Ah yes,the Nicolus Swiftius and the Shellus de Killerus. My favourite breeds of red herrings :p

What were your thoughts on the latest one anyway?

Another Investigations case. I think it says something about the impact those games had if I remember so little. I only remember Cammy for... reasons. And LeBlanc being disgusting to look at. I literally can't even remember what the case was about other than "It's on an air plane!" so I can't really say what I thought about it.
Also, the first case that came to mind for 36 is 3-4, but there are other candidates as well.

What are these 'reasons' here? >_> But yeah,like I said,the first couple of cases AAI do their job alright,but not much else.

#36-Turnabout Memories and #35-Turnabout Beginnings



Aha,now this is sure to be a controversial one! Two cases from the godly T&T-and they're both the flashback cases?! Yes,now before you march to my door bearing pitchforks and torches,let my state my opinion in more detail first.

While neither show the killer,they're both darn obvious. In 3-1, they make you present Dahlia's profile specifically before you meet her. And she definitely leaves an impact on you. In 3-4, the name Hawthorne itself invokes a feeling within you. Really,the whodunit isn't even that hard. It would be fun if Dahlia was a good villain (which I'll get to later,believe you me). But it isn't.The mystery besides that is interesting,but simple. You can pretty much figure everything out beforehand,though the defendant tries to stop you in both cases by eating the necklace. Either way,not much to say here.

The gameplay is simple,though in 3-4 I got so tired of navigating through the same testimony a million times. And honestly? The first part of the case isn't very fun,fanservice aside. I think it's the witnesses. 'Feenie' is so darn immature that I want to slap him. And young Gumshoe is weird. He's just there to stop you from getting to Dahlia immediately. And him calling Mia gorgeous is really gross. And how come he can't muster this sorta thing for Maggey?

The story is simple in 3-1, but still somewhat intriguing. 3-4 is that but even better. It's very nice and tragic,the whole bridge story. I love how 3-5 also takes place there,but you aren't sure at first. But while looking back,you can see all the signs. The bridge,the mention of the temple,the hilly region....it perfectly fits.



Let's talk about the fanservice here. Unlike in AAI,the cameos fit and work beautifully,besides Gumshoe and Feenie. Mia is gosh dang amazing. I dare say this is the pinnacle of her character. She's so sassy and hilarious it hurts. Diego is mentioned in one case and shown in the other. It's such an 'Aha!' moment,and you can surmise his backstory just from that.

Edgeworth is his Pre 1-2 self,and it shows even more how ruthless he is without reversing his character development. The judges are both great. The Canadian Judge works rather well as a replacement,and is also foreshadowing for 3-5 in a way. Payne is great,as you're expecting an easy win,but he actually puts up a decent fight. His breakdown is also the second best in this game,just on a comedic level. Grossberg is...there,I guess. It's strange to see him make his hemorhoidd jokes,especially seeing how un-gimmicky he was in AA1.

So all we have left are the characters special to the cases: Fawles,and Dahlia. Fawles is sort of like Feenie,except he has a redeeming quality-he dies!



What? Did I say something wrong?

And finally,we have Dahlia. To be honest,I like the idea of her more than her character. This evil women who ruins everyone's lives,and whose crimes you get to expose the further you go down. But...she's so uninteresting. Her personality is just 'evil girl' and that's far too simplistic for a main villain in my opinion.

Plus,she stays in meek mode for far too long. Usually,villains take 70-80% of their screen time Pre transformation. Dahlia? 95% meek mode. That barely even leaves time for her evil mode,and her meek mode is somehow even worse than her evil mode. She just keeps making the prosecutor and judge go 'Aw,she's so sweet!' and never even counters your attacks. That's a good tactic in universe,but in meta,it's really boring. So she's hardly the best villain in video games,if you ask me.

So those were Turnabout Memories and Turnabout Beginnings! While I do like them,I don't feel that they're as good as everyone says. Sure,the mystery,gameplay,story and fanservice are good,but the villain is terrible,and their first parts are boring. That really brings it down for me. In the end though,I prefer 3-4 due to that ending. It's so grim and foreboding in an otherwise alright case. So I give Turnabout Memories a 6.52/10 and Turnabout Beginnings a 6.6/10. To end this,have a great iOS screenshot:



See you later!

Next time,a case where a killer is the victim.

#34-The Imprisoned Turnabout



And so another AAI2 case falls! While I do like the game quite a bit,its opening cases aren't really the best. But is it bad? Well,let us see now,shall we?

The opening is quite spooky. The atmosphere is just right,and while it does seem to show the culprit,it is actually quite a red herring. And the buildup to the victim is just fantastic.

The story here is good. The multiple subplots concerning the prisoners,combined with Keyes and Roland's stuff,really help throw you off the track. The motive is actually very good in hindsight. The villain seems to be rather sympathethic at first glance,but then the fifth case happens. But we'll get to that in the case five writeup. The stuff with Ray and Courtney is good foreshadowing for afterwards,but I felt that they should've kept Ray's secret for later in the game. It felt a tad too premature on the game's part,honestly.

