Trials and Tribulations is just such a perfect culmination of what 1 and 2 set up that I would have been totally satisfied with the series ending there. Its easily my favorite, in no small part because of Godot and his whole storyline throughout it.
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What's the Best Ace Attorney Game?
- Thread starter Deleted member 4034
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1 > 3 > 4, 6 > 2 > AAI >>> 5
My rankings could probably change daily. Each one has their own highs and lows. I think AA1 has the most consistent quality case by case, or at least as I remember them. Might change if I ever replay the series.
5 is definitely my least favorite, the overarching story isn't terribly interesting, it regresses on the generational shift of 4, and it spells out most of the contradictions before you even get a chance to make a choice.
My rankings could probably change daily. Each one has their own highs and lows. I think AA1 has the most consistent quality case by case, or at least as I remember them. Might change if I ever replay the series.
5 is definitely my least favorite, the overarching story isn't terribly interesting, it regresses on the generational shift of 4, and it spells out most of the contradictions before you even get a chance to make a choice.
I have a strange relationship with AAI2.
Pound for pound, it's easily the most ambitious game in the entire Ace Attorney series. I'd say only Spirit of Justice comes close to matching it in that sense, but it's still in a completely different league in how every single one of the game's five cases tie into one another in some pretty unprecedented ways. The amount of characters, story beats and plot threads it has to juggle at all times make for an insane tightrope act, particularly with the way it then ends up recontextualizing huge chunks of the series itself, and I'm kinda shocked the game wasn't localized because of that. If Trials and Tribulations was the end of Ace Attorney as far as Phoenix Wright's journey is concerned then Investigations 2 is the endgame of the world of Ace Attorney itself before the AA4 timeskip.
... That all being said, I also think the game is just too much of a good thing. I've only played the game once, and if anything I think the amount of plates it tries to hold kinda come tumbling a little bit under the weight of it all. For one thing, while I like that AAI2's linear progression maintains a lot more tangible impact compared to AAI's attempt at it (mostly on account of a superior narrative), it still has the consequence of making individual chapters a little more compromised in terms of the unique settings they're allowed to go for. I feel like AAI2 kinda has so many moving pieces that years later after having played it, I barely remember any of the details. That's the only Ace Attorney game I can say that about. I remember liking it, but AAI was so comparatively simple that even if I walked away from that gamd a little underwhelmed in retrospect and not fully sure about the finer details surrounding the smuggling ring, I at least felt like I remembered all the important key points of the plot, specifically the "why". With AAI2 thats just kinda lost on me in the maze of its complicated story, character motivations and conspiracies, just because of how insanely specific all of its circumstances are. I looked up stuff on the game's characters the other day and found characters I didn't even remember were in the game.
Also this might be more of a fan localization issue but as far as writing is concerned the only thing I really remember is how I kinda felt at times that the script got a bit repetitive in its idiosyncrasies and slightly melodramatic.
Anyway, AAI2 is a really impressive game. I'll have to revisit it some day, because in my memory, all I can remember is how much of an overstuffed turkey it was.
The main thing I remember from the final confrontation is that between each part of the testimony, every character by your side would give their own speech about how important the truth was and why Edgeworth should never give up and all I can think is "Yeah, he gets it, have you met Edgeworth before?". It kind of messed with the pacing and tension of the scene. The final case was good but as finales go it falls short of the cases that precede it, in my opinion.
Damn, should have expected a landslide for 3. I guess having a satisfying wrap-up finale really goes a long way. (voted 3)
Best individual case for me however is still 2-4.
Best individual case for me however is still 2-4.
Everything you said about AAI2 probably goes even moreso for DGS2. Every case aside from the first one feels like a late game case with a bevy of characters and a lot of moving parts. I finished it like two-three months ago and I'm having trouble remembering everything about it already because of how much was there. I think DGS2 pulls it off better than AAI2 as every case ends up feeling super significant, but the fact that it's like that at all is still a problem for me.
I personally really dislike it. Because we get Layton bits instead of proper Investigations sequences like half of the game's cases feel much shallower than a proper Ace Attorney case. The entirety of the last case has an insane plot twist that ultimately feels kind of bullshit if you think about it for a while. I also found that I'm not really smart enough to like Layton puzzles a whole lot.
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But then everyone would've just voted for 1, the actual correct answer.
My thing with 3, besides everything about that third case is,
The explanation for this is the most nonsensical thing, it's a great emotional journey, I just can't forgive certain logistics taken to get there.
3 because it was the last game in the series that I've played where I genuinely got the feeling that they were telling the story they've wanted to tell all along.
