Ace Attorney General Thread - Spirit of Justice is out! Go play it!

[Opossum]

After looking it up, yeah, that seems to be the consensus.

Apparently there's lots of overt racism toward the Japanese, from what some have said.

 

[Deleted member]

I finished up the DLC case today, so now I have done every single case in Spirit of Justice.
The case was just pure fan service for old Ace Attorney fans and that's fine by me. Larry hasn't changed at all these past few years.

Spoiler

Though, seeing references to characters made me miss them more.
They referred to Gumshoe by name and it's hinted that he still works under Edgeworth. It's been how many years now in the AA universe? It's a shame that he didn't return... I hope he does in the next game.
It was also nice to see a reference to Mia at the end, but I kinda wish we could see her one last time. Phoenix can easily solve his cases without her assistance, but it would be nice to see her one more time just so that she and Phoenix could chat.

 

[ThunderSageNun]

After recently experiencing the game, I have to say Spirit of Justice surprised me, but not in a good way. It has become my least favorite entry in the franchise, and I never thought I'd dislike a game in the franchise more than Apollo Justice (although I guess it's fitting the game has a focus on said character as well). Honestly, it's the only game in the series I'd call to be somewhat bad, as even while going through AJ and Investigations, there was some entertainment to be had, I can't say the same for SoJ, it was a chore.
I did find the overall cases to be better written than in DD (at the very least in the sense that the overall cases were more coherent, but I didn't quite prefer them over DD cases as a whole if that makes sense), the villains were not as dumb and

Spoiler

Apollo moving away from the Wright offices to reestablish his foster father offices in khurain was a nice way to show some growth

, but everything else, I did not like. I think I'll need a break from the series after this, even though they don't come out that often, I can't say I was left wanting anymore of Phoenix after this.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

After recently experiencing the game, I have to say Spirit of Justice surprised me, but not in a good way. It has become my least favorite entry in the franchise, and I never thought I'd dislike a game in the franchise more than Apollo Justice (although I guess it's fitting the game has a focus on said character as well). Honestly, it's the only game in the series I'd call to be somewhat bad, as even while going through AJ and Investigations, there was some entertainment to be had, I can't say the same for SoJ, it was a chore.
I did find the overall cases to be better written than in DD (at the very least in the sense that the overall cases were more coherent, but I didn't quite prefer them over DD cases as a whole if that makes sense), the villains were not as dumb and

Spoiler

Apollo moving away from the Wright offices to reestablish his foster father offices in khurain was a nice way to show some growth

, but everything else, I did not like. I think I'll need a break from the series after this, even though they don't come out that often, I can't say I was left wanting anymore of Phoenix after this.

Huh.

The general consensus was that it was some of the best the series had to offer.

Why didn't you like it?

 

[ThunderSageNun]

Huh.

The general consensus was that it was some of the best the series had to offer.

Why didn't you like it?

Honestly the AA series is kinda weird to get a general consensus on, I remember reading a lot of people were much more positive on Dual Destinies when it came out, now that's not so much the case. And most games in the series are either the "black sheep" or highly controversial (JFA, AJ, MEI1, DD and now SOJ).
But as to why I dislike it, I think a major problem I had with the game is that I disliked almost every character I was introduced to in the game, and those I didn't were just sort of forgettable. I'd easily classify Rayfa and Nahyuta as my least favorite assistant and prosecutor in the series. I also don't like the gameplay additions to the game, Seances were kind of annoying to go through (didn't really mind psyche locks, bracelet or mood matrix to this point), and the returning detective tools were sort of botchered, at least the fingerprints dust. Then there's the overarching plot of the game, I can't say I care much for what was done to Apollo's backstory

Spoiler

if anything, I'm confused how he went from his the orphanage where he met his best friend to his foster parent in another kingdom and then back to japanifornia to become a lawyer

, and I feel it tries to do too much, from having a larger scale from previous games in the series and trying to give just about every character some screen time, I think the whole game is unfocused as a whole, and it kinda suffers in the pacing department too

Spoiler

the most notable case being right as case 3 finishes, where we see the revolution start, just to jump to a case that has nothing to do with anything and then get some treasure hunt with Apollo

