprise).
2-4 Farewell, My Turnabout 5/5 --- I like this case a lot, because it raises the stakes in a really different way than 1-4 and doesn't rely on an old case that's brought up again. The kidnapping of Maya brings a sense of urgency to everything and makes the investigation segments more tense and exciting (especially scenes like when Phoenix and Edgeworth go to Engarde's house and the player knows that Maya's there but the characters don't). As said before, I like that it doesn't deal with Morgan's plans for revenge. The brief segments where the player controls Maya are very creepy as well. Overall a really good case.
Overall thoughts I always thought I didn't like JFA, but it turns out I like it a lot, and while in 2008 it was last on the list, now there are a couple of games that I like less. It shows that you should always rethink your opinion on what you do and don't like frequently, because tastes change a lot. I still don't like the circus case, but it doesn't ruin the other cases from being really good.
2-1 The Lost Turnabout 4/5 Generally 4/5 seems to be the average AA case score: I like it a lot and it's fun but it isn't the most memorable case on the planet. That's my thought on this case. Overall, it's better than 1-1 but isn't as good as a case like 4-1. I like Maggey as a character and the crime is interesting. I like the amnesia plot point but I'm not as big on Maya showing up - while it's more interesting than just having her come back in 2-2, I think her appearance in 2-2 has more weight and in general I'm not huge on the non-linear progression of the games which occur over long periods of time. I prefer it like they did with GS1 and AJ.
2-2 Reunion, and Turnabout 5/5 --- I really like this case. I always like the "supernatural" cases (I'm a big fan of things like The X-Files which also blend crime and seeming supernatural occurrences) and this one has a great setup: your client is a jerk, your assistant seemingly is caught on camera murdering him, and in the end there's a big family conspiracy. I also like that they leave it open in a vague way. While they show Morgan scheming to put Pearl in charge, it's not mentioned in the rest of the game and first-time players generally won't know this comes back in 3-5, so it puts out this lingering sense of tension, where you wonder when it's going to come up again in this game and it never does.
2-3 Turnabout Big Top 3/5 --- I don't have any interest in circuses at all, and I don't really like any of the characters in this case, so I just generally don't care a lot about the case. This is purely subjective; if someone loved circuses but had no interest in television production then our scores for this case and 1-3 would probably be flipped. But I just don't ever feel the need to know what happens next like other cases. Having said that, even the worst AA case is still a really fun time, and I still enjoy it (for the record, no AA case actually got less than a 3/5, to my surprise).
2-4 Farewell, My Turnabout 5/5 --- I like this case a lot, because it raises the stakes in a really different way than 1-4 and doesn't rely on an old case that's brought up again. The kidnapping of Maya brings a sense of urgency to everything and makes the investigation segments more tense and exciting (especially scenes like when Phoenix and Edgeworth go to Engarde's house and the player knows that Maya's there but the characters don't). As said before, I like that it doesn't deal with Morgan's plans for revenge. The brief segments where the player controls Maya are very creepy as well. Overall a really good case.
Overall thoughts I always thought I didn't like JFA, but it turns out I like it a lot, and while in 2008 it was last on the list, now there are a couple of games that I like less. It shows that you should always rethink your opinion on what you do and don't like frequently, because tastes change a lot. I still don't like the circus case, but it doesn't ruin the other cases from being really good.
Spoiler: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations (GS3)
I think Trials and Tribulations is really good, although not as good as other games and in my opinion not the best game in the franchise as many feel. Still, no 3/5 cases and it wraps up the trilogy in a really good way.
3-1 Turnabout Memories 4/5 --- I was never a fan of this young Phoenix (I'm not big on the soap opera drama of T&T, and I don't like how different he acts here) but everything else about the case is pretty good. Dahlia is interesting, especially in relation to 3-4. Playing as Mia is fun because the player never really got to know her too much in the other games, since she was a ghostly authority figure who showed up to help you every once in a while.
3-2 The Stolen Turnabout 4/5 --- This is one of those cases where my opinions the first or second time through might be completely different than my 5thth time. Right now, after playing this game again and again over the years (I think this was my 5th time through the game, I didn't find the case too interesting, because the major "turnabout" of the game is the whole "Is Atmey Mask Demasque or Isn't he" and once you know that the case doesn't offer a lot more to you. However, it's still a lot of fun, the characters are enjoyable and I like the KB security environment a lot. It barely gets a 4 rather than a 3, but it's a 4/5 for me.
3-3 Recipe for Turnabout 4/5 --- This is another hard one because I don't really care for the characters at all, especially Jean Armstrong who I don't find to be a well-written character. (in fact, I think he's offensive - I think he's a disrespectful stereotype, especially in context to how the other characters view him). The other ones don't do anything for me either. If I was grading on the characters alone this case would get a 3, but the actual case and the turnabouts are pretty good so it gets a 4, barely.
