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

[Flyboy]

Just curious since I've never played, but which games in the series are considered "good" and which are considered "bad"? I know it's not that simple because I come from the Danganronpa fandom where a lot of people disagree on which games are good or bad (although everyone agrees the anime is bad). But it seems like a more contentious subject than I thought. Which games are worth buying on the Switch?

The only ones on Switch right now are the original trilogy and The Great Ace Attorney duology all of which are great.

 

[Arctiq]

Just curious since I've never played, but which games in the series are considered "good" and which are considered "bad"? I know it's not that simple because I come from the Danganronpa fandom where a lot of people disagree on which games are good or bad (although everyone agrees the anime is bad). But it seems like a more contentious subject than I thought. Which games are worth buying on the Switch?

There's really no general tier list. It's best to just start with the Ace Attorney Trilogy on current consoles.

Edit: IMO, I think every game in the series is good. I even enjoyed the AA anime.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Just curious since I've never played, but which games in the series are considered "good" and which are considered "bad"? I know it's not that simple because I come from the Danganronpa fandom where a lot of people disagree on which games are good or bad (although everyone agrees the anime is bad). But it seems like a more contentious subject than I thought. Which games are worth buying on the Switch?

Everyone basically agrees that the original trilogy is good, hence why it always gets ported to other consoles. In my opinion the original trilogy has one of the best stories in all of gaming.

The other games have more generally mixed reception, specifically the sequel trilogy. While the individual sequel trilogy games arent bad persay, as a whole the sequel trilogy is kinda bad because none of it connects very well, characters are dropped and forgotten about and those that do come back dont experience any real growth.

 

[fogbadge]

wait a second, is GAA full of scottish accents done by people whove never been to scotland/met someone from scotland?

 

[KirbyMonadoBoy]

Just curious since I've never played, but which games in the series are considered "good" and which are considered "bad"?

Everyone has different opinions, however Trials and Tribulations (the third game from the trilogy) is often regarded as the best game in the main series, whereas Justice for All (2nd game) and Apollo Justice (4th game) are more controversial.

Some also don't like the direction of the newest 2 mainline games (Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice) that much, however I enjoyed them a lot and consider them amongst the best Ace Attorney games out there.

 

[ThunderSageNun]

Just curious since I've never played, but which games in the series are considered "good" and which are considered "bad"? I know it's not that simple because I come from the Danganronpa fandom where a lot of people disagree on which games are good or bad (although everyone agrees the anime is bad). But it seems like a more contentious subject than I thought. Which games are worth buying on the Switch?

even if some games aren't so great, they are all sorta tied story wise (except the Layton crossover, the Investigations games, and TGAA they don't really matter in the grand scheme of things), so the first game is still the best place to start with, and if you plan to play until SoJ, you kinda have to play the rest of the Phoenix/Apollo games.
Opinions will vary, but I feel the only entries I've seen to be commonly liked are the first and third games.
Justice For All, Apollo Justice, Investigations 1, the Layton crossover, Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice kind of have opinions all over the place, you might love one of them, another might be your absolute least favorite in the franchise. I have no idea what's the general consensus for TGAA, it might be too early to tell with the localization being too recent, I'm also not sure how people feel about Investigations 2, for the most part I at least see people considering it an improvement over the first game.

Spoiler: Personally Speaking

 

[Hadokeyblade]

even if some games aren't so great, they are all sorta tied story wise (except the Layton crossover, the Investigations games, and TGAA they don't really matter in the grand scheme of things), so the first game is still the best place to start with, and if you plan to get until SoJ, you kinda have to play the rest of the Phoenix/Apollo games.
Opinions will vary, but I feel the only entries I've seen to be commonly liked are the first and third games.
Justice For All, Apollo Justice, Investigations 1, the Layton crossover, Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice kind of have opinions all over the place, you might love one of them, another might be your absolute least favorite in the franchise. I have no idea what's the general consensus for TGAA, it might be too early to tell with the localization being too recent, I'm also not sure how people feel about Investigations 2, for the most part I at least see people considering it an improvement over the first game.

Spoiler: Personally Speaking

Your like the first person ive ever seen who points this out.

