Lurker > andylt

Voted 3. It makes sense that Hoenn has the best water lineup!

Shout out to Para and Bitto, the only people besides myself who gave Dartrix a positive vote. Poor Dartrix :(

And counter to Steel Beam, is Volcalith the first division where only the top 3 wound up with positive scores?

TheRock1525 posted...

So be honest: Barok van Zieks' theme.

Great prosecutor theme?
Or greatest prosecutor theme?

There is now a challenger to this title!

Our next witnesses are even zanier than the last. Fabien de Rousseau and Peppino de Rossi are comic criminals in the Skulkin style, with Peppino constantly implicating them both without thinking, and being seemingly unaware of the gravity of the situation around them. Sadly they're not as enjoyable as the Skulkins, I don't mind them but these are pretty well-tread archetypes now. Peppino in particular somehow manages to hit new heights of national stereotyping for the series!

The cross-examinations are fine, and eventually lead us to a twist I did not see coming. Gossip is not a random pedlar at all, but is actually Hugh Boone, the renter of the property Gregson's body was found in. And shortly after that we find out he's actually our missing Daly Vigil! Looking now I can see the resemblance in the pictures, and we had explicitly been told that Daly's face had no distinguishing characteristics. I'm a bit annoyed at myself for not catching this one, I had taken Gossip's appearance completely at face value. I really like this twist, the game completely tricked me into thinking he was an inconsequential comedy witness with a distinct character design, and the reversal from 'he couldn't possibly disguise himself given his appearance' to 'his appearance is the disguise' is done well. Good job, game!

Looking back, we were incredibly lucky that Evie went to Sholmes when she did so we had all the info we needed. Pretty unlucky for Daly not to get away with this! The ensuing tale is interesting, hell yeah Shady Gregson is back! He hired Daly to pretend to be him many times (I don't know how Mr Vigil provided for his family in the years before Gregsy showed up), and seems to have been secretly working on the Reaper case himself. I wonder how this ties in to his Paris trip, did he think he'd have the case solved by then or did he realise his time would be up soon somehow? He mentions the possibility of his own death to Daly, in any case.

Just as things appear to be winding down for the day, it's time for the Kazuma show to recommence. Woo! Asogi Jr is hellbent on finding out the truth behind his father's death, pushing Mr Vigil into remembering horrors he had buried very deep into himself. Kazuma's determination is a little frightening for Ryunosuke, and his speech about the human spirit being crushed is worrying to say the least. Nonetheless we help our friend, and poor Daly collapses after being forced to remember what looks like his own suicide attempt. Jeez. Part of me wants Ryunosuke to pull Kazuma back from the brink before it's too late, and another part of me wants to see just how far he can go and how much he can accomplish on his mission.

Court Change Division
+3 Lampent
+2 Toedscruel
+1 Doduo
-1 Glaceon
-2 Solgaleo
-3 Pupitar

Tectonic Rage Division
+3 Raichu
+2 Flabb
+1 Magcargo
-1 Melmetal
-2 Popplio
-3 Munkidori

mnk posted...

Phew. I saw Araquanid getting a number of -3s and got pretty worried.

Same here

I don't think Shroodle is that bad tbh. Solid division winners!

Pikachu

Nobody nominated anyone from Great Ace Attorney I am very disappointed in you all

oh no I missed the noms topic oops

Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII)
Martin Walker (Spec Ops: The Line)
Missile (Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective)
Papyrus (Undertale)
Shulk (Xenoblade)

Leonhart4 posted...

Kazuma's prosecutor theme is such a banger

I would look it up but don't want to accidentally spoil myself again! That'll have to wait until I've beaten the game.

Dels posted...

??? But what happened to the dolphin?

Acquitted of all charges, only to be found mauled to death by a Reaper Cuttlefish three days later.

Dang a 2am start for noms D: Well maybe I'll stay up late that night >_>

alright fine, if that's what you all want.

*Whale Noises* A Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney- Dual Destinies DLC Case Playthrough Topic!

Some months after unmasking the Phantom; Phoenix, Apollo, and Athena head off to visit Seaworld. After some shenanigans, we wind up in ocean court defending a dolphin accused of murdering a pirate captain, or something, I've only seen a couple of screenshots of this case that's as far as I can go. No, I'm afraid I'm not ditching our GAAC gang to purchase the AJ Trilogy so I can play a single case. Even if the public demand it!

Susato's father and Sholmes drop by to wish us well in court, though they don't interact with each other. I've been waiting for Yujin to meet Herlock and Iris soon in the hope that somebody will finally break the news to the poor girl about her father, but today is not that day. We're told this case will be in a closed court, meaning no jury :( I don't know if this decision was made to make things feel more serious for the player, or if they ran out of character models for jurors or couldn't think of a good way to do a summation examination this time. I'm a bit disappointed, I like jury stuff, but hopefully it pays off!

We learn from van Zieks's testimony that he was investigating Gregson... and maybe Gregson was investigating him. What a farce! The autopsy report has a coroner listed so there's our new suspect, don't tell me Maria Gorey is that daughter of Sithe's. Well whoever she is, she's sloppy, as we have no time of death listed here. I legitimately wonder if that's a typo, but later it of course turns out to be intentional. I shouldn't be doubting this game on stuff like this by now, it's significantly better on the typo front than the OG trilogy was.

