It’s been quite a while since we’ve done a “Would You Rather” post here, and this time we’re focusing on one of our favorite series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Our streams of the first game have been on a small hiatus, so this is us letting you know we haven’t forgotten about it, haha! Starting right off the bat, Rachel, would you rather be a character in the games from the original trilogy when Phoenix was the defense attorney or arrive during the Apollo Justice trilogy when Phoenix was… well, in the process of picking himself back up?
I would want to be a character from the original trilogy. Miles, Gumshoe, Maya, Pearl, and other characters are there consistently while some of them aren’t really there in the later games. Kris, would you rather be the judge or the prosecutor against Phoenix?
I’d rather be the prosecutor. I would hope I’d be the type to, you know, want the truth to come out rather than always want a guilty verdict. Would you rather be able to somehow communicate with spirits or have a handy little gadget, like a magatama or Athena’s mood matrix?
Hm… Medium, magatama, or mood matrix. Lots of Ms there. I think I’d rather be a spirit medium. Despite my fear of ghosts, it would be awesome to communicate with the dead and talk to old friends again. Would you rather be Phoenix’s assistant or Gumshoe’s assistant?
My first instinct was totally Gumshoe’s assistant, haha! Phoenix is awesome, but Gumshoe is a giant teddy bear who works with Missile the dog and the prosecutors enough. Yeah, I think I’d go and hang out with Gumshoe. Would you rather help out Phoenix during the witch trials in the Professor Layton crossover game or help and stay with Apollo in Khura’in after Spirits of Justice?
Wow, both of those are kind of creepy. Witches for one and the other is about dead people and monsters. I think I’d have to go with the Witch Trials though. Layton is there and I’d love to get to know him as well. If I’m with Phoenix at that point then I must know Apollo already. Final question, would you rather always get a guilty verdict or cheat to win the trial? Like, forging evidence or withholding it or something along those lines.
Hmm… Well, granted, I probably wouldn’t be in business for too long if I always get a guilty verdict, to be honest, but I would not want to cheat to win a trial. I suppose I’ll go with the guilty verdict and hope that the prosecutor just always knows what they’re doing. Maybe I’ve just always been picking the wrong clients!
Maybe you put your faith in the wrong people, that’s true! Anyway, this was fun. I love a good round of Would You Rather, especially with a series such as Ace Attorney. We’ll have to do another round soon.
What are your answers to these questions? Let us know about them in the comments below! If you like this post, please share it around.
Time for another Throwback, one I’ve been thinking about a lot recently!
Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney came out in late November 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS. Kris and I absolutely the Ace Attorney series and we were interested in the Professor Layton series because of that. However, it’s not Phoenix Wright and definitely more puzzle-related so we weren’t sure how we’d enjoy it. When Layton Vs. Phoenix came out, we got it to see some familiar faces from Ace Attorney and meet new friends in Professor Layton.
This game was awesome and I definitely need to play it again sometime soon. The game had elements from both series and split them down 50/50. You play as both protagonists in court cases, investigations, and puzzle solving. This was the game that made us fall in love with Layton as well.
I’m already invested in the Phoenix Wright characters, but it was great to get to know the Layton characters on a deeper level. Plus, they mixed the characters up as well. From what I remember, there’s a part where Maya and Layton are together for a while.
I remember playing on my parents’ bed because Kris and I were huddled together flipping back and forth our 3DS consoles (you know, when one battery died, we’d charge it, take the game out and use the other 3DS and repeat). We read the game out loud to each other, each playing certain characters. At some point in the game, something big happens and I bawled my eyes out. I can’t remember if Kris cried, but I was a mess.
Our parents came home and my mother was so concerned when she saw me crying. Kris simply said, “Something happened in our video game.” My mother then shrugged her shoulders and then walked away. She knows us all too well.
It was a good time though. The plot of the game was awesome as were, of course, the characters. I’ll never forget my first playthrough of it, even though I don’t remember the exact premise of the game… other than witch trials, I think.
I’m definitely playing this one again soon.
Have you played Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.
The original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney trilogy came out for the Nintendo Switch this week! Way back in October 2016, I did a Friday Favorites for favorite characters in the series, and this week I thought I would continue it, adding a few characters that have joined the franchise since then and other awesome mentions.
Larry Butz
Larry is a dork. He gets caught in some unfortunate circumstances, but he’s endearing in that he is very loyal to his good friend Phoenix. He also just never gives up, no matter what life throws at him. He’s flighty but he does, somehow, improve throughout the games in the series.
Wendy Oldbag
This lady just amuses the hell out of me. Hearing her ramble against the “whippersnappers” of the game makes me laugh. And you got to give the old lady props for always having a job in security. She’s the kind of old lady I want to be when I grow up.
Dahlia Hawthorne
We were instantly suspicious of this woman when we first met her as she seemed too sweet, and we were horrified when proven correct. Still, she was a worthy — and batshit crazy — adversary for the games, and she is a villain that will always stick out in my mind for that.