4 and 5 were fine but definitely felt like "we've been told to make new games so here they are". Not sure about 6 since I haven't played it.
4 and 5 were fine but definitely felt like "we've been told to make new games so here they are". Not sure about 6 since I haven't played it.
Hard disagree. Everything after Apollo Justice just felt toothless to me. They brought Phoenix back in the worst way possible, and 5 did his growth in 4 a huge disservice.
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He didn't grow in 4, he was a shitty person and mentor in 4. That ire was just directed toward someone worse.
The only acceptable answers are AA1, AA3 or AAI2. They are definitely in a league of their own.
As a total package, the first game feels the most satisfying. Partially because it didn't feel like it was built to carry a trilogy or even extend past the final case. The third is solid, but I feel the actual content of the climax is a bit overrated. Justice for All has the single best case in the entire series by far though. That last case is a masterpiece.
I actually like a fair bit of Apollo Justice, but that might be because it was the first game I played in the franchise. Dual Destinies was a major disappointment though. I just don't think it did enough to sell it's premise about the "dark age of the law", and would have benefited from incorporating more of the lore from Apollo Justice if they wanted to really sell that concept. I also thought the final reveal was a bit obvious.
I haven't played the most recent game that came out a few years ago though, so it is possible that that one was a huge return to form for the series.
I actually like a fair bit of Apollo Justice, but that might be because it was the first game I played in the franchise. Dual Destinies was a major disappointment though. I just don't think it did enough to sell it's premise about the "dark age of the law", and would have benefited from incorporating more of the lore from Apollo Justice if they wanted to really sell that concept. I also thought the final reveal was a bit obvious.
I haven't played the most recent game that came out a few years ago though, so it is possible that that one was a huge return to form for the series.
While he was definitely a less-than-stellar mentor he was anything but a shitty person and he absolutely did grow. Phoenix being forced to do something morally wrong for the right reasons is exactly the kind of character development that both he and franchise needed. Phoenix treading a morally grey area was great. 30 something year old Phoenix acting like a bumbling rookie in Dual Destinies was not. It was kinda insulting actually.
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I feel like the bumbling thing is greatly exaggerated. He's rusty and stumbled a few times early on. Not to mention the situation you're describing literally happens again 6 and it's better there.
Your "morally grey" Phoenix made his mentee unknowingly submit forged evidence to clear himself and give a fuck you to the guy that ruined his career.
Which one is insulting again?
Replaying the trilogy again last year helped solidify the third game as the best, with the original being a lot weaker than I remembered aside from case 4 and 5.
The last case of 2 is still my favorite, but overall I'd probably go 3 > 6 > 1 > 4 > 2 > 5 > AAI. Never got to play Investigations 2 yet though I'll remedy that eventually.
Even the "worst" AA is a game I'd still take over a lot of things, though. I like them all a lot.
The last case of 2 is still my favorite, but overall I'd probably go 3 > 6 > 1 > 4 > 2 > 5 > AAI. Never got to play Investigations 2 yet though I'll remedy that eventually.
Even the "worst" AA is a game I'd still take over a lot of things, though. I like them all a lot.
Yep. Even as a standalone game it would be among the top, but the way it concludes the original trilogy as well is so good.
C'mon, Phoenix stood in court like... a few months (maybe a year? before the events of AA5) and he wasn't a bumbling fool. In fact, he was leading everyone the whole time. The man was pure confidence. Quite the development for someone we had seen stumble his way through his first few trials. Then AA5 happens and he's an absolute rookie again. I actually I felt like he's a complete buffon for most of AA5. I'll admit AA6 is a little better about it, but I'm still disappointed in Apollo v. Phoenix. It could have been such a hype moment, instead what we got was weaksauce.
And I don't understand your objection to calling AA4 Phoenix "morally grey". That's exactly what he was. Yes, he manipulated Apollo and forged evidence. So what? Did you forget it was literally impossible to prove that Kristoph was the murderer without the card? In fact, Phoenix could have cleared his own name without fabricating evidence, but Olga would still be implicated as the killer, something he knew wasn't true. Letting an innocent person take the fall like that goes against everything Wright believes in and would have been a much worse sin against the character than having him manipulate someone for a good reason.
Phoenix having to rely on a "dirty" trick like that to save the day shows how far the character has come and how he's changed after life dealt him a bad hand (heh). It also sets the tone for the entire game. The world in AA4 feels a little meaner, a little more cynical than before, but Phoenix himself has grown. He's far more equipped to deal with the shit life throws at him than ever before. None of that is insulting. It's incredibly well-written character development. Most sequels only dream of having a character go through this kind of growth.
