i get that for the time this was probably a very revolutionary game for rpgs, and there were some things i could see that seem like big advancements for video games in general for the time, but it just feels like such a slog to play. im sure the pixel remaster is much better due to so many of the improvements, but since it had to change so much to be better, it almost proves how annoying those things were like random encounters.

cool and fun dialogue and story, revealing evidence and searching can be fun most of the time, but sometimes the evidence/requirements to progress can be easy to miss and have you searching around for longer than needed (happened to me a few times to make me enjoy the game a bit less). overall fun, my case rankings would probably be 5>4>2>3 with the first case being good but really just a tutorial/prologue case.

this game retains a lot of the charm of the first pheonix wright, it has a lot of the same humor, the same mysteries and twists in the story, and excitement when presenting the correct evidence as in the first game. the one problem with this game is the huge tumor that is the third case. the main story elements are similar to what had happened in prior cases: a framed murder with many unexpected events and story turns; but what makes it suck is how annoying it is. there is not a redeeming character in this entire episode other than one character revealed later in the case. other than that character, the clown, regina, your client, the fricking puppet, everytime they appear is like nails on a chalkboard. The second case (that is the first non-tutorial case) is pretty decent, but mainly follows the same formula as previous phoenix wright cases, it is only good in comparison to the third case due to the characters being infinitely more likeable in the second case. the final case is definitely the high point in the whole game. this case just has much more tension, it is much more anxiety inducing, and has a much more fulfilling ending that the other cases in this game. as far as characters go, the two main characters introduced -Pearl and Franzisca- are nice additions to the game. overall, a decent game, that may have been better had it not been for that dreaded third case.

this really is a great ace attorney game, or just a great game. this game does the culmination thing well, featuring some of the best writing of the trilogy, a lot of callbacks to previous story arcs, and the same great charm and funniness of the previous two games. the game absolutely excels at bringing everything together as the last game in the trilogy. (mild to moderate spoilers) there really isnt a bad case in this game, even the cases 2 and 3 which are filler cases are still quite enjoyable, with case 2 being the only case with some annoying moments but nowhere near the bad moments of the previous games, and case 3 being an all around funny case with a hilarious premise of phoenix having an obvious phony that nobody caught on, even the judge. the first case is easily the best tutorial case, and actually has significance to the main story arc of the game. case 4 is a fantastic court only case featuring mia, and going further into her beginnings, and sets the tone for the final case, which is absolutely one of the best cases in the trilogy. as much as i love case 5 of the first ace attorney, this game's final case is really neck and neck to that one. this case essentially features every open end from the previous games and the new mysteries from this game, it hosts almost all of the major characters, with all of them coming to aid phoenix as the case reaches one of the most exhilarating and memorable climaxes in any game i have ever played.