3-4 Turnabout Beginnings 5/5 --- This is one of the best cases of all time in my opinion. It's really unique in that its so devoid of humor and the common vibe the franchise brings to the table. I'm not one of those people who think "darker and grittier is better" (in fact, I often criticize that point of view as a way for adults to try and "age" the things they liked as a child in order to not feel weird about liking a "kid's thing", or in order to try and shape a franchise into the current overall tone people enjoy - something that might change in 10 or 20 years). However, it works here because of the context in which this case sits: the unresolved, sad case that determined both Mia's and Phoenix's paths fighting for Justice. The fact that it doesn't have a good ending is unique, as is how subtle and grounded everything is. None of the characters are really crazy; they wouldn't look out of place in a "serious" law show on TV. While Dahlia is interesting in 3-1, here is where she really shines. She emits this sense of deceit and evil that doesn't really have a place in the tone of other episodes in the series, but at the same time that evil can be charted to a starting point and doesn't just show up, like a lot of villains in games like DD. It sets up the next case nicely, and is one of the few cases where I emerged unsettled by what happened. For an animated sprite-based game with little violence, that's surprising.
3-5 Bridge to the Turnabout 5/5 --- As I said, I don't personally enjoy the "feenie" relationship stuff that much, so I echo some criticisms people have about the game, but the setup for the game is so creepy and mysterious - Phoenix seeing his dead murderous girlfriend in the newspaper. Everything from the Snowy, rural location to the supernatural aspects and the twisting plot hits all the marks that make me interested. I know some fans really don't enjoy the genuine supernatural aspects, but as I said I love them (in moderation, at least) so this case is great despite feeling like the Iris stuff is poorly-written and wooden. It's disappointing because the character of Iris could be really interesting, considering what she was put through and the emotional aftershocks of the weird relationship Phoenix and her have. To my knowledge, Iris has never returned, and in some ways that's disappointing because her relationship with Phoenix (the general "where do we go from here"/"get through our baggage" more than the actual romantic relationship) would be really interesting to explore, especially considering that she's in jail, but on the other hand this has never been the kind of series to really explore those kinds of things (with the exception of maybe AJ) so it's probably for the best that she hasn't returned.
Overall Thoughts
The game is a good wrap-up to the trilogy, and I really like the plot cases even though the stand-alone cases aren't the best. I like the creepy, supernatural stuff despite not being huge on how heavy-handed the relationship stuff is. A really good AA game.
3-1 Turnabout Memories 4/5 --- I was never a fan of this young Phoenix (I'm not big on the soap opera drama of T&T, and I don't like how different he acts here) but everything else about the case is pretty good. Dahlia is interesting, especially in relation to 3-4. Playing as Mia is fun because the player never really got to know her too much in the other games, since she was a ghostly authority figure who showed up to help you every once in a while.
3-2 The Stolen Turnabout 4/5 --- This is one of those cases where my opinions the first or second time through might be completely different than my 5thth time. Right now, after playing this game again and again over the years (I think this was my 5th time through the game, I didn't find the case too interesting, because the major "turnabout" of the game is the whole "Is Atmey Mask Demasque or Isn't he" and once you know that the case doesn't offer a lot more to you. However, it's still a lot of fun, the characters are enjoyable and I like the KB security environment a lot. It barely gets a 4 rather than a 3, but it's a 4/5 for me.
3-3 Recipe for Turnabout 4/5 --- This is another hard one because I don't really care for the characters at all, especially Jean Armstrong who I don't find to be a well-written character. (in fact, I think he's offensive - I think he's a disrespectful stereotype, especially in context to how the other characters view him). The other ones don't do anything for me either. If I was grading on the characters alone this case would get a 3, but the actual case and the turnabouts are pretty good so it gets a 4, barely.
3-4 Turnabout Beginnings 5/5 --- This is one of the best cases of all time in my opinion. It's really unique in that its so devoid of humor and the common vibe the franchise brings to the table. I'm not one of those people who think "darker and grittier is better" (in fact, I often criticize that point of view as a way for adults to try and "age" the things they liked as a child in order to not feel weird about liking a "kid's thing", or in order to try and shape a franchise into the current overall tone people enjoy - something that might change in 10 or 20 years). However, it works here because of the context in which this case sits: the unresolved, sad case that determined both Mia's and Phoenix's paths fighting for Justice. The fact that it doesn't have a good ending is unique, as is how subtle and grounded everything is. None of the characters are really crazy; they wouldn't look out of place in a "serious" law show on TV. While Dahlia is interesting in 3-1, here is where she really shines. She emits this sense of deceit and evil that doesn't really have a place in the tone of other episodes in the series, but at the same time that evil can be charted to a starting point and doesn't just show up, like a lot of villains in games like DD. It sets up the next case nicely, and is one of the few cases where I emerged unsettled by what happened. For an animated sprite-based game with little violence, that's surprising.
