I seriously apologize I'm taking longer than expected to update. The Quarantine is partly one of the reasons, but it's also me trying to finish my credit picture, which is taking longer than expected. In the meantime, I will upload a meme. Here's the link to the template I used:

https://www.deviantart.com/linkgames/art/Ace-Attorney-Favorites-Meme-TEMPLATE-757031711 

Now, onto why I chose these:

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Favorite Case Turnabout Goodbyes

I think this one speaks for itself. I enjoyed the other cases as well, but this one was the one that gave us backstory, character development and kept us guessing. It also introduced us to one of the most known villains in Ace Attorney that I feel is mistaken as being pure evil when he's perhaps one of the most gray villains when you start reading in between the lines.

The game play is fantastic with introducing a new Prosecutor to go up against that, once you start playing, makes you appreciate having Miles Edgeworth as your opponent. Despite how cold and mean Miles Edgeworth is, at the end of the day he only wants to find the truth of the case. Even under a corrupt Prosecutor like Manfred Von Karma, Miles Edgeworth never forged evidence, has always trusted the police to get the job done and if there was the smallest chance he was wrong, he will take the Defense's theory with a grain of salt. The moment Manfred Von Karma begins trying to prevent you from cross-examining, you realize that this guy is NOTHING like Miles Edgeworth. It makes you wonder why Miles Edgeworth even looked up to this guy.

I think the best thing about Turnabout Goodbyes is that it always keeps you guessing. You can't really predict what is going to happen and it always results in making bizarre decisions like cross-examining a parrot, having Maya being arrested for obstruction of justice, having Manfred Von Karma tase you in the Police Records Room with 600,000 volts of electricity, having to guess the name of a deranged old man who may or may not be related to a previous case, having Miles Edgeworth being declared GUILTY before Larry pulls a deus ex machina, and then, after being given a NOT GUILTY verdict, having Miles Edgeworth come forward and confess to possibly having murdered his father by accident fifteen years ago. Not the darkest plot twist in Ace Attorney, but at the time when first played, this was the first time the game ever tackled dark subjects such as trauma, PTSD, phobias and losing a parental figure at a young age. Miles Edgeworth would give Bruce Wane a run for his money, if I had to be honest.

The only other game that would compete against Turnabout Goodbyes is Rise From the Ashes and the reason I didn't chose that one is because the game play was much longer and felt alien when playing it. It was clear that Rise From the Ashes was a game that wasn't made until after the entire trilogy was made. While the analyzing and forensics were fun, it was a bit frustrating trying to find the evidence in the video, trying to get the vase to fit the shape of the Blue Badger and even having to go back and being required to Press on one of the last statements before Pressing on a previous statement, a method that wasn't introduced until Justice For All. When I first played Rise From the Ashes, I had to watch a Walkthrough of the game several times for me to know what the heck I was supposed to do next. Not just the trials, but the investigations as well, since I was lost on what I was supposed to do and where I was supposed to go half the time. It was fun, but also the most frustrating and many can agree with me on that. Also, considering Rise From the Ashes took place after Turnabout Goodbyes, it was also the most predictable, since the twists and dark subjects were already introduced in Turnabout Goodbyes.

Regardless, even if Rise From the Ashes wasn't as frustrating to play, what made me ultimately decide Turnabout Goodbyes as my favorite was how it greatly changed what me and everyone else that have played this for the first time thought of Miles Edgeworth. Before, Miles Edgeworth was basically the Vegeta and Seto Kaiba of the game. He was the snobbish jerk that didn't care about anyone else, but himself and his wins. He didn't care about the people he was placing behind bars under false charges and just needs a good teaching from the good ol' Phoenix Wright to teach him the right way of things. It's only by playing Turnabout Goodbyes that we realize just how wrong and far off we were about Miles Edgeworth and his character. He isn't anything like Vegeta or Seto Kaiba, but more like the Krillan or male version of Tea Gardner, if they had watched their parent(s) murdered in front of them before leaving suddenly and never fully recovering from it. It's a story about how far someone will go to reach out to their lost friend, who has closed themselves up from the world. It's this kind of development that makes you go back to the other previous trials and see Miles Edgeworth's words and actions with a completely different meaning.

What's brilliant about this development of Miles Edgeworth's character is that this kind of mental illness he battles isn't something that heals overnight or even in a year. Technically, it isn't until Ace Attorney Dual Destinies that we see him fully recovered, which takes place ten years after Turnabout Goodbyes. If Hollywood wants to create a proper representation of mental illnesses, I think Ace Attorney should be considered an example of how to make one. It never uses mental illness as a crutch for or as Miles Edgeworth's full character, especially considering we never learn about this until the end of the game. It's a battle or adversary that Miles Edgeworth has to deal with everyday for the rest of his life. It's the battle that makes him a stronger and the most beloved character. Not every conflict can be healed with encouraging words or a hug. It takes time and even doing those alone won't prevent those kind of people from going over the edge or attempting suicide. In Miles Edgeworth's case, he needed time away for a few years, reuniting with family, a bit of self reflection and thoughts on what he wants to do in life. These things took time and years to happen. Turnabout Goodbyes was the start of Miles Edgeworth's character development and challenged us on how we may view other people.

It's no surprise that the only live action movie of Phoenix Wright based their main plot off of Turnabout Goodbyes. Even before knowing about the movie, I often mentioned that if anyone was to do a live action movie of Ace Attorney that they would only need to focus on Turnabout Goodbyes and the other trials in the game can just breeze through like the wind. I haven't watched the live action movie, but it did the same thing and many fans consider it to be a good or decent movie. It just goes to show how brilliant Turnabout Goodbyes is, even if you may favor Rise From the Ashes more. It's a great game that knows how to entertain us, keep us on our toes and turn one character around like Phoenix does with all his trials.

Least Favorite Case The First Turnabout

Again, this one speaks for itself. It is the tutorial trial with the typical run-in-the-mill prosecutor that's become a joke with a joke of a Defendant that just won't. shut. up. I'll be honest, I think Larry was the one that ruined the entire trial the moment he stepped in and testified. Larry wasn't even cross-examined, so his testimony was nothing more than a waste of time. I would've preferred it if the first case just cut to the game play instead of making us watch Larry make a fool of himself, while we sit there hoping for him to shut up.

Don't get me wrong, I like Larry Butz. He's funny and I love the cute friendship he has with Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth. Though, this was one of the worst ways of introducing his character, especially since he does become an important character later on. Even Wendy Oldbag had a better introduction and her introduction included ranting and talking at a hundred miles per hour. I suppose you gotta have at least one comic relief that gives a shoot-yourself-in-the-foot hilarious testimony, but Wendy Oldbag pull that off much better. You know you're doing something wrong, when an old fart flirting with a man young enough to be her grandchild during her testimony is executed better than a hopeless romantic ranting about his dead girlfriend that may or may not have cheated on him with Sugar Daddies.

Considering that this is the tutorial case and an introduction to the game, I can't say it's any surprise this is my least favorite case of the first game. It's also not the worst tutorial case or the most boring. If I had to rate it from 1 to 10, I would give it a 6 or 7. Not the worst, but not the greatest either.

Favorite Defendant Miles Edgeworth

Is this even a surprise at this point? I suppose Maya would be considered competition, but considering how much character development Miles Edgeworth got from Turnabout Goodbyes and being the only defendant that kept his cool through Manfred Von Karma's interrogation, Miles Edgeworth takes the win on this one. Obviously, Miles Edgeworth gave Phoenix a hard time at first, but did eventually give in and showed his loyalty and trust to his Defense Attorney. Even when it was hard for him to open up to anyone, he was the most honest with Phoenix. It's at this moment that you know there is an unbreakable bond between Miles Edgeworth and Phoenix Wright that dates back to when they were children. Miles Edgeworth would not be this honest with just anyone, let alone a Defense Attorney. He wasn't this honest with Raymond Shields in the later games, who is supposed to be his father's student.

For a Defendant, I expect them to be rare and honest with Phoenix Wright no matter the cost of the trial. For Miles Edgeworth, he definitely showed the rawest part of himself than he ever had and more so than any Defendant that Phoenix had ever taken in as his client. Miles Edgeworth trusted Phoenix so much, in fact, that he confessed to have possibly killed his father as a child, knowing that if there was any doubt in his testimony, Phoenix would object to it with evidence.

Also, Miles did more behind the bars of the Detention Center as a Defendant than any other in this game. Yeah, Maya did eventually help out Phoenix, but by that time, she was no longer a Defendant and what she did to help was by accident at best. Miles Edgeworth, on the other hand, paid for Maya Fey's bail, testified about his father's murder that traumatized him and even helped out Phoenix find his father's real murderer behind the Witness Stand. Miles Edgeworth is probably the only Defendant in the game that voluntarily went up to the Witness Stand without having to be called and, unlike Larry Butz in The First Turnabout, his testimony actually helped Phoenix Wright find his father's real murderer.

Lana Skye did help out Phoenix a lot, I will admit, but she was mostly giving him a hard time and her way of helping out Phoenix was through forging his signature to bring stuff. Also, Lana didn't become helpful until her younger sister started pulling her weight to get her sister a proper Defense Attorney and testify in order for Lana Skye to finally crack. Something that took Miles Edgeworth the moment Phoenix brought out DL-6 took Lana Skye at least a day and a half before she finally started cooperating, which I state VERY lightly.

Again, if Maya did more to help, even doing as much as Lana did without any of the noncooperation, I'd consider Maya to take the spot. Unfortunately, Maya didn't do much or hold herself up until the later games. I also don't count a Defendant representing himself, so I won't include Phoenix from the last trial of Turnabout Sisters.

As I said, not really a surprise, since it is Miles Edgeworth and this is Turnabout Goodbyes. I can't say there's hardly anything that's my favorite about the first game that wouldn't be from Turnabout Goodbyes.

Favorite Killer Dee Vasquez

Finally, a favorite that's not from Turnabout Goodbyes! As far as killers go, Dee Vasquez is very logical and calculating at covering her tracks. I loved the fact that when it came to covering up her murder, even one that was out of self defense, she had the power to do anything with the mafia at her disposal to destroy any evidence pointing to her.

When you first meet Dee Vasquez, she instantly ignores you and comes off like someone lacking common sense or ignorance of how much trouble she's in. Then, out of nowhere, she lays down cookie crumbs for you to chase after before realizing just how much time you've wasted, and realizing that it was all part of her plan. You basically found yourself on a wild goose chase, thinking you've got her cornered, when you are the one that dug your own grave that she is going to bury you in. It's no wonder she's a very powerful producer that was able to put Jack Hammer under her thumb in blackmail. She knows how to trick people into digging their own graves and, in Jack Hammer's case, it was both figuratively before... well... literally.

Unfortunately, I don't hear much about Dee Vasquez, which is sad, because she is one of the best killers in Ace Attorney. She wasn't your run-in-the-mill killer that tries to cover themselves up before digging their own grave. She was the kind that would trick others into digging their own graves. The fact that Phoenix Wright was only able to corner her through a testimony asked by the Prosecution shows how brilliant and calculating she is. She was able to trick Phoenix into chasing a rabbit trail before realizing that he had only proved a possibility without any evidence to back him up. If that isn't brilliance, I don't know what is.

As for why Damon Gant or Manfred Von Karma weren't chosen, it's because their way of covering up their own tracks was through desperate means. For Gant, when Phoenix broke into his office and retrieved the evidence he was hiding, he just fired Dick Gumshoe and let Phoenix run off with the evidence he found. Good for you Gant, you just dug your own grave. Keep on digging, man.

