I got the Ace Attorney 3 in the mail and beat it like all the other ones insanely fast because of the addictive gameplay and the amazing storytelling. Here are my thoughts on the trilogy and the three games that make it.
What is the worst game in the trilogy?
After playing the 3 games in the series, the one that I could look back on with confidence and say that the Ace Attorney 2: Justice for All is the worst one. While I admit that the storytelling improves quite a bit and the cases overall have more twists and turns, it is disjointed. I look at the game and each case really has no connection with each other and it makes the second game feel more episodic and with less cohesion. The game also has a distinction of having the worst cast of the Phoenix Wright games, with most of the new cast being forgettable. It also stands that it does have the worst soundtrack in the series with some exceptions. With that said, it has Case 4, which is one of the best cases ever.
What is the best game in the trilogy?
My statement is almost predictable in what I think is the best in the trilogy, it is without a doubt Ace Attorney 3: Trials and Tribulations. The game smashes the second game into pieces and stampedes over the original game. The storytelling is an evolution of the second game and it is a huge improvement. The opening sequence doesn't do a "phoenix wright" anymore and presents the killer, instead showing more about the event which leads to more questions than answers. The original game was great because it presents a bunch of court cases, with the audience being pleasantly suprized with the connection between Case 2 and 3. The third game steps it up 10 notches because 3 out of the 5 cases have to do with each other, with much stronger ties with the previous game. The game feels far less episodic and more like a coherent VERY EPIC storyline. The cast of characters is easily the best in a Phoenix Wright game, the new characters aren't forgettable, very likable and have personality to spare. If you don't know who Viola, Iris, Dahlia, Mask DeMasque, and Bikini you will know when you play the game. It also has case 4 and case 5, which is fanservice heaven, I don't mean "fanservice" in panty shots, but fanservice in terms of characters, events and storytelling. The music is also easily the best in the series by a long shot. The game is also known because it has what is easily the most evil villain to ever grace a Phoenix Wright game, the only way they could beat this is if they put someone even more twisted in the next trilogy.
What would be the best case?
The most intense case in the game Franchise is Case 4 from Ace Attorney 2: Justice for All. From the beginning to the end it was as intense as watching a space shuttle launch or a roller coaster going at 120 mph. It is the most intense one, but not the best one. The best one is without a doubt Case 5 from Ace Attorney 3: Trials and Tribulations. Case 5 has the strongest storytelling and some of the best character development in the series. It answers all the unanswered plot holes from the frist two games, and it is fanservice galore with the best of the best in the cast helping Phoenix Wright go through the saga. In Japan the title is appropriately known as "Magnificent Turnabout" but the english title is poorly named "Bridge to Turnabout" hopefully this gets fixed in the USA edition, since they are allegedly fixing many problems with spelling. The case also features what is the MOST EVIL character to ever grace the saga. It also gives a huge sense of closure with the storyline and gives you a warm a fuzzy feeling.
Other Thoughts
Phoenix Wright
- The Easiest game in the franchise and has one of the stronger soundtracks in the franchise.
- It was also the shortest when you don't count case 5.
- Edgeworth was the main character of development in the game
Ace Attorney: Justice for All
- Worst game in the franchise, felt more episodic.
- Worst soundtrack in the franchise
- Worse cast of characters.
- Much harder than Phoenix Wright.
- The main point of character development is the Fey Family
Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations
- Easily the best in the franchise, the tight knit storytelling also makes it the most epic.
- It is the hardest game in the franchise
- Ironically, it is the only Ace Attorney game I ever played where case 2 and 3 are harder than the last two cases.
- It also uses the Psyche locks a lot more naturally and it flows more than the second game
- It has the best cast of characters and villains
- The main point of character development is Mia, Phoenix, and the Fey Family
- It is also the longest of the Phoenix Wright games.
Comments
Nit picking point: 2nd paragraph, you gave AA2 the wrong subtitle, which in your terms is a sin of some kind? Blasphemy!
I have to agree with the thing on soundtrack for AA2, even without comparision to the first game it is still fairly weak in it's own right. The last case was most defintely insane, I was struggling to figure out which side I was supposed to be on (talk about moral dilemmas).
On a side note, have you checked into (harhar) Hotel Dusk yet? If there is any game on the DS that is as well written and thought out as AA then it's that game for sure...that is if you can stomache the fact that everything in that game is one freakish coincidence after another (one thing which I am happy with the AA series is the twists are neither total 180's or a bit too coincidental).
This is allegedly being fixed for the USA release, and they also said they are going to spend a lot more time making it better.
As for hotel dusk, I got that game on day one, but I never beat it.
PS: Prosecutor Godot is awesome, anyone who hates him has no soul.
I will buy it anyways just because it gives me an excuse to experience the best game in the series again.
Wish Capcom would stick a little more oompf behind things like that, isn't it a 100k selling series now? (outside of Japan I mean).
Anyways, thanks Alex for making these next 2 months even harder to deal with... >_> I want this game so bad!
From what I know from the people I talk to on the Gaming Age forums, the original game sold 100,000 and the second game is somewhere near 50,000 sales.
It's kind of sad to see that many people picked up PW2 due to the hype of one and were disappointed (before PW got a decent size reprint), and I see countless shrink-wrapped copies of PW in the bargain bin at EB Games...
If only Capcom had actually reprinted a decent amount of PW before taking 3 or 4 tries to get it right, this might be less of an issue.
Oh well, back to playing Persona 3 for me until Godot-ness.
I'm here thanks to Arty and the wonder of blogs. I've just finished case 3 of the third game. I still think so far that the first game was the best, it had the intro of the major players, Edgeworth I miss thee, Mia when she died, Maya and her intro. The epicness of the 5th special DS case. So far the 3rd is mechanically better than number 2 but in terms of memorable cases I'd say that they are quite similar so far in quality to me. Though this game has 5 cases so it has to be better than PW2. I'm not sure I like playing as Mia much so far though.
Oh and if you're a PW fan check this out: http://uk.gamespot.com/users/gaminggeek/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=m-100-25151439 It's a collection of all the trailers, really awesome.
Platyphyllum