Ace Attorney Investigations

[redconfession]

On Tuesday, I officially beat Ace Attorney Investigations.  I tried to beat it Monday night, but that last cross-examination took forever, and I needed to go to class in the morning.  So yeah, I beat it Tuesday.  And let me tell you, that was the first game that I was desperate to beat, but didn't want to end.  I loved it that much.  I have to admit, for a game that I was so lukewarm about coming into, I was completely and utterly into by the end of it.  In fact, it's inspired me to replay pretty much all of them.  In fact, if I wasn't trying to beat No More Heroes 2 at the moment, I would either be replaying Apollo Justice or the original Phoenix Wright game right now.

Here are the remaining Easter Eggs I found while playing through the game:

 

Pink Princess

Lotta Hart

Global Studios

Nickel Samurai

The Matt Engarde/Juan Corrida Case (Case 2-4)

Mask*DeMasque

Laurice Deauxnim

Missle!

Samurai Dog

Gourde Lake

My favorite case is probably a toss-up between 3 or 5.  Although I really wasn't a fan of the Amano's, I did find the other aspects of the case interesting.  But mainly I think it was because the stage area had both Troupe Grammarye and the Gavinner's references in the same place.  My least favorite is the first one.  Usually the first or second is my least favorite, but I did sort of like the second case (it definitely wins "most attractive victim" award).

I also loved Edgeworth’s inner Steel Samurai fanboy.  At first it was somewhat subtle, sort of like in the PW games, but then in the 5th case, Edgeworth really let it out.  I giggled when he thought something like "only the Steel Samurai is suited to be on a flag" when Kay suggests that the Jammin' Ninja would make a great flag mascot.  I felt happy for him when he got the Steel Samurai's autograph (though I did try to figure out how the Steel Samurai knew who Edgeworth was).  I loved how angry and disappointed he was he learns that Larry is the man in the steel samurai stage show.  I even felt bad for him when he discovered that Larry is the Steel Samurai, as he clearly idolized the character and clearly has a love-hate relationship with Larry and seeing his childhood(?) idol turn out to be...  Larry.  Hell I'd be disappointed too if Larry Butz was pretending to be my childhood idol (and I think Phoenix would be too).  Then there was the hilarious fact he lost his composure whenever Larry did anything Steel Samurai related, either getting angry or lost in the spirit of the Steel Samurai (or both at the same time).  And then there was also the fact that whenever there is any sort of Steel Samurai-related evidence, Edgeworth fanboys it out, and sometimes Franny gives him hell for it.  I think I liked it so much because Edgeworth was always considered such a straight-laced character, especially given his background, and the fact that we got to see him loosen up, even a little, was great.  Plus, seeing Steel Samurai-related stuff everywhere was awesome too (the theme is one of my ringtones).

If you bear with my rant a little bit longer...

Liked
- The overarching storyline - As I've mentioned before, the overarching storyline is a great addition to the Phoenix Wright, one that I would love to see again.
- The easter eggs - The fact that the game was littered with references to fans of the other PW games is a great move.  They were all, for the most part, subtle.  If you didn't know the reference then it just seemed like another random comment in the game, but if you knew the significance you got a lot of squee value out of it.
- Shih-Na - I didn't see it coming.  I hate myself for it, but I completely didn't see it.  I was about to begin seriously shipping Shih-Na and Lang, and then I felt nothing but sympathy for Lang.  It was an awesome twist, one of the best and well hidden in the PW series.
- Querus(?) Alba - He looked like a tree and he made a great final boss.  He was another twist I didn't see coming.
- Agent Lang - He was a lot of fun.  I loved the way he interacted with his men, and the way that he treated Edgeworth (antagonistically, but not completely confrontational).  He was a lot like Klavier, and I loved Klavier, so...

Disliked
- The Amano's - They were boring as characters.  Although their case was the most realistic case in the Phoenix Wright universe in terms of storyline, that's probably what makes it so boring overall.  What's lovable about the PW universe is the completely outrageous and crazy cases, and the fact that this one is so sort of dry and realistic it sticks out for all the wrong reasons.
- The Storyline of the Second Case - I liked the second case because of the characters, but the overall storyline was weak.  It had a lot of potential, but there was just something about it that made it fall flat to me.
- Agent Lang's backstory - It was touched upon, but I felt like with the intense level of disdain towards all prosecutor's, it needed a flashback or a deeper storyline or SOMETHING.  Although Agent Lang was a cool character, I felt like all the other "antagonist" characters had more of a backstory then Lang got, and I felt like he got jipped.
- Franziska - Maybe this is because I've never been one of her biggest fans to begin with, but I never understood the reason she was in the game at all.  She always sort of felt out of place to me, like they needed to put her in there for fan reasons, but they couldn't figure out how to make her come in seamlessly so they just gave up and crammed her in there.

Replay value: Incredibly high

 

Comments

I should really just stop talking and get some sleep DX

[thats-my-rule.livejournal.com]

I wanted so badly to find out how everything ended, but I wanted it to keep going at the same time. I'm still sad that it's over.

I did sort of like the second case (it definitely wins "most attractive victim" award)

Ah, so it's not just me. Damn he was gorgeous *_* Pale blonde hair and blue eyes and glasses, hmmmm yes...

You have the Steel Samurai theme as your ringtone? Haha, so do I (and various voice clips as my alert tones). XD /weird coincidence

Likes:
I LOVED the fact that all of the cases were interwoven. I really hope they keep it like that from now on. And the little references made me so happy ♥ (Especially the ladder/stepladder debate reference)

The whole Shih-Na thing: I really wish I hadn't been spoiled. I don't think I would have caught it on my own, because it was so well hidden. I mean, I assumed she'd be important by the end, but I didn't think it'd turn out the way it did. I just sat there for like 5 minutes after I found out just being all "...what D:". I felt like such an idiot for not figuring it out sooner. DX

I remember looking at Quercus when he first came onscreen and thinking "...His hair and his beard... they look like a tree. THIS DUDE IS AWESOME" His objection scares me, though. ._.

Lang is probably one of my favorite AA characters. Now that I think about it, he kinda does remind me of Klavier (who, admittedly, I'm not too crazy about). Though he did make me want to hit my head against the wall on occasion...

Dislikes:
The Amano's were beyond boring. That is all.

I'm hoping there's a sequel, 'cause I really want to know more about Lang's history. There's no way that he hates prosecutors THAT MUCH for that reason alone; there's got to be something else. At least I think so.

I personally liked Franziska being in the game because it gives me an excuse to ship her with Calisto because I really like the relationship between her and Edgeworth.