The mystery is good,but once again a tad too complex for a second case. If you ask me,I think this is probably one of the more complex mysteries in the whole series. The multiple subplots,like I said,are all good at throwing you off,and I honestly suspected pretty much everybody but Simon and Regina (and the other main characters) for doing it. Especially Dogen. God,he's such a good red herring. I seriously suspected him until Elbird's part. The idea of the previous case's killer being the victim is neat,and gives us more time to understand him and his acquaintances.



The one thing that really bothered me though,was Courtney's 'logic'. Someone pointed this out to me,and now I can't unsee it. After apprehending Elbird,she doesn't acknowledge his words. But then she ask him if he saw anyone in the well. That's really contradictory,and gives us a terrible initial impression of her. Also,the animal therapy part is really dumb,and the Berry Big Circus being involved just reeks of misplaced fanservice,but I'll forgive it because the animals are cute.

The gameplay is good,and Logic Chess is slightly more interesting (though they both occur too early). Debeste's testimony is silly,but in a good way. The others are fine. The investigations though,were once again too boring,and stretched on for far too long. The Little Thief segment gets a slight update,but it was still rather mediocre.

The characters are interesting. Simon is a good red herring in so many levels it's ridiculous. Regina,like I said,is just forced in here for fanservice,and I don't like the fact that she regressed from her 2-3 self by acting all weird and naïve. Elbird and Dogen both have weird designs,but they're great fun to deal with,and their involvement actually surprised me. Frank is actually great fanservice,since it actually makes sense for him to be here. Him being an accomplice is a great twist,and I think the only time that a culprit from a previous game gets involved in a different one.



Roland was interesting,but I like her more in the fifth case. Ray,like I said,is interesting,but I still wish that his thing had been saved for later. Courtney is fine,besides her stupid logic and her mediocre gimmick of repeatedly mentioning the Goddess of Law. Debeste is freaking hilarious. I feel that his stupidity perfectly contrasts Edgeworth's.

So far,you might say that my review of this case has been rather positive. So what puts it so low? The pacing. The case is divided in terms of 2 hour segments instead of the usual 1 hour. And this really makes the case drag. Really. The final confrontation also goes on for far too long. And I mean Alba long. I'm surprised no one ever mentions this,but these aspects really grind my gears. So taking that into account,I give this case a 6.601/10. See you later!

Next time,a case where a main character is the victim.

#33-The Adventure of the Unbreakable Speckled Band



DGS is here once more,and it's the second case! This case is certainly good,though I do have a few minor problems with it. So let's get started!

One thing I have to commend the intro for is not showing who the victim or suspect is. It gives more mystery before the big reveal-yes,that's right,Asougi is the victim here! And Ryuunosuke is the suspect....again....really guys? Was this really necessary? Oh well,at least it gives us some exciting drama!

The mystery is intriguing,yet simple. The locked room murder is a good red herring,and the actuality of how it got locked makes sense considering the unique setting.. The whodunit is fairly obvious,and kind of annoying. The fact that it was an accident is kinda underwhelming though.

My favourite thing about it though,is that the title is a HUGE red herring. You expect the murderer to be the guy who owns the snake but nope,turns out the snake isn't even involved. The part where Susato just points out all the flaws in the original story is great. The story behind this whole thing though,is really tragic. But more on that later.

The gameplay here is fine,but rather unique. There's no trial here. This is both a boon and a punishment for the game. On one hand,it makes sense the whole thing wouldn't go to trial that fast. On the other hand,it makes the game go too fast. Especially since the length of the third case is equivalent to 3-4, the fourth case equivalent to 6-2 and 5 to 5-5- all one day trials. I'd say this is even shorter than Airlines in some ways.



The Joint Reasoning is very fun,but not as funny as the later cases. The investigation is good,making use of the 3D features but not totally make them boring. The Reasoning Battle at the end was good,and I wish we had more of that in this game.
The presentation here is gorgeous. The music is great,especially Nocturne.

The characters are great. Ryuunosuke and Susato undergo their own arc here,and the great thing is that it doesn't stop even after the case is over. Sherlock is as fun as a barrel of monkeys,and always kept me on my toes. The part where he saves you unintentionally as he wears the tiara is priceless. I'm really happy that Hosonoga returned,but keeping his hand up like that seems odd now that he isn't a waiter. He was really sorry that he couldn't do much,and him trying to get approval by the captain only to get beat up was sad.

Dmitri doesn't show up here,but he's a good red herring. Mitrov was really a good guy in the end,and his pet snake was cute too. He sorta reminds me of Tigre from 3-3 though. Niko was just a sad girl who didn't mean to kill. They're both sad characters.

So that was that! This case was very nice! I enjoyed it a lot. My only gripes are its shortness,and also that it heavily borrows from Turnabout Sisters. Also,the second part was only twenty minutes,and felt odd.So with that in mind,I give this case a 6.66/10. I guess you could say that this case is...Devilish! See you next time!