But yeah, having his daughter deliver the evidence to take down Kristoph much in the same way Kristoph used her against him when she was a child was definitely Phoenix giving him the middle finger. And a well-deserved one too, might I add.
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You can't say, "he manipulated Apollo into using forged evidence. So what?" And expect me to keep reading. That's not morally grey, that's just bad. That's just flat out bad.
And if his plan failed Apollo would've gotten disbarred through no fault of his own and Phoenix would've gone to jail. But sure, so what?
That's my problem with the game, it's called Apollo Justice, but the title character is just Phoenix's pawn for half the story on his revenge tour.
Mia and Maya would be embarrassed watching that.
AA1>AA3>AA2>AA4>AAI1>>>>>>>>>>>AA5
Never Played AAI2 or GAA 1 and GAA2 because they haven't been released outside of Japan. And I hated AA5 so much that I don't have any desire to play AA6.
But I still think the first game is the best, Not a single boring case IMO. The third game comes close but the bonus case in part one just puts it at the top for me.
Never Played AAI2 or GAA 1 and GAA2 because they haven't been released outside of Japan. And I hated AA5 so much that I don't have any desire to play AA6.
But I still think the first game is the best, Not a single boring case IMO. The third game comes close but the bonus case in part one just puts it at the top for me.
It took two entire games to undo the events of Apollo Justice and make Apollo a great character in his own right.
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Apollo has been a great character, he's just so put upon by everyone. Late Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice was just him taking charge.
AA3 is by far the best one. It wraps up the series so well and has some of the best cases in the franchise. PWAA and JfA are bogged down by a less connected story throughout, plus PWAA having a pretty mediocre Case 5.
For me, none of the Apollo Justice games could qualify, just by virtue of how disconnected they are. Look at Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, and I can count on one hand what makes an impact on the future entries.
1. Apollo Justice
2. Trucy Wright
3. Klavier Gavin
4. Apollo's bracelet
Lamiroir? Kristoph? Vera? Spark? Kitaki family? Barely a peep in future entries, feeling like the writers viewed AJ as a failure and wanted to make it irrelevant. They even removed all of the character development Ema and Phoenix had for fan service purposes. Apollo Justice is the Phantom Menace of the two AA trilogies.
I didn't love Ema or Phoenix in AJ, but it was so trashy how every entry had a new out-of-nowhere backstory for Apollo instead of actually building off of what they were originally going for.
Oh, and the fact that they don't even acknowledge that the Jurist system ever existed is just the worst.
For me, none of the Apollo Justice games could qualify, just by virtue of how disconnected they are. Look at Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, and I can count on one hand what makes an impact on the future entries.
1. Apollo Justice
2. Trucy Wright
3. Klavier Gavin
4. Apollo's bracelet
Lamiroir? Kristoph? Vera? Spark? Kitaki family? Barely a peep in future entries, feeling like the writers viewed AJ as a failure and wanted to make it irrelevant. They even removed all of the character development Ema and Phoenix had for fan service purposes. Apollo Justice is the Phantom Menace of the two AA trilogies.
I didn't love Ema or Phoenix in AJ, but it was so trashy how every entry had a new out-of-nowhere backstory for Apollo instead of actually building off of what they were originally going for.
Oh, and the fact that they don't even acknowledge that the Jurist system ever existed is just the worst.
If you're going to ignore everything else in my post then I guess there's no point in extending this discussion.
My ranking (still need to play Spirit of Justice) and buy Great AA games
I didn't start playing the series until a few years ago so I don't have any nostalgia for any particular title.
1. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth 2
I love the pacing in the game, it's the only one from start to finish that I feel nails it. Also love Edgeworth & Fay is the best sidekick in all the games.
2. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations
Perfect end to original trilogy, some spotty parts of pacing but you are pulling for a good outcome the entire way through.
3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies
Recently played, return to form to original setup. Athena has an interesting story and like the one two setup with Apollo.
4. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
The legendary Guitar scene, what more do I have to say.... On a more serious note Apollo is a cool introduction and seeing the world slightly aged from the original trilogy was really enjoyable. Pacing was fairly good.
5. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
It's quite different and playing it after 4 straight games of same format was a nice refresher. Add some really interesting characters in the AAI world.
6. Ace Attorney Justice For All
Better pacing than 1, enjoyable game. Liked the introduction of Pearls and Franziska
7. Ace Attorney
I put it last but it's still a great game. The game develops it's formula better in future games and i myself also got a better understanding of the games the more I played. Went into it with not a ton of knowledge. Never really enjoyed Maya (she is a fine character just not my favorite) so learning the game style and paired with a so so character was why I placed it here.