I plan to present the candelabrum after pressing all of Barok's statements, but to my surprise Kazuma beats me to it! The prosecutor fills our usual role of exposing contradictions and formulating a slightly shaky theory, and with a sick new remix of his theme to boot! Kazuma is so cool. I wonder if the dialogue changes if you present the candelabrum before he gets a chance to.

Before long we meet our new witnesses Venus, Gossip, and Beppo! Who is now going by the name Sandwich! And is a poor philosopher or something, I guess that McGilded money didn't take him very far. These three are every stereotype of the usual unhelpful zany day 1 witness combined, to a point that it's definitely intentional. Venus in particular lies for absolutely no reason and freely admits it several times, which I do get a chuckle out of. For the first time we see Gregson's corpse in a photo, though the sadness is rather undercut by the hilarious wig he is wearing. Didn't dye his moustache, though, showing a distinct lack of commitment to the bit. Also I'm a bit upset there's no spilled cup of fish and chips in the corner.

With some board moving shenanigans we eventually realise that Gregson could have been killed up to a day beforehand. I'm reminded of Sholmes yesterday saying he invited Gregson over to arrest the redheads but receiving no reply... Oof. It takes me three goes to present the right evidence to show what case Gregson was working on- I first try the notice board to imply the Professor, and then the photo of Mrs Vigil, before the wig. My bad!

After presenting our theory, Kazuma breaks into good-natured laughter, and praises Ryunosuke's growth as a lawyer, before making clear his own resolve to find the truth, and openly smack talking the British justice system in a court filled with judicial representatives of the country. Oh hell yeah, there's the Kazuma I know and love! I'm so glad he's back with us. Thankfully I now very much doubt he did this crime or that he is out for basic revenge, instead his mission is probably to expose the corruption in the courts of this country, and he'll be using Stronghart until he has enough evidence to take him down. Go, Kazuma!

Time for recess, hopefully this is a good stopping point and Gina isn't going to get immediately stabbed in the defendant's lobby when I next play this.

G-Max Volcalith Division
+3 Mamoswine
+2 Wishiwashi
+1 Tranquill
-1 Combusken
-2 Mesprit
-3 Greedent

Weak Division TM

G-Max Sweetness Division
+3 Dartrix
+2 Greninja
+1 Ledyba
-1 Stoutland
-2 Teddiursa
-3 Feraligatr

Oh I also haven't played the DLC case for Dual Destinies.

I've randomly remembered Susato tampering with the crime scene in the last game, has she just gotten away with that now lol

I haven't played Apollo Justice, Spirit of Justice, or the spinoffs aside from this one.

Huh, I never noticed that the even numbered mainline games all have Justice in the title

the NFL is full of genwunners smh

MrSmartGuy posted...

Yeah, I had to just post nothing after the previous update because you stopped at the absolute worst part you possibly could've.

I can't believe how poor a stopping point it was lol. Literally the very next scene!

Well, RIP Gregsy. What a bonkers twist to drop on us like that! We'd already settled into the early goings of a case, with new plot threads and ongoing intrigue on the way, and then bam! Out of nowhere a major character dies offscreen, and everything is turned on its head just like that. Bold is the word.

Gregson had defaulted back to his gruff but friendly supporting role so far in the second game, I had assumed they were going to build up to his shadier stuff later on, with The List and all that. But no, he's just gone! I mean I assume we'll get answers on that anyway, but... wow. I did not feel like this is a character who had run his course, not in the slightest. And it feels like a very un-AA move! All bets are off, now!?

And that's not all, of course. Gregson has been killed, van Zieks has been arrested for the murder and will be our client in the upcoming trial, and Kazuma will be the prosecutor. And this isn't even the finale! Honestly so much happens here that I'm kind of in a daze with it all. We learn more of Gregson's history. Apparently he was a legendary detective; Stronghart, Gina, van Zieks, and all the nameless officers are full of nothing but effusive praise for the man, and this is absolutely not how he has been treated up until now lol. I know this is intentional, I don't doubt that much of this praise is because he's just died, but it's interesting how quickly people's perceptions can change.

Kazuma, for one, appears a very different man to the one we once knew. He blows hot and cold with Ryunosuke, is buddies with Stronghart, and throws cryptic clues at us more than ever. There are glimpses of his old amicable self, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that there's many glaring signposts pointing him on a very dark path. I really hope he doesn't sink into the darkness! Barok is convinced Kazuma is out to avenge his father, and I worry that that's exactly what he's doing, but to a greater extent than even Barok realises. But this game is clearly able to surprise me in a number of ways, so I'm not giving up hope for Asogi Jr.

