TAKE THAT! Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney smashes the prosecution!

[Caladuz]

Do you think there might be a chance of Phoenix Wright showing up at the Game Awards? Maybe Nintendo has something to announce for Smash (either the first DLC fighter or a free Smash Update with new modes for December).

Leakers seem pretty confident that a square rep will be first, but we can always hope.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Leakers seem pretty confident that a square rep will be first, but we can always hope.

Which leakers? Cause at this point, they're starting to seem a bit flippy floppy with their sources.

Spawn Wave suggested we'd be getting one, but also along with a second November direct which hasn't happened yet.

Hitagi pretty much dropped any certainties outside of Steve and even that's starting to seem bit flimsy.

Only one certain is Vergeben and even renowned leaker Ryce is starting to have his doubts of him.

Regardless, even if a Square rep is first (despite all the stingy qualities that Square Enix has showcased, EGAD), who's to say Phoenix Wright couldn't be revealed soon after, possibly at the same event too?

 

[Sonsa]

Anything's possible I guess? But my gut is telling me that this isn't the right vibe...! I expect Phoenix to be shown, if at all, more in the middle, during a Nintendo Direct, mayyyyybe E3 if they don't have bigger 3rd Parties to reveal, but yeah, more in conjunction with an announcement of 123 coming to the switch, 456 coming to the switch, and finally 7 coming too! And maybe like a big bundle for all! AND Amiibo! Well hey, what do I know, just seems like a good marketing opportunity to announce a fun character with a unique moveset alongside SEVEN games! But yeah, maybe none of that happens, but my gut tells me announcing him alone as Smash DLC somewhere and that's it, like Cloud, with no news on anything else... ehh... my gut tells me more of an Isabelle style reveal, but again, I've been wrong before (I've been right before too hehe) but yeah ugh...

I guess also I just personally want Phoenix later...? He's my most wanted and I'd love to see him, but as for the first reveal after Piranha Plant, I don't know! We'd be happy, and his personality and moves would charm plenty, but...many others might feel a little cheated or negative or something... I think I'd like to be patient, let some bigger fan favoriter character be the first reveal, and thennn get our guy maybe...?

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Anything's possible I guess? But my gut is telling me that this isn't the right vibe...! I expect Phoenix to be shown, if at all, more in the middle, during a Nintendo Direct, mayyyyybe E3 if they don't have bigger 3rd Parties to reveal, but yeah, more in conjunction with an announcement of 123 coming to the switch, 456 coming to the switch, and finally 7 coming too! And maybe like a big bundle for all! AND Amiibo! Well hey, what do I know, just seems like a good marketing opportunity to announce a fun character with a unique moveset alongside SEVEN games! But yeah, maybe none of that happens, but my gut tells me announcing him alone as Smash DLC somewhere and that's it, like Cloud, with no news on anything else... ehh... my gut tells me more of an Isabelle style reveal, but again, I've been wrong before (I've been right before too hehe) but yeah ugh...

I guess also I just personally want Phoenix later...? He's my most wanted and I'd love to see him, but as for the first reveal after Piranha Plant, I don't know! We'd be happy, and his personality and moves would charm plenty, but...many others might feel a little cheated or negative or something... I think I'd like to be patient, let some bigger fan favoriter character be the first reveal, and thennn get our guy maybe...?

I can understand. Phoenix might seem a bit out of place if announced as Smash DLC at the Game Awards without much foundation.

Shame a Project x Zone 3 likely wouldn't be announced there, then that could've been a perfect cross promotion, especially if he and Maya got rightfully promoted to pair unit.

Hmmm. Unless Capcom are saving a BIG announcement for the Game Awards to facilitate the "BIG year for Ace Attorney fans". God, anything really can happen.

Still though, at least we needn't lose hope if Phoenix doesn't show up at the Game Awards at all, so good logic too there Sonsa . Patience indeed, can be a virtue in this case. And at least we'll finally have the game the day after, to tide ourselves over.

 

[KirbyMonadoBoy]

I am glad that Steve doesn't seem to be a lock anymore. I think Phoenix Wright would be a much more interesting 3rd-party rep and especially the Ace Attorney music fits perfectly to Smash.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

I tell ya'll, it definitely feels good to have Phoenix be talked about just enough so that he's in the running, but thankfully, not to the point where it'd be toxic or obnoxious. Those are often the campaigns that get the job done the best.