3-5 Bridge to the Turnabout 5/5 --- As I said, I don't personally enjoy the "feenie" relationship stuff that much, so I echo some criticisms people have about the game, but the setup for the game is so creepy and mysterious - Phoenix seeing his dead murderous girlfriend in the newspaper. Everything from the Snowy, rural location to the supernatural aspects and the twisting plot hits all the marks that make me interested. I know some fans really don't enjoy the genuine supernatural aspects, but as I said I love them (in moderation, at least) so this case is great despite feeling like the Iris stuff is poorly-written and wooden. It's disappointing because the character of Iris could be really interesting, considering what she was put through and the emotional aftershocks of the weird relationship Phoenix and her have. To my knowledge, Iris has never returned, and in some ways that's disappointing because her relationship with Phoenix (the general "where do we go from here"/"get through our baggage" more than the actual romantic relationship) would be really interesting to explore, especially considering that she's in jail, but on the other hand this has never been the kind of series to really explore those kinds of things (with the exception of maybe AJ) so it's probably for the best that she hasn't returned.
Overall Thoughts
The game is a good wrap-up to the trilogy, and I really like the plot cases even though the stand-alone cases aren't the best. I like the creepy, supernatural stuff despite not being huge on how heavy-handed the relationship stuff is. A really good AA game.
Spoiler: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (GS4)
AJ is my favorite. No doubt some of that is nostalgia as it was my first AA game, but I also just really enjoy the tone and the style of the game, and I like how creepy a lot of it is.
4-1 Turnabout Trump 5/5 --- This is the best "First" case, in my opinion. It's a good length, it doesn't give the killer away, and uses the player's perception of Phoenix in an interesting way. I think having the "Mia figure" really be a murderer is great too.
4-2 Turnabout Corner 5/5 --- I really like this case, despite not being a fan of the whole panty joke that seems to have become Trucy's major character trait. I think the case is really interesting and the locations are great. Klavier is really cool because he's such a different prosecutor than most of them we see in the games; he's not antagonistic from the beginning, which is great because I honestly get bored of the antagonistic prosecutor stopping at nothing to destroy Phoenix at this point.
4-3 Turnabout Serenade 4/5 --- I really love this case because of it's creepiness factor. Everything from the mysterious moving bodies to the murder being caught on the song recording really get my excitement and interest. There are some inconsistencies, (such as the whole recoil point many bring up) and I'm not huge on some of the characters, but in my opinion the tone and feel of the case makes up for any of those problems.
4-4 Turnabout Succession 5/5 -- Turnabout Succession might be my favorite case. I love the MASON system, because of how different it is from anything seen before. It brings Technology and that creepiness into it (it has my favorite intro sequence in any because of this) and it has the unique ability to cover so much time - rather than just referencing an old case, we get to live it. I do think that the actual flashback could have been handled better. It seems questionable that Phoenix would have acted the way he did, although honestly people have given him evidence randomly all the time so he didn't do anything any different. It's more his attitude that's strange. But the MASON system makes up for it, in my opinion, as well as for the plot issues it brings up - although you can explain a lot of that if you look at it as a simulated experience that Thalassa is viewing as a member of the Jury. I feel that despite wanting more GS games so bad (and I'm still overjoyed we got DD and SoJ), in some ways this is the best way to end the franchise, because Phoenix solves his own case but doesn't decide to immediately get back into law (although with DD obviously he ended up doing that). When this game was the last chronologically, I always assumed Phoenix would continue to be retired, Apollo would continue the tradition, and Phoenix as a character was wrapped up. I still think this is Phoenix's last bit of development, as in DD he was still "complete" (I don't know what happens in SoJ, though).