Hint:One of the cases mentioned here is the next one. It's also a filler case....of sorts. That depends on your definition of the word.

What made Dahlia really work as a villain is her theme that plays when you first meet her. It's seemingly innocent, but it also feels ominous and mysterious, and I think that's perfect. The theme perfectly showcases that the innocent face is just a façade, and you just can't wait to unmask her. Mia's reactions here only help amplify that feeling, as she basically says the same thing.
Dahlia is also the first time you have a recurring villain like that. So, to see her again in 3-4 was something special. And the moment you realize she's involved, you just know she got away with it somehow, because she was right there in 3-1. You know something will happen -- you'll likely lose the case -- but you're not sure what, and it's pretty tense.
And then when 3-5 begins, and you see Iris Dahlia in the newspaper again, you can't help but think she might've gotten away with 3-1 too. These two cases really help drive 3-5 so much

And young Mia is hot. Just sayin'

Another case from the Investigations games, and thus another game I know very little about. I agree that the Berry Big Circus was very... VERY out of place here, and seeing Regina not having matured even a bit was worrying. In the end, I chose to kinda disregard Regina here, because I didn't want to acknowledge she didn't learn a thing from 2-2.
Interestingly, when I saw Courtney, I somehow knew that her whole thing was just a front. That she's not just 'evil' for the sake of it but that she had some ulterior motive. Pushing Edgeworth to greater heights? Being coerced into it? Undercover investigation? I didn't know which, but I just felt it was something like that.


While not the culprit by a strict definition, I think Morgan should count here for being involved in two crimes across two different games. (Or rather, she masterminded both.)
It's different in two senses, though. First, the aforementioned mastermind... Morgan masterminded both crimes whereas Frank committed the one crime and was an accomplice in the other. Secondly, Morgan's involvement in both crimes had been planned by Takumi since her introduction, whereas Frank's second crime wasn't thought up until long after his first crime.

Yeah,those things definitely push the case up. But I feel that those more had to do with the 'idea' of Dahlia,more than who she is. And I try not to talk about that sort of fanservice,if you get me.

Sorry for the abundance of AAI here. For the time being,this stuff should decrease. The only stuff that's left is real good.

Yeah,Regina is my favourite 2-2 character,so it's a pity to see her wasted like this.

Oh yeah,Morgan! I guess you're right! Sorry about that. Yeah,I think that she should count as well.

A lot of first cases will go quickly, and this one is the worst of the bunch. And the odd thing is, is that the contradictions aren't that bad. They're thought out, make sense, and really do well to advance the trial in a clear way. The problem? Pretty much everything is a "HOW THE F*CK DID THE POLICE MISS THIS?" type of contradiction. I mean, he misspelled her name, and no one noticed? No one checked to see if he was left-handed? Now that I play with a more logic-based mindset, it's mindblowing how they missed such big things as these. And besides Maggey, who is a decent character, just about everyone else new in this case is horrible. Wellington is nearly the worst villain in the franchise, Prince could be replaced by a brick in a police uniform, and amnesiac Phoenix just makes no damn sense whatsoever. Hell, there's a F*CKING BAILIFF RIGHT THERE. This case just drives me crazy, and it's a horrible way to start Justice for All.



And the Justice for All shaming isn't done yet. We go from a case that just makes no sense whatsoever to a case that also makes no sense whatsoever. But instead of "HOW THE F*CK DID THE POLICE MISS THIS?", it's "HOW THE F*CK IS THIS EVEN A LEGITIMATE ARGUMENT?" type of thing. The case starts out *decent* but then the prosecution says that Max...flew. He flew. Yup, because that makes perfect sense. Just...why? The prosecution's argument makes no sense, everyone but Acro is a complete idiot, and Acro isn't even introduced until halfway through day 2! And beyond that, in the second trial day, you pretty much accuse Acro instantly. No build-up at all, you just accuse him right away. This is just a horrible case overall with a bunch of annoying characters with the IQ of a stick, and it drags JFA down a ton. Can you guess which game is my least favorite yet?



I love Layton. I love Ace Attorney. So when I found out the crossover was coming to the US, I was thrilled. The Layton aspect is solid, but the Attorney aspect was...lacking through the first 3 cases. But I came into the final trial hoping it would make up for the subpar trials that came before. Instead, it was worse. Much, much worse. The new gimmick of noticing people during multiple-witness cross examinations was cool, but when there's 9 PEOPLE?! And every time it turned out to be nothing, you had to go through EVERY PIECE OF DIALOGUE again. And again. And again. The contradictions were really vague (I remember one really bullsh*tty one about footsteps), and it's going pretty much nowhere until the Storyteller shows up. I was hoping that he'd say some wacked-up stuff to resurrect the trial, but instead, the Layton-esque twist is dropped. Out of absolutely nowhere. Don't get me wrong, I love the crazy-ass Layton plot twists, but in a trial? It did nothing but flop completely, and even then the "twist" of not seeing the black or the made-up laboratory thing is just so stupid. And then, when the case is almost done, Espella, for whatever god damn reason, tries to pretty much CONVICT HERSELF. So the last part of the trial is trying to save the defendant from her own stupid ass. No epic final confrontation (Hell, there isn't even a final villain), just a slow-paced slog. What a bad way to end an already mediocre game.