 

[Caladuz]

Which leakers? Cause at this point, they're starting to seem a bit flippy floppy with their sources.

Mostly vergeben. I think he has some credibility.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Huh.. Well that explains how Phoenix Wright and Maya survived the Spirit wave purge.

 

[Flyboy]

Huh.. Well that explains how Phoenix Wright and Maya survived the Spirit wave purge.

This is the cutest **** I've ever seen

 

[Sonsa]

Huh.. Well that explains how Phoenix Wright and Maya survived the Spirit wave purge.

Ay, don't forget the source! https://twitter.com/SunfishArt/status/1066396285106671616 It's a great pic, RisingSunfish did a great job!
Maya would have a LOT of work to do and a lot of channelings would be... awkward! Like, for example: Waluigi

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Also lads, great news!
You know the singer of Lifelight?

It's our very own Maya Fey, Abby Trott.

 

[Wyoming]

Wow, really? She has an amazing voice. Surprised!

It doesn't mean anything for Phoenix though. Now if the Japanese singer is Maya's Japanese VA that would be a bit coincidental.

 

[Sonsa]

That's a fun fact!
I also ended up exploring my last comment, which...was probably BAD to do... https://twitter.com/SonsaKay/status/1067252967198392321

 

[GoodGrief741]

That's a fun fact!
I also ended up exploring my last comment, which...was probably BAD to do... https://twitter.com/SonsaKay/status/1067252967198392321

I see nothing bad there, only art.

 

[Wyoming]

Can't hurt to give the series more attention, can it?

Give your support to Feenie and co!

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Also lads, great news!
You know the singer of Lifelight?

It's our very own Maya Fey, Abby Trott.

I looked it up on IMDB. This fact amuses me so much.

Spoiler

View attachment 180432

Spoilered, because there's flashing lights in one panel.

 

[Curious Villager]

Also lads, great news!
You know the singer of Lifelight?

It's our very own Maya Fey, Abby Trott.

That't really cool to know.
I believe one of the composers who worked on some songs in Smash 4 also did some music for Ace Attorney Dual Destinies before. I think the most notable one was the song that plays when fighting Master Fortress as it has some tunes that are similar to the theme of the Phantom in that game.
I wonder if he/she is doing some more songs this time around too.

It's nice to know that Ace Attorney is at least in Smash, in spirit... ^^

 

[Wyoming]

That't really cool to know.
I believe one of the composers who worked on some songs in Smash 4 also did some music for Ace Attorney Dual Destinies before. I think the most notable one was the song that plays when fighting Master Fortress as it has some tunes that are similar to the theme of the Phantom in that game.
I wonder if he/she is doing some more songs this time around too.

It's nice to know that Ace Attorney is at least in Smash, in spirit... ^^

Iwadare, you mean? He did City Trial's remix. I think he may be the man you are thinking of. He's the most known composer from the series.

 

[Wyoming]

Time for my umpteenth take on a Phoenix move set. Let us begin with his specials.

Neutral Special: Court Record - A versatile move that is dependent on a mechanic. The life bar from JFA, T&T, AJ, and DD returns! It represents how powerful and or useful this attack will be. Phoenix will present different kinds of evidence. It has four stages. Once it is used, it goes back to zero. He cannot charge it. Instead, it is timed.

1. An empty bar will have Phoenix whiff. He will present his attorney's badge in a very awkward fashion. It deals no damage, knockback, or status effects. It is a gag that fits the series.

2. A bar that is 1/4 full will see Phoenix dish out autopsy reports. Similarly to Mahvel, he will release a bunch of papers towards his opponent. Knockback is weak, but being a multi-hit move will make it useful as an anti-air and for combo setups.

3. It is now half full! Phoenix is starting to feel confident. What does he do? He pulls out a gun!
...Just kidding. He instead presents a written note! This note has the target's name on it! It stuns the opponent once hit, causing a decent amount of damage in the process. It is used for a quick attack when people least expect it!

4. It's full! Phoenix yells out an Objection! A speech bubble appears with the very word. It has good knockback and damage, being a kill move at mid-high percents. Phoenix will flash lightly when the bar is full as an indicator.