Don't get me started on Manfred Von Karma. He's one of the most terrifying villains, but that's only because of the means he will go through to get his GUILTY verdict, not because he's a killer. As a killer, not only is he one of the most cowardly ones, but he only murdered Gregory Edgeworth in the heat of the moment. It isn't like Manfred Von Karma had planned the earthquake, or Gregory entering the elevator, or Gregory testifying the wrong man, or even Miles Edgeworth ending up as a student in his own office. The fact he didn't bother removing the bullet from his shoulder for fifteen years shows that Manfred Von Karma is horrible at killing and getting away with it. If he were in Danganronpa, he would fail miserably. So much for perfection. Can't even perfect the art of killing.

For me, to be a good killer, they have to be the brilliant Danganronpa type and not the type to snatch a knife from the kitchen and attack whoever comes knocking at their door. Dee Vasquez might've killed Jack Hammer out of self defense, but how she was able to cover that up and make it look like Will Powers did it was masterfully done. A murder that should've been out in the open was quickly cleaned up and moved to another location in only 15-30 minutes. It was only out of luck and Miles Edgeworth's help that Phoenix Wright was able to prove Dee Vasquez as the murderer.

It was also because of Dee Vasquez's murder that made Miles Edgeworth begin doubting himself as a Prosecutor. He wasn't covering up a murder for someone else, like with Turnabout Sisters, but actually believed Will Powers to be the murderer. As much as we love to joke about Miles Edgeworth's unnecessary feelings, I think we all know that he was talking about himself and not Phoenix. He was beginning to question himself and if perhaps his methods as a Prosecutor were morally correct. Miles Edgeworth has always questioned his methods in the past and even disagreed with some of Manfred Von Karma's teachings, while still considering him as a god of Prosecution. Though, it was only through Dee Vasquez's murder that Miles Edgeworth began realizing that perfection and GUILTY verdicts were corrupt ways of Prosecution.

I'm hoping I'm not the only one that considers Dee Vasquez a professional killer. She deserves better recognition than what she's getting, but maybe that's just me.

Favorite Witness Ema Skye

I'll be honest, this was incredibly difficult to decide, since Ace Attorney is filled with colorful cast of Witnesses of all kinds. The kind I look for are those that testify truthfully without any noncooperation with either side or deceitfulness. It came down to Toby, Lotta Hart and Ema Skye. I went for Ema Skye. Not only was she willing to testify about SL-9, regardless of the painful memories and trauma it brought her, but she did so for her sister's sake. Ema wanted to free Lana of the blackmail hanging over her head from Damon Gant. She's also my favorite detective and the only detective one that isn't siding with the Prosecution... for once.

Now, Ema Skye is the one that introduces the idea of analyzing and using forensics as part of the Ace Attorney game play. She also does this in the other games such as Apollo Justice, the Investigation games and Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice. It's because of how she encourages both sides to analyze evidence through forensics that I find her to be the best and excellent Witness. Her reason for doing so is, because she believes using science to find the truth will reduce the pressure of forging evidence. I like that kind of mentality and it really brings out the best in Ema's character.

When you think about it, Ema does raise a good point about science helping reducing people that attempt to forge evidence. It's easy to forge evidence physically, but scientifically it's much harder. You can wipe out fingerprints, but finding every single one of them them be hard to do. You can try to clean up blood, but it won't be completely removed, since you can use luminol to spot hidden blood stains. Other things that are not easy to get rid of are traces of dead skin, sweat, hair, certain minerals, certain chemicals, footprints, etc. According to Ema, had her sister used forensics during SL-9, she wouldn't have needed to forge evidence for her sake and she's right. Had Lana Skye used forensics on the evidence of Neil Marshal's murder, she would have spotted manipulation in the evidence in front of her and would feel no need to erase it.

Having Ema testify about SL-9 opened the door to her character being more than just a forensics nerd. She's also passionate and caring about those she loves. She's willing to give out more than her all, even if it hurts in the worst degree. Even when she believed she may've killed Neil Marshal by accident, the only thing on her mind was her sister Lana Skye and freeing her from Damon Gant's hold. She's willing to show up in court behind the Defense's bench as long as she can free her sister. That's the kind of dedication and encouragement I expect in a Witness.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people consider Ema Skye in Rise From the Ashes to be annoying and I don't blame them. Being an assistant isn't Ema Skye's forte. Ema does better behind the Witness Stand as a Witness or Detective. She probably would take the spot as Favorite Witness in the Apollo Justice games, if not for the fact I don't count Detectives as Witnesses. The only thing that disappoints me is that Ema didn't bring her Snackoos in Rise From the Ashes. I guess some things are better left in later games or after Phoenix loses his badge.

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Favorite Case Turnabout Big Top

Before you start asking "but, what about Farewell my Turnabout? That case was so much better!" To that, I say that this one is ten times better.... okay, it's my guilty pleasure. I understand why a lot of people don't like this one, but it was honestly a lot of fun. I loved the colorful cast of characters that pretty much stole the show, I loved the story behind the murder, the defendant Maxamillion Galactica was amusing and I never felt frustrated or bored throughout the entire game.

I will admit, the investigations and trials were equally hard and ridiculous at times. No, I'm not talking about the magical flying cape on the bust, though that one I can see doing better with some improvement in the animation. I'm talking about how the investigation was all over the place with having to guess and second guess where you needed to go, what people you had to go to, what profiles/evidence you had to show and where to find the puppet, which took forever. The trials were also confusing at times, more so than Rise From the Ashes believe it or not. Most of the time you had to Press everyone and Press on a particular testimony before you moved forward. Though, it was also the same thing with the other trials. The only trials that people loved the most, both being Turnabout Reunion and Farewell my Turnabout, were ones that didn't have as many locations and were easier to locate things. I suppose with Justice For All, it's a matter of which ones you had the most fun with and, for me, I had the most fun with Turnabout Big Top.

As I said, the characters were a lot of fun and never came across as annoying. When you first meet them, they seem wacky and can come across as annoying in a funny way. Then, once you start getting to know them, you realize that they actually are much more human than they seem. You begin realizing that the circus see themselves as family and will go out of their way to take care of each other. They may not like and can get angry/annoyed at each other, but at the end of the day, they're always there for each other. When the circus gives Maxamillion milk before his final trial, I found that incredibly touching. It shows their loyalty and dedication to one another, even when they had believed one of them had murdered the Ringleader at first.

I once read something on Tumblr where someone had mentioned about the parallels between the conflict of Turnabout Big Top and the conflict Phoenix and Franziska Von Karma go through, after Miles Edgeworth leaves the office with a suicide note. I agree with this person. There are a ton of parallels with Turnabout Big Top and the overall conflict of Justice For All. While there isn't an overarching plot, there is a conflict with Phoenix dealing with his grief and anger towards Miles Edgeworth, who left the country with a suicide note left behind. Both Phoenix and Franziska are battling the very same grief, just like how Regina and Acro are dealing with the same grief over Bat's loss. Of course, neither Miles Edgeworth or Bat are dead and the characters know this, but the grief is still the same.

On the outside, it does seem like Regina and Acro are dealing with their grief differently than Phoenix and Franziska, but inside it's not so different. For Regina and Phoenix, both of them had lost someone they considered a dear friend and both are dealing with it by moving on, while masking it with an emotion. For Regina it's joy, and for Phoenix it's anger. The emotions are different, but their true feelings and intentions are the same. With Franziska and Acro, they respond to their grief through revenge by hurting someone they know the person they're grieving over cares about. Acro intended on killing Regina, knowing that she was someone very dear to Bat, just like Franziska intended on hurting Phoenix, knowing that he was someone very dear to Miles Edgeworth.

It's because of this that I think Turnabout Big Top gets more hate than it deserves. I loved the parallels they made in the overarching conflict in Justice For All. The same was for Farewell my Turnabout, but I didn't feel like there were that many interesting characters and it was more intense than fun. I'm always going to choose fun over intense. For Turnabout Reunion, aside from the story and two characters, I never found anyone to be interesting. Also, Dr. Hotti really killed it for me. Turnabout Big Top was a lot of fun with many of my favorite characters in Justice For All and was the one with  more character development with the entire cast.

Don't get me wrong, I love Farewell my Turnabout, but it's like choosing between Gone With the Wind and Avengers. I'm going to choose Avengers every single time, because of how fun I had with it, even though Gone With the Wind is a masterpiece. Just because something is a masterpiece, it doesn't mean I'm going to prefer it over something I'm going to laugh and cry over the whole time. It's also not to say I'm not going to have fun over something that is a masterpiece either. I enjoyed Turnabout Goodbyes and I enjoyed Farewell my Turnabout, just not as much as Turnabout Big Top.

Least Favorite Case The Lost Turnabout

This one should come as no surprise. It's considered one of the worst tutorials and trials in Ace Attorney. The case was stupid, the whole amnesia thing was stupid and Wellington can jump off a cliff and die for all I care. The only good thing about Wellington is that he only shows up one time. I hate this guy soooooooo much. At least Larry Butz had some sort of likability and his killer was pretty hilarious. There's nothing to like about this, other than Maya's return.

The first thing I need to point out is the amnesia thing. Phoenix having amnesia was done so much better in the Phoenix Wright VS Professor Layton game. I get what Capcom was trying to do. The Lost Turnabout was a tutorial case and it's expected that there will be people playing Justice For All that haven't played the previous game. Still, this could've been handled a little bit better. Like instead of having Phoenix acting like a fish out of water the entire time, maybe have him show a bit of confidence. Like instead of having Phoenix have amnesia right before the trial, it can happen a bit during an investigation or something. Then, maybe have Maya hall Phoenix in, find out about his amnesia and instruct him before the trial. At least in the Phoenix Wright VS Professor Layton game, everyone only knew Phoenix as a baker and didn't expect him to have any experience as a lawyer. So, Phoenix acting like a fish  out of water was expected from everyone, including the Judge.

This goes to the second problem I had, which is that Phoenix obviously does not know what is going on and yet the Judge and Prosecution just shrugs their shoulders and continues. Even when they find out that Phoenix has amnesia, they're not the least bit shocked or concerned. It's like "oh well, another day in the courtroom." I know the Judge has not always been the sharpest pencil in the box and Prosecutor Winston Payne has always been the shoulder-shrugging type of guy, but this was an overkill. Even Franziska would be shocked at how utterly stupid everyone's acting. I can understand Maggey Byrd, but a Recess should've been called out the moment Phoenix asked what cross-examination was. Again, in Phoenix Wright VS Professor Layton, everyone only knew Phoenix as a baker and didn't know he was a Defense Attorney, so him asking this stuff wasn't any surprise.

The third problem I had was Wellington. He makes Larry Butz and Wendy Oldbag look like respectable people and that's saying something. There's hardly redeeming qualities to him. This guy is so arrogant, so full of himself, attacks a lawyer believing he's not going to get caught and when he tries to retrieve his phone, he gets the wrong phone. So Wellington, you knock Phoenix out to retrieve your phone, but then end up retrieving the wrong phone? Did you even bother checking the phone to make sure it was yours? Maya also called Phoenix several times. Did you not think for a second, "wait a minute, this isn't my ringtone." Like Phoenix had to literally get the same phone Maya tried to call him from moments ago and call his phone inside the courtroom just for you to get a clue. You sir, you make Sebastian Debeste look like a genius. Congratulations! Not only are you annoying, but you are also an idiot.

All in all, this tutorial is the worst and there is no excuse for it. Luckily, the other tutorials in the later games are a great improvement and this really is the worst trial in Ace Attorney. Probably the only trial in Ace Attorney I would consider to be horrible.

Favorite Defendant/Killer Matt Engarde

Am I cheating by choosing this guy as my favorite Defendant and Killer? ...Maybe? Who cares? There's only one that is a Defendant and Killer in the Phoenix Wright games, so... meh. As a Defendant and Killer, I really can't really find anyone else that would be better than Matt Engarde. He is a true mastermind that had everyone in the palm of his hand and I love it. He's a character you can't help, but love to hate.