Stronghart is content to drop his #1 prosecutor in a flash. First Sithe, now van Zieks, is he clearing house for some reason? It appears half of London was involved in the super secret closed trial of Genshin Asogi- now we have Barok, Mael, and Gregson to add to the list. Anyone else? God, everyone is acting so strangely today. I know there's a good reason, it just all feels so off >_>

Well, I'll hand it to them, this may be the most surprised I've ever been at the identity of a case victim in Ace Attorney, it's at least up there with the original 1-2's. Gregson was a pretty cool character, I personally enjoyed him most in his shadiest moments in 1-5, and there's more of him to come in this case I'm sure. What happens to all of his mysteries now? I'm more confused about The List than ever. What connects these four people?! They didn't all know each other, or Kazuma would've reacted to Jezaille in the first case. Three of them have now died but they can't have all been targets of the British government, as it went out of its way to protect Brett. I suppose Shinn and Wilson could've both been involved with the Professor case somehow to connect all four, but then there's so many others who could add to the list. Why Wilson and not Sholmes, for instance. And why did Gregson try to hop away to France, as if he was on the Reaper's kill list?

For now, all we can do is pour out a cup of fish and chips in Gregsy's honour.

I am completely taken aback, I truly did not see this development coming in the slightest.

Sholmes has blue hair now.

uh

WHAT

These hmmms have me feeling foolish and nervous!

Simple Beam Division
+3 Mudkip
+2 Araquanid
+1 Galvantula
-1 Nickit
-2 Remoraid
-3 Steelix

Another strong one!

Steel Beam Division
+3 Staraptor
+2 Pancham
+1 Slowking
-1 Shelgon
-2 Sprigatito
-3 Ursaluna

Slowking slides in for me purely off of its regional form.

Yay for Frosmoth! I feel bad for Arctozolt, though that was a tough division.

Case 4 begins on the eve of Stronghart's Symposium, with our Japanese characters arriving in London. The Professor, now known as Genshin Asogi, and Kazuma are also still in the foreground. The game's not holding its cards back! I thought this stuff might be saved for the finale, though we could be in for a Dual Destinies scenario where the last two cases are basically two halves of the same one.

Mikotoba and Jigoku arrive with new outfits. It still feels surreal to see a judge out and about in the world, like seeing a teacher outside of school. I wonder why Seishiro exists in this game, and is continuously mentioned alongside Yujin. He must fill some narrative role that Yujin cannot or he'd be completely extraneous, maybe he'll be a future victim or maybe we'll need two judges at one point or something.

Yujin acknowledges that he knew of Kazuma's missing body, but doesn't offer us much more than that. He does tease his own backstory, mentioning that something awful happened 16 years ago right as Susato was born that resulted in him abandoning his family for Britain. And he tries to ask Ryunosuke for a favour but we're interrupted before he gets it out. He's not seeming overtly villainous, so maybe I was on the wrong path earlier, but I'm keeping my eye on him!

Stronghart also offers an explanation for Kazuma, and I don't buy that one for a second. He found a completely unidentifiable eastern man and just decided to make him van Zieks's apprentice? After he enquired so thoroughly with us about Kazuma last game? Nah. I like him here, though, he's as sinister as ever but any fury he has towards us or Barok is unspoken, he claims not to resent us for taking down Sithe. I might believe him on that one, given that she only went down because both Ryunosuke and Barok were the lawyers in that trial, and that both of us were only there because he personally ordered us to take on the case. What is your game plan, Mael? I believe him when he states his goal about becoming Attorney General and making Britain's judicial system a world leader, but I don't see how his actions behind the scenes are leading to that.

Sholmes also also tells us something about Kazuma, but not really. I like you, Sholmes, but the eventual explanation had better be fantastic for you to have unnecessarily traumatised Ryunosuke and Susato like that for so long (and continue to lie to us). Oh, he is a redhead, now, too. The Red Headed League will come into play later, I guess, though the introduction of the two characters isn't very promising (and wow Gina has completely become a cop with no empathy for those on the side she was once on, a shame).

London is a very small place, we see more jurors wandering around every day. Evie Vigil introduces herself as looking for her missing husband Daley, who works at the prison where the Professor was held and killed. After a bit of back and forth with Yujin we talk to his boss Barry Caidin and learn that he hasn't worked in the prison for 10 years, and was made to leave after helping an inmate escape the gallows. ...How exactly did the Professor wind up in that grave, then? Hmm.

During proceedings we find out some more about Genshin. His Japanese compatriots didn't understand the killings, but we're told by Stronghart that he targeted 'blights' of society and was celebrated by some. Oh hell yeah, he really was the Reaper 1.0! Now this could be great.

The first explanation I thought of is that Kazuma has killed Daley because of his role in his father's death. Kazuma regained his memory 8 days ago and disappeared 2 days ago, and Daley disappeared yesterday. But now that we know Daley helped Genshin escape, that seems very unlikely. Still, both of them disappearing together isn't a coincidence, I'm sure.

Bafta says more than 4,000 gamers around the world took part in the poll through its website.

Wow those are lower votals than gfax contests. If B8 had known about this we could have put Phoenix Wright on there!

Techno Blast Division
+3 Vaporeon
+2 Arboliva
+1 Noibat
-1 Skiploom
-2 Toxtricity
-3 Sylveon

lol Vaporeon alone saves this for me, I don't give a hoot about any of the other nine D:

Bestow Division
+3 Swellow
+2 Frosmoth
+1 Haxorus
-1 Dolliv
-2 Scorbunny
-3 Obstagoon

This one, on the other hand, is stacked!