(My goal with this move was to represent Phoenix's court experience: the first stage representing his naive side, the second stage showing his increasing confidence as he connects the dots, the third stage being a quick counter argument that turns the case around, and the final stage being the finishing blow that solves the case!)

Side Special: Attorney's Badge - Phoenix presents his super-clean badge he takes care of fondly. It's blinding light causes the opponent to be stunned. Short range, but average endlag and very effective for combo breakers. Can setup counters for Phoenix, which suits the defensive attorney he is in the games.

Up Special: Ladder! - A recovery move. Phoenix will climb up a ladder whilst in the air. It gives him poor vertical protection, but has decent amount of height to it. If use on stage, Phoenix will still pull out a ladder, but it will fall right away, stressing him out dearly He'll be defenseless as he falls, but the ladder does have a hitbox that can hit others. However, it can be picked up as an item if the opponent times it right. Phoenix will bemoan not having a step-ladder if used on stage.

(This is obviously a reference to the famous series gag of ladders vs step ladders)

Down Special: Magatama - Phoenix uses his trusty Magatama as a bargaining chip! Pressing the command will activate the Magatama. It then has a timer with a life bar that will appear over Phoenix's head. Just like in the games, Phoenix can't make too many mistakes or he'll freak out. This move, if it hits, will deal quite some damage and knockback with Psyche-Locks breaking around the target. However, if Phoenix doesn't use it before the time elapses, the psyche locks will break and stun him, leaving him vulnerable to attack! If he misses, the end lag will be quite noticeable as well! It will need 30 seconds to recharge its spiritual energy to be used again.

(I wanted this move to be high risk. high reward. Just like in the games, the Magatama can be a game changer for him, but if used poorly he loses time and his chance to fully investigate. I think this move also represents him well; putting his eggs in one basket for a potentially fatal blow, but also potentially to himself in the process)

SMASH ATTACKS AND AERIALS:​

Phoenix is a human being, so him being able to pull out moves other humanoid characters can pull off in Smash is a given. But let's try to make it interesting.

Usmash: Phoenix charges his iconic finger point! The hitbox is the tip of finger, working similarly to Marth's tipper. It will be stronger the closer the finger is to your opponent's hitbox. But using it too close will instead have them be hit by his arm.

Usmash: He borrows Mario's usmash for this one. He uses his stubborn but strong head of his to launch people upwards. This references his survivability skills to blows to the head that should logically kill him.

Dsmash: He starts to fall, landing a hit despite his clumsiness. He stretches his legs out in both directions, but the left one is fully grounded whilst the right one is awkwardly trying to maintain balance. This creates a weird hitbox where one leg will hit higher than the other.



NAir: Strikes a confident! pose. His arms are the hitbox as they move towards his waist.

FAir: Barrage of papers thrown forward. Multi hit.

BAir: Turns around and kicks someone out. Phoenix's most athletic move!

UAir: Borrows from Falcon - Kicks his two legs upwards.

DAir: Phoenix strikes downwards using The Thinker. Can meteor, but hitbox is very precise.

TILTS, GRABS, AND JAB:​

Utilt: Throws a piece of paper upwards per use. Weak knockback.

Ftilt: Borrows from Falco. He stretches his leg out forward.

Dtilt: Borrows from Ryu, but no multi-hit with quick inputs - only one leg stretch. Has a small chance of tripping. Decent coverage and used for poking.


Jab: Pokes people with his pointer finger. However, since there's no objection he is literally just poking people.

Pummel: Borrows from Little Mac, but much slower.


Fthrow: Phoenix shoves them away. He's too annoyed to deal with this ****.

Bthrow: Having learnt from Athena, Phoenix throws the opponent over his head.

Uthrow: Kicks them upward.

Dthrow: Pins his foe down to do a citizen's arrest. However, a singular psyche lock briefly shows up to break, causing an "explosion" to send them "free" (cuz Smash logic and I wanted something different)

MISC:
​

Final Smash: Wright & Fey - Phoenix slams his hands down. Anyone in the radius that gets hit will be sent to a small cutscene. They will find their feet, only to witness Phoenix and Maya do a double objection. This creates a devastating wind, blowing them off the stage. (Assuming the damage is high enough, that is!)