As a Defendant, Matt is very cooperative and trusting. When you first meet him, he comes off as clueless and so laid back that almost nothing really effects him. Even just being behind bars doesn't really phase him all that much. It's only when you see his real personality that you begin understanding who Matt Engarde really is. He's a manipulator that knows how to keep people on his side. If someone was to leave or step out of line, he would know the right buttons to push to make sure you returned back to where you were supposed to be. There's a lot of arrogance to him, but that's what makes Matt all the more terrifying.

Because Matt Engarde knows the type of Defense Attorney Phoenix is, he's smart enough to keep his guilt in the dark. All that Phoenix needs to know is that Matt Engarde didn't kill Juan Corrida and technically he didn't. He hired an assassin to do the dirty work for him and planned the  time, place and how the assassination would happen. What I expect in a Defendant, GUILTY or NOT GUILTY, it's still important to find other possibilities around it. For Matt, that is exactly what he's doing. He's telling his lawyer what he did and didn't do without revealing himself to be the killer. It's only when Phoenix begins truly questioning his client's guilt in order to defend him properly that Matt Engarde reveals the real truth.

Aside from Lana Skye, Matt Engarde is the first defendant to not be completely innocent and the only one that is GUILTY. Before him, the other Defendants were rather in the crossfire of the crime, were set up to be framed for murder or just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's only after Farewell my Turnabout that the Defendants later on in the games start becoming less innocent. From this point on, Phoenix began taking on a thief as his client and eventually pushes his first student to take in a client that's part of a gang. It's at this point that Phoenix learns that being a Defense Attorney isn't a heroic job and it doesn't always mean protecting the innocent.

Matt Engarde isn't just a Defendant, but also the real killer. While he didn't directly kill Juan, he did hire an assassin to do so. As a killer, he knew how to keep everyone under his thumb, even while he was still behind bars. It was for that reason why Celeste Inpax was driven to suicide. Matt wasn't just keeping Celeste under his thumb, but even her fiance Juan under his thumb. Then, after that suicide, Matt was able to keep Celeste's student, Adrian Andrews, under his thumb. He knew how to keep people under his control regardless if they knew who he really was or his true intentions. Phoenix Wright is no exception.

There was no way Phoenix would be able to get himself out of his situation with Matt Engarde alone. In this case, he needed help from Miles Edgeworth, Dick Gumshoe, Mia Fey and Franziska Von Karma. Until this point, Phoenix had seen Franziska Von Karma no differently than her father, who was cruel and corrupt. It was only until he took in Matt Engarde that he began seeing her as an ally and a possible friend. Not because they apologized, but because Phoenix, for the first time in Justice For All, began looking in the mirror and seeing that even he can be just as corrupt and cruel as Franziska.

Matt Engarde was the Defendant and Killer that challenged us to look in the mirror and see ourselves no different than the opponents we fight against. I believe this to be true. No matter how different we are as human beings, non of us have a higher moral authority than the next person. All of us are equally flawed, even as flawed as a common criminal. We may not kill someone or try to kill, but all of us have hated at least one person in our lives and hatred is often the seed that leads to the motivation to kill.

It's hard to compare Matt to the other Defendants and killers, if only because he's a unique kind of Defendant and Killer. He was the only Defendant that was also the killer and the only Killer that didn't directly kill the victim. Matt Engard is certainly a one-of-a-kind and I don't believe there will ever be a Defendant or Killer like him. The reason he takes the top as a Defendant and Killer is because of how cleverly he's able to fit in both spots. I would have chosen Maya as the Defendant and Shelly De Killer as the Killer otherwise. The fact Shelly was just as much under Matt Engarde's thumb and was willing to keep his cool while still fighting for a NOT GUILTY verdict puts him on the top as my favorite Defendant and Killer or Defendant/Killer.

There's another character that fits in two favorites, but Miles Edgeworth Investigations has Favorite Defendant replaced by something else. I will get to that when we get to the Investigations games.

Favorite Witness Adrian Andrews

It was hard deciding with all the colorful witnesses, especially from Turnabout Big Top, but what Adrian Andrews did as a Witness is something that only a few would be brave enough to do. This woman had gone through so much pain and grief with dealing with the suicide of her mentor and the murder of someone she considered a friend, while working under the man that had caused their deaths. If you want to talk about parallels, especially after Turnabout Big Top, Adrian's situation can easily be paralleled to Miles Edgeworth's situation.

While it is up to the audiences to decide if Manfred Von Karma died or not, his loss is still there. After losing his mentor, Miles Edgeworth felt he had lost his reasoning to continue on as a Prosecutor. He was only walking as an empty shell of the Prosecutor he once was. This led him to leave a suicide note before leaving overseas. Adrian Andrews also attempted suicide, after her mentor's suicide. It's at this point that the pain and grief Phoenix Wright and Franziska Von Karma deal with comes in full circle back to Miles Edgeworth. Both Phoenix and Franziska began realizing that the pain and grief they share is what Miles Edgeworth had been feeling for the past fifteen years of his life.

Once Miles Edgeworth returns, even while he is still dealing with his grief and pain, he shows Phoenix and Franziska a way to deal with their feelings. Instead of approaching them with anger and revenge, Miles approaches them with sympathy and understanding, even apologizing to Phoenix for inflicting his pain. Afterwards, he encourages Franziska to not give up and keep walking down her own path instead of the path of others. Adrian also did the same thing. She approached everyone with sympathy and understanding, even though they were on opposing sides.

When Phoenix questions Adrian at the Detention Center, even confessing his knowledge of his client's guilt, Adrian responds with sympathy. There's never a hint of anger for Phoenix and that's because she understands Phoenix's situation with being under the thumb of a cruel man. When Adrian goes up to testify, she does so with trust and loyalty to both sides. She knows that neither the Prosecution or Defense mean any harm against her and only seek the truth. It's through this she's able to cooperate. She's also one of the very few characters known to not side with either the Defense or Prosecution.

It's nice to see that, after what Adrian has gone through, she turns out to be alright and being her own person. It's nice to see good things happening to good people.

AA3

Favorite Case The Stolen Turnabout

It was hard to decide with all the fantastic cases in Trials and Tribulations, but I had to give this one to The Stolen Turnabout. I like trials that start out as a nonmurder trial before turning into a murder trial. Not to mention we also are introduced to Godot who, despite never having prosecuted a case before, is considered the greatest Prosecutor in the country because Miles Edgeworth said so... only for him to confirm that he didn't even know Godot existed in Bridge to the Turnabout. Gumshoe, you lying son of a gun.

One of the things I loved about this trial is that, for once, Phoenix isn't taking Ron Delite because he believes he's innocent, but because he finds the case interesting. This gives us a new insight to Phoenix's character. In the past, he took on clients, because he or Maya had strongly believed in their innocence. Though, in this case, Phoenix is taking on Ron's case for himself. It doesn't make him a selfish or bad person, but it does show that even Phoenix can take on clients for his own agendas. While I love selfless characters that do things for other people, I also like it when those same people can do things for themselves once in a while. It also shows that Phoenix had learned a lot about being a Defense Attorney from Farewell my Turnabout. A Defense Attorney isn't a hero, so Phoenix isn't trying to do anything heroic. He's only giving a thief a proper Defense.

This case also went back to being simple and not so frustrating to get through in finding stuff, people to talk to and Pressing on something once or twice before moving forward. Also, having to prove someone innocent of a crime that isn't murder was very interesting. Of course, it did eventually lead to a real murder trial, but it was still refreshing while it lasted. It was also a great way of getting to know who Godot is. Until Godot came, we only had Prosecutors that wanted GUILTY verdicts, but now we get one that doesn't give two hoots about GUILTY verdicts. He just wants to beat Phoenix Wright in a trial.

If Turnabout Big Top was my personal junk food, then The Stolen Turnabout was like my playground. There weren't many interesting characters, aside from Ron Delite and his wife, but the case itself was what made it fun. The player had room to move everywhere without anyone trying to tell us to back off or being annoying, it was easy to tell which place we had to move to and the deeper we go into the case, the more mysteries begin popping up. I also like that we get to present Phoenix's profile as evidence instead of someone else's profile.

I'd say which parts I didn't like, but there was hardly anything I disliked. Even Larry Butz in this game was at his best. I also found it funny that Pearl kept slapping Phoenix for blushing around Dessie Delite. Though, I did notice a parallel with Ron Delite's relationship with Dessie Delite and Phoenix's conflict in Trials and Tribulations.

The conflict of Trials and Tribulations focus on Phoenix's love life or at least his old love life. Until this point, we didn't know what Phoenix's love life was like or if he had feelings for Maya Fey. It was even debated if Phoenix had feelings for Mia Fey or not. In truth, Phoenix had rejected finding any romantic partner since his first love broke his heart in college. It's actually quite heartbreaking when watching Phoenix in Turnabout Memories.

Ron's and Dessie's love life parallels what Phoenix once had with his first love, whom he once thought was Dahlia Hawthorn at the time. For so many years, Phoenix had believed that the Dahlia Hawthorn he dated for six months was not the one that tried to poison him. Even when everyone thought otherwise, he still believed it. It was only until Bridge to the Turnabout that Phoenix saw a picture of Iris and chased after her to find out if this was the Dahlia Hawthorn he had dated during college.

It was a fun trial and it was fresh to participate in a trial that wasn't murder for once, even if it was only temporary. Now, Phoenix will eventually participate in a nonmurder trial that never becomes a murder trial in Phoenix Wright VS Professor Layton in the tutorial trial. Though, I'm beginning to learn that any crossover game Phoenix participates in will be a bit different and unorthodox from his usual trials in the Ace Attorney games. 

Least Favorite Case Recipe For the Turnabout

I think everyone can agree that Armstrong completely ruined the entire trial. He is the worst character, witness and everything you can think of. I can't call him a cross-dresser, because that would be an insult to the cross-dressers, and I can't call him a transgender, because that would be an insult to the transgenders as well. I'll just call him an abomination.

Beyond Armstrong, the case isn't that bad. Honestly, after The Lost Turnabout, Maggey Byrd needed this trial. I found the relationship with Maggey and Gumshoe cute and adorkable. Also, having a trial that starts off with an already ending trial where the killer impersonates as Phoenix Wright was incredibly interesting. I especially found it hilarious when Tigre scared the Judge and Phoenix to the point where they were hiding under the bench. The grumpy old pigeon man was hilarious as well. The only thing I wish is that the old pigeon man and Wendy Oldbag met. They'd be a perfect match.

Like with The Stolen Turnabout, I love the parallel with Viola's relationship with Tigre and Phoenix's conflict with his old love life. Just like how Tigre lied about his true feelings for Viola in order to use her, Dahlia did the same thing with Phoenix in college. It's because of the events in Turnabout Memories that Phoenix began hating betrayal and murder with poison to the point he finds them unforgivable. It's this moment that we begin understanding why Phoenix was so bitter and angry toward Miles Edgeworth when he left the death note. To Phoenix, that was an act of betrayal, which he considers to be unforgivable. This is something to remember when playing Apollo Justice.

If The Stolen Turnabout is a parallel to what Phoenix looks for in his love life, then The Recipe for the Turnabout is a parallel to Phoenix's pain from love. It's a good case, but I consider it a least favorite, because of Jean Armstrong. The fact this is my least favorite tells you that Trials and Tribulations is a really great game and the best of the Phoenix Wright trilogy.

Favorite Defendant Phoenix Wright

It was difficult to decide between Phoenix and Ron, but I think the eyes won me. I mean seriously, is it just me or does Phoenix have the most adorable eyes with that mask on? He could murder people with his eyes from sheer cuteness. I can see why Iris fell for him. Dang, those eyes!

Anyways, back on topic, while Phoenix did lie at first, it's clear that he is horrible at lying and does feel bad for it. He's certainly not the kind of person to lie on stand. It's only later on that you realize that he lied to protect his girlfriend, who turns out was trying to kill him by poisoning his medicine. Now, it is revealed in Bridge to the Turnabout that Iris had switched places with Dahlia during the six months that Phoenix was dating her. Though, at this point, Phoenix had to learn to trust his Defense Attorney, Mia Fey.

