Ace Attorney game impressions (1st game & Justice for All)

[aruru]

So, sometime last afternoon, I finally went and beat Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney -Justice for All-. That's two down, with two more to go before I'm caught up with the rest of the freakin' world regarding this damn series! Because I'm certainly not caught up with the rest of the world regarding gaming, or anime/manga, or anything ELSE, for that matter... *looks at backlog meaningfully*

Anyway, to sum up the thoughts on the Ace Attorney series thus far: Aww, so cute! And hilarious! And... wow, it really, really got pretty damn gay after the fourth case of the first game! I was thinking people had overblown the thing at first, but... wow. :O

So, a few character (not everyone, just a few key players) thoughts:

- Phoenix is a hilarious main character. I really like his random observations on things, and I respect his dedication to his job, despite how often it gets him the scorn of others.

- Edgeworth is pretty awesome on his own right, and despite his whole "turning out to be a pretty angsty character at the core" bit being somewhat predictable, I really liked how it helped him mature as a person, as well as a prosecutor in Justice for All.

- Mia is one pretty awesome "mentor" character! I was really surprised (and kinda sad) that'd they off her so quickly during the first game (I mean, just on the second case? Ouch.), but I really like the whole "mentoring from BEYOND THE GRAAAAAAAAVE!!!" shtick they've got going with her. I'm really looking forward to the third game, since it features her from the time she was alive, and should allow for more character development for her beyond the whole "mentor" bit.

- Maya is hilarious. And adorable. (Hilariously adorable? Adorably hilarious?) And has some crazy luck for getting both INTO and OUT of trouble! :O Anyway, she's a great character to play off of Nick (and vice-versa).

- Gumshoe is... well, I happen to think he's rather cute! :D (And I mean both his chara design AND his personality! XD) I like how, despite being a bit inept, he still tries his hardest to help! And I really like how he's come to respect Phoenix over time - it shows that he's really a good sport at heart, and doesn't hold a grudge. ♥

- Pearl... was totally NOT what I was expecting! And I like it! See, I was totally thinking that she'd be portrayed as one of those "quiet, mysterious mystic" characters, and it turned out she's a VERY normal and talkative girl... if a bit naive about the world outside her village (the only thing that might seem a bit "predictable" about her). Anyway, it was a pretty refreshing change of pace from the usual "mystic" portrayals. I like her. (I also liked how they used her to bring in the whole Psyche-Lock system with the magatama - it felt perfectly natural and fit the plot.)

- Franziska... was interesting. It's obvious she's still kind of a kid in some ways (such as how she told Edgeworth that she "hated" him for "leaving her behind" in the 2nd game's ending - that kinda sounded as something a kid would say) and has got a lot to learn about being a prosecutor, and I hope Edgeworth's words at the end of the 2nd game help her get on the right track (I was surprised she went and actually cried at the end! Wow!). Aside from that... well, she was pretty hilarious in the 2nd and 3rd cases, abusing poor Gumshoe around with her whip and all, haha! XD


And now, some plot thoughts (for both games) as well:

- I like how the games ease you into the "core" gameplay (the courtroom questioning) with the first case and ease you into the "investigation" part of it later, so you're not overwhelemed. Also, having one of your best friends as Nick's first client helped make it more "personal." Not to mention amusing, since Larry's a spaz. XD

- Like I said when I talked about Mia, I was really surprised they went and killed her right at the start of the second case! I know we weren't anywhere familiar enough with her to develop a "real" attachment at that point, but still, that took some balls. Also, it's pretty original that we're left to develop an attachment to her AFTER she's dead, through the times when she possesses either Maya or Pearl.

- The "Turnabout Samurai" chapter was pretty amusing, with Oldbag's crazy rambling (and her crush on "Edgey-poo," LOL), Sal's l33t-speak and Cody's brattiness and all. And aww, Will Powers is a pretty nice guy! I liked him.

- The fourth chapter of the first game, despite all the angst and gayness (mainly from Edgeworth, as well as some from Nick), had it's moments of hilarity, mainly from Lotta (and a bit from Larry), and... well, THE PARROT. The frickin' PARROT, man. I was TOTALLY not expecting they'd DO that, hahahaha! XD And man, did it feel GOOD to totally pwn von Karma with THAT testimony! (And the animation of him headwalling over and over at the end of the case was just priceless. XD)

- I thought the 5th bonus case was a nice touch, with all the new things you could do with the touch screen - it really made me feel that you were doing investigation! (Too bad there wasn't any of that in Justice for All.) Also, I really liked the Skye sisters (their dedication to each other is amazing, just like the connection the Feys have), and the cowboy policeman (Marshall?) and the lunch lady (Angel, I think?) were pretty quirky characters in their own right. Also, Gant. Despite being a real asshole to the highest order, he still managed to amuse me a bit. Also, I find his design kind of hot for an old dude. :O And Lana's bit at the end about how without the drawing and Nick and Edgeworth working together they wouldn't have solved the case was "aww, gay sweet."

- LOL, amnesia! Way to make the starting case of the second game interesting, writers! Also, adding the incompetent prosecutor from the original game to be your opposition again was a nice touch. I like how these characters keep re-connecting at different points.