Taunts: Phoenix will ponder in his thoughts, confidently call out his opponent, and balance himself from falling on his arse.
Idle: Phoenix will make sure his do' remains intact.

Victory Poses: Maya will cheer for him whilst throwing out confetti as he laughs nervously.
Phoenix will walk away from the camera until the it catches up to him - in which he looks surprised but manages to dish out a smile as the splash screen ends.
He and Maya embrace in celebration as they book towards the camera with a big smile on their faces.

 

[Wyoming]

Reggie said tonight following Joker's confirmation:

"All of them will be, like joker, characters you wouldn't anticipate to be in the game". He also said from completely new series.

Oh man...I think this helps us a lot. Don't wanna get overhyped, but...

 

[KirbyMonadoBoy]

Wyoming

For sure, that was a great sign!! It seems only new fighters will be in the DLC pack and ones that we wouldn't expect. I really think Phoenix Wright could be one of these candidates.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Reggie said tonight following Joker's confirmation:

"All of them will be, like joker, characters you wouldn't anticipate to be in the game". He also said from completely new series.

Oh man...I think this helps us a lot. Don't wanna get overhyped, but...

Don't forget! Sakurai met Takumi ya'll!

Hey, Wyoming, I was going nuts so I may have missed when Reggie said that. Got a source, or did he say that during the VGA on camera?

 

[Flyboy]

Now more than ever characters I thought were impossible pipe dreams seem like a reality. Phoenix, 2B, Travis, Layton, and more...it really could happen. Phoenix's chances are better than ever. But I'm not greedy. I got one impossible top three pick. I'm good. But I sure hope we get them all.

 

[xjthegulpin]

Thought this guy had almost no chance, but that recent reveal just changed EVERYTHING. Add me as a supporter, I’m very excited to see how the rest of this DLC pack goes.

 

[GoodGrief741]

If there’s a Capcom Rep I think it’s us. Dante was disconfirmed, right?

Oh man, it would be so awesome!

 

[Caladuz]

Idk if this hurts or helps PW chances, but I'm hoping for the latter. Happy for the persona fans.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Now more than ever characters I thought were impossible pipe dreams seem like a reality. Phoenix, 2B, Travis, Layton, and more...it really could happen. Phoenix's chances are better than ever. But I'm not greedy. I got one impossible top three pick. I'm good. But I sure hope we get them all.

Yo Flyboy! Fellow Joker supporter? We did it man!!!

 

[Flyboy]

Yo Flyboy! Fellow Joker supporter? We did it man!!!

We did it!!!! We did it!!!!
My top five with "impossible dreams" included was always Phoenix, Travis, Joker, 2B, and a Style Savvy rep. And we actually got Joker. People can say it makes sense in hindsight all they want but NO ONE in that thread truly believed it would happen in a million years.

I know I want the rest and I won't give up hope but getting even one person in my signature is amazing. I'll never ask Sakurai for anything again, haha.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Yo Flyboy! Fellow Joker supporter? We did it man!!!

We did it!!!! We did it!!!!
My top five with "impossible dreams" included was always Phoenix, Travis, Joker, 2B, and a Style Savvy rep. And we actually got Joker. People can say it makes sense in hindsight all they want but NO ONE in that thread truly believed it would happen in a million years.

I know I want the rest and I won't give up hope but getting even one person in my signature is amazing. I'll never ask Sakurai for anything again, haha.

Tonight was truly awesome.

 

[Sabrewulf238]

I hope getting another Sega rep spells good things for getting another Capcom rep in Phoenix Wright.

Here's hoping.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Guys! You know what this means right!? With what Reggie said, we can officially count the big Capcom dogs of Megaman, Street Fighter and Monster Hunter out of the race?

Wanna talk not being anticipated? Well look at Phoenix Wright, the underdog.

New series? Phoenix ain't had no representation and dodged Assist trophies, mii costumes and spirits!

Clearly they don't care about how many reps one company gets!

And again guys! This meeting happened in 2016.

Ample time for the DLC!

My mind is blown. Not only did I get one of my pipedream picks, but now Phoenix's chances have made quite the turnabout!