It's only after Phoenix had eaten that empty bottle of poison and Mia began calling out for her client to be checked on that he realized that she cared about him. Phoenix was very reckless by eating the empty bottle of poison, but he also was quick to realize his mistake. By trying to protect his girlfriend, he was covering up the truth of Doug Swallow's murder. It makes sense why Mia would eventually take in Phoenix as her student. For Mia, she saw Phoenix as someone with potential that just needed to learn how to channel his emotions during a trial just like she had to learn to channel her emotions.

Like Phoenix, Mia is also an emotionally driven character. She tackles a trial that is linked to something personal with her. The first and second trial were linked to Dahlia Hawthorn, who also happens to be Mia's cousin and one of Morgan Fey's oldest daughters. As a Defense Attorney, Mia had to learn to channel her emotions on the right people during a trial. This would be something she would eventually pass down to Phoenix.

Having Phoenix as the Defendant in the tutorial trial was a great way to set up his character and explore Mia's characters. It was also interesting playing Mia Fey as the Defense Attorney instead of Phoenix Wight all the time. While it isn't the first time Phoenix played as the Defendant, the first one technically being Turnabout Sisters, it is the first time we see him playing one with a separate Defense Attorney. Considering I couldn't add Phoenix in the first game as my favorite Defendant, since that would be kinda cheating, I can gladly place him on this spot. He certainly deserves it.

Favorite Killer Dahlia Hawthorn

If this woman was the devil incarnate, I would believe it. Unlike Manfred Von Karma, Dahlia knows how to kill, then get away with it and, unlike Matt Engarde, she doesn't need someone else to do the dirty work or clean up the mess for her. She did send her sister out to retrieve the poison bottle necklace, but that was it. Even at age 14, Dahlia was manipulative and cunning, using her beauty and charm to get what she wants, and leave without a trace.

I suppose it's no surprise Dahlia is my favorite killer in Trials and Tribulations, since she was the killer in two different cases and attempted murder in one case in this game. Though, the fact that all these trials and kills were connected is astounding. She even planned a murder after she died and, had she succeeded, she would have got away with it unscathed. It brings out the fear that even death may not be enough, because the killer can always possess a spirit medium and kill another victim.

It's Dahlia Hawthorn that pretty much explains why Phoenix is not the kind of lawyer to be swayed by a beautiful woman that easily. He had one time and it almost cost him his life. It's also because of Dahlia Hawthorn why Phoenix considers killing someone by poison and betrayal to be unforgivable acts. Even when comparing to what Miles Edgeworth did in Justice For All, Dahlia had hurt Phoenix in the worst way possible to the point where, even five years down the road, he still feels it. It's only once he truly confronts Iris that he begins down the road of healing.

A killer that's able to hurt someone, even after death, deserves a spot in my books.

Favorite Witness Maya Fey

After having someone try to murder you, while in the pitch black cold winter, waking up to find out that your mother you haven't seen since you were a child is dead and was possessed by the spirit who tried to kill you, find out that the man that saved you went out of his way to protect you from murder accusations, having to lock yourself up in a room that is probably over thousands of degrees below zero, summon the same spirit that tried to kill you, then wake up in the middle of the courtroom more exhausted than you've ever been, yet still appear on the Witness Stand and forced to reveal the killer that was your savior... I find it hard to believe anyone would still be standing. Maya was the one Witness that was strong enough to stand on trial and testify what she saw, even despite all that she had been through. While she was hiding who the true killer was, it's understandable why she would hide that. After all, the person that killed her mother did so to save her from being the murdered victim.

Standing on the Witness Stand, going through what Maya had gone through, would be incredibly hard to do without going into a mental breakdown. Maya did that for both Pearl's sake and for Phoenix's sake. She knew that this trial was hard on everyone and was able to stay strong for their sake. It's something not everyone can be capable of doing. I have to admire Maya for her bravery. It's at this moment that we truly see Maya at her best.

Interestingly enough, this is also the first Phoenix Wright game where Maya is not the Defendant for once, but a Witness. It's also The Bridge to the Turnabout that we get to see characters taking on different roles. Miles Edgeworth takes the role of a Defense Attorney, Franziska leads the investigation, Maya takes the role as a Witness and Larry also takes the Witness Stand himself as an artist. I love how clever and creative The Bridge to the Turnabout became in coming full circle to Phoenix Wright's character. Having Maya on the Witness Stand shows how important she is as a character. She's hurt and tired, but is willing to take the stand for the sake of her loved ones.

In this case, it wasn't hard to decide who would take the position as my favorite Witness in Trials and Tribulations, since a lot of them were uncooperative or stupidly annoying. Maya stuck out as someone that was an excellent Witness that was willing to take the stand in order to find the truth.

AJ

Favorite Case Turnabout Trump

For once, the tutorial is actually my favorite case. Can't say if it's a good or a bad thing, but I really did enjoy this case and it was the first Phoenix Wright case I've ever played in my life. That's right! Apollo Justice was the first Ace Attorney game I played before the trilogy. Sue me! Joke's aside, this was a really fun case.

If you want to know how to make a tutorial trial, this is how to do it. Having Phoenix Wright as the defendant was a clever way of bringing the audience in. The first time Phoenix was a defendant was Turnabout Memories when he was in college. This time, Phoenix is much older and this takes place seven years after The Bridge to the Turnabout. I also like that it doesn't reveal that it's Phoenix until after you literally go inside the courtroom. It's also the first time Phoenix recognizes Winston Payne. Payne just doesn't get enough love, does he?

At first, when you start the trial, it feels like your typical tutorial trial guiding you through the trial. Then, right when it's about to declare  Phoenix NOT GUILTY and turning the guilt to the waitress, Phoenix gives an Objection, stating that there might've been a third person. It's a statement that comes right out of left field and, as Apollo Justice, the accusations suddenly turn from the waitress to his own mentor standing right next to him, Kristoph Gavin. This is when things start getting real.

A lot of beans start spilling at this point. Phoenix reveals to have a daughter, it turns out that Phoenix was disbarred for forging evidence and there is a possibility that he may be a liar and a forger. There's a lot of mystery to this and it makes you, as the player, want to know more. When I think of a tutorial trial, I think of a trial that brings the audience in and begging for more. Turnabout Memories did a great job with that and Turnabout Trump brought down the house.

Unfortunately, it's only the first and last trial that are the most favorable, while the middle trials are meh at best. There are still the parallels, but they seem to parallel more to the past trilogy than the conflict of the game itself. Turnabout Serenade is a bit more interesting, especially with the crime following the lyrics of the song and the language barrier between the Defense Team and the Defendant. It was also a case that really dived into Klavier Gavin's character as a performer and a Prosecutor. Unfortunately, all the parallels of the cases to the main conflict are almost never addressed until the last case, Turnabout Succession.

It came down to Turnabout Trump and Turnabout Succession and I chose Turnabout Trump, because Turnabout Succession was very lengthy and easy to get lost when having to travel from the past to the present during the Jury System part.

Least Favorite Case Turnabout Corner

This one is a no brainer. It's meh at best. It reminded me too much of Turnabout Memories, which had a better killer, story line and execution. Regardless, I did love the zany characters, the investigation and the interactions between Apollo and the other characters.

A lot of people had a problem with this case, mostly because of Phoenix Wright. Though, honestly, I thought the parts with Phoenix were the best. Yeah, he was a bit of a troll and a jerk, but that was already established in the original trilogy. Phoenix was very sarcastic and trollish to Maya many times and came off as a jerk in Justice For All. I think people just found this uncomfortable, but that was kind of the point. It's supposed to feel uncomfortable, because Phoenix is hiding something from Apollo and you're trying to figure out what it is, but can't because it's still the same Phoenix Wright from the trilogy. I think people were expecting a more drastic change in Phoenix, but I don't know. I thought Phoenix's character in Apollo Justice was done excellently well.

People also had a problem with Phoenix giving Apollo a laundry list of things to do, even though he's a capable lawyer. I'd agree, except I don't believe even Phoenix knew what kind of client Apollo should be getting. I mean co'mon, the man is crippled, he got ran over by a speeding car, his daughter's underwear was snatched by some pervert, the noodle stand he always goes to with his friends was stolen and he can't leave the hospital. He didn't intend on giving Apollo a client, but something to do while working under him. It was Trucy that encouraged Apollo to find a client. Phoenix had completely given up at this point, so it makes sense he wouldn't be trying to find a client for Apollo.

As I said, the interactions with the characters were the best part, especially the forensics with Ema. The only things I didn't like, aside from the obvious parallel with Turnabout Memories, was the lengthy amount of time it took before finally investigating and the trouble to go through in order to be allowed at the crime scene. Beyond that, it was fun and, after the beginning, the investigation was smooth sailing from there. A lot of people don't like this, so it's no surprise it's my least favorite, but I also believe it's heavily underrated.

Favorite Defendant Phoenix Wright

At this point, I don't believe it should be any surprise if Phoenix is always chosen every time he's the Defendant. It's really hard to find anyone that is a better Defendant than Phoenix Wright himself. It's also interesting how his first mentor was his lawyer and his first student was also his lawyer. Though, I found this dynamic a bit more interesting. Originally, Phoenix was going to have Kristoph Gavin as his lawyer, only to change it to Apollo Justice once he found evidence of Kristoph being the murderer.

Just like Turnabout Memories, as Apollo, you start by cross-examining Phoenix, only to find an obvious contradiction to the testimony. In Turnabout Memories, it was the obvious contradiction that proved Phoenix was lying, but in this cross-examination, it proves the crime scene had been manipulated. I also like that Phoenix points out how Apollo didn't make an objection to his testimony during the first time of cross-examination. In truth, I think Phoenix was giving Apollo a hard time.

As a Defendant, Phoenix puts a lot of trust in his Defense Attorney, which has to be a lot, considering that the murderer is Apollo's own mentor. You even see Kristoph pressuring Apollo to throw his client under the bus, yet Phoenix never sways once. Then again, Apollo idolizes Phoenix a lot, so it might be him taking advantage of Apollo's admiration towards him. Either way, it's clear that Phoenix has a good head on his shoulders, even when he has to hire a lawyer that has never had a client before.

I also like that Phoenix is guiding Apollo, even though he's not his mentor yet. He knows that Kristoph is going to be found GUILTY and Apollo will be out of a job. He doesn't just want to prove the truth, but also offer Apollo a place to go. Interestingly enough, Phoenix also points out that one of the evidence given to Apollo was forged, claiming that he himself was the one that forged it. Now, whether or not Phoenix was lying is up for interpretation. Personally, I think Phoenix was lying, since he did give Apollo a forge copy of a letter he made himself, which was awfully made, and proves Phoenix cannot forge anything. Still, if Phoenix did lie, that tells me that the Phoenix Wright from Turnabout Memories that was willing to lie to protect his loved ones has not changed.

When you think about it, it starts making sense. Kristoph is no Dahlia Hawthorn, but he used Phoenix in the same way Dahlia used Phoenix. There's even evidence from Ace Attorney Dual Destinies that suggest that the reason Phoenix was proven GUILTY for forging evidence was because he admitted to it. This could mean that he lied about his own guilt to protect Kristoph, because they were still friends at the time. Speaking of which...

Favorite Killer Kristoph Gavin

This one was an obvious one. Not only is this the first Defense Attorney villain, but I also love the parallels with Phoenix's relationship with Kristoph with Dahlia. Just like Dahlia, Kristoph had used his relationship with Phoenix in order to cover up his crime of forging evidence. If that weren't enough, he also murdered the forger's father and attempted to do the same to her through poison. Remember when I mentioned the two acts Phoenix finds unforgivable? Yeah, Kristoph did both and even admitted to Phoenix that they were never friends. That was the point I knew he shot himself in the foot, because Phoenix is not like that. When he considers someone his friend, he means it. Phoenix Wright never fakes his friendship with anyone. Congratulations Kristoph Gavin, you found Phoenix someone to hate more than his ex girlfriend.

