2-4 > 3-5 > 6-5 > E2-5 > 5-DLC > E2-4 > 3-2 > 1-5 > 5-2 > 3-4 > 5-5 > 5-4 > E2-3 > 1-4 > 1-3 > 6-3 > 5-3 > 4-1 > E2-2 > 6-2 > 2-2 > E1-5 > E2-1 > 3-3 > 6-DLC > 4-2 > E1-3 > 4-4 > E1-4 > E1-2 > 6-1 > 3-1 > 5-1 > 1-2 > 6-4 > E1-1 > 1-1 > 2-3 > 2-1 > 4-3
Might as well explain a few of them.
6-5: If I had decided to split them up, I think 6-5a would be where I put 6-5, then 6-5b would be after E2-4. Since that's not a huge difference, I figured I might as well place them together.
5-DLC: Still the best non-finale ever.
3-2: Ron remains one of my top 3 defendants. I think he's absolutely hilarious, and him getting off on double jeopardy is legitimately one of my favorite moments in the entire series.
5-2: Even though the game shows you the culprit at the start, there's no guessing the way everything unfolds at all. There are three points in particular where the case decides to throw you some really unexpected curveballs - the revelation that everything you built your day 1 case on is completely wrong, Filch confessing to being Tenma Taro, and the mayor being The Amazing Ninetails instead of the alderman. The more I replay this case, the more I enjoy and appreciate it.
3-4: I didn't used to like this case all that much, but I'm starting to think more and more that this is the only case there will ever be that ends in a loss. 2-4 is still a win. This is just awful, and even though you know what's coming, it still hits really hard.
5-4/5-5: I guess you see why I wanted to group these together. 5-5 gets the nod because it has two jaw-droppers (Apollo taking the stand and Bobby Fulbright?!), compared to 5-4's one (Athena's prints).
1-4: I don't like this case unconditionally. For all the talk about winning being impossible, the difficulty of the case feels fake. Why does a 40-year veteran who's never lost a case lead one of the easiest cases in the entire franchise? The best part of the whole case is Larry and that's never a good sign.
1-3: You're gonna look at this and say "wait, 1-3 right behind 1-4, MSG what are you on?" When I reminisce about cases, I typically only think of the highs. And 1-3 has them in spades. Cody's breakdown, Gumshoe's rescue, Edgeworth's face turn. The latter two in particular are two of my five favorite moments in the first game. Eh, the investigations are boring, big deal.
AJ: I still think it's funny that a game this bad manages to have the best opening case ever.
E1: Not a good sign when your best case barely beats out your sequel's worst case.
1-2: I hate 1-2. I get that they were still trying to get their wheels underneath them, but for all the good things this case has, it falls flat everywhere. It kinda goes hand-in-hand with why I don't love 1-4. The stakes are ridiculously high, but it all ends up way too easy, and incredibly straightforward. To compare, 5-2 shows you the villain, but the path to taking him down is absurd. Meanwhile, 1-2 shows you the villain the path to proving it is just "yeah, he was there and killed her". And the ending is just the worst. To contrast, I hate 1-2 more every time I play it.
Worst of the worst: 2-3 at least has a relatable villain and Moe has some fun lines and turns out likable in the end. I hate everything about 4-3. And I mean everything.