Aw, poor Thievul. But hopefully it'll come through anyway. Poor Carkol, too.

ZenOfThunder posted...

beware the Vaporeon +3 voters

I have been a fan of Vaporeon since gen 1 and despise that it's now associated with that stupid meme!

SeabassDebeste posted...

entirely agreed on this nitpick. everything about this case is so damn mysterious and near-epic, and then this ending is like... what?

I'm glad others are with me on this! The game hypes itself up so much going into the finale of the trial and it's a bit of a damp squib at the very end. That is probs my only knock against this case being top tier but with it being the climax it does bother me. Although thankfully it cleans itself up with the post-trial scene.

Bitto posted...

Though, I'm much higher on Harebrayne than you are!

FWIW I don't majorly dislike him. I came around to him at the end of the first trial day, but then he faded into the background for the rest of the case (not uncommon for defendants tbf) and more interesting characters took centre stage.

Paratroopa1 posted...

it would be a lot more interesting if she had more buildup before this and it was a genuine surprise. Casualty of not doing a trilogy imo - I feel like this case was probably planned to be a finale case at one point.

Ah, this is interesting. When she showed up I thought they were introducing a recurring character, so I was surprised when it became clear she was to be taken down in this case. I keep forgetting this was supposed to be a trilogy.

Come to think of it she does still have that weird daughter who must come into play, so maybe Courtney isn't done yet...

Well, there was more case left than I thought. Drebber's testimony isn't difficult to dismantle. I see everyone here likes him, and I do find him to be an interesting character, but he has this one animation that takes too long and is far too frequent. Speaking of animations, the Masked Disciple plays a very amusing support to van Zieks's theatrics throughout these proceedings. van Zieks himself is objecting a lot more than normal, and I think this is the first time we hear his 'Hold it!', he's definitely flustered with the Professor waxwork staring out at him.

In what is maybe a first in AA history, the judge is ready to rule in our favour despite us not having proven who the killer actually is (oh wait the same thing happened in the last game's third case too, albeit in very different circumstances). It is pretty funny that we intentionally delay the verdict to find out what happened, this is certainly not in the best interests of our client! Though Harebrayne is, in my opinion, the least interesting character in this whole case so I'm happy to keep things going.

I have a very hard time presenting the right evidence to nail Sithe. I was thinking the reveal would be that she orchestrated the whole thing rather than being coerced by Drebber, and that the truth behind the Professor case would come out. But it's much more mundane, she simply killed the victim herself. I don't know why we have to find a weird personal motive for this, when surely we could argue that she killed the guy to keep in line with Drebber's wishes and the blackmail had over her. If Asman had lived to tell the tale then Drebber's game would be up, and so would Sithe's. This finale is a bit anticlimactic considering how much fun I'd had getting here, but I guess they're saving the Professor for later.

Also this is a minor nitpick but are we really supposed to believe that Asman didn't recognise Drebber when they met? He's a very conspicuous individual! Maybe he took out his monocle and dyed his hair for the meeting or something.

Regardless, we get our Not Guilty verdict and van Zieks trails to 0-5 against us. Is he the least successful prosecutor in the series in terms of losses?? Hm, I haven't played all the games but I imagine Winston Payne lost 6, though he has the one win at the start of 3-3. Still, two more cases left could take our guy to 0-7! He has a nice word with Albert and then insists he leaves the country to protect his life. Well, if you hadn't insisted on prosecuting the case then his life wouldn't be in danger, Barok! And there is Gina, still.

The trial may be over, but our journey for the day isn't. And the final scenes here are massive. And largely voiced! The Professor is unmasked as a Japanese man, and for a moment I'm a bit disappointed thinking all this intrigue was simply to provide Barok with a racism origin story. But then, his disciple speaks! The twist here is not that Kazuma is van Zieks' disciple, but that the Professor was Kazuma's father! I did not see this one coming!!

Kazuma has a really great scene here and I'm immediately reminded of how much I missed his presence. He's so cool. And with a new remix to his theme, the title of which spoiled me in the first place >_>! I guess maybe he really did have amnesia? Or he could've been faking. Whatever the circumstances, I'm glad he's with us again. ...For two minutes. In that time, he slices his father's model in two, so I doubt his grand mission was to avenge his dad. But it has to be connected, and we're told he'd made a promise to his father... Hm. The thought occurs to me that with his victims all being aristocracy/royalty, and Asogi Sr. presumably being a smart guy who was colleagues with Mikotoba and a third Japanese man (Jigoku?), maybe the Professor was the original Reaper? That'd be a nice wrinkle, I dunno. What could his motives be for the murders? And what could Kazuma's motives possibly be if not to avenge him? And what role will he fill from this point on? So many questions.

Barok seems angry that the son of his brother's killer is alive. Perhaps Lord Stronghart's motives aren't complex at all, and he's simply a huge troll who gets his kicks out of messing with his #1 prosecutor. Ryunosuke and Susato are left with conflicting emotions I assume, but at least our best boy is back! Hooray for Kazuma!

This case was a lot of fun! I loved everything to do with the Professor. We still have two cases left, which is exciting given that this one appeared to largely be setting up for the finale. What will the next case bring :O

Looking up the babies to see just how poorly they've done overall...