It's at the point of Turnabout Succession that you begin understanding why Phoenix took this long to prove his innocence and why he was hiding so much. It was because he was protecting Kristoph, whom Phoenix had considered his friend at the time. Even when behind bars, Phoenix still considered Kristoph his friend. It was only when Kristoph made it clear that he was never friends with Phoenix and had been using him, along with proof that he did poison the forger's father, that Phoenix no longer had anything holding him back from taking this man down.

As a killer, Kristoph is clever, careful and calculated. Like Dahlia, he knows how to manipulate anyone to thinking he's on their side when he isn't. He's very cool and calm, being considered the Coolest in the West. He successfully manipulated his younger brother, Klavier Gavin, to frame Phoenix for forging evidence before voting his innocence at the Bar Association to earn his friendship and trust. This was clever, being that Phoenix did have all the evidence against Kristoph, yet did not use them, because of this friendship. If you investigate all the past events from seven years ago, you would notice that Phoenix had evidence against Kristoph for forging. Unlike Dahlia, Kristoph managed to fool Phoenix for seven years that they were friends and he didn't need a twin to do so. If Dahlia is the devil incarnate, then Kristoph is the devil himself.

After seven years, Kristoph had finally and successfully murdered Drew Misham through a poison stamp that was intended to murder his daughter. Kristoph also gave her a bottle of nail polish, knowing about her nail-biting habit, to poison her without drawing any suspicion. On top of that, he also murdered Shadi Smith, who turned out to be Zak, a former client that fired him and hired Phoenix in his place. While Kristoph has black psyche locks, showing that not even Kristoph himself knows why he killed Zak, it's clear he's malicious enough to not need a reason other than pure jealousy against Phoenix Wright. This makes Kristoph Gavin the most malicious villain with the pure intention of wanting to do nothing more than to hurt Phoenix Wright. Because of this, I consider Krisoph Gavin to be the most evil villain for Phoenix Wright.

The only thing that I would fault Kristoph for is his mistake of revealing his betrayal, after Phoenix confronted him about poisoning Drew Misham. It was bad enough that Kristoph murdered Zak, but he also murdered Drew using poison, something we all know Phoenix considers unforgivable. It's at this point of knowing Kristoph betrayed him and poisoned Drew Misham that became the final nail in his coffin. Interestingly enough, this is also the first official case Phoenix assigned Apollo to. This tells me that Phoenix's visitation with Kristoph Gavin must've been right before assigning Apollo to the Drew Misham case.

Regardless, I will always consider Kristoph Gavin to be one of the best killers in the Ace Attorney series and my favorite in the Apollo Justice game. At this point, the only killers that would trump Kristoph Gavin would be from the Miles Edgeworth Investigations games.

Favorite Witness Lamiroir

This one was an easy answer, since the rest of the Witnesses in Apollo Justice were annoying or a bit too wacky. Lamiroir is a unique and amazing Witness. While blind as she is, her testimony to having heard the murder through a window, which turned out to be a vent, is what made her a threat to the killer. I find it interesting that she called a vent a window, due to the language misinterpretation. Still, her testimony proved to be such a huge threat that the real killer had attacked her. The attack against her is what made Klavier and Apollo decide to revisit her testimony.

While Lamiroir did lie for Machi's sake, just like Maya in The Bridge to the Turnabout, it's understandable. Machi knows little English and is being tried in a country he's unfamiliar with. If that wasn't bad enough, it turns out that he smuggled illegal contraband that he'd punished by death in his own country. Machi is a scared little boy and Lamiroir is the only family and mother figure in his life that he's got.

It's no surprise that Phoenix decided to continue his secret mission after this trial. Just like Lamiroir, Phoenix also had someone he was trying to protect. While Kristoph was the one that forged the evidence, it was Trucy that brought the forged evidence to Phoenix, then another one to Apollo in Turnabout Trump. It's only after watching Apollo handle that situation that Phoenix began having hope and trusting Apollo. I also think Lamiroir had a hand to encouraging Phoenix to continue as well.

The only thing that disappoints me is that we never get to see much of Lamiroir after this. I'd like to see more of Lamiroir and not just as a cameo. I'd like to know why she doesn't want Apollo and Trucy to know that she is their real mother. I mean, I guess they might know somewhat, but it would still be nice if they knew. They could pay visits, have family reunions, have a cup of tea or something. Just saying.

AAI

Favorite Case The Kidnapped Turnabout

It was difficult to decide which case was my favorite, because all of them were meh. Though, if I had to choose, it would be this one. I had the most fun with this case with being introduced to new characters, that starts as a nonmurder case before turning into a real murder case, having an interesting mystery and introducing to Kay Faraday. There's also an Easter Egg of Phoenix Wright, Maya and Pearl being seen on a boat, if you were to go back to the bridge by the entrance from the Wild West Exhibit. I liked that little add-on.

Aside from the villains not being that interesting and the annoying characters like Meekins and Oldbag, I did enjoy the investigation and mystery behind it. It was certainly a case that kept me guessing. It also had the most interesting characters like Long Lang, Kay Faraday, Lang's Police Force and Lauren Paups. A lot of people never mention Lauren Paups and it's sad, because she's actually one of the best suspects in the game. Not my favorite, but one of the best with an interesting backstory about her missing father.

Another thing I also enjoyed is how this is one of the only cases in this game where Miles Edgeworth is mostly on his own. He doesn't have any help from anyone in the police force or even from Dick Gumshoe. He gets kidnapped and he has to figure out a way out of his situation. He has Kay, but it's mostly Miles Edgeworth that's trying to figure out a way out. He's also the one that is continuing the investigation, regardless of Lang's interventions. It's at this point that we learn that Miles Edgeworth is the kind to openly disagree with anyone regardless of authority, while still respecting said authority. We also see that Miles openly disagreed with his mentor, Manfred Von Karma, at times during Turnabout Reminiscence.

Because Miles Edgeworth is being prevented or limited in his investigations and Dick Gumshoe keeps getting dragged away, this cuts the amount of power and authority Miles Edgeworth often has. He is the main adversary against Phoenix, so it makes sense that he would have a strong amount of power and authority. To have that be taken away in a game where he's the main character gives him a challenge. In a way, it puts Miles Edgeworth in Phoenix's position more so than the first part of The Bridge to the Turnabout.

When Miles Edgeworth investigated in the first part of The Bridge to the Turnabout, he was still allowed to have Dick Gumshoe give him a rundown of the case and could investigate anywhere he wanted. In this case, however, Miles Edgeworth hardly has anywhere to investigate. Even in the tutorial case, Miles Edgeworth only had one room he wasn't allowed to investigate. In this case, Miles Edgeworth gets kicked out of the park two times, has Dick Gumshoe dragged away at least two or three times and has to find a way to investigate inside one of the attractions without literally being inside the attraction. It was also one of the only cases where having a Maya Fey assistant was necessary.

The other thing I really liked about this case is at the end when Long Lang arrests Earnest Amano, thinking that he had defeated Miles Edgeworth, since Earnest Amano is a close friend of Manfred Von Karma. Miles Edgeworth then responds by claiming that he was doing no more than helping him find his son Lance Amano. Beyond that, he isn't and was never associated with the Amano's. This is when Lang starts to realize that Miles Edgeworth isn't like most Prosecutors. He's the kind that only seeks the truth to prevent false charges against innocent people. Once new evidence is brought out against said person, Miles Edgeworth can't help them. In Earnest's case, he needs to call up a Defense Attorney to get him out of the hole he already dug himself.

Also, I love the Blue Badger lore that's introduced in this case. This was a fun case and while it is still meh, it is probably above the rest of the other cases in the game. I enjoyed it.

Least Favorite Case Turnabout Reminiscence

This was also difficult to decide, because again, all of the cases were meh at best. At first, I was going to place Turnabout Ablaze as my least favorite, but the only issue I had with that case was that it was too long, the final boss villain was dull and it was frustrating to finally catch him. The problem I have with the first Investigations game was that it was dull due to lack of motivation for Miles Edgeworth to want to solve these cases. There was hardly any adversaries for him to face, aside from Long Lang and Detective Badd. I finally decided to go with one that left me the most disappointed, Turnabout Reminiscence.

Turnabout Reminiscence is supposed to be a flashback case when Miles Edgeworth first meets Detective Gumshoe and Kay Faraday. One of the things I loved about Detective Gumshoe was his undying loyalty toward Miles Edgeworth and willingness to stick with him no matter how bad things got. I was expecting a backstory between these two that reflected that. What I get is a story about how Kay connected with Detective Gumshoe and Miles Edgeworth, then Detective Gumshoe deciding to stick with Miles Edgeworth for saving him. Then... that's it. There's no motivation for Miles Edgeworth wanting to prove Dick Gumshoe innocent or reason to believe he is innocent.

With Phoenix Wright, there was always a motivation for why he'd defend his clients. Even The Lost Turnabout gave him a reason to protect Maggey Byrd with amnesia. The first case, Turnabout Visitor, gave Miles Edgeworth a clear motivation to want to prove both Dick Gumshoe's and Maggey Byrd's innocence. Dick Gumshoe is his most trusted detective and Maggey Byrd was someone Dick Gumshoe cared about. Also, the murder taking place in his office gave Miles Edgeworth more than enough motivation to want to find the culprit and put him on trial for his crime. With Turnabout Reminiscence, there's no motivation or personal connection Miles Edgeworth has with Dick Gumshoe, so there's no reason for him to disagree with his mentor and continue on with the investigation.

The sad part is, there is a way to give Miles Edgeworth a motivation to want to prove Dick Gumshoe's innocence. Just have Miles Edgeworth join in with Dick Gumshoe and Kay Faraday when they're eating a Swiss Roll together. Maybe Miles Edgeworth forgot to eat breakfast and grew hungry. Feeling embarrassed and not wanting to disappoint his mentor, he lies that he's going to the restroom, then joins in with Dick Gumshoe and Kay Faraday. The three of them combine their money and have three Swiss Rolls together. Thus, you have a motive for why Miles Edgeworth would believe in Dick Gumshoe's innocence and would want to save him. On top of that, you have a scene of Miles Edgeworth bonding with the man that would become his detective and the girl that would become his assistant.

Beyond that, I did like Detective Badd, young Franziska, young Kay and the confrontation between Miles Edgeworth and his mentor. I thought it was a neat addition to their relationship in the past. I also loved Fransizka's interactions as well and her using a riding crop when she was younger. The amount of Miles Edgeworth being kicked by Kay and whipped by Franzy's riding crop were hilarious too. Also, Miles Edgeworth comforting Kay while she cried on his cravat was touching and sweet. There really are a lot of good moments and characters in this case, but it really was missing a motive for Miles Edgeworth to WANT to investigate.

Miles Edgeworth didn't have much of a motive to want to solve the cases in Turnabout Airlines and The Kidnapped Turnabout, after his innocence were proven and Lance was found. That being said, at that point, Miles was already in the middle of the case, so wanting to find the truth and finish what he started were motives in of itself. With Turnabout Reminiscence, since this is when Miles Edgeworth was still young and kissed the feet Manfred Von Karma walked on, I expected a much stronger motivation, especially since Dick Gumshoe was the one being accused. Keep in mind that Miles Edgeworth didn't know Detective Gumshoe and he was treating Miles like a child. Why would Miles Edgeworth give two hoots about Dick Gumshoe's  innocence or know that there was innocence to prove?

For now, Turnabout Enemies is probably the best kind of backstory between Miles Edgeworth and Dick Gumshoe we're going to get. 

Favorite Suspect Kay Faraday

Since Miles Edgeworth Investigations doesn't have Defendants, since one hasn't been found yet, I will change this to Suspects. Since non of the other Suspects are interesting in the slightest, Kay naturally takes this one. There is Detective Gumshoe, but as a Suspect he didn't do as well as Kay.