Everybody likes to rag on the final case on investigations for being too long but the last case of the Layton crossover legit takes up half the game lol
For those that didnt play it, the game is structured like a Layton game with numbered chapters but the cases within those chapters are spread like this:

Prologue: First case

Chapters 1 and 2: second case

Chapters 3 and 4: third case

The rest of the game: The last case.

This game has 10 chapters.

 

[ThunderSageNun]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Gumshoe appreciation post

 

[GoodGrief741]

Just curious since I've never played, but which games in the series are considered "good" and which are considered "bad"? I know it's not that simple because I come from the Danganronpa fandom where a lot of people disagree on which games are good or bad (although everyone agrees the anime is bad). But it seems like a more contentious subject than I thought. Which games are worth buying on the Switch?

I don't think any game in the series is bad, nor have I seen anyone call any game bad. Even in the games where the overarching plot isn't the best, they all have great mysteries that are fun to solve, and since that is the main draw of the games you won't find one that isn't at least enjoyable to play through.

Spoiler: My personal order

 

[Bobthealligator]

Just curious since I've never played, but which games in the series are considered "good" and which are considered "bad"? I know it's not that simple because I come from the Danganronpa fandom where a lot of people disagree on which games are good or bad (although everyone agrees the anime is bad). But it seems like a more contentious subject than I thought. Which games are worth buying on the Switch?

I personally don't think any of them are bad games. But I think Dual Destinies and Apollo Justice come close.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

Ranking the games is rough but from best to worst, mine are probably
AAI2
Dual Destinies
GAA2
Phoenix Wright
Trials and Tribulations
Apollo Justice
Justice for All
Investigations 1
GAA1
Spirit of Justice


On that note I very much disliked the main story of SoJ when I replayed it earlier but it's still got things going for it like Rayfa and cases 2 and 4

 

[KirbyMonadoBoy]

My current ranking from best to worst:

1.) AA6 (Spirit of Justice)
2.) AA3 (Trials & Tribulations)
3.) AA5 (Dual Destinies)
4.) AA1
5.) Layton vs AA
6.) AA2 (Justice for All)
7.) AA4 (Apollo Justice)
8.) GAA1 (Adventures)
9.) AAI (Miles Edgeworth Investigations)

(yet to finish GAA2 and AAI2 which I both enjoy easy more than their predecessors)

 

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

I'll form my list later, but after recently finishing GAA2 I enjoyed it so much that I have it as my new favorite AA game taking the crown away from Trials & Tribulations which held it for more than a decade. And now I want Naruhodo to be an alt for Phoenix.

 

[Bobthealligator]

My rankings:
AA: TT>AA: JFA>AA>AA: SoJ>AAI>>>>AA:DD (The only reason Dual Destinies isn't last is because the Mood Matrix is a really fun mechanic and adds a lot to the moment to moment gameplay, the story of Dual Destinies is style over substance and honestly doesn't make any sense. Basically it feels like Ace Attorney if it was directed by Michael Bay)>AA:AJ (Apollo Justice's story is also awful but for different reasons, the first case is one of the series best and raises a lot of interesting mysteries. Said mysteries are either not paid off at all, or paid off in the most unsatisfying way possible. It's almost like they realised they're opening case was perfect and decided to spend the last 3rd of the game trying as hard as possible to ruin it)

 

[Flyboy]

I like to take the series as a whole. I have one game I think I'll never revisit again outside of one, maybe two cases, and some moments I enjoyed, but other than that I think every game in the series has strengths that I really appreciate and all work together to contribute to a series that is just wonderful. I know the two I consider my favorites and why, I know the one I consider my least favorite and why, but as a whole I like the series too much to get hung up in why X game is the worst or why Y game straight up sucks unless I'm forced to explain myself lol.

What you'll learn from this discussion is that everyone likes different Ace Attorney games for different reasons and has different opinions on different parts of the series. The best thing to do would be to experience the series as a whole for yourself and find out what you like and why.

 

[fogbadge]

the story of Dual Destinies is style over substance and honestly doesn't make any sense. Basically it feels like Ace Attorney if it was directed by Michael Bay)

i dunno. dont michael bay films usually have less orca interrogating?