14 Riolu
7 Pichu
-16 Munchlax
---
-21 Mantyke
-24 Azurill
-31 Wynaut
-34 Chingling
-42 Cleffa
-46 Bonsly
-57 Toxel
-60 Magby
-66 Igglybuff
-78 Smoochum

OK yeah that's pretty atrocious, if not entirely unexpected. Of those left (Togepi, Tyrogue, Elekid, Budew, Happiny, Mime Jr.), I think Togepi and Elekid are the only ones with a decent shot at progressing depending on their groups.

Whenever I get to the AJ trilogy investigations will feel so empty without Sholmes, I'm sure. And the courts won't feel right without a jury!

This case's jury is still pretty lowkey though, despite a summation examination (which we don't even need to ask for, lol). The exceptions are juror #4, the scientist guy, and juror #6, the 'back in my day' cop, possibly the worst juror we've endured yet. There's also a bizarre corn child gimmick that I don't get.

Drebber's text has this tendency of highlighting lots of unimportant words, I'm not sure what exactly that's meant to convey about his character but it's a neat idea. I like that the waxwork is suddenly present in the court right when we present it, I guess it was there all along just offscreen.

It occurred to me how very convenient it was for us to get a piece of evidence with Courtney's maiden name on it immediately before the part of the trial where it'd be useful, but the intermission shows that everything happening here is according to Sholmes's plan. He's not trusting us enough to tell us what's going on, but he seems to want Pandora's Box open while other characters are apprehensive about it. The game is hyping up this last section a lot, I'm excited!

Tusspells has a fun testimony, I like her character (and theme). The game isn't afraid to get very macabre here, intimately describing details of rigor mortis while describing how the then 16 year old (!) Esmerelda dug up a grave and held the fresh cadaver's jaw up so she could create a fitting waxwork of it. Jeez. And all this to make a face that isn't even on display in public. This section ends with Barok calling Sithe to the stand, and unfortunately I have to leave it here for today. I hate to, as I'm sure this will be the last segment of the case, but this way my hype can build further!

I wonder about Stronghart's motivations here. He told van Zieks to prosecute this case (and Ryunosuke to defend it), despite presumably being able to foresee that Sithe would be relevant, and that Barok's own principles would take precedence for him over his orders. Either he was testing his #1 prosecutor's loyalties, he's not as smart as I figured, or for some reason this is part of his plan. Is he happy to cut Courtney loose? Hm.

Again my mind turns to the Professor's identity. If it's not someone we the player would recognise, it has to be a face that would mean something to one of the characters. Maybe this talk of twin brothers is foreshadowing! I'd imagine that Stronghart, Sithe, Mikotoba, Jigoku, Sholmes, and Wilson could all have been in London at the time of these murders, but what face would mean anything to them? I assume Sholmes already knows the identity. Perhaps Klint van Zieks wasn't a victim of the Professor but was the killer himself? ...Eh, no, that wouldn't work with the timings. Hmm. I don't know where this will go. I noticed Osman's signature on the 10 year old article, though, so I imagine that ties to Drebber's motive for the murder.

Power-up Punch Division
+3 Sawsbuck
+2 Vibrava
+1 Carkol
-1 Cubchoo
-2 Dratini
-3 Bouffalant

Acupressure Division
+3 Thievul
+2 Cobalion
+1 Venipede
-1 Tyrantrum
-2 Quilladin
-3 Simisage

I enjoy Glastrier :( Maybe it got cool horse SFF'd by Zebstrika.

changmas posted...

just boring, eight generations in and were still making generic ice horses

Has Rapidash been in yet? Something tells me generic fire horse will do much better!

This Flamigo slander cannot stand!!

Feraligatr is the worst name imo because they refused to fix it after expanding the character limit

The second afternoon of investigation is really strong. We meet the shady looking Courtney Sithe and her cheesy creepy seemingly murderous daughter. I don't know if she'll be this case's villain but we're taking her down at some point in this game, I'm sure. Her and her 500 scalpels per month (It took me far too long to find the part of the room I had to investigate to proceed, I thought the ledger was a part of the desk >_>). She claims the fingerprints show the victim did move, but I don't know if we can take her at her word.

Stronghart knows Mikotoba Sr as well as Judge Jigoku, whose continued relevance must be building to something. Gina has a new puppy named Toby, who surprisingly seems irrelevant to the Baskervilles case. For now! Gregson is heading to Paris, I wonder if he's aware of the list and is fleeing the reaper. If not, it's surely related to why he's on that list in the first place, though he plans to take Gina with him. Sidenote I guess we've all forgiven him for committing perjury that would've gotten Gina found guilty of murder. I suppose taking her on as his apprentice may be his way of atoning.

Up with van Zieks, the Apprentice shows up again and Susato immediately identifies him as Kazuma! Once again Susato, bless you for not beating around the bush like everyone else. It appears he has amnesia... which this series isn't above doing of course, but there's obviously more going on, even if that is true. Kazuma, you have a lot to answer for in letting your best friends think you were dead!! I'm glad the game isn't dragging this particular reveal out.

Sholmes, however, won't tell us about his role in covering up the 'murder', claiming this upcoming trial will provide some answers. I don't like to be mad at Sholmes, but him hiding this, not apologising, and then immediately scamming us out of 5 shillings is a lot to take!