#32-Turnabout Sisters



Oh hey there,AA1! Been some time,huh? Well,here's another classic for y'all! The infamous second case! It's been fiercely regarded as one of the worst AA cases. Well,I believe that just ain't true,and lemme tell you why!

This case's opening is great,apart from showing you the killer. Actually,for some reason,when I was first playing this case I thought that the killer was Sahwit again! It's a bit embarrassing,but I actually didn't pay attention to his hair. I just saw the pink suit and thought,'Oh,Frank again.' But the twist that your mentor died is great,and a nice and twisted way to start the case. Even if in hindsight,it kinda sucks because she can be channeled at any moment...

Although this might seem a tad premature this early in the game,it really shapes up the structure of the trilogy. You only really get to feel its importance upon replaying the trilogy,like someone else said here earlier.

The mystery is great. This is the first time that you implicate the killer by not directly accusing them,but by placing them in a situation where only they could've done it. I've always liked that in other cases (2-1,4-1,6-1,L-2,etc). The contradictions are once again very fun to expose,and here you have to press to proceed,which is very cool. And this directly ties in with...



The gameplay! It's very fun! The investigations are very well structured,and in some cases nonlinear (when pressing April about White). This case is the first AA case to have the whole 'you have three choices but saying any of them will work' stuff. It leads to great optional dialogue,leading to great replayability value! I kinda wish that the other games would bring this back too. The trials are well paced- with a press only testimony,a present only testimony,a press and then present testimony,and the final one where you have to press anything. The presentation fits in nice. It shows you how to investigate without even telling you.

The story is good,but even better after finishing the trilogy! It ties in with 1-4,2-2, and 3-5 without making it obvious. It gives details of the Fey clan and the DL-6 incident without elaborating prematurely. Grossberg's role is very much appreciated here too. The only major problem I had was the motive. It fits,but feels too simple for something that's pretty much a catalyst for some major events of the trilogy. Also,the spirit channeling stuff I feel came put of nowhere,but since the characters had the same reaction to it as I did,I felt it was alright. Unlike Little Thief,I might add.

The characters are good. April is your standard witness who goes crazy at the climax of the trial,the Bellboy is this weird guy who witnessed something important but doesn't know it,and Grossberg is this serious old guy who gives you backstory. They all do their jobs well. Now Maya,Edgeworth and Gumshoe are all introduced here!

Gumshoe is a fun detective,though he rubbed me the wrong way at first. The start of his arc is here,but it only starts to show in the third case. Maya is introduced as this sad little girl who just lost her sister,but willingly helps you by giving info on the victim and such. A stark difference from her usual persona. Edgeworth is presented as this smug and pompous pretty guy from the Victorian Era who's rumoured to have forged some evidence. That fake autopsy report is such a kick in the scrotum,really.

Mia and White are arguably the worse ones here. White,while wonderfully whitewashed as a weird but villainous man who owns everyone's lives in the investigation,crumbles in the trial easily while Edgeworth has to save him most of the time. He just feels like someone who should've gone down more,er,elegantly. Mia is presented at the end as a deux ex machina who saves the day by telling people to turn a paper around. Whoo. That was anticlimactic. Yeah,the ending was really weak for what a strong opening it had,and that's usually the crux of most peoples' arguments.

But I disagree. This case has so much to it- a marvellous mystery, subtle story, great gameplay,preposterously pretty presentation and charming characters,that even the end only slightly brings it down. So I give it a 6.75/10.



See you next time!

Tomorrow,we are playing...with fire.

Well well well, what a coincidence. Turnabout Sisters hits on the same day, except at a much lower ranking. The big reason for that, I'll get to later. The first day is pretty basic, nothing too special. For the first investigation in the series, it's done pretty well to introduce the player to the mechanics. It also introduces the main cast quite well, and considering how blood amazing it is (Maya, Gumshoe, Edgeworth) that's the biggest standout. The first trial is also pretty simple, nothing too crazy. April May is decent, but I really couldn't care too much for her. The Bellboy is hilarious and by far the best character specific to this case. But it's in day 2 that the case falls apart, and it starts with one man. I mentioned earlier how Wellington was nearly the worst villain. He takes a solid second place, only trailing behind, you guessed it, Redd White. For the build-up, White just turned out to be...nothing. He comes off as an egocentric prick, not an all-powerful blackmailer. And don't even get me STARTED on the trial. White says the stupidest things possible, and is only saved by Edgeworth's cheating ass. And then, when everything seems to be over, Phoenix turns everything around, right? Lol, good one. Phoenix just sits on his ass and lets Mia do everything. And even then, White crumbles after nothing. "Oh look, I have a list of names." "OH F*CK SHE HAS A LIST OF NAMES OF PEOPLE I'M BLACKMAILING EVEN THOUGH TO EVERYONE ELSE IT'S JUST A LIST OF NAMES I CONFESS EVERYTHING". Ugh. If the second day had been just like the first day, this would probably be in the late 20s/early 30s. But the end drags it into the 40s.