 

[Hadokeyblade]

My rankings:
AA: TT>AA: JFA>AA>AA: SoJ>AAI>>>>AA:DD (The only reason Dual Destinies isn't last is because the Mood Matrix is a really fun mechanic and adds a lot to the moment to moment gameplay, the story of Dual Destinies is style over substance and honestly doesn't make any sense. Basically it feels like Ace Attorney if it was directed by Michael Bay)>AA:AJ (Apollo Justice's story is also awful but for different reasons, the first case is one of the series best and raises a lot of interesting mysteries. Said mysteries are either not paid off at all, or paid off in the most unsatisfying way possible. It's almost like they realised they're opening case was perfect and decided to spend the last 3rd of the game trying as hard as possible to ruin it)

You see Apollo Justice is written that way because they intended to expand on it in future titles, but those plans were scrapped when the writers changed.

I'm sure if Apollo Justice actually got a sequel it would feel a bit better, like how Great Ace Attorney is made better with hindsight with it's sequel. But i guess well never know.

I like to take the series as a whole. I have one game I think I'll never revisit again outside of one, maybe two cases, and some moments I enjoyed, but other than that I think every game in the series has strengths that I really appreciate and all work together to contribute to a series that is just wonderful. I know the two I consider my favorites and why, I know the one I consider my least favorite and why, but as a whole I like the series too much to get hung up in why X game is the worst or why Y game straight up sucks unless I'm forced to explain myself lol.

What you'll learn from this discussion is that everyone likes different Ace Attorney games for different reasons and has different opinions on different parts of the series. The best thing to do would be to experience the series as a whole for yourself and find out what you like and why.

Honestly i feel really alone in why i like Ace Attorney. And why i dont like the newest games.

Everyone ive seen on this site has said they like the mysteries and wacky antics, but to me, i liked Ace Attorney for it's continuity and to see how the characters grow and change in small ways with each game. The most obvious example being with Adrian Andrews between the second and third games.

We dont get that in Apollo's trilogy, yeah were TOLD things change but it really doesnt feel like it, Apollo still feels like a rookie by the end of his supposed trilogy, as if no time has passed.
And i return to Pearl for a second, because it feels like she's still an elementary school kid in the sequel trilogy... When she's like, a young adult? Does that not bother anyone at all?

 

[fogbadge]

anyone know if this is one of those games where the us and uk versions are different?

 

[ThunderSageNun]

Everyone ive seen on this site has said they like the mysteries and wacky antics, but to me, i liked Ace Attorney for it's continuity and to see how the characters grow and change in small ways with each game. The most obvious example being with Adrian Andrews between the second and third games.

I feel this doesn't apply all that much with many minor characters, no matter what period of the franchise we look at. Larry, Oldbag, Powers and Maggey don't really feel like they grow or change much if at all in every appearance they get after their introductory case, Adrian feels more like an exception than the rule.

And i return to Pearl for a second, because it feels like she's still an elementary school kid in the sequel trilogy... When she's like, a young adult? Does that not bother anyone at all?

I think the game is a bit vague saying she was in a summer camp during the aquarium case to know exactly at what stage of education she currently is in, I dunno how common those things are, but I've seen other japanese games like Persona have such trips in high school, maybe it's a cultural difference or something.
I do think the returnal of classic characters in the 3DS games is mishandled, to say the least. It really doesn't feel like Maya, Edgeworth or Pearl get to do or appear much (Pearl honestly could have been deleted entirely honestly, the magatama running out of energy is only relevant in the DLC case and that plot device could have easily been removed given how inconsequential it is), and I find that problematic given how trailers tried to hype up their return as a big deal. It's stuff like that why I'm hesitant to see Gumshoe back, I don't think they'll do much of value with him, I feel his conclusion in Investigations 2 is as good of an ending that he'll get.

 

[Bobthealligator]

And i return to Pearl for a second, because it feels like she's still an elementary school kid in the sequel trilogy... When she's like, a young adult? Does that not bother anyone at all?

No I agree, it really bugs me. Pearl is a symptom of the 3DS game's refusal to move on from the original trilogy, I don't think the writers wanted to change any of her characteristics, which is a problem seeing as how Pearl's naivete and innocence were a thing due to her age and life experience. So her remaining almost entirely the same is really jarring and doesn't fit her character.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

I feel this doesn't apply all that much with many minor characters, no matter what period of the franchise we look at. Larry, Oldbag, Powers and Maggey don't really feel like they grow or change much if at all in every appearance they get after their introductory case, Adrian feels more like an exception than the rule.