. I can't say the returning characters did much for me, it was a problem in DD and it's sort of accentuated here if only because there's more of them thrown into the table (Maya doesn't really appear much or does anything, Edgeworth and Pearl are as much of a joke as they were before if not more, Blackquill and Athena feel like leftovers from DD just thrown there to throw a bone to their fans), not to say previous games in the series haven't done this, but it feels more noticeable here where they sort of hype things and don't do much with them. I guess this is a nitpick, but I also hate how they constantly have the gallery talk as if they really had anything important to say, it was already something that annoyed me to no belief in the crossover with Layton, and it's just worse in this game. And I guess there's some sense of familiarity with a some of the things the overarching plot tries to do

Spoiler

Maya being held hostage so Phoenix cooperates feels very much like 2-4, the whole conflict for the rule of the kingdom of Khurain reminds me a lot of the Fey clan conflict showcased in the 2nd and 3rd game, having someone above the established laws of MEI1 final case

. I guess that's something that could be found i every game in the series, but I found it more noticeable here than in the rest. Lastly, the game just feels like it drags, I don't think it was much longer than DD, but it still felt like it was, maybe because I was bored through most of it. I also found the soundtrack to be on the forgettable side, and while not as important, the game struggled to run smoothly, constantly dropping frames, much moreso than DD.

 

[FalKoopa]

So, I'm playing Dual Destinies.

Athena's voice actor is Wendee Lee? (Same voice as Haruhi Suzumiya) It feels rather strange, but nice.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

So, I'm playing Dual Destinies.

Athena's voice actor is Wendee Lee? (Same voice as Haruhi Suzumiya) It feels rather strange, but nice.

I hope you played the first four.

Otherwise things might be unclear.

 

[Deleted member]

I hope you played the first four.

Otherwise things might be unclear.

Some things might be unclear, but I played AA1, JFA, and T&T and skipped out on AJ and I was pretty fine. They don't reference AJ too much, other than what the Dark Age of Law is (which is explained in game anyway).

 

[FalKoopa]

I hope you played the first four.

Otherwise things might be unclear.

I have, don't worry.
The only games I've not played are the Ace Attorney Investigations games and Spirit of Justice.

Only beat the first case so far, and it's rather long drawn and somewhat confusing imo. This is definitely not a game someone new to the series should start out with.

 

[FalKoopa]

So, the second case.

Wow, are they still pretending the the series takes place in America? lol
Hearing "yokai craze" really reminded of Yokai Watch and BluePikmin. heh

 

[_Sheik]

That's weird. I got into Ace Attorney with Dual Destinies, thanks to its eShop demo. Nothing seemed too 'unclear'. Phoenix and Miles were, to my mind, 'common-knowledge video game characters' because of the famous Objection pose I sighted here and there on the Internet beforehand - hence why I wasn't surprised by Miles's comeback in the fifth case.

Klavier and Pearl might have been the most unexpected thing for me to come across because Phoenix and Apollo were all like 'ohey I know you what's up it's been a while' without expanding on what roles they played in previous games (you know, what with me just discovering the lore of a series that's already had four games since 2001 and not expecting such logical encounters to be a thing in the fifth episode).

Three years later, after catching up with the whole series (except DGS and Apollo Justice which I just started playing recently thanks to its recent HD rerelease), I always have the feeling that DD's plot is in a world of its own without any real connection to neither the first trilogy or the other two games in the Apollo trilogy. You might think of it as a hasty conclusion to draw since I had never played AJ up to this point - but just so you know, I got heavily spoiled on both AAI2's and AJ's respective main villains as I was catching up on the PW trilogy, although I just heard about case 1 of the latter and a thing about black Psyche-locks still being an unresolved matter today...

In the meantime, I am thorougly enjoying AJ HD. Case 1 was a blast. Case 2 rivals AAI's case 3 as the epitome of boredom in all video games I've played in my whole life - I found games frustrating or irritatingly bad at times but none as boring as these two cases, despite my love for Ace Attorney.
Currently at Case 3, second investigation phase, loving every single bit of it. It gives off the impression there is a MUCH more interesting and developed background to the game's story than the 'Phoenix retired from being a lawyer and the villain's a villain for the sake of being a villain and that's it' bit I have frequently heard from people who bash on the game.