This is the first case on the list that I honestly don't know why it's so low. Maybe it's the lackluster cast. Maybe it's the pacing. Maybe it's the crime itself. I honestly can't pinpoint the reason why. Well, the context of the case is pretty interesting. Knightly, the previous killer, is now dead, and you have to defend his best friend, Simon Keyes. The characters, outside of 2 (Keyes and Sahwit) are either bland (Dogan) or just bad (Roland). They're flat, uninteresting, and don't do a whole lot to advance the plot. Having Sahwit was genius, and facing him was by far the best part of the case. After that, the case just slows down a lot. Nothing exciting happens, and then there's another one of those "Oh, there's someone here (Keyes) who could easily tell us how this works, but let's instead figure it out ourselves" moments in the flying well trick. It's just...bleh. Thankfully, Prosecutor's Path improves drastically after this case.

What I mostly liked about this case in hindsight is how it perfectly foreshadows the whole Fey clan stuff without making it feel like information had been omitted. It stands perfectly on its own yet also perfectly introduces later cases. It just makes you look back on this case in appreciation and think "You were hiding more than you let on, huh?". It's also why I love Trials and Tribulations, since it's on the receiving end here. It perfectly wraps up and builds upon the whole Fey clan, introducing a new dimension to the story almost.

I actually liked Redd White breaking down like that. Showed that behind all that... bravado is a guy who cracks the very moment he loses even just an ounce of control. It showed that he is actually just a pretty weak guy (mentally) and that the only reason he appeared this grand is because of his power. Without it, he's nothing.

I also started out not liking Gumshoe. I dunno, he actually seems a bit like an ass who looks down on you and is in cahoots with the enemy (Edgeworth) while kissing his ass. He was alright in 1-3, but he really started to turn around in 1-4, when he sought out Phoenix's help.

I absolutely disliked the part where Redd White was blackmailed himself into confessing. For one, it makes you feel like you weren't personally responsible for the victory. And two, I just don't really agree with the "eye for an eye" thing. It's not okay to bully a bully. I liked that when Redd White punched Phoenix, Phoenix didn't punch back. He simply thought he could bring Redd White down the proper way: In court. And that's how it should be. Not submitting Redd White into a confession...
On top of that, it also didn't make sense to me that Redd White was blackmailed by that list of names, of all things. If he already has everyone in his pocket (and seemingly all his victims know that too, if Grossberg is anything to go by) then it shouldn't matter if people know he blackmails people, since people already know he does!

I suppose the next one is that final case of AAI?

Yeh,I totally agree with you on that part.

Redd is sorta weak,but it still feels terrible. Though I don't think it drags,in fact,on the contrary,it's an anticlimax.

Like I said,Gumshoe does get a bit on my nerves in this case.

Ooh,your thoughts on the next one should be interesting.... ;)

#31-The Fire Witch



And here it is,the second Layton case! Well,the Layton crossover case. You know what I mean. The first witch trial itself has chanted Amere and it is now before us! Now let's talk!

There's not much story to this,so let's skip to the mystery! It's great! It does what 6-1 wanted to do- throw you in an unfamiliar environment where the trials are totally out of proportion,with some supernatural stuff! The use of the Witch's staff and the Grand Grimoire is just excellent. The idea that you have to make due with illustrations instead of the photographs and the lack of forensics simplifies matters,but also makes them harder.

Other than that,the contradictions make sense,and the part where all the witnesses become suspects is great,as the whole witches can be female ideology hasn't been properly enforced yet so you're just suspecting everybody. The motive here is interesting,as the reason for 'killing' Robbs and Muggs isn't even because Kira bore a grudge against them-but because she bore one against the defendant. I don't think this has happened again in the series,save 6-2.

The presentation is great here. All the 3D models are great,and the music is excellent. The gameplay is fun,with the multiple witnesses at once and the contradicting testimony. My only gripe is that they weren't used enough. They're too fun to be used so little,darn it!



The characters are good fun. Wordsmith and Emeer are hilarious both in design and writing. Kira is alright at first,but then transforms into this great over the top killer and yet still seems sympathethic in the end. It's great that they manage to turn it in us so many times. Mary and Knightle are alright,I guess. The highlights are their interactions; how they play off each other. These are the highlights of the trial.

The others are...alright. The whole thing with Phoenix I feel is way too reminiscent of 2-1, and Maya doesn't even really undergo that if I remember right. Layton and Luke are definite downsides. They act way too smart,and it comes off the wrong way,as if they're condescendingly showing Phoenix that they're better than him. The judge is alright,I guess. Barnham is a good opponent,and is actually smarter than people give him credit for.Espella is boring here. She keeps acting all 'Oh no please let me be killed' and feels two dimensional.