This does lead us straight into the special exhibit at Tusspell's, however, which is a really cool scene. 10 years ago, Enoch Drebber claimed he saw the Professor rising from his grave. There's blood on the waxwork Drebber's camera, somehow, and the waxwork of the killer has lost its head. The Professor's identity is apparently still a secret, but it seems the waxwork head must legitimately depict his likeness the way everyone talks about it. Did Tusspells get access to the dead body even with this all being a closed court case? More importantly, if the game hiding the Professor's face, it must be a face we'd recognise... I'm at a loss, this case seems wrapped up in our current one, but we also learn that the Professor is the killer from the Baskervilles case and I doubt that's getting resolved here. Hmm! I wonder if we're heading towards a flashback Baskervilles case with Sholmes, or something.

Drebber took the Professor's waxwork and presumably used it to aid in assisting the illusion of the experiment, but I wonder why he took that particular figure, what with his own personal horrible past experience with that event... Too many pieces to fit them together here, though Drebber is of course the #1 suspect for now.

After Toby finds Drebber's hideout, it's time for a much funnier deduction dance than last time. "Life was so much simpler in those halcyon days when gravity could be reversed", says Susato, and her, Ryunosuke and Herlock are all in fine comedic form here. The cherry on top is that the timebomb Herlock instantly dismissed turns out to be a legitimate one that very nearly kills us all. Knowing that we were all chatting away and having fun while a countdown to our doom ticked away, and Drebber was hiding in the safe incredibly confused as to why we weren't running away, it's brilliant. As are the numerous well-deserved side-eyes that Sholmes receives afterwards. Oh, and the experiment blows up.

I've no idea what to make of Drebber, I hope he turns out to be as complex as the hints of his backstory indicate he could be. The next trial day has been promised to be very important, both Barok and his amnesiac apprentice will be there with us. Oh, and Harebrayne, who is still there I guess.

Psybeam Division
+3 Zebstrika
+2 Glastrier
+1 Pineco
-1 Duskull
-2 Pachirisu
-3 Morgrem

lol Glastrier and Zebstrika have identical poses on their official art. Pretty close grouping, here.

Comeuppance Division
+3 Hydreigon
+2 Lotad
+1 Rookidee
-1 Gouging Fire
-2 Zamazenta
-3 Mawile

yeah i'm on team 'weak group' here

Harebrayne is a pain in the ass for us in trial, intentionally putting himself in a bad position to protect his shoddy hypothesis. Maybe the least helpful defendant we've had? OK maybe not, that's a high bar to clear, I'd have to think.

I note the name of the coroner is listed on the autopsy report- Courtney Sithe. That's an AA name alright, we don't meet her today but I'm sure she'll be a key witness later on. Surprisingly enough, we don't have a judicial examination this trial day. We have a cast of six brand new jurors, I don't find their designs particularly interesting but they generally keep to themselves and only interject when they've something useful to add. And they don't jump to declare our client guilty at the drop of a hat! What a revelation! I wonder if it's because our client isn't Japanese or a pickpocket >_>

The end of this section is pretty great, Harebrayne is incredibly annoying but we're faced with a conundrum- whether to prioritise his life or his wishes as our client. I initially want to follow the truth and show his experiment is bogus of course, but after thinking about it he explicitly hired us for one single reason and begged us not to let his machine get taken away, so despite my better judgment I decide to obey the wishes of the man who hired us. Of course it doesn't matter, because Susato appears (?! I was sure Ryunosuke was hallucinating at first), Albert is forced to admit the truth, and our court journey ends here for today.

I'm not sure what van Zieks is trying to accomplish in this trial. He seems to be betraying his friend but he's easier to defeat than usual. He could be tanking his case so Albert doesn't get found guilty, but I think he may just be putting pressure on him to admit his experiment is a failure. I'm interested how he'll handle the next part of the trial now Albert isn't in denial. And speaking of, I half expected our client to be found Not Guilty right here and for the next day to have another wrinkle with another defendant, what with Harebrayne's character development and all the evidence pointing to the mysterious green balloon and Enoch Drebber. But this is AA law, I shouldn't be shocked he's still on the hook. At least he won't be undercutting our defence next time.

But enough of that, Susato is back! I'm not sure what to think of this if she's gonna jump right back to her previous supporting role, I was hoping we'd see her lawyer up again at some point, but we'll see how it goes. Thankfully she's as thorough and prepared as ever, and back at home she immediately cuts to the chase with all the mysteries she can clear up. Thank goodness, someone who isn't holding things back from us! She's decided not to keep secrets anymore, and even if we should be investigating instead of reminiscing, I'm happy to get some answers.

The Baskervilles manuscript was in her father's room a year or so ago, and he refused to discuss it with her. I imagine he learned of the case through John Wilson, and I assume the reason he's secretive about it is the same reason Sholmes is, but Yujin is looking mighty shady right now. He knows that Kazuma's body disappeared off the boat too (OK he's 100% alive good that's not a mystery anymore), and bless Susato for going to Raiten's cell and clearing this up. She's acting with her own agency now, and her distancing herself from her father is a good sign for whenever we confront him. Yujin and Jigoku are both heading to Stronghart's Forensics convention in London as we speak, so all the key players will be here soon enough!