Gregory Edgeworth
Okay, so he wasn’t a playable character, but Gregory Edgeworth as a background character heavily influenced Miles Edgeworth’s personality and development. I also enjoy the fact that Gregory seems to be a nod to Atticus Finch, the defense attorney from To Kill a Mockingbird whom was portrayed by the actor Gregory Peck.
Are you replaying (or playing for the first time) Ace Attorney on the Nintendo Switch? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.
Ace Attorney is one of our favorite video game franchises, with the original trilogy being some of the best games. And, while neither Rachel nor I were ever really into anime except for Pokemon, we were both interested in hearing that Ace Attorney got its own anime series.
It’s been a long time coming, but we finally got a chance to sit down and watch it. Of course, we were going to get Crunchyroll when I noticed the website sells DVDs of Ace Attorney. I checked on Amazon, it was cheaper, and BAM! Impulse buy. We got it just in time too because the season one, volume 2 DVD set comes out in less than a month.
Anime is definitely more dramatic or over exaggerated, if you will, than the American cartoons that I grew up watching, and Ace Attorney wasn’t an exception. It was great, of course, and we’re really enjoying it so far. We’ve watched the first four episodes which mirror the first two cases from the original game.
We’ve played through the games a couple of times, so, for the most part, we remember what happens in each case. There are a couple of times we forget something here and there, but watching the anime we knew how everything was going to play out. Since each episode is only about 20-30 minutes long, the cases go by pretty quick. A few hours of gameplay is squished into 2 or 3 parts of 20-minute episodes. But it’s enjoyable all the same.
Seeing the game scenes and characters come to life is so much fun. Phoenix and Maya tend to act as we always pictured they would, and we’re enjoying all the voice actors so far — the English voice actors, of course. It’ll be interesting to re-watch the episodes in Japanese to hear how the characters sound.
Yeah, watching it in Japanese is something I want to try. Maya’s voice sounds a little young for her age, but it’s easy to get used to. Detective Gumshoe is more serious than he is in the games, but I enjoy his character all the same. And then there’s Edgeworth… his voice actor and animations are all sexy. I love it.
I was actually really impressed with Redd White from the Turnabout Sisters case. His voice and mannerisms were spot-on, with his narcissism and arrogance. I do hope that the later episodes will show more of the scenery outside of the courtroom. While the trial portion of the episodes are fun, I would like to see a little more exploration.
We’re starting to see a little bit more investigation as the episodes go on. That’s how they did it in the games too, which is pretty cool. I’m sure as the cases get longer we’ll start to see more. I love the show, but I would also love to see a movie. I know they do have a movie in Japan, but even if it’s anime, that would be amazing.
Have you ever seen the Ace Attorney anime? Let us know in the comments below!
It’s always amazing to me how much reach a video game franchise has in other mediums, such as movies, music, and visual art. This post is dedicated to some new buys that celebrate some of our favorite franchises in the art form of comics!
Rachel and I tend to go to Barnes and Noble on Saturdays to supposedly work on our writing, but the past few times we went there, we’d get our Frappuccinos from the cafe and then wander around, inevitably finding a book or two or dozen to buy.
Last time we went with the explicit plan to buy comics.
Growing up, I’ve always loved comics, and one franchise that my uncle had gotten me into was the Archie Comics. They’ve been rebooted a couple of times and I’ve gotten the first couple of volumes of the newest reboot to enjoy. Rachel wanted to try them and quickly finished the two volumes as well, so we figured we’d pick up the third volume and whatever other comics that happened to catch our eye. We found ourselves in the graphic novel and manga section, suddenly remembering that many of our favorite video game franchises had manga adaptations as well.
So, I grabbed a basket, and we went to town:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a couple of the Pokemon Adventure manga, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and the Four Swords volume of The Legend of Zelda — I’d say Rachel and I made out pretty well.
What do you think of our new buys? Have you read any of them?
Title: Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice Company: Nintendo, Capcom
Console:Â Nintendo 3DS
Release Date:Â June 9, 2016
How we got the game:Â We bought it.
Ever since we discovered Trials and Tribulations on the Wii’s Virtual Console years ago, we’ve been hooked on the Ace Attorney series. The visual novel’s point-and-click exploration combined with the “who dun it” logic puzzles really tested our brains and emotions. The amazing writing and wonderful characters kept us invested throughout the entire game.
So, naturally, when Spirit of Justice was announced, I went crazy. I believe it was early in the morning when I heard the news and I woke Kris up just to tell her. Still, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the game!
Like the majority of the Ace Attorney series, Spirit Of Justice split its time between investigation sequences and the trial in court. Investigations involved talking to people to gather information about the crime, usually a murder, and clicking on the scene to gather clues. Court would have us cross-examine witnesses, pointing out contradictions and presenting evidence to sway the judge to our side.
Even though this is the same, each game has its own twists to it and Spirit of Justice was no different. We have Apollo’s bracelet, Athena’s widget for therapy sessions, and spirit channeling was brought back. Not to mention, we’re in a new setting so the laws are different putting us in more danger than ever.