Happy New Year btw.

 

[FalKoopa]

I finished the 2nd case. That murder scheme was more complicated than Game of Thrones.
I have to say, I like Blackquill. He's ruthless alright, but he does seem rather fair. And has a good sense of humour too.

Spoiler: 3rd case

I wasn't expecting to see Juniper Woods again, thought she would have a one-off like most people from the first cases of the games.
Gavin was a nice surprise too.
And Solid Snake references, haha.

 

[_Sheik]

User @Ten_Count_Fall has started leaking stuff about Marvel VS Capcom Infinite.

To sum it up, I'll keep it brief: Phoenix Wright is playable... as well as Simon Blackquill. Uses Taka, a sword (?), presumably has Helmet Splitter, and SILENCE!

A stage is planned - an Ace Attorney/Ghost Rider crossover featuring a courtroom that gets taken over by hell.

That's to be taken with a grain of salt, still. Three options: They are right on the money; they are a liar; or their sources are misleading them with false information. (admit it, though - you want them to be right)

 

[Cutie Gwen]

User @Ten_Count_Fall has started leaking stuff about Marvel VS Capcom Infinite.

To sum it up, I'll keep it brief: Phoenix Wright is playable... as well as Simon Blackquill. Uses Taka, a sword (?), presumably has Helmet Splitter, and SILENCE!

A stage is planned - an Ace Attorney/Ghost Rider crossover featuring a courtroom that gets taken over by hell.

That's to be taken with a grain of salt, still. Three options: They are right on the money; they are a liar; or their sources are misleading them with false information. (admit it, though - you want them to be right)

Part of me hopes this is true because Blackquill is the second best prosecutor and he'd add more to the table than Apollo or Edgeworth. A part of me hopes it's fake because Franziska was planned in Tatsunoko VS Capcom and I want to see Trucy playable lol

 

[FalKoopa]

So, to case 3's biggest spoiler.

Spoiler

I have to say... the mood matrix feels ethically questionable at times.

And while it is played for laughs somewhat, being forced out of the closet in front of so many people and becoming a murder suspect because of that is really rough. >_>

 

[Swamp Sensei]

So, to case 3's biggest spoiler.

Spoiler

I have to say... the mood matrix feels ethically questionable at times.

And while it is played for laughs somewhat, being forced out of the closet in front of so many people and becoming a murder suspect because of that is really rough. >_>

I think you misused...

Spoiler

"out of the closet." That would imply she's gay or trans. She isn't either.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

I think you misused...

Spoiler

"out of the closet." That would imply she's gay or trans. She isn't either.

Fal is technically correct, the best kind of correct

Spoiler

Consider how Robin was always seen as male by everyone before revealing her badonkadonks. It's kinda similar despite only being a disguise

 

[FalKoopa]

I think you misused...

Spoiler

"out of the closet." That would imply she's gay or trans. She isn't either.

Spoiler

Still, it was the closest thing you could have to being gay/trans without actually being gay/trans.

Living your entire life as a boy, and then becoming a girl. The only difference is that he was a girl all along.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Spoiler

Still, it was the closest thing you could have to being gay/trans without actually being gay/trans.

Living your entire life as a boy, and then becoming a girl. The only difference is that he was a girl all along.

Spoiler

That's not trans. It's cross dressing to bypass archaic gender roles in certain occupations.

I know you know they aren't the same, but I've seen a lot of people equate them.

Like the whole Naoto from Persona deal. Or people calling Mulan trans.

 

[FalKoopa]

Finished case 3.

Spoiler

The ending parts were amazingly cheesy, and the music and the Cykes's super weird poses and the theatrics didn't help matters at all.
And that Metal Gear reference again. Athena actually called Scuttlebutt's tactical espionage action, the description used on Metal Gear game boxarts.
At the same time, it has also cemented Blackquill as one of my favourite ace attorney characters. Not even Edgeworth or Godot grew on me this quickly.

Case 4 begins, and wow this game seems intent on driving a nail into "Ace Attorney takes place in America"'s coffin.