I think the game is a bit vague saying she was in a summer camp during the aquarium case to know exactly at what stage of education she currently is in, I dunno how common those things are, but I've seen other japanese games like Persona have such trips in high school, maybe it's a cultural difference or something.
I do think the returnal of classic characters in the 3DS games is mishandled, to say the least. It really doesn't feel like Maya, Edgeworth or Pearl get to do or appear much (Pearl honestly could have been deleted entirely honestly, the magatama running out of energy is only relevant in the DLC case and that plot device could have easily been removed given how inconsequential it is), and I find that problematic given how trailers tried to hype up their return as a big deal. It's stuff like that why I'm hesitant to see Gumshoe back, I don't think they'll do much of value with him, I feel his conclusion in Investigations 2 is as good of an ending that he'll get.

In a perfect world Gumshoe would come back but be married to Maggey. Since the pre Time skip games kept building up a thing between them.

...But that's too much of a change for Capcom.

No I agree, it really bugs me. Pearl is a symptom of the 3DS game's refusal to move on from the original trilogy, I don't think the writers wanted to change any of her characteristics, which is a problem seeing as how Pearl's naivete and innocence were a thing due to her age and life experience. So her remaining almost entirely the same is really jarring and doesn't fit her character.

Given her personality i expected her to be a Lot More mature when i Heard she was in DD. But i Guess That ship has clearly sailed

 

[ThunderSageNun]

Gumshoe is too good for Maggey
tbh I'm kinda glad AA never dove too hard into romance, I think T&T is the closest we've got to that, and I hope it stays that way.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Gumshoe is too good for Maggey
tbh I'm kinda glad AA never dove too hard into romance, I think T&T is the closest we've got to that, and I hope it stays that way.

I mean, they dont have to focus too much on it. Just an in passing mention of them being married would be good. You know something that properly gives the impression that a long time has passed since weve seen Gumshoe in universe and that these characters arent static.

The only character i can think of in the modern games who actually feels like he's changed with time is Edgeworth. You know with him getting promoted.

 

[fogbadge]

at this point i think gumshoe would be working for nothing

 

[Wazygoose]

I’m new to this thread but I played DD and SoJ, and am in the middle of GAA. I didn’t try the earlier ones because I like the 3D models.

I think he’d make a great character. I’d really like to see Athena, Apollo, and Naruhodo too though as alts. The cast is so big and so many things are over the top it’d be fun to have it all in SSBU.

Final Smash would have to be that part in each game though where you know what the game wants to happen but it wants some weird combo of evidence and testimony that is so unintuitive it makes you game over 3 times in a row.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

I’m new to this thread but I played DD and SoJ, and am in the middle of GAA. I didn’t try the earlier ones because I like the 3D models.

I think he’d make a great character. I’d really like to see Athena, Apollo, and Naruhodo too though as alts. The cast is so big and so many things are over the top it’d be fun to have it all in SSBU.

Final Smash would have to be that part in each game though where you know what the game wants to happen but it wants some weird combo of evidence and testimony that is so unintuitive it makes you game over 3 times in a row.

Your missing out man, the trilogy is easily one of my favorite stories in gaming.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Meanwhile I'm up for pretty much anything they give me.

Except for AAI1.

Only one I felt was a slog.

Similar case with me, but replace AAI1 with AJ.

Honestly, I'm fine with Phoenix sticking on board as the protagonist As far as I'm concerned, there still some loose ends to deal with that got abandoned thanks to the timeskip between AA3 and AJ, and what caused an unnecessary divide. There's more to show with the guy and I certainly look forward to it!

 

[fogbadge]

finished NTWEWY yesterday so i think its time i got started on GAA

 

[TeenGirlSquad]

The only ones on Switch right now are the original trilogy and The Great Ace Attorney duology all of which are great.

I bought the Turnabout Collection. Although tbh this game makes far less sense to me than Danganronpa so far. There were a few times in DR where I had no idea what to do, like "gravel in swimsuit", but they were few and far between to the point where most of them became memes. Whereas I feel lost in so many of the AA cases because there are many times where there are glaring inconsistencies which you can't call out, or which you're "not supposed" to call out yet, and you're actually supposed to focus on something elementary or trivial, and there's not a very good indicator of what it is at any given moment. All of the cases so far had inconsistencies that were just never called out ever, especially the second one. And while it does an okay job of telling you when to press and when to present evidence, it's often difficult to figure out which statement to press.