Even when being set up and accused of murder, Kay was perhaps the most calm and helped out Miles Edgeworth to prove her innocence. I expect a Suspect to keep calm and help assess the situation. I don't expect them to trust Miles Edgeworth, being that they are not his clients and should be well aware that he could drag them to court as a defendant. At the same time, they shouldn't refuse his help either. Miles Edgeworth, as a Prosecutor, is trying to find the real culprit and as long as there is no decisive proof that they are GUILTY, they have nothing to worry about.

For Kay, she knew she was being set up and that Miles Edgeworth would help prove that there is no decisive proof that she murdered anyone. It wasn't just the fact that Kay was Miles Edgeworth's assistant, but that the only proof that she was the culprit was conjecture. Of course, later on, it was proven that the one that tried to arrest Kay just so happened to have been the one that started the fire in the Embassy.

The other choice was Franziska, but that turned out to be a fluke and Larry Butz was giving Miles Edgeworth the hardest time. The rest, as I said, were not as interesting or impressive. Luckily, the second Miles Edgeworth Investigations has more interesting Suspects.

Favorite Killer Calisto Yew

I hate that I have to pick this woman. She's annoying with that annoying laugh, she's not that interesting of a villain and it turns out she wasn't even the Ringleader. Though, I did choose her, because she did have the most potential. How she murdered Byrne Faraday to make it look like it was a double murder, then frame Dick Gumshoe for their murder, is impressive. She was even able to manipulate the time of the murder, making it seem like the murder happened much later than it originally did. Then, once she was caught, she escaped swiftly.

I also was impressed that Calisto was able to disguise herself as She-Na in order to gain Lang's trust and information for the smuggling ring. She did the same thing to Byrne Faraday and Detective Badd, fooling both of them into believing she was on their side when she wasn't. She also pretended to be the sister of the victim of Cece Yew, who had no sister. Anyone that can sneak around like that is impressive in my books and far more interesting than the other killers in the game.

Though, non of the killers were impressive and Calisto Yew was one of the most annoying characters in the game. It's sad, because Ace Attorney has always been full of colorful and impressive killers and all Miles Edgeworth Investigations can come up with is Calisto Yew. Even as a villain Defense Attorney that was clever in manipulation and gaining people's trust to use them to cover up their tracks and blame it on someone else, Kristoph Gavin did a much better job with that.

There is a saying, "the more personal a villain is, the more terrifying they are" and that rings true in many ways. Calisto Yew was able to gain the trust of a high ranking detective and Prosecutor. She was also a member of an international smuggling ring and successfully broke off the Yatagaratsu. Yet, despite all of that, there's nothing terrifying about Calisto Yew. Even with the fact she successfully killed Kay's father, Manfred Von Karma was much more terrifying as someone who killed the father of the main character's friend, but that was because he wasn't just personal to Miles Edgeworth, but to the main character Phoenix Wright as well. He took away someone that Phoenix considered his close friend, had stolen evidence from him and had hurt his friend Maya Fey. What did Calisto Yew do to make herself terrifying for Miles Edgeworth, point a gun at him?

The issue with Calisto Yew is that she has the potential to be terrifying, but it's never truly executed. She murdered Kay's father and her client, but that's nothing new to Miles Edgeworth. He was taught and raised under his father's murderer to hate Defense Attorneys, so what's the point? Calisto Yew could be terrifying like what Kristoph Gavin was, but it's never used to its full potential. She's never tried to gain Miles Edgeworth's trust or used him in any means.

There is one scene where Calisto Yew tells Miles Edgeworth about the death of her sister. One of Miles Edgeworth's greatest weaknesses is sympathy. When he sees other people are hurting through the loss or death of a loved one, he feels for them. Miles Edgeworth became a Prosecutor from the death of his father, so if Calisto Yew used the sympathy card to pretend she became a Defense Attorney for similar reasons, that would be enough to hit him. In fact, I think having Calisto Yew canonly be the sister of Cece Yew instead of pretending would've been better to draw a connection to Miles Edgeworth.

Luckily, the villains in the second Investigations are much more terrifying and personal for Miles Edgeworth in every way. In fact, some of the villains actually surpass Kristoph Gavin as my favorite.

Favorite Witness Colias Palaeno

There were a lot of uninteresting Witnesses, but this one stuck out to me. I found Colias to be surprisingly interesting. Even though we don't know much of his backstory, we do know that he is a genuinely nice Ambassador that only wants what is best for his people. He was the only person in Turnabout Ablaze that was willing to help out Miles Edgeworth with whatever he needed. If Miles Edgeworth had a question about something as trivial as the cleanliness of a fireplace, Colias Palaeno would answer.

What I also found interesting is how Colias Palaeno can go from being a money grubber to being seriously concerned. On the outside, Colias Palaeno comes out as someone that is just grubbing other people's money, but he's someone that cares deeply about his people and the concerns of his country. He loves and cares about the people that work under him, even when he finds out that they were smuggling counterfeit cash into the country. It's hard to hate someone like that. Not as interesting as Detective Badd, Long Lang or Kay Faraday by a long shot, but is certainly more interesting than a majority of the other new characters.

Colias Palaeno may not be my favorite witness overall, but I'd consider him my favorite in this particular game. I'd choose him over Wendy Oldbag any day of the week.

AAI2

Favorite Case The Lost Turnabout

If you want a case that strips Miles Edgeworth every single power and authority he ever had, challenging him to think outside the box, while also being a case that is the most personal for him than it's ever been and includes a villain that has influence all over the police and prosecution combined, The Forgotten Turnabout is that and much more. After the dullfest that was Miles Edgeworth Investigation with little to no motivation that felt personal or a challenge that would strip Miles Edgeworth and make him think around his situation, we finally have this beauty. Miles Edgeworth Investigations 2 is everything that the first Investigations game should've been from the first to the last. It gives you a game that keeps limiting or taking away any ounce of power that Miles Edgeworth ever had, while also becoming something very personal. I also find it interesting that the main adversary in this game happens to be a Judge.

Back to the case, this is the case where Kay Faraday is taken to Miles Edgeworth's office with amnesia. Miles Edgeworth, of course wanting to find out what happened to Kay, walks with her to the last places he remembers being. While trying to find out what happened to Kay, he then gets News that a member of the P.I.C, Jill Crane, had just been murdered. Once appearing on the scene, it turns out that Kay is a suspect of a murder and without her memories, there is no clear indication if she had murdered the victim or not. This leads to a series of debates and cross-examinations to prove that there is doubt about Kay Faraday being the murderer.

What makes this case interesting is when we meet Blaise Debeste, who is the head chairman of the P.I.C. Even despite there being little to no evidence of Kay Faraday being the murderer and reason to doubt that her memory can be accurate enough to take as a confession, Blaise Debeste uses Miles Edgeworth's badge to prevent him from questioning Kay's innocence. From here, Miles Edgeworth relinquishes his own badge, believing that if being a Prosecutor is preventing him from finding the truth, then he has no reason to wear it. It's at this moment we discover some surprising character progression. His job means little to him, if it prevents him from finding the truth of a case to prevent false charges. Throughout the game, Miles Edgeworth had been pushed and limited, because of of his new creed he began following since Turnabout Goodbyes. We see Miles Edgeworth being taken away investigation rights to being investigated by the P.I.C. for just exposing the truth of a previous case. Having his badge being used against him to prevent him from saving someone he cares about becomes the final straw for him and is the very scene that truly tests how strongly Miles Edgeworth believes in his creed to find the truth.

While being stripped of his badge, Miles Edgeworth doesn't simply walk out and quite. He proceeds to search for Kay with the help of Raymond Shields, who works for his deceased father's law offices. He also gains help from Ema Skye, considering that he had ordered Dick Gumshoe to not follow him while he is no longer a Prosecutor. Even though the investigation Miles Edgeworth is conducting is illegal, he proceeds with it. Again, it shows his character progression, having learned from Kay in the first game that it is sometimes necessary to not always follow civil laws to a T in order to save lives. It also is a great transition of how Miles Edgeworth becomes a Yatagaratsu.

Of course, Miles Edgeworth is arrested for conducting an illegal investigation, but still proceeds to try to save Kay. Even when behind bars, Miles Edgeworth is still questioning Blaise Debeste. While what he gains isn't solid evidence to use to prove that he setup Kay to be framed for murder, he is able to prove that possibility and place Blaise Debeste as a defendant with Justine Courtney's help.

This was a great case and was the perfect transition of Miles Edgeworth's character to be the Chief Prosecutor we see in Ace Attorney Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice. It also makes sense why Miles Edgeworth would agree to become the Chief Prosecutor in those games. In The Forgotten Turnabout, he sees what happens when the law is placed in the hands of corrupt people. It becomes the reason for him to continue as a prosecutor, wanting to get rid of the corruption in the Judicial System.

As I've mentioned before, this game is what the first Investigation game should've been. I see its potential in progressing Miles Edgeworth's character to accept a little unorthodoxy, learning that sometimes it is necessary to break a law or two in order to save lives and prevent corruption. However, it was missing something personal for Miles Edgeworth to have a reason to care and a limitation to power and authority. Without either of those things, the player doesn't have a reason to care, other than to explore the new game mechanics. That being said, I am thankful the sequel did improve on that and gives us something personal for Miles Edgeworth, then lowering down his power and authority little by little.

It's because of this that I placed The Forgotten Turnabout as my favorite case. Though, the other cases were great too. I felt this one was the most fun I had, since it was the first time that I did an investigation without an Attorney's Badge. Also, because of how stripped Miles Edgeworth was, it was hard to predict what was going to happen and I was continually on the edge of my seat. It was a lot of fun and I had a blast with this case.

Least Favorite Case The Imprisoned Turnabout

This was really hard to decide, because all the cases are good, but I decided to go for this one, because of Sebastian. He was seriously annoying and a pain in the butt the entire time. He's honestly the only thing I didn't like about this case, but that is impressive when that is literally the only thing to not like about a case. I did have other cases where an annoying character would place it on my least favorite, but there were other reasons I didn't like it either. The Imprisoned Turnabout only had Sebastian as what I really hated about the case. That and some of the parts were too long, but it was like maybe two parts and it wasn't as overly long like with Turnabout Ablaze. Also... Sebastian is the least annoying character in Ace Attorney and goes through a huge character progression in The Grand Turnabout. Now, if only Larry Butz and Wendy Oldbag were given the same treatment.

Either way, I really loved this case. I loved the fact we investigate inside a prison and that the murdered victim is literally the defendant Miles Edgeworth had proven to be the culprit in the previous case. I loved the introduction to Raymond Shields and Justine Courtney. Until now, we never really knew anyone that was associated with Miles Edgeworth's father, Gregory Edgeworth. We didn't even know what happened to Gregory Edgeworth's law firm or the name of it. Raymond Shields is a former student, assistant of Gregory Edgeworth and currently runs the Edgeworth Law Offices that was once ran by Gregory Edgeworth.

One of my pet peeves are characters that hate another character that they know the person they admire deeply cares for, but in this case it is understandable. Even though Raymond Shields hates the path Miles Edgeworth chose, it doesn't mean he devalues him or would be quick to throw him under the bus. The moment Miles Edgeworth is in trouble, Raymond Shields shows sympathy, mercy and love, then offers his help. He does this, because he knows that no matter what choice Miles Edgeworth made in his life, he is still Gregory's son and always will be. Even while not approving of Miles Edgeworth's choices and still thinking he's under Manfred Von Karma, Raymond will still gladly offer him candy and treat him like family. This is the kind of attitude I can understand, unlike Ms. Blackquill from Ace Attorney Dual Destinies. In fact, I'll say it! Godot, what the heck is your problem!? Phoenix saved Maya's butt when she was accused of murdering her sister and had been protecting her for all the years you were asleep, yet you choose to hate his guts, because... he wasn't sad and mopey from losing your girlfriend, who died two years ago? Dude, give the poor guy a break why don't cha? He's had two years to morn for her. At least invite him to dinner before you start refusing to accept him. Sheesh! Also, Mia, your boyfriend is in a coma and you never had Phoenix or Maya over to pay him a visit or give him flowers? Some girlfriend you turned out to be and no excuse, you could have told Phoenix while you were possessing Maya or Pearl. Okay, I'm done.