Spoiler: Case 4

The logo on the astronaut's suit, GYAXA, which is obviously named after JAXA (Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency).

Rest in Phoenix

 

[FalKoopa]

In the final case now.

Spoiler

Pearls and Edgeworth were nice nostalgia surprises. As were breaking psyche-locks.

I... didn't expect I'd be seeing all three of the lawyer's techniques - Wright's Magatama, Justice's bracelet and Cykes's Mood Matrix being used in one game. That is enjoyable for a series veteran, but probably somewhat odd for a beginner.

Wright's and Edgeworth's voices are incredibly unfitting, by the way. Jeez.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

In the final case now.

Spoiler

Pearls and Edgeworth were nice nostalgia surprises. As were breaking psyche-locks.

I... didn't expect I'd be seeing all three of the lawyer's techniques - Wright's Magatama, Justice's bracelet and Cykes's Mood Matrix being used in one game. That is enjoyable for a series veteran, but probably somewhat odd for a beginner.

Wright's and Edgeworth's voices are incredibly unfitting, by the way. Jeez.

Wright gets better. Vs Layton and Spirit of Justice are pretty good.

Edgeworth's does not.

 

[FalKoopa]

Finally finished the game.

Spoiler

That was one twist I did not see coming. I suspected a number of other characters, but never that person. Wow. Well done and well played, although it did rob me of a character who I had grown to like, I guess.

Given how high the stakes were raised during the last trial, I was admittedly worried if the climax would pay off.... In my opinion, it did.

That said, the trial did stretch a bit too long imo.
(Like once the identity was revealed to not who we thought, I was really thinking "What's stopping them from arresting him immediately?")

I can't get the DLC so I'll just watch it on YouTube.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Finally finished the game.

Spoiler

That was one twist I did not see coming. I suspected a number of other characters, but never that person. Wow. Well done and well played, although it did rob me of a character who I had grown to like, I guess.

Given how high the stakes were raised during the last trial, I was admittedly worried if the climax would pay off.... In my opinion, it did.

That said, the trial did stretch a bit too long imo.
(Like once the identity was revealed to not who we thought, I was really thinking "What's stopping them from arresting him immediately?")

I can't get the DLC so I'll just watch it on YouTube.

Get ready for orcas.

 

[Moydow]

Since it doesn't seem like we're getting an official western release of DGS any time soon, I gave in and imported. At least I'll be ready for whenever a fan translation surfaces. There are text-based rough translations out there, though, so I could just follow along with them too.

They have completed a translation of the demo, though. I tried it; it's not bad, but you only get like three button presses worth of actual gameplay from it. The demo shows off the "joint reasoning" mechanic, where Sherlock throws out his (wrong) reasoning behind who the culprit is, and you have to fill in the gaps... so basically like cross-examining, but with lots of fancy camera angles and spotlights added.

Video for anyone who wants to see how it goes:

 

[Moydow]

Can I just say how much I love DGS' soundtrack?

Spoiler: The Objection! theme is kind of spoiler-y, since there's a bit of build-up to it (Episode 1, part 3)

The build-up to the first "Objection!" is quite good. Ryuunosuke spends the entirety of the first case not shouting "Objection!" or "Hold it!" or anything else, since he's not actually an attorney at this point (not even in-training), and has no confidence in his lawyering ability, until you just about have the killer cornered, and then: "This feeling I've never felt before... welling up inside me... my confidence about the contradiction, and something like fury - and I'll let it all out by pointing my finger straight at my prey! ...OBJECTION!" Cue shocked looks from everyone else in the court, and the judge to finally begin to acknowledge Ryuunosuke as a true attorney. You spend the whole of the first case waiting for it, so for it to come in this manner is quite brilliant.

As for the people talking about the racism towards the Japanese...

Spoiler: Episode 1, parts 2-3

...yeah, it's there pretty much right from the start. One of the witnesses from the first case is from England, and basically every other word out of her mouth is some slur against the Japanese. She even goes as far as to have someone act as her translator, even though she's fluent in Japanese, just so she doesn't have to "sully her tongue with that barbaric language". I can see why they wouldn't want to bring that sort of thing into the AA series... but at the same time, I don't think video games should be afraid to tackle issues like this, either (though I guess that depends on how this game actually handles it, which I haven't seen too much of yet).