Game had fantastic ending!
I didn't start playing the series until a few years ago so I don't have any nostalgia for any particular title.
1. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth 2
I love the pacing in the game, it's the only one from start to finish that I feel nails it. Also love Edgeworth & Fay is the best sidekick in all the games.
2. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations
Perfect end to original trilogy, some spotty parts of pacing but you are pulling for a good outcome the entire way through.
3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies
Recently played, return to form to original setup. Athena has an interesting story and like the one two setup with Apollo.
4. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
The legendary Guitar scene, what more do I have to say.... On a more serious note Apollo is a cool introduction and seeing the world slightly aged from the original trilogy was really enjoyable. Pacing was fairly good.
5. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
It's quite different and playing it after 4 straight games of same format was a nice refresher. Add some really interesting characters in the AAI world.
6. Ace Attorney Justice For All
Better pacing than 1, enjoyable game. Liked the introduction of Pearls and Franziska
7. Ace Attorney
I put it last but it's still a great game. The game develops it's formula better in future games and i myself also got a better understanding of the games the more I played. Went into it with not a ton of knowledge. Never really enjoyed Maya (she is a fine character just not my favorite) so learning the game style and paired with a so so character was why I placed it here.
Game had fantastic ending!
Ace Attorney 3 is my favorite by a pretty significant margin, while Ace Attorney 4 is my least favorite.
Hmmm... I actually haven't had any problems with DGS on emulators, at least the one I used, Bluestacks. Though, as of right now, DGS fan translation isn't working on Android as of right now due to an update Capcom made to the game that fixed some bugs but in the process accidentally did something to break Scarlet Study's patch, so they've been working on that problem since March.
It actually grates on me that the ending of Trials & Tribulations is rated as highly as it is. It's a total farce and a really lackluster payoff for what had been up to that point an extremely compelling arc.
1) The final testimony is structured in such a way that the possibility of a failed outcome here simultaneously makes the "guilty until proven innocent" framework of the series' trial system clash harder against the narrative than at possibly any other point in the series AND has Maya acting with such callous disregard toward the unfolding events in a way that is literally unbelievable for her character.
During the final testimony, one truth is revealed quite clearly even before Phoenix finishes his cross-examination: the only two people who could have possibly been the murderer are Maya or Godot. No one else besides the murder victim is present at the scene of the actual murder. Iris, the defendant, is not present. That's been clearly, undeniably proven at this point... But if you fail at this point of the game, then Iris still goes to jail. That in itself is a really sloppy instance of gameplay/narrative dissonance, but it's especially jarring here because it means that Maya is the one who is throwing Iris under the bus, and it's for the sake of the person who literally murdered her own mother in a spectacular failure of narcissistic revenge. It's insane.
2) Godot as a character is just handled in a baffling, unsatisfying way.
He's a rampaging misogynistic asshole who never won a case as a prosecutor and who pursued a misguided revenge so feverishly that he absolutely ruined himself and nearly got several other people killed in the process. And that would be fine if the game hadn't tried so hard to paint him as a sympathetic figure instead of as the utterly petty and small villain that he actually was. He's so thoroughly unlikable and selfish that there isn't one good reason why Phoenix should have to share and choke down that coffee with him at the end. It's so dissonant, like the writers had fallen so in love with his design and his one-liners and his theme song that they became completely oblivious to the actions that they were actually making him do. That we're expected to feel anything but contempt for him is just weird. Like, Manfred von Karma didn't have any depth, but he didn't need to in order to play his role, and the first game certainly didn't try to make me feel sorry for him or that he was "forced" to do what he did like they do with Godot.
I've never been able to enjoy that game's ending. It retroactively sours so much of what built up to it. It just seems like it won everyone over on surface-level feels with stuff like the original cornered theme coming back in for one last objection.
1) The final testimony is structured in such a way that the possibility of a failed outcome here simultaneously makes the "guilty until proven innocent" framework of the series' trial system clash harder against the narrative than at possibly any other point in the series AND has Maya acting with such callous disregard toward the unfolding events in a way that is literally unbelievable for her character.
During the final testimony, one truth is revealed quite clearly even before Phoenix finishes his cross-examination: the only two people who could have possibly been the murderer are Maya or Godot. No one else besides the murder victim is present at the scene of the actual murder. Iris, the defendant, is not present. That's been clearly, undeniably proven at this point... But if you fail at this point of the game, then Iris still goes to jail. That in itself is a really sloppy instance of gameplay/narrative dissonance, but it's especially jarring here because it means that Maya is the one who is throwing Iris under the bus, and it's for the sake of the person who literally murdered her own mother in a spectacular failure of narcissistic revenge. It's insane.