I'm already having to look up what to do for Lotta Hart's testimony. Hopefully the later games are more clear. However, I do really like the characters and the general premise, and it's good to have another investigation/trial series to play.

 

[Bobthealligator]

I bought the Turnabout Collection. Although tbh this game makes far less sense to me than Danganronpa so far. There were a few times in DR where I had no idea what to do, like "gravel in swimsuit", but they were few and far between to the point where most of them became memes. Whereas I feel lost in so many of the AA cases because there are many times where there are glaring inconsistencies which you can't call out, or which you're "not supposed" to call out yet, and you're actually supposed to focus on something elementary or trivial, and there's not a very good indicator of what it is at any given moment. All of the cases so far had inconsistencies that were just never called out ever, especially the second one. And while it does an okay job of telling you when to press and when to present evidence, it's often difficult to figure out which statement to press.

I'm already having to look up what to do for Lotta Hart's testimony. Hopefully the later games are more clear. However, I do really like the characters and the general premise, and it's good to have another investigation/trial series to play.

Most of these issues are less apparent in the later games and also the 5th case of the game you're on (it has other issues though).

 

[Hadokeyblade]

You know what would have been amusing? If the great ace attorney had Laytons "Have a look!" bubble from the crossover instead of the usual "Take That!" Entirely because of London I bought the Turnabout Collection. Although tbh this game makes far less sense to me than Danganronpa so far. There were a few times in DR where I had no idea what to do, like "gravel in swimsuit", but they were few and far between to the point where most of them became memes. Whereas I feel lost in so many of the AA cases because there are many times where there are glaring inconsistencies which you can't call out, or which you're "not supposed" to call out yet, and you're actually supposed to focus on something elementary or trivial, and there's not a very good indicator of what it is at any given moment. All of the cases so far had inconsistencies that were just never called out ever, especially the second one. And while it does an okay job of telling you when to press and when to present evidence, it's often difficult to figure out which statement to press. I'm already having to look up what to do for Lotta Hart's testimony. Hopefully the later games are more clear. However, I do really like the characters and the general premise, and it's good to have another investigation/trial series to play. I'm getting Ace Attorney investigations flashbacks, that one is even worse about this sort of thing, there's a point in that one where they spend like 10 minutes talking about a fireplace before the fireplace is even presentable as evidence. But it's like the most obvious contradiction.

 

[fogbadge]

please tell me he stops darting his eyes all over the place? i cannot remember his name. ill call him nick sr for now

 

[Hadokeyblade]

please tell me he stops darting his eyes all over the place? i cannot remember his name. ill call him nick sr for now

I do enjoy How His character animations change over the course of the story to illustrate His Growing confidence. It's great.

That's a Long way of saying, yes he does.

 

[fogbadge]

I do enjoy How His character animations change over the course of the story to illustrate His Growing confidence. It's great.

That's a Long way of saying, yes he does.

thank goodness for that. It’s kinda unsettling

 

[Flyboy]

Well, I beat TGAA2 last night. All in all, an absolutely amazing experience. So many great characters and I loved how it did a lot of things unique to the series while still feeling very Ace Attorney at its heart. A wonderful addition to the series.

 

[Caladuz]

I do enjoy How His character animations change over the course of the story to illustrate His Growing confidence. It's great.

That's a Long way of saying, yes he does.

Yes his character development through animations alone is amazing, love the shifty eyes and weak desk slams (which even he is surprised by).

 

[Flyboy]

They really went all out with the tiny details in each animation. I love how their eyes change and move, and they're all so fitting to the classic Ace Attorney art style with a bit of unusual flair for some of the more over-the-top and comedic characters. There are times when it all feels hand-drawn just like the old sprites. It may be the best-looking 3D AA game to date for that reason.

 

[Hinata]

TGAA had great animations, TGAA2 specifically. (one of the witnesses from TGAA2 even has over 100 unique animations, which is crazy)

I definitely hope they take what they learned from these games and apply it to AA7's animations.

 

[Lyncario]

Capcom just has incredible animators, and it can be felt trough all of their series, from Street Fighters to Ace Attorney.

 

[fogbadge]

Like that they brought back a mechanic from the crossover