----
This is basically Joint Reasoning in image form:

Holmes just spins around and snaps his fingers, while Ryuunosuke gets all the work done.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Can I just say how much I love DGS' soundtrack?

Spoiler: The Objection! theme is kind of spoiler-y, since there's a bit of build-up to it (Episode 1, part 3)

The build-up to the first "Objection!" is quite good. Ryuunosuke spends the entirety of the first case not shouting "Objection!" or "Hold it!" or anything else, since he's not actually an attorney at this point (not even in-training), and has no confidence in his lawyering ability, until you just about have the killer cornered, and then: "This feeling I've never felt before... welling up inside me... my confidence about the contradiction, and something like fury - and I'll let it all out by pointing my finger straight at my prey! ...OBJECTION!" Cue shocked looks from everyone else in the court, and the judge to finally begin to acknowledge Ryuunosuke as a true attorney. You spend the whole of the first case waiting for it, so for it to come in this manner is quite brilliant.

As for the people talking about the racism towards the Japanese...

Spoiler: Episode 1, parts 2-3

...yeah, it's there pretty much right from the start. One of the witnesses from the first case is from England, and basically every other word out of her mouth is some slur against the Japanese. She even goes as far as to have someone act as her translator, even though she's fluent in Japanese, just so she doesn't have to "sully her tongue with that barbaric language". I can see why they wouldn't want to bring that sort of thing into the AA series... but at the same time, I don't think video games should be afraid to tackle issues like this, either (though I guess that depends on how this game actually handles it, which I haven't seen too much of yet).

No Tobias Gregson theme.

How dare you.

 

[Moydow]

No Tobias Gregson theme.

How dare you.

I haven't gotten that far yet, I'm only on the second case. Don't even know who that is yet. As a rule, I try not to spoil myself on any part of a game before playing it as best I can, including any of the music. So for me, this is the first time I'm hearing pretty much any of this stuff.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I haven't gotten that far yet, I'm only on the second case. Don't even know who that is yet. As a rule, I try not to spoil myself on any part of a game before playing it as best I can, including any of the music. So for me, this is the first time I'm hearing pretty much any of this stuff.

Fair enough.

But let me say.

Es real good fam.

 

[Bestmand902]

Edgeworth's does not.

That sucks, Kyle Hebert's normally an awesome voice actor so it's disheartening to hear he turned in a bad performance.

 

[_Sheik]

Edgeworth's seemed fine for me.

Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2 releases August 2 in Japan. I suppose the best way around this is to learn Japanese and import the game altogether...

 

[FalKoopa]

I started Spirit of Justice today.

And hoo boy. The first case alone blows every other starting case of the water. Everything is a giant step up from Dual Destinites.

And the goddamn puns. They; just; don't; stop. The localisation team was having waaay too much fun with the writing.

 

[FalKoopa]

So, in Case 2 right now.

Spoiler: Spoilers obviously.

So far so good.

Case one ended well, and Khura'in Kindgom is very scathing satire of Japan. The other games had it, this one really stops pulling punches. The DC Act and lack of Defence Attorneys is madness.

As for Case 2, I like how high the stakes are.

My first impression of Sahdmadhi ... isn't positive. He comes off as really obnoxious and preachy. Quite a contrast to Blackquill, who I did find quite entertaining and fair. Here's hoping the game redeems him.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

So, in Case 2 right now.

Spoiler: Spoilers obviously.

So far so good.

Case one ended well, and Khura'in Kindgom is very scathing satire of Japan. The other games had it, this one really stops pulling punches. The DC Act and lack of Defence Attorneys is madness.

As for Case 2, I like how high the stakes are.

My first impression of Sahdmadhi ... isn't positive. He comes off as really obnoxious and preachy. Quite a contrast to Blackquill, who I did find quite entertaining and fair. Here's hoping the game redeems him.

Unfortunately Sahdmadhi is one of the least popular prosecutors. I'll just leave it at that.