The other major piece of info here concerns Jezaille Brett- or rather, Miss A. Shinn! Neither Ryunosuke, Susato, or Iris seem to remember where they heard that name before, I'd expect this from Ryunosuke, but I'm disappointed in the other two! So that answers that question... but little else. Gregson is the only person on that list still openly walking around, we should really warn him. Though Shinn killed Wilson herself, and Kazuma and Shinn were killed (or 'killed') by independent means, it's not like the deaths are all connected, right? Is the Reaper at work somehow? I still fail to see how these names connect, and what it could mean. Why did Shinn kill Wilson?

Next time we'll be back to the investigation, but I'd really like to ask Sholmes about Kazuma soon. Susato has opened up, it's past time we learn why he was on the Burya to begin with.

Needle Arm Division
+3 Snivy
+2 Meganium
+1 Tsareena
-1 Hattrem
-2 Flutter Mane
-3 Rillaboom

Frost Breath Division
+3 Charjabug
+2 Cofagrigus
+1 Tarountula
-1 Celesteela
-2 Cranidos
-3 Kommo-o

Pretty weak divisions again, this contest has me wondering if I even like pokemon at this point!

Oh duh, whenever Maya was the defendant or otherwise incapacitated

Herlock is on fine form working a part time job in Madame Tusspell's, though today's dance of deduction isn't one of the best. The location seems pretty irrelevant to our current case for the time being, but I'm sure it won't be long until the waxworks weave their way into the plot. Perhaps the stolen model functioned as a body double for the victim to make the experiment look successful, or something like that.

The missing figure is that of the Professor, a serial killer from 10 years ago who exclusively targeted the aristocracy. Sounds cool, tbh. I wonder if they were Nipponese, given that they killed the older van Zieks brother, Klint. Barok, for his part, acts rather chummy towards Albert Harebrayne, hm. We could be in for an interesting trial if the prosecution and defence are both agreed that the incident was an accident. I suppose Barok could betray his pal, or the brand new Forensics Team could force their way in with evidence of murder, but we've had some interesting spins on the conventional trial format already in these games so I trust they'll do something unique here.

Before the trial begins, Herlock and Iris confirm to us that Harebrayne's scientific experiment is impossible, a fact I'm very glad to have confirmed at this stage. Ryunosuke is also going to be alone in the courtroom for the first time! Was Phoenix ever assistant-less? I don't recall.

Trial next time!

Wow this is a weak set. Gen 8 is my fav here, I think!

Ah, I see about the timeline then. This case definitely establishes the game as pre-20th century, though.

And yes the van Zieks office scene was great, Ryunosuke and Iris talking trash with him standing right next to us responding to each little comment.

Ditto, I didn't think Kilowattrel had fans

Snore Division
+3 Porygon-Z
+2 Walrein
+1 Sunkern
-1 Tinkatink
-2 Dachsbun
-3 Chesnaught

G-Max Tartness Division
+3 Lugia
+2 Ferrothorn
+1 Accelgor
-1 Abomasnow
-2 Golduck
-3 Toxel

Second division is much stronger than the first imo!

Aw, that's sweet. I still feel bad for them.

The Great Exhibition is upon us! The opening indicates that we're in 1899, oops I had assumed up until this point that we were in the early 1900's. Our mystery this time sets us up for some classic AA shenanigans. We have a pseudoscientific experiment in front of a crowd and a teleporting body, which will surely turn out to have been moved in a very convoluted way. I haven't formed much of an opinion on Professor Harebrayne yet, but Odie Asman is a high tier evil victim name. Gina is an inspector in training now, a development that seems very obvious in retrospect. It works for her character. She mentions looking for Iris's dad, so uh yeah I guess Ryunosuke still hasn't mentioned that to Iris. Thinking about it, I really hope Ryunosuke and Herlock have had a discussion about Wilson's death in the past several months, it would be silly if they haven't.

Ryunosuke decides not to tell Harebrayne his former friend will be prosecuting him tomorrow, and I cannot think of a good reason not to prepare him for this. Maybe he'll do it before the end of day.

I'm only partway through the investigation (just talked to Gina and about to talk to Gregson), but there's three characters that provoke intrigue so far. First is van Zieks, of course. We visit his office after he was attacked, and there's some very funny moments here (Despite me saying earlier that I'm tired of the quirky young girl assistant trope, Iris is fun in that role). I hope we don't wind up being best of friends with this guy after we ultimately learn his racism origin story, but for the time being I like the awkward coworker dynamic between him and Ryunosuke. There's a painting in his office that isn't of him, and he makes an interesting comment when we present him with our armband (yes I present everything to everybody), telling us there's merit in remembering who made you what you are, and to keep that close at all times. He confirms that he's not the alleged Reaper, but doesn't mind the moniker.