Overall Thoughts As I first played AJ, I'm unable to separate the fact that to me, this is the "real" Phoenix - the more experienced, dry, and seemingly-oblivious-but-actually-aware mentor. Because of that, I'm not going to be able to look at him from the perspective of most players, but at the same time I think that even if I had played the other games first, I don't think I would have had a problem with his portrayal. I wonder how much of the criticism over what happened to him is because of fans feelings its actually poorly written or if they're just depressed about Phoenix losing his badge. I think while the way they handled the actual scene where he screws up wasn't handled that well, the rest of his story was great. I think Phoenix is far from being shoe-horned in, despite Takumi being forced to include him. I think Apollo being the player character finally gave Phoenix a chance to have some character development of his own. The major appeal of AJ for me is that it continuously breaks the player's expectations of what they thought would happen: Phoenix lost his badge, Ema didn't succeed at becoming a Forensic scientist and now is grumpy and jaded, a lot of your clients are less innocent than they appear, and in the end the person in charge of the final outcome is a normal citizen. It's reminiscent to me of the Star Wars Prequels (ignoring the discussion of those films' quality) - the creator made something new and different from the previous work, something that deliberately tried to break expectations of how events occurred in order to create a surprising story. I think just like with those films, while a lot of criticism comes from legitimate places, I wonder how much of the criticisms come from the work simply being so different than the original. Personally, I like a sequel that tries to do something drastically new with the IP, rather than something that gives me more of the same. With AA, nothing really changes (I honestly look at new AA games as like "seasons" of the same TV show rather than new works entirely). Apart from the technical changes of AAI, I think in terms of tone and taking the plot in unexpected directions, AJ is the most unique of the franchise.
4-1 Turnabout Trump 5/5 --- This is the best "First" case, in my opinion. It's a good length, it doesn't give the killer away, and uses the player's perception of Phoenix in an interesting way. I think having the "Mia figure" really be a murderer is great too.
4-2 Turnabout Corner 5/5 --- I really like this case, despite not being a fan of the whole panty joke that seems to have become Trucy's major character trait. I think the case is really interesting and the locations are great. Klavier is really cool because he's such a different prosecutor than most of them we see in the games; he's not antagonistic from the beginning, which is great because I honestly get bored of the antagonistic prosecutor stopping at nothing to destroy Phoenix at this point.
4-3 Turnabout Serenade 4/5 --- I really love this case because of it's creepiness factor. Everything from the mysterious moving bodies to the murder being caught on the song recording really get my excitement and interest. There are some inconsistencies, (such as the whole recoil point many bring up) and I'm not huge on some of the characters, but in my opinion the tone and feel of the case makes up for any of those problems.
4-4 Turnabout Succession 5/5 -- Turnabout Succession might be my favorite case. I love the MASON system, because of how different it is from anything seen before. It brings Technology and that creepiness into it (it has my favorite intro sequence in any because of this) and it has the unique ability to cover so much time - rather than just referencing an old case, we get to live it. I do think that the actual flashback could have been handled better. It seems questionable that Phoenix would have acted the way he did, although honestly people have given him evidence randomly all the time so he didn't do anything any different. It's more his attitude that's strange. But the MASON system makes up for it, in my opinion, as well as for the plot issues it brings up - although you can explain a lot of that if you look at it as a simulated experience that Thalassa is viewing as a member of the Jury. I feel that despite wanting more GS games so bad (and I'm still overjoyed we got DD and SoJ), in some ways this is the best way to end the franchise, because Phoenix solves his own case but doesn't decide to immediately get back into law (although with DD obviously he ended up doing that). When this game was the last chronologically, I always assumed Phoenix would continue to be retired, Apollo would continue the tradition, and Phoenix as a character was wrapped up. I still think this is Phoenix's last bit of development, as in DD he was still "complete" (I don't know what happens in SoJ, though).
Overall Thoughts As I first played AJ, I'm unable to separate the fact that to me, this is the "real" Phoenix - the more experienced, dry, and seemingly-oblivious-but-actually-aware mentor. Because of that, I'm not going to be able to look at him from the perspective of most players, but at the same time I think that even if I had played the other games first, I don't think I would have had a problem with his portrayal. I wonder how much of the criticism over what happened to him is because of fans feelings its actually poorly written or if they're just depressed about Phoenix losing his badge. I think while the way they handled the actual scene where he screws up wasn't handled that well, the rest of his story was great. I think Phoenix is far from being shoe-horned in, despite Takumi being forced to include him. I think Apollo being the player character finally gave Phoenix a chance to have some character development of his own. The major appeal of AJ for me is that it continuously breaks the player's expectations of what they thought would happen: Phoenix lost his badge, Ema didn't succeed at becoming a Forensic scientist and now is grumpy and jaded, a lot of your clients are less innocent than they appear, and in the end the person in charge of the final outcome is a normal citizen. It's reminiscent to me of the Star Wars Prequels (ignoring the discussion of those films' quality) - the creator made something new and different from the previous work, something that deliberately tried to break expectations of how events occurred in order to create a surprising story. I think just like with those films, while a lot of criticism comes from legitimate places, I wonder how much of the criticisms come from the work simply being so different than the original. Personally, I like a sequel that tries to do something drastically new with the IP, rather than something that gives me more of the same. With AA, nothing really changes (I honestly look at new AA games as like "seasons" of the same TV show rather than new works entirely). Apart from the technical changes of AAI, I think in terms of tone and taking the plot in unexpected directions, AJ is the most unique of the franchise.
