Board 8 > Leonhart Ranks 124 User Nominated Games: Part 2

(+) Yeah! (+)

LeonhartFour posted...

I guess everyone's still waiting for me to talk about the ending but I avoided that subject on purpose

This is a letdown (albeit not as much of a letdown as the ending of ME3)
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the endings have been discussed to death and I'd much rather talk about the fun stuff
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6. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials & Tribulations (Team Rocket Elite)


The first Ace Attorney deals with why Phoenix Wright became a lawyer and him achieving what he set out to do there. The second game focuses on why he should continue to be a lawyer and what being a defense attorney means to him. By the time Trials & Tribulations rolls around, he's a fully developed character, so what else is there left for him to do? Naturally, they just put him in some of the most insane situations imaginable to see how he gets out of them! This is the game where he becomes as good as any defense attorney could ever hope to be, and he's earned that designation by the end. Trials & Tribulation also sets out to resolve the overarching Fey plotline that the first game laid the foundation for and the second game put into motion. That is partially accomplished by making Mia Fey the playable attorney for two of the game's five cases. She's probably the original trilogy's most divisive main character, but I've always loved her. People complain about the "Deus Ex Mia" and how she always manages to show up just in the nick of time (pun intended) to help salvage Phoenix's floundering case. I never minded that though, because whenever Mia shows up, great things happen without exception. I knew something big was about to go down if she was there. Both of her cases in Trials & Tribulations are really good, especially 3-4, which is a top ten case for the entire series.

The most important new character the game introduces is Godot, the mysterious new prosecutor who wears a glowing mask, spouts nonsensical aphorisms, and drinks no more (and no less) than seventeen cups of coffee during any given trial. In terms of skill, he might be the weakest prosecutor in the series (although it actually makes sense why that is so in the game). In terms of pretty much everything else, this dude is cool. He's definitely my favorite Ace Attorney character who only appears in one game, and he's probably top five overall. His role in the finale in particular is outstanding. The game also might have the best set of culprits in the series, although it kind of has an unfair advantage because the main villain shows up in multiple cases, and she's really effective in that role. Trials & Tribulations was the first game in the series to have interconnected cases and a recurring villain, which added to the impact of the epic case because the previous cases slowly built up to it. It was such a good formula that every subsequent Ace Attorney game has used it to some extent.

Trials & Tribulations is also the only game in the series where every case is above average, and keep in mind that "average" for this series is still very good by most standards. It speaks to the quality of Ace Attorney as a whole and to this game in particular that it can put out five strong cases. I've already talked about how great 3-4 is (and it has perhaps the most shocking conclusion to a case in the series), but 3-2 is also a top ten caliber case for me. It's got a solid combination of defendant, culprit, and prosecutor, and the last testimony is just so good. 3-3 is one of the more unique cases in the series with perhaps the most colorful cast of one-off characters, which is quite a statement for Ace Attorney. While 3-5 isn't my favorite case, it's absolutely the perfect ending for the original trilogy. They could've ended the series right there, and I think everyone would've been fine with it because you weren't going to top that. Of course, I'm glad Ace Attorney is still around, even though it took them a little bit to get things back on track, but I don't know if they'll ever be able to create anything that will beat out Trials & Tribulations for best in the series.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite Ace Attorney game?

Lots of exact hits here (Roba, Shonen, Axem, and SaveEstelle), although everyone had it in the top 10
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Trials and Tribulations

Pirate Godot hasn't been my Discord avatar for a year and a half for nothing!
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Huh, pretty surprised that one's not higher
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I was hoping to finish the rest of the list in this topic, but alas. I hate to make a new one just for five games, but I guess there's no choice.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/76384612
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Mac Arrowny posted...

Huh, pretty surprised that one's not higher

The original trilogy as a collective would probably be very close to the top.
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T&T is the best and it would be very hard for anything to top it. It just does everything so well - the quality is the most consistent it's ever been in the series.
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As I was writing that Mass Effect 3 writeup, I realized that the game will be six years old tomorrow. It doesn't feel like I've been an ME fan for that long, but I guess I have!
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Bonus Question: What is the first game you played in your favorite series?

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land

What is your favorite Nintendo game?

Kirby's Epic Yarn

Bonus Question: What is your favorite cast of villains in a video game?

Bioshock: Andrew Ryan, Sander Cohen, Atlas, J.S. Steinman, and the Big Daddies

Bonus Question: What is your favorite playable cast in a video game?

Kirby's Return to Dreamland. Kirby/Dedede/Meta Knight/Waddle Dee co-op is a blast.

Unless we're including fighting games, where that becomes a whole other question (any Soul Calibur or Tekken game would be a good contender)

Bonus Question: What is your favorite DLC?

Tie: The Last of Us: Left Behind and Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea

funny enough, both from 2013 games

Bonus Question: What is your favorite Ace Attorney game?

Of the 3 I've played, Trials and Tribulations
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Favorite DLC is Dark Souls' Artorias of the Abyss.

I usually don't care for DLCs too much but Soulsborne games are an exception because they are that damn good.

Favorite Ace Attorney games are

3 > 6 > 1 > 5 > I2 > 2 > 4 > I1

Let's finish this topic off so I can post the next writeup soonish in the new topic.
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give me aai2 probably

if 3-5 were a proper epic case then aa3 would be an undisputed #1
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SeabassDebeste posted...

if 3-5 were a proper epic case then aa3 would be an undisputed #1

I've got good news for you then
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I mean seriously

perfect ending
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Trails in the Sky was robbed
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Mia Fey is great
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