Second is Stronghart. We're learning much more about him than we have before. Turns out he's just bad at timekeeping, so there's one mystery off the list. He appears to know of Asogi's true calling, but of course joins the rest of the game in not telling us the answer. He's very eager on having the British justice system catch up to the world, particularly with forensics. I guess he's not all powerful, as whoever's above him is dragging their feet on modernising and he's frustrated with how things currently stand. But van Zieks is at his beck and call, and he even supplied the '#1 prosecutor' (0-4 against us now but who's counting) with this new mysterious apprentice. I think back to Stronghart giving us McGilded's trial in the first game, saying it was very simple. But he assigned his top prosecutor to that case, too? And he's very aware of how exploitable the courts are. I can't pin down what he's going for, but he sure looks like a final boss.

And last up is van Zieks' mysterious new mute, masked, fighting-capable apprentice who Ryunosuke feels he's met before. OK, there's only two people I think this could reasonably be. One is Susato. I believe it's been about two months since her case, so she could have talked to her father and he's put her on some secret plan that involves the grand plot of the series. This'd be an efficient way to tie her back into the game in London, using her knowledge of the law and newfound ability to disguise herself as a man. And we know she's handy with a takedown!

The other option in my mind is... OK, confession time. I looked up Kazuma's theme online a while back, and unintentionally saw an autofill suggestion that I think indicated he returns. I know, I know, don't look up anything on a game until you've beaten it, but I thought with him being dead I was in the clear, and the theme is too good I had to hear it again!! Trust that I'm very annoyed at myself for this. For a while I thought I must have been mistaken but the more this game goes on, and the more that people keep talking about Kazuma and his mission, and the more the game continuously shows us flashbacks of this guy who died 6 cases ago... I'm starting to think it's getting pretty likely.

If this is the case (and I don't know that it is), I feel like I've betrayed not only myself but everyone reading this hoping for a big shocked reaction when he does turn out to be alive. I'm sincerely sorry for my lack of self control! Again, I don't know for sure. It would be a very anime twist, and I can't think of any other recurring character who would be a satisfying fit who shares the apprentice's stature and nondescript chin. And of course there's this case's title... Man, I wish I knew what I'd have thought if I hadn't maybe spoiled myself :(

But for now I'll try to put that out of my mind and focus on the case at hand!

zzz results indeed, but Hobonix looks much better than DD Nix. And at least Charley made the picture.

Paratroopa1 posted...

Dud of the Day: Regirock

It did better than Registeel!

I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS.

Stun Spore Division
+3 Kilowattrel
+2 Mimikyu
+1 Gible
-1 Barraskewda
-2 Nidorino
-3 Gurdurr

Core Enforcer Division
+3 Snom
+2 Mr. Rime
+1 Cacnea
-1 Swadloon
-2 Moltres
-3 Gardevoir

The second trial day starts rather anticlimactically. Despite there being no poison found in Soseki's tea, and how quickly we dismantle Shamspeare's latest lie using the unstained cup, van Zieks immediately covers for Shamspeare and the jury promptly rules that Natsume is guilty again. Nahhh, I don't believe this one.

I'm thinking the writers may have put themselves into a corner with the nature of summation examinations, they're a fun mechanic but they require all the jurors to vote guilty beforehand, so we wind up with weird stuff like this. And I find it odd for van Zieks to bail out Shamspeare like that, he's usually interested in the truth even if it hurts his case. I do like how the jurors aren't even pretending to care about the case itself though, they're all arguing amongst themselves about gas prices. Quinby Altamont remains a fun character, the bee gimmick is forced and I don't buy her voting guilty but I like her violent hatred of Shamspeare, and her offering a job to Ryunosuke. Screw this gig, we're gonna live comfortably in the world of corporate law from now on!

Nobody is paying the slightest bit of attention to the court rules this examination, we're all talking whenever they want. Even van Zieks. Afterwards we get our chance to name Olive Green as the perpetrator, and van Zieks helpfully allows our request. Though really, we'd established no link at this point and her alibi seemed to be airtight so it's very generous that we're given this break anyway!

The rest of the trial is strong. Some of the case goes as we'd already guessed, but I like the twist that Olive sent the card to Shamspeare and that she put the poison in place back before she was stabbed. It's a pretty smart plan she had, too, ensuring that nobody would die if Shamspeare was innocent. Of course nobody considers the repercussions their actions have on poor innocent Natsume, as ever. Shamspeare has a fun breakdown, too, though it's somehow not as extravagant as I was hoping given... everything about him. Also, would that key really have still had skin prints of Selden on it? And why was Selden never given a first name, I wonder?

Between Olive Green and Raiten Menimemo, this game is much more successful at making sympathetic culprits than the first game was with Pavlova and Mrs Garrideb (and Roly). Both cases this time have involved people seeking revenge in a way that is arguably justified, so it's worth keeping an eye on that being an ongoing theme going forwards. This was a solid case through and through, I liked all the characters and the mystery itself was good, even if bits of the trial felt a little forced. I really like how they're playing with the series tropes by having two culprits here, one of them being the victim himself. Much better than our first sojourn into Briar Road!

Our brief epilogue shows Selden's loot- a giant bloodstained collar with the letter B engraved on it. I have to assume this B is for Baskervilles. Sholmes gets deadly serious again, and I note that Gregson seems to catch on to the hints he's throwing down. Finally, Ryunosuke teases the next case- we're finally heading to the Great Exhibition! Hype!