Spoiler: Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations (GK)
I think I like AAI more than many do. It was new and different and I like Edgeworth a lot. However, I didn't think all the cases were perfect.
I-1 Turnabout Visitor 4/5 --- Turnabout Visitor had a really good setup, and it had a lot of cool turns. The fact that it took place in an office was a return to the more grounded cases of GS1, which is good because of how much more over-the-top the game gets as it goes on.
I-2 Turnabout Airlines 5/5 --- Once again, this is a unique case that I enjoy a lot; in fact, it's my favorite case of the game. I think its the perfect length, it has fun characters and it has a lot of good twists and turns.
I-3 The Kidnapped Turnabout 4/5 --- I like the setup to this case, but I think it runs a little long and I don't think the case-specific characters are that great (that excludes main characters like Lang). I would have liked if we got to see more of the park, rather than have so much of it take place in the Wild West storeroom. Just like with I-5, I would like this case more if it was a little shorter.
I-4 Turnabout Reminiscence 4/5 --- At this point in the franchise, I'm starting to grow weary of flashback cases, at least about characters we know. Kind of like Phoenix in 3-1, I feel that while it's nice to see the character younger and in a different place, it doesn't offer enough reason to why w need to. I understand that it relates to young Kay, but I still found myself caring about this case least out of all the ones in the game. Still, its interesting and unlike I-5 it's a good length.
I-5 Turnabout Ablaze 3/5 --- If I was just basing this rating on the first few chapters of this case, it would get a 5/5 from me. I like the embassy location, the overall plot of the case and the different twists that occur. My problem is the pacing. This case is way too long, especially the ending confrontation with Alba. I found myself dreading that part as it came up. I think it has to do with my thoughts below.
Overall Thoughts I think AAI is a lot harder to replay again and again than the other games. While the other games are text adventures which let you just relax and enjoy the ride a lot, this game requires a lot more interactivity. This makes the game possibly more fun than the main series on the first or second play-through but tedious on the 5th. While in the other games you don't have to do that much work to "find the truth", in this game repeating conclusions you've made on previous playthroughs is long and drawn-out. I also get much more bored of the rebuttals than the main games' cross-examinations, which I've talked about over on the AAI forum. In the main games, cross-examinations are constantly giving you more new info, and the plot twists come from taking those apart. In AAI, the rebuttals are the opposite. You're making a claim, and then the other side tries to take it apart. As a result, not a lot of new info comes from the rebuttals and (especially if you're like me where you press every statement) it gets much more tedious than the cross-examinations. Overall, AAI did a lot of cool things but things were just a little too drawn out for me. While I dislike the non-linear progression of the cases for the games that take a long time, I do like it here because all the cases happen within days of eachother so it doesn't feel so random.
I-1 Turnabout Visitor 4/5 --- Turnabout Visitor had a really good setup, and it had a lot of cool turns. The fact that it took place in an office was a return to the more grounded cases of GS1, which is good because of how much more over-the-top the game gets as it goes on.
I-2 Turnabout Airlines 5/5 --- Once again, this is a unique case that I enjoy a lot; in fact, it's my favorite case of the game. I think its the perfect length, it has fun characters and it has a lot of good twists and turns.
I-3 The Kidnapped Turnabout 4/5 --- I like the setup to this case, but I think it runs a little long and I don't think the case-specific characters are that great (that excludes main characters like Lang). I would have liked if we got to see more of the park, rather than have so much of it take place in the Wild West storeroom. Just like with I-5, I would like this case more if it was a little shorter.
I-4 Turnabout Reminiscence 4/5 --- At this point in the franchise, I'm starting to grow weary of flashback cases, at least about characters we know. Kind of like Phoenix in 3-1, I feel that while it's nice to see the character younger and in a different place, it doesn't offer enough reason to why w need to. I understand that it relates to young Kay, but I still found myself caring about this case least out of all the ones in the game. Still, its interesting and unlike I-5 it's a good length.
I-5 Turnabout Ablaze 3/5 --- If I was just basing this rating on the first few chapters of this case, it would get a 5/5 from me. I like the embassy location, the overall plot of the case and the different twists that occur. My problem is the pacing. This case is way too long, especially the ending confrontation with Alba. I found myself dreading that part as it came up. I think it has to do with my thoughts below.