And that's the Fire Witch! It was a great introduction to Labyrinthia in every way. My only major gripe is that it takes a while to really get going. So I give it a 6.8/10. See you NOW BECAUSE IT AIN'T OVER YET! Yes,now we are into the top thirty. Let's see what we've got left,shall we?

AA1-1-3,1-4,1-5.
JfA-2-2,2-4.
T&T-3-2,3-3,3-5.
AJ-All of them.
DD-5-4,5-5,5-S.
SoJ-All the main cases.
AAI-I-4,I-5.
AAI2-I2-3,I2-4,I2-5.
PlvsAA-L-3,L-4.
DGS-D-3,D-5.

And that's all! Notice how my number 41 and 31 were both Layton cases? Hm...

Hint for the next one:A case with Detective Badd.

Hmm, it's not like he actually killed them. Those were all suicides, right? If everyone important already knew everyone was being blackmailed, then everyone important would also have figured out that the suicides have something to do with the blackmailing. Sure enough a list of suicide victims is worse than a list of blackmail victims, but... It still seems strange for him to buckle because of that.
...Then again, he was weak of mind anyway, so maybe it does make sense. ...It's far from satisfying to see him go down with that, though.

I love PLvsAA for several of the reasons you mentioned. The trials lack any fancy gadgets that just makes it feel like pure cross examination, which feels strangely fresh! The Mob Testimonies (is that what they're called?) are simple and unique, yet add something nice to it. In gameplay terms, it's really not much different from just a single person giving a testimony. But it's like you said, the interaction between the people is what really makes these Mob Testimonies shine. To see them bicker among each other, then suddenly huddle together and form a unified 'attack'... It's just a lot of fun and feels very dynamic.

It just shows that simple contradictions are often the best. It doesn't have to be convoluted and rely on some crazy mechanic or anything. I remember one of the first contradictions being the fact that Espella couldn't be holding a witch's staff in her hand because she couldn't have dropped the bucket on her wrist if she were holding one. (Or was that the lantern on her wrist? Regardless, you get the point.) It's just something so basic and logical, but it's not immediately obvious. It's a real "Aha!" when you figure it out.

This case also really shows how proper voice acting can really make a case. You called Kira suddenly sympathetic toward the end, and I'm convinced that's in large part because of the voice acting. Hearing her go 'crazy', and then crying out in despair when she's being cast into the flames... Man, that sure left an impact.

And yeah, the characters here are real nice. They're a bit one-note and gimmicky, but they're really good at it. I honestly don't know why they work, since usually two-dimensional characters aren't that good, but I guess it's because of the humor and charm with which they're presented. It doesn't feel boring, despite the lack of real depth.
And it's not like they're entirely two-dimensional. While subtle and never the focus, you do hear about a lot of the characters' wishes, desires, strengths and weaknesses.

And with this being the first case to introduce this setting, this atmosphere... I have to love it for that.

Screw Espella, though. She's more two-dimensional than the witnesses, and it just feels very unnatural for all four of our heroes to fawn over Little Miss Timid.
Speaking of the heroes... Yeah, this game shows how 'OP' Layton (and in extent, Luke) is... All throughout the trial (and subsequent trials) you feel like Layton would make a better attorney, since he's always a step ahead anyway. And that's just kind of insulting. Even when Layton says "This puzzle is more suited for Mr. Wright" it feels like that's just a pity puzzle. Layton is just throwing him a bone just so he doesn't feel insignificant.
It's fine if this OP-ness happens in his own games, since he's the star and all, but he shares the spotlight with Phoenix here, but Layton yanks it from him at every opportunity.
For what it's worth, Layton was a wonderful motivation for me to never mess up once. I could not bear to see that beady-eyed man correct me as if I'm just a little kid who doesn't know what he's doing.

And that's strange, since I actually like Layton and his games. Played all 6

I agree with you on what you said. The voice acting was great indeed. Have you seen the dialogue when you fail while presenting evidence as Layton in the Final Witch Trial(tm) yet,btw? Those are great. Look them up,if you must.

I've always thought of Apollo Justice as an underrated game. Besides some minor quirks that could've been easily avoided, it's pretty good for an Ace Attorney game. But if there is a weak link, then Turnabout Corner is definitely it. There's definitely some things to like here, such as the crime itself, the introduction of a bunch of solid characters into the game (Trucy, Phoenix, Ema, Klavier) and a good victim. But everything else is just...eh. First off, Wocky is the worst defendant in the series. AJ has the weakness of very stubborn defendants, and this ones the worst of the bunch. His reason for not saying what happened and wanting to get convicted? Because it's cool. That should be enough for why he sucks. Moving on, there's panties. Panties. Stickler and his panties fascination are just so stupid. He's grating, really stupid, and honestly is just a terrible character. Tiala is mediocre at best, as she feels like an April May/Dahlia ripoff at times, never really succeeding. The final confrontation is also very anti-climatic, as Tiala breaks down almost instantly. Eldoon is pretty enjoyable though. After that, it's just a mediocre case at best and a complete mess at worst.