Justine Courtney was also a great addition, both as a judge and a member of the P.I.C. It's clear that even when Sebastian is supposed to be the replacement, he's not really that threatening and is an idiot. Justine is the one Miles Edgeworth would consider a huge threat. She not only has the final say in Miles Edgeworth continually having his badge or not, but she can withhold enough evidence to use against him. It puts Miles Edgeworth in the same position he once gave other Defense Attorney's when he was under Manfred Von Karma. It's the reason why, in The Forgotten Turnabout when Justine meets with Miles Edgeworth inside the Detention Center, he tells her that he was once like her. Justine Courtney is conducting her investigations very much the same way like how Miles Edgeworth once conducted his own investigations in the past.

I also enjoyed the colorful cast of characters like Dogan, Patrica Roland, Simon Keyes and Jay Elbird. There's also the return of Phoenix Wright characters, that are not annoying for once, like Regina Berry and Frank Sahwit. By the way, the scene with Franky throwing his wig at Miles Edgeworth's face like in The First Turnabout was priceless. I suppose I should've mentioned Lotta Hart's cameo in The Forgotten Turnabout, but I felt she showed her best in The Grand Turnabout.

As I said, the only thing I didn't like about this case was just Sebastian. Just knowing that, it's clear why this game is considered the best Ace Attorney game throughout all of the Ace Attorney games combined. When The Imprisoned Turnabout is my least favorite, you know you're in for a treat.

Favorite Suspect/Killer Simon Keyes

What is with me favoring these kind of characters? First, there was Matt Engarde, and now we have Simon Keyes of all people. Though, I suppose, for Miles Edgeworth, Simon Keyes would be his Matt Engarde. And yes, Simon Keyes is the kind of villain Calisto Yew should've been. Unlike Calisto Yew, Simon didn't gain any trust from the Police Department or the higher ups, he gained the trust from Miles Edgeworth himself. Ironically, Simon Keyes became the reason Miles Edgeworth decided to continue prosecuting.

As a suspect, Simon was the kind of character that was easily thrown under the bus in The Imprisoned Turnabout. Unlike with Matt Engarde, you actually did get to know Simon's backstory and character before it was revealed he was the mastermind. Though, unlike most twist revealed villains, this doesn't change his character, but adds to it. Calisto Yew, take notes! Simon Keyes is still the shy character we grew to love in The Imprisoned Turnabout, but revealing himself as the mastermind adds a new layer to his character.

This addition to Simon Keyes's character as a killer is something we would only understand, after playing the three following cases after The Imprisoned Turnabout. Everything begins unfolding and we begin feeling both betrayed and sympathetic to Simon Keyes. He wasn't a killer by choice or because he wanted to, but for survival. Having been a victim and witness to a President's assassination, he was cornered by a Chief Prosecutor, Warden and the President's Impostor to keep quite. He was backed into a corner to the point of choosing to murder behind the scenes, only murdering the President's Impostor directly.

Like Matt Engarde, Simon Keyes found himself in trouble with Shelly De Killer for betraying his trust, but this is more understandable this time. Simon Keyes wasn't just some famous guy trying to keep people under his thumb, but was a victim of being under the thumb of others. Because of this, Simon Keyes had no choice but to turn to criminality. There was no one to trust, not even the law enforcement itself.

It's people like Simon Keyes why Miles Edgeworth ultimately decided to continue Prosecution. He knows that people like Simon Keyes still exist and need someone in the law enforcement to help them out of their situation. Simon Keyes didn't need a Defense Attorney to help him, because that wouldn't get rid of the criminals in the Judicial System. What he needed was a Prosecutor to indict those kinds of people. It's also this reason why it's understandable that Miles Edgeworth would eventually help out Simon Blackquill and return him back into law in Ace Attorney Dual Destinies.

I find it interesting how Simon Blackquill and Simon Keyes have the same first name. In a sense, I don't think that was a coincidence. Both characters are victims of the Judicial System backing them into a corner to cover up the real criminal behind the scenes. The difference is, however, that Simon Blackquill had someone to turn to in the courts to help him out of his situation and return him back to Prosecution. Simon Keyes didn't have anyone. He was forced into hiding and bring his own justice through murder and revenge.

I love Simon Keyes and he's not just my favorite killer and villain in this game, but in the Ace Attorney games as a whole. He's a killer that you can sympathize with without justifying his actions. Him being the killer is something unexpected, but not something that destroys what we previously know about his character. He's also the only villain that is also a victim and becomes a positive catalyst for the main character.

I can't express enough how much I love this character. He's the perfect villain, mastermind, suspect and the true killer.

Favorite Witness Katherine Hall

Now, just to be clear, I'm not talking about Katherine Hall as a witness to the IS-7. A Witness for the Prosecution and Defense Attorney I treat differently. In this case, I'm talking about as a Witness for the Prosecution, after Issac Dover's body was found in the fountain. In this case, I consider her my favorite. She shows a lot of cooperation and meekness of her desperate actions. Knowing that she would be tried for poisoning Dane Gustavia, she admitted to her faults and was willing to admit her guilt in order to prove Jeff Master's innocence.

While Katherine Hall did hide a lot, showing little trust to open up to Miles Edgeworth or Raymond Shields, it's not expected for a Witness to completely trust the Prosecution. In fact, it's not expected for any Witness to trust any lawyer at all, unless they are the lawyer's client. All Katherine is expected to do is cooperate and help the lawyers with whatever questions need to be answered. In this case, that's what she did.

Now, when Gregory Edgeworth was defending Jeff Master, Katherine didn't cooperate and that resulted in accidentally hiding the body and Jeff Master being declared GUILTY. It is only many years later and discovering the location of the body that Katherine had decided to use it to find the true killer and expose him. True, Katherine did hide and sneak around, but her dedication to prove Jeff Master's innocence is what led to the reveal of the true killer of Issac Dover.

It's for this reason why Katherine Hall is my favorite Witness in this game.

Favorite Game Miles Edgeworth Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Path

Hands down! This is the best Ace Attorney game in Ace Attorney games as a whole. Now, I haven't played the prequel games, but then again, this is choosing between the trilogy, Apollo Justice or the Investigation games. Out of those, I choose this one.

On top of having my favorite character in the game as the Protagonist, it also has amazing characters with a fantastic story line, character development, a conflict that pushes the character to his limits and high stakes. It's also the game that defines who Miles Edgeworth is from his past to the present. We get to see him progress as a character and how the influence from his father and subtly Phoenix Wright makes up who he is. The casebooks mentioned Miles Edgeworth's influence from  Phoenix Wright, but it's this game that made it officially canon. Miles Edgeworth is very much inspired by Phoenix Wright with everything he does and stands for.

I can't help, but squeal like a fangirl whenever Miles Edgeworth Investigations, especially this one, is brought up or hinted at in the later Ace Attorney games. When Phoenix Wright calls Miles Edgeworth "a certain friend" in Ace Attorney Dual Destinies, I can't help, but think back to when Miles Edgeworth called Phoenix "a certain man" or something along those lines in both of his games. I especially loved it when Phoenix brought up how Miles Edgeworth also showed his badge as evidence during his investigations in Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice. Yes, I did present my badge as Miles Edgeworth every single time and, when I didn't have it, I'd present the Yatagaratsu badge, even to Justine Courtney in the Detention Center. Worth it!

Miles Edgeworth Investigations: Prosecutor's Path, unfortunately, isn't localized. I had to buy a copy of the patched game on Ebay and the pay was worth it. Of course, it could only be played in the first DS or DS Lite, so I bought a DS Lite game separately. The pay, again, was worth it. I would play it again any day of the week, if only because of how fun and addicting it is. I'm continually learning new things about Miles Edgeworth and the other characters the more times I play it.

Capcom, if you're reading this, PLEASE localize this game. It would be worth every penny you're paying. So many people love this game that there's even an English Patched game on sale on Ebay and Etsy. I hear there's also a French Patched version as well. I'm begging you, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE localize this game. You localized the first one!

Least Favorite Game Miles Edgeworth Investigations

I've said this before, but this game is dull. There's little to no motivation for Miles Edgeworth to be investigating or proving the possibility of someone not being the culprit, a majority of the characters are uninteresting, the villains are boring, Calisto Yew is annoying, the final case of the game is frustrating to get through, Ambassador Alba is frustrating to prove to be the culprit and, aside from the game play, there is nothing interesting or investing about this game.

Then, you have Turnabout Reminiscence, which is the most disappointing backstory for Miles Edgeworth and Dick Gumshoe. I won't say my version in Turnabout Enemies is perfect either, but it at least has a connection and motivation for both characters to want to help and save each other. Keep in mind, Miles Edgeworth is supposed to be 8 years old and Dick Gumshoe is supposed to be 15 years old. It's not easy to give them a motivation and connection when they don't know each other or have the kind of careers to give them the motivation they would need. Turnabout Reminiscence had that and still failed. At least have Dick Gumshoe be assigned to Miles Edgeworth as his Detective before he becomes a Suspect for murder.

You have the characters from the previous Ace Attorney games that were rather annoying or did little to help progress the story. Honestly, Ema Skye was the only useful reoccurring character in the game. Larry Butz and Wendy Oldbag can die in a river together, because this game did not show them at their best. You can write them out of the game and it would not have effected the story whatsoever. Meekins can be replaced by anyone. Why is he even in this game? Like... why? He was much more useful in Apollo Justice and he only had one scene as a bailiff.

The worst part is that there is no reason for Miles Edgeworth to be involved in any of this. Even worse, there could've been one. I see this game has a lot of potential to have something. The two essential parts that were missing was a motivation and challenge. Chasing Alba to keep him from taking off does not count. I never felt that Miles Edgeworth was ever put in danger or harms way, aside from maybe The Kidnapped Turnabout and he got out of that one with hardly a scratch. Considering Earnest Amano's connection with Manfred Von Karma and being the one that funded Miles Edgeworth's education overseas, the game could've done something with this to make him a huge threat. Calisto Yew could've been someone personal to Miles Edgeworth, since she is a Defense Attorney and someone that lost a family member in a murder that was never solved. Also, Calisto Yew was She-Na and the one that tried to help Miles Edgeworth understand Long Lang. The International Smuggling Ring was also a criminal organization that Franziska Von Karma was after. Draw a connection to Manfred Von Karma too and the reason why Miles Edgeworth became a Prosecutor under him. Have it where Miles Edgeworth was a victim of the smuggling ring and Manfred Von Karma saved him. It'd at least be something.

As I said, this was dull and disappointing. I did enjoy it, but only because of the game mechanics, since they were new and it was like playing with a new toy. It's worth playing once, but unless you're a Miles Edgeworth fan like me, I can't say it's worth playing again.

Favorite Support Character Trucy Wright

The moment I first saw Trucy, I immediately fell in love with this character. No homo, I promise. Too young. Seriously though, Trucy is absolutely adorable and lovable. Unlike Maya, Trucy is more experienced with being in the courtroom and you can tell it's from being raised by her father, Phoenix Wright. You can tell that Trucy knows a thing or two about law, even though magic is her specialty. She also has a good head on her shoulders when it comes to being in tough spots like hostage situations and being the defendant.

If there was an Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice stat, I would have chosen Trucy as the best Defendant hands down. She did cry one time in the Detention Center, but she handled the situation like a pro. It's clear that Trucy performs magic to give people hope and happiness, something to look forward to when they're at their worst. It's clear Trucy knows the feeling of being at your darkest moment and feeling like you've lost everything. It's that reason she's a great companion for Apollo Justice.