2) Godot as a character is just handled in a baffling, unsatisfying way.
He's a rampaging misogynistic asshole who never won a case as a prosecutor and who pursued a misguided revenge so feverishly that he absolutely ruined himself and nearly got several other people killed in the process. And that would be fine if the game hadn't tried so hard to paint him as a sympathetic figure instead of as the utterly petty and small villain that he actually was. He's so thoroughly unlikable and selfish that there isn't one good reason why Phoenix should have to share and choke down that coffee with him at the end. It's so dissonant, like the writers had fallen so in love with his design and his one-liners and his theme song that they became completely oblivious to the actions that they were actually making him do. That we're expected to feel anything but contempt for him is just weird. Like, Manfred von Karma didn't have any depth, but he didn't need to in order to play his role, and the first game certainly didn't try to make me feel sorry for him or that he was "forced" to do what he did like they do with Godot.
I've never been able to enjoy that game's ending. It retroactively sours so much of what built up to it. It just seems like it won everyone over on surface-level feels with stuff like the original cornered theme coming back in for one last objection.
It's not Chessmaster Phoenix's fault that Apollo is such a weaker character in comparison.
I played through the series before AA6 came out and never got around to playing it since I didn't own a 3DS at the time it released. A few months ago I bought AA6 and decided to replay the first 5 games again before playing it so I've got the games quite fresh on my memory now! It's amazing how well these games hold up on a replay even if you already know how the major plot beats go.
I don't like ranking the games though since I feel they're all excellent and on replay there were very few cases I didn't like. I'd say my least favorite cases are 2-1 (it makes no sense that Maggey didn't simple blame the culprit), 3-3 (the gimmick of the false Phoenix Wright and the false murder scene were a tad too much IMO) and 4-2 (investigation sections drag a bit, although I did like the twist about how the victim almost killed the culprit before the murder happened). I actually enjoyed the circus case... and I wasn't bothered too much by the Guitar Serenade case since I thought the twists surrounding Lamiroir and Machi were fun.
Favorite cases are 1-4, 2-4, 3-4, 4-1, 5-5 and 5-DLC. IMO, 3-5 is a bit sloppy on how it handles the murder. As soon as the murder location is changed, Iris' should've been found innocent for instance. Case 1-5, another of the big ones, is just way too convoluted. Also, the entire "the murder happened on 2 places!" plot thread felt like major filler.
I don't like ranking the games though since I feel they're all excellent and on replay there were very few cases I didn't like. I'd say my least favorite cases are 2-1 (it makes no sense that Maggey didn't simple blame the culprit), 3-3 (the gimmick of the false Phoenix Wright and the false murder scene were a tad too much IMO) and 4-2 (investigation sections drag a bit, although I did like the twist about how the victim almost killed the culprit before the murder happened). I actually enjoyed the circus case... and I wasn't bothered too much by the Guitar Serenade case since I thought the twists surrounding Lamiroir and Machi were fun.
Favorite cases are 1-4, 2-4, 3-4, 4-1, 5-5 and 5-DLC. IMO, 3-5 is a bit sloppy on how it handles the murder. As soon as the murder location is changed, Iris' should've been found innocent for instance. Case 1-5, another of the big ones, is just way too convoluted. Also, the entire "the murder happened on 2 places!" plot thread felt like major filler.
AA3>AAI2>AA1>AA6>AA2>AA5>AAI>AA4>AAvPL
AA3 is the near perfect end to the trilogy.
AAI2 delivers what feels like a trilogy in one gams.
AA1 plays mechanically a lot weaker(heath, annoying logic almost always) and rather bland cases except 4/5. Replaying it weaken my views on it, but it's still is the most memorable one to me.
The new trilogy is just so much weaker on most things, but 6 ended up being a good step in the right direction. 6-3 is one of my favorites
AA3 is the near perfect end to the trilogy.
AAI2 delivers what feels like a trilogy in one gams.
AA1 plays mechanically a lot weaker(heath, annoying logic almost always) and rather bland cases except 4/5. Replaying it weaken my views on it, but it's still is the most memorable one to me.
The new trilogy is just so much weaker on most things, but 6 ended up being a good step in the right direction. 6-3 is one of my favorites
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Y'all need to put some fucking respect on Layton v Wright and turnabout big top is nowhere close to being as bad a case as y'all make it out to be.
Also
6>AAI2>3>2>5>PLvPW>1>4>Aviary Attorney>AAI1
Also
6>AAI2>3>2>5>PLvPW>1>4>Aviary Attorney>AAI1