Overall Thoughts I think AAI is a lot harder to replay again and again than the other games. While the other games are text adventures which let you just relax and enjoy the ride a lot, this game requires a lot more interactivity. This makes the game possibly more fun than the main series on the first or second play-through but tedious on the 5th. While in the other games you don't have to do that much work to "find the truth", in this game repeating conclusions you've made on previous playthroughs is long and drawn-out. I also get much more bored of the rebuttals than the main games' cross-examinations, which I've talked about over on the AAI forum. In the main games, cross-examinations are constantly giving you more new info, and the plot twists come from taking those apart. In AAI, the rebuttals are the opposite. You're making a claim, and then the other side tries to take it apart. As a result, not a lot of new info comes from the rebuttals and (especially if you're like me where you press every statement) it gets much more tedious than the cross-examinations. Overall, AAI did a lot of cool things but things were just a little too drawn out for me. While I dislike the non-linear progression of the cases for the games that take a long time, I do like it here because all the cases happen within days of eachother so it doesn't feel so random.
Spoiler: Gyakuten Kenji 2/Prosecutor's Path (GK2)
I think GK2 fixed a lot of the pacing problems with GK1, or at least made the cases more complicated in order to provide more details for that length. I think it did a good job of providing Edgeworth with the final bit of character development he needed to become the "complete" character we see in DD.
Gk2-1 Turnabout Target 5/5 --- This case is probably the best "first" case after 1-4. The assassination plot is different than things before, and it really uses the ability AAI has that the main games don't - that the case can be progressing while its being solved. Usually in the main games, by the tie the lawyer is involved the murder has occurred and the evidence is all there. In this case, a lot is continuing to happen while Edgeworth is investigating, including more supposed threats on the "president's" life. A really exciting and cool case.
GK2-2 The Imprisoned Turnabout 4/5 --- This case is really good too, and the location is interesting. GK2 is focused a lot on being a game celebrating the anniversary of the franchise, so apart from having really cool references and connections to the other games, this case specifically is cool because it shows a place we've been to many times in more detail.
GK2-3 The Inherited Turnabout 4/5 --- This case is a little on the long side, but its interesting enough that it makes up for it. Playing as Gregory Edgeworth is fantastic and it really feels like its contributing to the franchise as a whole, similar to playing as Mia in T&T. I'm actually not massively interested in the whole sweets/recipe thing, but everything else about the case is fun.
GK2-4 The Forgotten Turnabout 4/5 --- This case is also a little long, but the amnesia thing is interesting and it's nice to have a case in the city again - we don't actually see that much of the "downtown" areas of Japanifornia (this is also true of GK2-5).
GK2-5 The Grand Turnabout 5/5 --- This case wraps up everything well and has a lot of variety. The surprise villain isn't an interesting to me as DD's (although I played DD first so that may be the reason) but it's still fun to sort out.
Overall Thoughts I think GK2 perfected what they did with GK1, even though if you were to ask me what overall plot I liked better I'd say GK1. This game's cases were better paced and more even.
Gk2-1 Turnabout Target 5/5 --- This case is probably the best "first" case after 1-4. The assassination plot is different than things before, and it really uses the ability AAI has that the main games don't - that the case can be progressing while its being solved. Usually in the main games, by the tie the lawyer is involved the murder has occurred and the evidence is all there. In this case, a lot is continuing to happen while Edgeworth is investigating, including more supposed threats on the "president's" life. A really exciting and cool case.
GK2-2 The Imprisoned Turnabout 4/5 --- This case is really good too, and the location is interesting. GK2 is focused a lot on being a game celebrating the anniversary of the franchise, so apart from having really cool references and connections to the other games, this case specifically is cool because it shows a place we've been to many times in more detail.
GK2-3 The Inherited Turnabout 4/5 --- This case is a little on the long side, but its interesting enough that it makes up for it. Playing as Gregory Edgeworth is fantastic and it really feels like its contributing to the franchise as a whole, similar to playing as Mia in T&T. I'm actually not massively interested in the whole sweets/recipe thing, but everything else about the case is fun.
GK2-4 The Forgotten Turnabout 4/5 --- This case is also a little long, but the amnesia thing is interesting and it's nice to have a case in the city again - we don't actually see that much of the "downtown" areas of Japanifornia (this is also true of GK2-5).
GK2-5 The Grand Turnabout 5/5 --- This case wraps up everything well and has a lot of variety. The surprise villain isn't an interesting to me as DD's (although I played DD first so that may be the reason) but it's still fun to sort out.
Overall Thoughts I think GK2 perfected what they did with GK1, even though if you were to ask me what overall plot I liked better I'd say GK1. This game's cases were better paced and more even.