 

[FalKoopa]

Unfortunately Sahdmadhi is one of the least popular prosecutors. I'll just leave it at that.

Oh jeez.

Rip rest in prosecution.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

So FalKoopa

How was SoJ?

 

[FalKoopa]

So FalKoopa

How was SoJ?

Err, I haven't beaten the final case still.

Please give me this weekend.

 

[Moydow]

16th of June, 2017:

Dr. Turner Grey pays a visit to the Wright and Co. Law Offices, to request that Phoenix joins him in Kurain Village - Phoenix's presence being Maya's price for performing the spirit channelling Grey needs to clear his name, after 14 patients died in his clinic last year due to mixed-up medication. Little does he know what fate will have in store for him...

It's an interesting experience, playing the games on the actual days on which the events happened. Luckily the circus case is a few months away yet... This one isn't too bad, though, I think.

 

[FalKoopa]

So I have beaten Spirit of Justice. I can happily say that it is my favourite game in the series, because the plot absolutely blew me away.

While Dual Destinies had racheted up the intensity of events in the game up a notch with terrorist attacks, Spirit of Justice did a much better job of driving home the seriousness of events. AA1-AA4 all had plots which placed a heavy burden on the player, but the events in those games were personal in nature, affecting (albeit very deeply) a few individuals. AA6 really made it feel like the actions you commit affect hundreds/thousands of lives.

Spoiler: Heavy spoilers

The way Inga confronts you after the first case, or when you're up against Ga'ran in the final case really did feel you're up against someone formidable and they'd have your head on a platter if you cross paths with them.

Khura'in's legal system and the way it functions reminds me of certain RL countries, and that prospect is a little terrifying, haha.

But enough about that.

I interpreted Khura'in's culture as a mix of Japan and Tibet, so the effect of Buddhism is quite obvious. Even the Holy Mother resembles Buddha.

Khura'in writing system is interesting. It seems to be based on Japanese kana (as it seems to be go one syllable per letter) but borrows heavily from Urdu's Nastaliq script in style.

To compare:

And lastly, the characters.

Nahyuta... well, I'll be retreading common ground here. He's my least favourite prosecutor in the series. The game does whatever it can to redeem him by the end and show how badly his hands were tied, but it's not enough to make up for his lack of charm in general. Personally, I had begun to like Edgeworth and Blackquill even before their redeeming moment came at the end. So yeah, it's unfortunate.

Rayfa faired much better. She comes of a tsundere and being a massive woobie helps her case more than Nahyuta. She also happens to be more entertaining, so that's a plus. A good character.

Dhurke... my God, Dhurke. I did the massive mistake to playing the final case on Father's Day. I... I can honestly say that I never thought I'd be moved to tears this badly. He's by far the best character in the game and one of the best in the series.

Spoiler: Mild spoilers

Inga and Ga'ran were good villains I'd say. Inga actually loving Rayfa dearly touched me actually. Ga'ran is thoroughly repugnant though.

Among the returning characters, this is really the game that should redeem Apollo in the eyes of most fans, as this is basically his game and where he grows the most. I already like Apollo beforehand but this game really helped set him apart from just an expy of Phoenix.

Blackquill got a really awesome moment despite his short appearance and his faceoff with Sahdmadhi was quite excellent.

Maya returned in a full force here. I was admittedly surprised how deeply they integrated her into the story. Her animations are all throwbacks to the older games too, makes it equal parts fresh and nostalgic.

Ema's role was quite expanded, which again, I didn't expect. Her and Nahyuta's relationship was quite developed and kinda helped Nahyuta from looking like a total jerk, so there's that.

Edgeworth plays a small yet important role, which was nice.

I think Athena got shafted quite a bit though, being prominent in only Case 4. Here's hoping future games do her more justice (heh).

What else is there?

Ah, the puns, the goddamn puns. The localisation team had an absolute field day with those. AA names were always kind of punny, but this, this is on a whole new level. I'll not spoil any of the names here, as they're magnificent.

-----------------

So, overall, it stands as my favouite AA game to date.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

I finally got SoJ as it was on offer on the eShop in Europe. Currently I'm just beginning the second Investigation period of Turnabout Rites