 

[fogbadge]

well my hopes have been diminished

 

[Wyoming]

well my hopes have been diminished

Any reason as to why?
He fits the bill nicely according to Reggie's statement at the VGAs.
It's the best shot he's ever gotten for Smash.

 

[fogbadge]

Any reason as to why?
He fits the bill nicely according to Reggie's statement at the VGAs.
It's the best shot he's ever gotten for Smash.

ive had nae luck with third parties characters for ages now

 

[SupriceSupplies]

Christ, if any character has been having fluctuating chances in my eyes, it's Phoenix.

...And Reggie's statement killed off all the characters I was hoping for.

Except one.
Just this one.
The way I see it, Phoenix is now one of the most likely characters out there, not long after I thought he was a no-hoper.
I'm putting all my hopes into him. I just
I just want to believe.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Idk if this hurts or helps PW chances, but I'm hoping for the latter. Happy for the persona fans.

Considering Monster Hunter got blown out of the speculative waters by this, and given the nature of Joker's reveal and choosing, you better believe it helps Phoenix's case significantly!

If there’s a Capcom Rep I think it’s us. Dante was disconfirmed, right?

Oh man, it would be so awesome!

Oh, I take it you're referring to when the producer of his series flat out said "No" right? Yeah, Dante was pretty much disconfirmed.

 

[Caladuz]

Any reason as to why?
He fits the bill nicely according to Reggie's statement at the VGAs.
It's the best shot he's ever gotten for Smash.

I can take a crack at it, even though a lot of it is inferring on what all of this means. First, wasn't phoenix one of the top capcom picks for ballot (based on other polls cause we don't have ballot info)? Does "surprising" mean wacky unique fighters (this would be very good for us) or does it mean characters that haven't been on ballots and people were never expecting but still very popular like joker? Also, this kind of pushes the nintendo legacy thing away which is one of Wright's biggest selling points imo (unless joker is there to represent SMT like how Cloud reps FF).

Still it really is difficult to say at this point, Joker really opened the floodgates and now a lot more might be possible. I could just as easily give reasons as why the Joker pick is a good thing for PW so it really is 50/50. For one, it looks like spirits (based on "new series" quote) do in fact deconfirm which is pretty significant for us.

 

[Wyoming]

I can take a crack at it, even though a lot of it is inferring on what all of this means. First, wasn't phoenix one of the top capcom picks for ballot (based on other polls cause we don't have ballot info)? Does "surprising" mean wacky unique fighters (this would be very good for us) or does it mean characters that haven't been on ballots and people were never expecting but still very popular like joker? Also, this kind of pushes the nintendo legacy thing away which is one of Wright's biggest selling points imo (unless joker is there to represent SMT like how Cloud reps FF).

Still it really is difficult to say at this point, Joker really opened the floodgates and now a lot more might be possible. I could just as easily give reasons as why the Joker pick is a good thing for PW so it really is 50/50. For one, it looks like spirits (based on "new series" quote) do in fact deconfirm which is pretty significant for us.

Despite being seen on the ballot on the web, he's usually only in the 30th-40th place region. That's too low to be considered an expected addition.

He has competition, but it's been greatly reduced. Any represented series in Smash right now is out of the picture, as are Geno, Tails, Chun-Li, and Sephiroth. That's a chunk of the candidates removed in one fast swoop.

His main competitor is Dante. I am nearly convinced we'll get another Capcom character....but Dante would still have the surprise factor whilst being more recognizable and with a new game on the way (Ace Attorney is still MIA, but could have a new game announced next year. It's the usual time span for a new game to drop).

I'd view his chances at 20%-25%. It's not high, but it's better than the 1%-5% we had prior. All we can do is hope he got selected by Nintendo and Sakurai gave him the nod of approval. But I think we have a reason to be slightly optimistic and hopeful here.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Ah **** I just remembered.

Resident Evil exists. So we might get Leon/Jill. I’d be happy if it happened, but it ain’t Wright.

Then again, maybe they don’t want a gun fighter in the same pack as Joker.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Ah **** I just remembered.

Resident Evil exists. So we might get Leon/Jill. I’d be happy if it happened, but it ain’t Wright.

Then again, maybe they don’t want a gun fighter in the same pack as Joker.

I haven't played Persona 5 specifically, but I believe the gun is only a small arsenal of Joker's moveset potential.