I also see Trucy as being a great assistant for Phoenix Wright as well and would love to see her assisting her father in trial at some point. In fact, Trucy is the only assistant I would love to see eventually becoming a Defense Attorney at some point. Well, her and Kay, but for Kay it's for different reasons. For Trucy, it would be a great way of showing how much she values keeping family tradition from both her real and adopted father. She can be the best of both worlds.

Least Supporting Character Ema Skye

Sorry, but she was better as a Detective and Witness. She was kind of annoying as Phoenix's assistant in Rise From the Ashes. I like the Forensics part, but behind the Defense's Bench, she was... meh. I mean, when the girl is doing nothing, but spouting sciency stuff or how sexy the Prosecution is, I think it's time to step down, sweetheart. For the record, though.... I don't blame her. Miles Edgeworth really is sexy. I think I'd be too busy staring at the floor like a shy schoolgirl, if I were at the Defense's Bench.

Ema Skye is the kind of person that doesn't really take sides. She may lean towards one, but she's never been completely one-sided. It's the reason why she was highly favored by the Prosecution in Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice. She does better as a Detective and head of the Forensics Department. Not so much as an assistant.

I will give Ema this, she tried. She did better than if it were me. I'd be too busy being a blushy schoolgirl around Miles Edgeworth, if it were me.  At least she wasn't as bad as Maggey Byrde, though Maggey was the defendant, so she doesn't count.

Favorite Rival Miles Edgeworth

Hands down! I don't think there's any other rival that can match up to Miles Edgeworth. He's the perfect adversary. He was the reason Phoenix Wright became an attorney, was the only rival to have gotten a GUILTY verdict from the Protagonist, had saved Phoenix Wright many times than not, had stepped in as the Defense in Phoenix's stead while he was bedridden and is the only rival to have two of his own games, four mangas and one casebook. I believe, that in itself, warrants the best rival and my favorite.

The creator had said that he based Phoenix Wright's and Miles Edgeworth's relationship on what a real life friendship between two men could be like. No, I'm not talking about the homosexual kind, you nasty perverts. I mean a genuine close friendship between two men. For instance, my dad has a best friend he knew from college and when a hurricane hit the state and he needed a place for his family to stay for a while, his friend offered his place. This is the kind of relationship I see between Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth. Sure, they may openly disagree at times and debate numerous times in court, but they're always there for each other when worst comes to shove.

It's clear that the rivalry between Miles Edgeworth and Phoenix Wright only strictly exists in court. Outside of it, there is a genuine friendship between them and not the kind you'd expect from rivals. Let's face it, it's expected that the rivals will eventually befriend the Protagonist, but unlike those kind of shows or games, I feel the rivalry and friendship between Miles Edgeworth and Phoenix Wright has a more healthy balance. As I said, their rivalry is strictly in court, but that doesn't mean that Miles Edgeworth strongly believes Phoenix's client is guilty or vice versa. He only questions the guilt of the defendant, even if the defendant was someone he believes personally is innocent, like Athena Cykes. For those of you that have played the Phoenix Wright VS Professor Layton game, Professor Layton did the same thing with questioning the guilt of Espella as the opposition, even though he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Espella was innocent.

Both Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth respect their positions and expect each other to stay true to those positions, because it is their duty as lawyers. For Phoenix, it's his job to defend his clients and for Miles, it's his job to defend the district of the state. For those of you that don't understand, it is the duty of the Prosecution to defend and represent the people, law and justice of the state, town, county or district. Unlike with Phoenix Wright, who defends the individual's rights, Miles Edgeworth defends the rights of the community as a whole. That's why him relieving his badge was taken so heavily. Not to say that a Prosecutor isn't allowed to change jobs for personal reasons like family, finances or what-not, but in the case of Miles Edgeworth and where he was at, it would be like if a military officer decided to ditch his fellow comrades in the middle of battle (keep in mind he was still in the middle of a murder investigation when Kay was still considered a Suspect).

With the other Prosecutors or rivals like Long Lang and Justine Courtney, I didn't feel there was this distinct connection and understanding. The closest I could come to this kind of connection was Simon Blackquill and Athena. Even so, I can't consider Simon Blackquill and Athena Cykes to consider each other complete equals as much as an older and younger sibling rivalry. Even with Miles Edgeworth's rivalry with the other rivals in his games, it's clear that those kinds of rivalries are temporary at best. With Miles Edgeworth and Phoenix Wright, there's this connection and understanding that both are in different positions and will debate over it in court, but also expect to meet each other at Eldoon's Stand after it's all over. Simon Blackquill and Athena Cykes will still lean toward the other, even on opposing sides. Simon does tend to spoil Athena with allowing her to use her powers to read emotion, while having his hawk attack Apollo for using his powers to read other people's habits because it's cheating... right, and Athena's powers aren't cheating either? Favoritism much? At least he lets Apollo use his powers when cross-examining Bobby Fullbright. Still...

Having rivals like Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth gives me hope, especially at a day and age where everyone is quick to judge or hate each other based on someone's opinion, especially political opinion. Miles Edgeworth and Phoenix Wright disagree on a lot of things and not just among themselves, but even with their family and friends at times. Miles Edgeworth and Raymond Shields certainly don't see eye to eye on the career choice Miles Edgeworth made or his reasons, but they respect each other and still treat each other like family. Phoenix and Maya also disagree on a lot of things such as tastes in TV shows or if a ladder should be called a step ladder. Miles Edgeworth doesn't believe in magic or time travel, but he doesn't dismiss it either. He never considers Phoenix Wright less of a human being just because he believes in magic or has two students that have supernatural powers that Miles Edgeworth may or may not understand. As the Judge states, "Each case is different, and takes place in its own world, if you will. In order to fully understand that world, first we have to immerse ourselves in it completely." In other words, if we are to understand each other, we must first place ourselves in the other one's shoes: their culture, beliefs, opinions or faith. Sure, not every single one of them are right or morally correct, but then when have we ever been right or morally correct in history or even today? Non of us are more morally correct than the other and until we recognize that and understand each other, we're never going to grow as human beings. 

Having a rival like Miles Edgeworth, who is a great adversary for Phoenix Wright and a good person truly defines what it should mean to be a rival. Both oppositions compete to achieve a common goal and, in this case, it is the truth. Each person will think differently or be at opposing sides to achieve that truth, but the goal will always be the same. In that way, a rival is just as much of an ally and having Miles Edgeworth be the very rival that is never treated as an enemy is something I find fresh and needed in this world. Hopefully, we can learn to love and respect each other with different beliefs and opinions.

Least Favorite Rival Winston Payne

This one was pretty obvious. He's basically the tutorial guy and there's hardly anything interesting about him. I will admit, though, his version in Phoenix Wright VS Professor Layton was much more interesting. I also liked him in the manga where he showed himself to  be a real adversary, but beyond that, he's just your typical stick-in-the-mud Prosecutor. There's not really a character to him, aside from his admiration towards Miles Edgeworth in the Investigation games. His only objective is to play as the opposition and prove the defendant GUILTY. No more and no less.

As aside note, I also noticed that Winston Payne tends to be the only prosecutor that has been seen whenever Phoenix Wright or Larry Butz are the defendants of a trial. I find it interesting, especially since the first time he Prosecuted against Phoenix Wright, it involved Dahlia Hawthorn, who was a witness in a trial Miles Edgeworth first Prosecuted in. You'd think Edgey-boy wouldn't miss an opportunity to get to the bottom of that case, but apparently he wasn't that interested. Could it possibly have anything to do with a certain Conflict of Interest involving his two best friends he knows aren't capable of murder? I suppose we'll never know.

Favorite Main Character Miles Edgeworth

Should this be any surprise? He's my favorite rival, defendant and even main character. If he was a Witness, he'd be my favorite Witness. In this case, it's because I can relate to Miles Edgeworth the most and for any main character, it depends on how relatable they are. Like Miles Edgeworth, I'm logically driven and will make decisions based on what is logically sound. Though, it's also because of that, that conveying my true feelings to other people can be hard. Sometimes, I may not know that I am feeling sad or depressed. For instance, when my hamster died, I didn't cry or feel sad, yet after that I found myself unmotivated to do my daily tasks, which is the first sign of depression. I also blamed myself for my hamster's death,  even though  I couldn't have prevented it, since I was volunteering at the time he died. Even now, I don't feel motivated to get rid of the cage.

Sometimes people don't know how or even what kind of emotions they feel and that's how Miles Edgeworth is. He worries about his looks and how people look at him, because he knows if he's not careful, he can come off as cold or heartless when he isn't. Most of the time, Miles Edgeworth isn't aware how his actions effect people. For instance, when he left the suicide note, he never expected that to be the reason for Phoenix to hate him so suddenly. In fact, Miles Edgeworth doesn't even realize that he can sometimes comes across as flirtatious towards other women when he's just trying to be polite. He's the kind of person that may accept flowers from Wendy Oldbag just because a Steel Samurai doll is in the bouquet. If someone was to give me a bouquet with a Miles Edgeworth or Phoenix Wright doll, then yes I'm going to keep it and not because I like the person, but I like the dolls.

Now, of course, there are many differences between Miles Edgeworth and I, aside from our gender, like the fact my self esteem is not even close to being as low as Miles Edgeworth's. My dad is also still alive and I never had any traumatic experiences, aside from falling off my bike when I was about 6. At the same time, I can't see myself being the same person, if my father was to die in the same way Miles Edgeworth's died. Though, I was close to the same age as Miles Edgeworth when my parents divorced and I lived with my mom. I know what it's like to live without a father and it's not a good feeling. That's why I understand why Miles Edgeworth turned to Manfred Von Karma. He needed a father and stability in his life and that man was the closest he had. For me, I moved back with my dad at age 16, because I needed a father and stability in my life.

With Miles Edgeworth, I can understand many of the choices he's made, even if they weren't good choices. For Phoenix Wright, I can't always understand half the things he does, especially the way he treated Franziska in Ace Attorney Justice For All. That being said, I do know people that do respond in the same way Phoenix did and the difference is that he is an emotionally driven character, not logically driven. Now, I can relate better with Apollo Justice, since he is logically driven, but not in the same way as Miles Edgeworth. Even Apollo makes choices I can't understand, but know people that would make those kind of choices, like leaving the Wright Anything Agency because of a simple disagreement. I can't see myself doing something like that, but I know  people that have left their parents' home over a simple disagreement. To me, leaving home over a disagreement is not solving the problem, but running away from the problem. Though, not everyone that's logically driven thinks that way and believes leaving would solve the problem.

This is more of a bias choice, but I think the same can be said for all my other choices for the most part. Not every choice was made based on how good the game play or characters were, but just because the case was fun or I just like that character type. I may find one character more annoying than the other, but that is subjective. I tend to favor Miles Edgeworth, because I can relate to him better and the choices he's made. It's the reason why I wrote Turnabout Enemies.

I love the relationship with Miles Edgeworth with both his father and Manfred Von Karma. I find many stories of fathers and their children to be heavily underrated these days. Most fathers are often turned into dimwits, abusive or considered to be heavily strict towards their children to the point of taking away their freedom. Most father's I've met are not like that and the issues are actually the opposite where they believe lessening the rules will be better for their children. Most strict fathers aren't strict to limit their children's freedom and do allow them to do certain things most parents would never allow their children to do. These are the kind of fathers I wanted to bring out from Manfred Von Karma and Gregory Edgeworth. I see them both being strict fathers, but only to bring stability and even they will allow their children to do things most families wouldn't allow their children to do.

Anyways, that is all for this meme. I will do my best to continue this story and update you guys. I know it's taking a long time, but I will be updating soon. I may also consider releasing an Ace Attorney let's play to give myself something to do during Quarantine. If you guys are interested in seeing it, let me know.