Spoiler: Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (VS)
I didn't care for this game that much, even though I really like Layton and AA. I felt the AA parts were weak and the plot really didn't do anything interesting with the characters. In some ways its a good final case (if you consider it canon in its place in between 3-5 and 4-4) for Maya and Phoenix, and Maya's "death" adds to their relationship, even though in my opinion it was handled well, but I don't think it really contributes to their progression in any way.) I know a lot feel that this game is better than DD, but I feel completely the opposite. I think it has to do with what people want in an AA game, and I really want hard-to-predict cases that start off crazy and then get sorted out. Because of the game's location and the fact that the mystery behind "magic" isn't revealed until the end of the game, that normal AA progression doesn't happen and its less interesting to me. I also don't like the game very much visually. I think its kind of ironic that I love the supernatural stuff in the other games so much, while here I don't, but I think its about the tone. This is a fantasy world where the supernatural discussion is "does magic exist?"; the other cases I like so much use supernatural events in a creepy way - how did the bodies get moved, who was Dahlia channeled by when she murdered the victim, etc. The supernatural elements in this game aren't unsettling like they are in the main series. If you're wondering why my general thoughts are first here, its because there are so many chapters in this game that I don't remember how I felt about each individual one - all I have are my ratings. Here they are:
VS-1 On A Dark and Stormy Night 5/5
VS-2 English Turnabout 5/5
VS-3 Mysterious Labyrinthia 4/5
VS-4 The Fire Witch 4/5
VS-5 The Great Witch 4/5
VS-6 The Golden Court 3/5
VS-7 A Taste of Despair 3/5
VS-8 Secrets of the Underground Ruins 3/5
VS-9 The Story's End 3/5
VS-10 The Final Witch Trial 3/5
VS-11 The Last Inquisitor 4/5
VS-12 The First Story 4/5
As you can see, I seem to have really liked the early set up of the story (which is really cool) and the initial explorations of the lore (I do remember loving the secret creepy room with the fire mural under the library) but as the game continues and it gets into the Layton Statue/Maya's "Death" part of the story I start not enjoying it that much, only seeming to get into it again in the end. For the record, I've played all the Layton games, and this is my rating for the Layton games:
1. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy
2. Professor Layton and the Last Spector
3. All the rest of them (I find the rest kind of good but not great, like 7/10)
As you can see, I'm not the traditional Layton fan (from what I've heard most prefer the original trilogy to the prequels and Azran isn't considered great) so maybe that has something to do with it, but I think it just honestly doesn't give me the traditional AA crime progression. Its great of them to experiment, though, and I'm glad the game exists.
VS-1 On A Dark and Stormy Night 5/5
VS-2 English Turnabout 5/5
VS-3 Mysterious Labyrinthia 4/5
VS-4 The Fire Witch 4/5
VS-5 The Great Witch 4/5
VS-6 The Golden Court 3/5
VS-7 A Taste of Despair 3/5
VS-8 Secrets of the Underground Ruins 3/5
VS-9 The Story's End 3/5
VS-10 The Final Witch Trial 3/5
VS-11 The Last Inquisitor 4/5
VS-12 The First Story 4/5
As you can see, I seem to have really liked the early set up of the story (which is really cool) and the initial explorations of the lore (I do remember loving the secret creepy room with the fire mural under the library) but as the game continues and it gets into the Layton Statue/Maya's "Death" part of the story I start not enjoying it that much, only seeming to get into it again in the end. For the record, I've played all the Layton games, and this is my rating for the Layton games:
1. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy
2. Professor Layton and the Last Spector
3. All the rest of them (I find the rest kind of good but not great, like 7/10)
As you can see, I'm not the traditional Layton fan (from what I've heard most prefer the original trilogy to the prequels and Azran isn't considered great) so maybe that has something to do with it, but I think it just honestly doesn't give me the traditional AA crime progression. Its great of them to experiment, though, and I'm glad the game exists.
Spoiler: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies (GS5)
Thank god, we're on the last one! (I'm getting tired of writing!) I really like Dual Destinies. It is kind of a predictable sequel (more on that later) but I enjoy it a lot.
Turnabout Countdown 4/5 --- In theory, I love the setup to this case, so I should like it more than I do. I think honestly part of why I'm not in love with it is that I saw so much of it as DD developed, so by the time I got around to playing it I felt like I'd played it five times already. (That's one reason why I've been avoiding previews of cases in SoJ - the first experience I had with the 1st case was the demo last week.) So it's fun and exciting but like 3-2 it doesn't offer a lot more than the big two or so twists that I already knew going in anyway.
The Monstrous Turnabout 5/5 --- This is my favorite case in DD, and I think it's the closest to an Apollo Justice case - in 2008 when I assumed "Apollo Justice 2" would be coming soon, this is the kind of case I'd expect. I like the Yokai aspect, and the creepiness of the locations like the Tenma Taro chamber. I'm not big on them showing the killer in case 1, though. Overall, it's super interesting to me and I like Athena a lot. And Apollo being my favorite character, this gives me the closest thing to "Apollo Justice 2" that DD offers.