- I actually suspected Pearl's mom the whole time to have a hand in the second murder, even if she wasn't the actual killer. Damn, to go that far for the sake of her kid (to the point of not caring for the rest of her family) is pretty scary. Also, I totally called the thing that happened with the Miney sisters. The case as a whole was somewhat predictable, but still really entertaining. I'm still worried about that ominous bit at the end with Pearl's mom swearing revenge, though - I guess this issue will be addressed by the third game?

- "Turnabout Big Top," while being pretty ridiculous (well, it is a circus, after all), was actually pretty sad. Also, I totally didn't expect the murderer to be who I thought - I was actually expecting something more melodramatic like Regina turning out to be some psycho bitch or something. It was sad, though, as the murderer in this case isn't really a bad person at heart. :(

- Hahaha, fourth case! I totally didn't expect the writers to fake me out, by having the Psyche-Lock not work on the murderer because of the fact that he wasn't the direct killer! The fact that you have to keep the trial going despite knowing the truth, and then find a way to get him declared guilty despite having "proven" his innocence was a good touch, too - it really kept me on the edge of my seat to the end (even though I did expect that De Killer would finally find out about his being backstabbed by his client and end the contract). But what was really hilarious about the case was the fact that they used the walkie-talkie to have De Killer testify - it reminded me of the parrot thing in the first game! XD Lastly, redconverse was right - it really WAS the potentially kinkiest item you had in your inventory that you had to give to Edgeworth to get the ending right, hahahaha! (I really have to wonder if the writers don't have a few slash fans in their midst, because... well, damn! XD)


So, that's about it. As for pairings, thus far I'm liking:

- Phoenix/Edgeworth - Yeah, yeah, I know it's the most popular pairing, but seriously, it's like the two games thus far WANT you to do so. Most of "teh gay" vibes in the games come from those two. :O

- Edgeworth/Gumshoe - I'm sorry, but Gumshoe at the very least has a boner thing for Edgeworth, the degree of his admiration for the guy is just... well, nuts.

- Phoenix/Gumshoe - I've never heard of any fans of this thus far, but I'm sure there has to be someone! Anyway, my reason for this one is because of the growing degree of respect/admiration Gumshoe's been developing for Nick in these two games, and Phoenix's apparent sympathy for how much Gumshoe gets chewed out by others, even though he tries his best (Even though, this being Nick and all, sometimes he's snarky about the poor guy too, heheh...). It's nothing like Gumshoe's boner admiration for Edgeworth yet, but I think the basis for something developing (at the hands of a skillful fanwriter) is there.

(And no, I'm not adverse to the three of them having a threesome, either. >D)

Why no het there? Because I'm not completely sold just yet on the two pairings I'm (mainly) thinking of, which are Phoenix/Maya (Their exchanges are very cute, and they do a lot of stuff for each other, but sometimes I think it might be just a tad too brother/sisterly for my taste.) and Phoenix/Mia (Her mentorship of Nick is awesome, but I don't think we've seen quite enough of her as a character outside that frame - hopefully the third game will correct that. Additionally, there's the fact that she's... well, dead. Though there IS potential for some kinky "takes possession of Maya for hawt sexy tiems with Nick" stories there, haha...). And... now I just thought of the possibility of Edgeworth/Franziska, and... no, they're definitely more brother/sister to me... and Phoenix/Franziska, but that... no, I think Nick would be too scared of her, LOL. XD So, no het for the time being.

Still, you could probably throw the characters all in a blender, hit "mix" and see what happens, and it would still be at the very least an entertaining read, hahaha. XD


Anyway, that's it for my opinions on the first two games! Now I can't decide if I should start the third one right away, or if I should take a breather and do other stuff. Thoughts?




Also: redconverse, you totally need to start pointing out to me which are the items you wrote in the PW kinkmeme! (At the very least, the ones that don't spoil the other two games.) I wanna see! :D

Comments

[redconverse.livejournal.com]

You need to play the other two games! Now!

...At the least, because almost everything I write takes place post-GS4!

Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying the games. I agree with a lot of what you say on pairings--I love anything with Gumshoe, and yes he writes "DG + ME 4EVA" on all his notebooks--but I still do write almost exclusively Phoenix/Miles. A lot of people complain in the fandom that it's overdone, and I do usually go for less popular pairings, but the two are just so bloody gay for one another that it's hard to ignore. I also just enjoy their interaction in the games. I guess pretty much all I write is stuffy-guy-who-fakes-suicide/put-upon-guy, heh. :D

The het pairings are often problematic. There's a few that work for me in the later games, but I don't remember anything in the first two--maybe because it's been a bit.

I DO, however, hold a flame for Franziska/Maya. I mean, Maya's pretty much the only person foolish brave enough to go on that date, but I haven't really had the courage to write any. It's been a while since I've played the second game, as I said, and I'm too worried about my grip on their characters. D:

Also, on other things in your post: ah, GANT. If you've been around the meme at all, you know he's good for one thing: FANDOM RAPIST. Every fandom needs a go-to guy for all their RAPE NEEDS, and he's pretty much it. And the parrot? Yeah, that's pretty much what you gotta go back to the second you start taking these games at all seriously. XD