And another Justice for All case falls! This poor game only has one case left, albeit, a very, very good case As for this one, it's just a big pile of bleh. Turner Grey was a douche, and I couldn't care less that he was the victim. Morgan, IMO, is a very overrated villain, especially in this case. She mostly just ticked me off, and not in a good way. With some villains (Ex:The last JFA villain) you love to hate them. With Morgan, I don't care to hate her. Franziska is grating, as she's just a Manfred ripoff who hides evidence and makes up the weirdest arguments. Ini/Mimi Miney is also kind of meh, as she never really does anything interesting. The Ini/Mimi twist was pretty good, but other than that the crime itself is fairly boring. This honestly would've been number 40 if it wasn't for one thing...Pearl! Pearl is just, like, the best thing ever. Well, ok, I like Apollo and Edgeworth more, but Pearl is still the third best thing ever. She's by far the best written child character in a game that I've ever seen, and this case utilizes her really, really well. Plus, Gumshoe's interactions with Pearl were hilarious. Pearl singlehandedly makes this case way better than it would've been without her.

#30-Turnabout Ablaze



And finally,the first final case falls! And how fitting it is that it's from my least favourite game too. This case,while still good,is not that great a final case. Let me explain.

The story here is not good for the finale. It rushedly and forcibly pushes all these subplots upon us-the two countries that we've never heard of before (that we're apparently supposed to care for?), the Yatagarasu, the smuggling ring, Calisto, Mask*DeMasque II (who apparently exists?), and the murder of Coachen. They try and explain all of these,but it feels contrived,and in the end I don't even remember the ending to half of these subplots.

The fanservice reeks here especially. Why is the Steel Samurai even being used here in the embassy? It makes no sense. Larry and Oldbag are even worse. It's awkward and that love letter stuff was utter nonsense. At least in 3-5 they had the sense to confine that stuff to the investigation. But since this game is all investigation,we HAVE to hear it to progress the plot. Ka-Shi-Nou was a really dumb reference to 3-2, and did they have to make a sprite for Lotta if she isn't even going to properly appear?

The overall plot isn't even satisfying or interesting. There's not much personal stakes after Yew gets out,and the whole political drama was stupid since we felt no tragedy. They gave no DETAILS,unlike Khura'in,where we learn how corrupt officials frame rebels with crimes. We don't care about these countries,and aren't given a reason to either. It's so impersonal,and the only way a case like that can intrigue me is if the coming together of everything is beautiful (4-4). But it's not.



The mystery is alright,but contrived in some parts. The part with the ceiling fans moving the statue makes no sense (how could they stand that weight?) and the tank thing seems impossible for Shih-na to have pulled off. The big twists,like Shih-na being Yew and the Yatagarasu being three people were great,and the highlights of the case.

The pacing is god awful. I just felt so disinterested throughout the Allebahst investigation,and the Babahl one was pretty boring. Honestly,the only parts where I felt genuinely interested throughout were the part where you expose Yew,and the Alba confrontation. Yes,I actually didn't mind the Alba confrontation. Yes,it did drag on for a while,but you could tell the developers were having fun here,and I genuinely found the excuses Alba made hilarious.

By the way,can I just say that the names in this case are terrible? The countries Al-Alleh-Allehbast? Eh,screw it,I'm calling them Country A,B and C (those're their puns,by the way). They all suffer from the Khura'inese 'let's put an unnecessary h to confuse the heck out of the players',sans the apostrophe at least. The names of the ambassadors aren't even actual names. They're the scientific names of the butterfly and white oak. Were they even trying?

The presentation is okay,but the terrible Little Thief segment strikes again! Honestly,I hate them. On top of not making sense,they're so boring. They're usually the worst part of the investigations for me,sans I2-3 (which lasted five minutes). The gameplay is alright minus that,but the part with Larry is dumb and pointless. The investigation right before the final confrontation just felt like stuff that we could have examined earlier but the developers just forgot about it until now.



Ugh,and the characters. Manny,while seeming really interesting,is killed off. Palaeno I actually don't care much for. Yeah,despite being quite nice throughout the case,he's not more than that, and even then it's undermined at the end where he sells off the fake statue to Lablanc. Alba,though I did like his confrontation,was a boring villain. He's even worse when you realise that his character before the transformation was basically nonexistent until he became a suspect. Larry and Oldbag I've talked about enough. I'm actually surprised they brought her back twice. That's really dumb.

Edgeworth doesn't even question his morality and gets away with it,Kay is just there,Franziska is fun but disappears and the end,and Gumshoe is also just there. Lang actually is very clever here. His plan to get Alba by accusing Franziska is very clever,and him getting Alba fired is good. He even undergoes some development when his protege is arrested.

Speaking of which,Yew is great fun,and I wish her confrontation lasted longer. She had way more personality than Alba. Badd here is freaking great. The twist that he's the Yatagarasu partially and also the thief in the first case was incredible. So the characters are an extremely mixed bag.