Turnabout Academy 3/5 --- This might be my least favorite AA case. I don't care at all about the school setting (even less than the circus) and I don't really like any of the characters. I also find the whole friendship thing heavy-handed. It's fun to play as Athena, though.
The Cosmic Turnabout 4/5 --- I really like the setup to the case, and it's great to play as Apollo a little more. I'm not as into it as 5-5, but it's still cool. It is obvious it was once the first part of 5-5, though, and as a result it feels bizarre, although its not that different from case 4s from games like T&T and GK2.
Turnabout for Tomorrow 5/5 --- I think this case is great. It is more interesting than 5-4 in terms of the space aspect, and I think the Phantom is a really different and cool character. Kind of like Kristoph in AJ, it's interesting to have an antagonist who doesn't have the normal over-the-top reason for why he kills. I grow tired of every villain having some petty reasoning for why he killed someone, so its unsettling and creepy to have a villain who has a different agenda. Unfortunately I was accidentally spoiled regarding the Phantom's identity before I started DD, so I can't comment on how surprising it was, but I still thought it was a great moment and something that no game had done in this magnitude before.
Overall Thoughts I previously compared AJ to the Star Wars prequels: it was a sequel that tried to be different or spin the original in a way that audiences wouldn't have predicted. I feel like DD is kind of equivalent to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. A well-done, fun work that gives fans exactly what they "want", with the downside being that its predictable and doesn't try to change the formula up or do something really different. It's more of the same. I really liked the game, and my expectations were met. In fact, I think I like it a lot more than a lot of fans do. However, I found myself wishing they would have taken some of the more interesting aspects of AJ - the jury system, Phoenix in his weird new role - and explored them more. Phoenix generally acts like AJ Phoenix when we can't hear his internal thoughts, but I miss some of the more mysterious and dry aspects of his AJ personality. I think DD is a really good but not amazing AA game.
Turnabout Countdown 4/5 --- In theory, I love the setup to this case, so I should like it more than I do. I think honestly part of why I'm not in love with it is that I saw so much of it as DD developed, so by the time I got around to playing it I felt like I'd played it five times already. (That's one reason why I've been avoiding previews of cases in SoJ - the first experience I had with the 1st case was the demo last week.) So it's fun and exciting but like 3-2 it doesn't offer a lot more than the big two or so twists that I already knew going in anyway.
The Monstrous Turnabout 5/5 --- This is my favorite case in DD, and I think it's the closest to an Apollo Justice case - in 2008 when I assumed "Apollo Justice 2" would be coming soon, this is the kind of case I'd expect. I like the Yokai aspect, and the creepiness of the locations like the Tenma Taro chamber. I'm not big on them showing the killer in case 1, though. Overall, it's super interesting to me and I like Athena a lot. And Apollo being my favorite character, this gives me the closest thing to "Apollo Justice 2" that DD offers.
Turnabout Academy 3/5 --- This might be my least favorite AA case. I don't care at all about the school setting (even less than the circus) and I don't really like any of the characters. I also find the whole friendship thing heavy-handed. It's fun to play as Athena, though.
The Cosmic Turnabout 4/5 --- I really like the setup to the case, and it's great to play as Apollo a little more. I'm not as into it as 5-5, but it's still cool. It is obvious it was once the first part of 5-5, though, and as a result it feels bizarre, although its not that different from case 4s from games like T&T and GK2.
Turnabout for Tomorrow 5/5 --- I think this case is great. It is more interesting than 5-4 in terms of the space aspect, and I think the Phantom is a really different and cool character. Kind of like Kristoph in AJ, it's interesting to have an antagonist who doesn't have the normal over-the-top reason for why he kills. I grow tired of every villain having some petty reasoning for why he killed someone, so its unsettling and creepy to have a villain who has a different agenda. Unfortunately I was accidentally spoiled regarding the Phantom's identity before I started DD, so I can't comment on how surprising it was, but I still thought it was a great moment and something that no game had done in this magnitude before.
Overall Thoughts I previously compared AJ to the Star Wars prequels: it was a sequel that tried to be different or spin the original in a way that audiences wouldn't have predicted. I feel like DD is kind of equivalent to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. A well-done, fun work that gives fans exactly what they "want", with the downside being that its predictable and doesn't try to change the formula up or do something really different. It's more of the same. I really liked the game, and my expectations were met. In fact, I think I like it a lot more than a lot of fans do. However, I found myself wishing they would have taken some of the more interesting aspects of AJ - the jury system, Phoenix in his weird new role - and explored them more. Phoenix generally acts like AJ Phoenix when we can't hear his internal thoughts, but I miss some of the more mysterious and dry aspects of his AJ personality. I think DD is a really good but not amazing AA game.
So, what are your thoughts on the franchise, a specific game, or anything else?