And that's it for this case! Despite having devolved into a huge rant at the end,this case is good. Just...not a good final case. I didn't even mind the final confrontation. My main problem is everything before that and the Yew confrontation. They were very good. The end I felt was also satisfying,and the credits were neat. So I give this case a 6.85/10. See you next time!

Next time,a fourth case that's not a final case but feels like it should be.

I think this case was all about Quercus Alba. I thought he was innocent when I first saw him. I mean I guess something about him was fishy, but I didn't think much about it. I was too shocked by the fire initially.
Quercus Alba was a really cool villain in my opinion, because it was tough to take him down. I like it when Ace Attorney introduces something new, and in this case, it was the fact that Alba was nearly invincible. Sort of like Gant or Kristoph Gavin I suppose. I also like when I can see the events in Ace Attorney happening in the real world. So that I can relate the fictional events to real-life current events. The thing that puts Alba over the top for me is that his invincibility is plausible in the real world. I could totally see laws in place where you cannot prosecute someone in Alba's position (and there probably are real laws like that). So that, and the weird (but refreshing!) idea of two embassies essentially in the same building, made this is a really cool case.

Yeah,I'm not the biggest fan of Alba,but I can see why people like him. The idea of him being immune is unique,and one of the obstacles you need to conquer. But what I'm saying here is that as an actual villain,he's boring and forgettable. Kinda like Dahlia,actually. The setting was kinda neat as well,but ultimately there to fit in with AAI's thing of 'unique' locations.

Again, a case I remember little about, but this time I feel it's more justified. So much, yet so little is going on in this case. Like you said, there are so many subplots, there are just too many to remember. And hardly anything is interesting. Like you, I don't care even a single bit about the two countries, because we don't hear any details about them but also because the names are just stupid. At least Khura'in sounds somewhat nice... But Allebahst and Babahl just sounds like someone throwing up.

And I dunno, something about the location was odd to me too. It doesn't take place in an embassy... No, it takes place in TWO embassies that are linked by a common hall. Maybe such a thing exists, but to me, that sounds like a location made up specifically for the mystery, instead of making up a mystery in an interesting location.
It also doesn't help that I don't like politics at all.

The only things I remember are that Alba took a long time to bring down (but was fun enough), the Shih-na <-> Yew thing, and Yategarasu being three people, though that was also a bit strange. I think I also remember someone shooting a bow from one embassy to the other to create a zipline? Uhm, that's all.

This case had a lot of promise, but it's just decent at best. The premise of the kidnapping was pretty clever, and Deacon was one of the better victims in the series. The main problem with this case though? The cast of characters specific to this case is horrifically bad. And when I say that, I mean it's easily the worst group, except for maybe 2-1 and 2-3. Paups is annoying, the Amanos are even more annoying, and to top it all off, they brought back not just one, but BOTH of the most annoying characters in the series: Meekins (ugh) and Oldbag (WHY). Oldbag's interactions with Edgeworth are usually pretty funny, but other than that she's a complete piece of trash that shouldn't be in the series. The crime itself is fairly hard to follow, especially since the crime scene changes so much. And when the crime scene is finally figured out, well, let's just say that it's pretty much the last thing you do, as Lance breaks down immediately after. The biggest plus out of this case though is that it introduces Lang and Kay quite well, although this is one of only 2 cases you really interact with them at all (One of the worst design flaws of AAI.) If only the cast had been better, this case could've reached much higher standards.




The one that started them all, the aptly named The First Turnabout slots in at 35. And really, there's nothing bad about this case except for one thing. The contradictions are simple, yet they make sense. The crime is simple, which is perfectly fine. All the characters are quite good, and there is never really a weak part during the case. However, because this was the first case ever, it has one very apparent flaw when you replay it: length. This case barely takes me 15-30 minutes to beat. This really wasn't very avoidable though, considering this IS the first case they ever made. And if you've never played AA before, you're very likely to press every statement. Considering how long Sahwit's first testimony is, that can add quite a bit of time. But now when I replay it, it shows it age quite a lot, and it just doesn't have the firepower to stand up to the more recent cases.

Ace Attorney: 1-3, 1-4, 1-5
Justice for All: 2-4
Trials and Tribulations: 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4, 3-5
Apollo Justice: 4-1, 4-3, 4-4
Investigations: I-1, I-2, I-4, I-5
Prosecutor's Path: I2-1, I2-3, I2-4, I2-5
Dual Destinies: 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-5, 5-S
Spirit of Justice: 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, 6-5, 6-S
Layton: L-1, L-2, L-3

Yea,like I said,I like the idea of Dahlia more than her execution. The problem to me is that her ACTUAL personality is so bland and boring that it kinda ruins it for me. Which is a pity,because like you said,the concept of her is great. A good character to me should have an interesting personality as well as good design and thought behind it. Dahlia has the last two,but not the first. And that's what ruins her for me.