 Yes, the main cast have their special abilities to help discern the truth from all the witnesses that commit perjury. They were all used throughout the game, and Spirit of Justice also introduced Insights. With the new setting, Khura’in, Insights were used to decipher Divination Seances, where a new character was able to show the victim’s final moments. It was quite an interesting addition!
It really was interesting because you’d think that’d be it. The final moments is just that. But with a little thinking and exploring the victim’s five senses, not everything adds up and there’s more to the death than meets the eye. It really was a fun and clever additon!
We’re always impressed with the soundtracks of the Ace Attorney games — the music always has the correct tempo and sound to really amp up the scene, especially during the trial sequences when we’re confronting a suspect.
With the new Khura’in setting, the music for the new characters and news places was awesome. It really set the tone (and danger levels in some cases). Kris and I take turns reading as different characters and there were times I would just pause to take in the music.
You can’t not listen to the music! We would love to someday get our hands on the soundtrack! The graphics are well done too, with the sprites, their animations, and the anime cutscenes. I honestly wouldn’t have minded a few additional cutscenes!
I wish there were more cutscenes. Plus, at the end of each case in the original trilogy, there was a group photo of the gang that was always adorable. I wish they added some of that in as well.
Oh, yes, I missed those illustrations! Especially if you consider how much of an impact family made on the final case… Imagine how adorable a group photo would have been!
Where do I begin about the story? As usual, the final case ties all the previous cases together. Except for the fourth case this game… We still haven’t figured out how that ties in other than reintroducing Prosecutor Blackquill. Anyway, we take a trip to Khura’in where Phoenix finds himself in trouble (of course) as does Maya (who is back–yay!). But while they brought back old and new characters alike, we learn a lot more about Apollo’s background, which was awesome.
Yes, the fourth case was a bit odd… Enjoyable, of course, with Athena and Blackquill, but still odd as it didn’t really fit in with the rest of the cases. It was as if the developers of the game added that case in at the last moment because they forgot to give Athena a trial to star in. There wasn’t even an investigation part! Phoenix, of course, is busy in Khura’in, where he learns that lawyers are all but extinct due to a law called the Defense Culpability Act — basically, a defendant’s lawyer was to suffer the same fate as the accused. If the defendant was found guilty and put to death, so would the lawyer for “abetting a criminal.” There was a group called the Defiant Dragons bent on leading a revolution against the regime in order to right the legal system, and as Apollo and Phoenix, we joined right in!
For the final case, we swapped back and forth between playing as Apollo and Phoenix. In the end, they teamed up for the trial part which was great. I don’t think we’ve had a case where the two of them teamed up together before. Overall, the story of the game was so in-depth and, in my opinion, the most shocking and revealing for the characters. It was really well done! My biggest worry is that there won’t be another game…. There were a lot of references to all the previous games and they brought back a lot of older characters. It was actually a good ending for the series as a whole, but I hope that’s not the case. There was a final scene at the end of the credits that made me believe there will in fact be another game, so I hope that’s the case.
While we love the characters and stories, we do sometimes find it a little difficult to return to the games. The investigations and trials aren’t linear at all and can really take a lot of brain power to figure out, but once you know the story and the outcome, it’s not as exciting the first time around.
I will still play these games over again when I have the time, but I agree. It’s just not the same when you already know the culprit. I mean, the last case is usually a doozy with many twists and surprises. But it won’t be as “fun” and “shocking” since we already know the answer.
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice gets… 5 out of 5 lives.
Have you played this game? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!Â
If you follow our Twitter, you may have realized that we’re currently in the middle of playing Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice. We’ve been playing these games for years when we first found Trials and Tribulations on the Wii Virtual Console. It took us a while to realize that Trials and Tribulations had been the third game of the original trilogy! However, that’s just one reason as to why we love these games — while we obviously like to play them in chronological order, the series is great in allowing players to dive into any of the games and still understand them enough to enjoy them.
Sure, we had been confused at some references, but we were able to play the game like normal anyway. We’re always excited to hear when a new Ace Attorney game comes out because as much as we love them, it’s hard to replay them. We already know the answers, who killed who, and so on. There’s no more “A-Ha!” moment or element of surprise when you’re playing them again as opposed to the second time. Regardless, I could play them forever if I could.
Yes, I suppose the replay value isn’t as high as it could be due to us knowing the answers after the first playthrough. The stories and characters are amazing, and we replay the games for them as well as the music. Holy sugar, the music in these games is phenomenal! Every piece of music is perfect, and the way the scores match up to the scenes is amazing!
I hum to the music all the time! I even found the soundtracks on Amazon, but… well, the prices aren’t as low as I would like. So they’re on my wishlist until I’m able to grow a money tree in my backyard. Aside from the music, I think one of my favorite aspects of the game is the characters. Each and every one has an important role to fulfill and even if they’re “enemies,” they’re still friends. They all try to help each other out and get to the truth.
I adore how everyone is one big happy family! Obviously, like real families, they get annoyed with one another, but they all try to do their best for one another and for themselves. Playing with these characters as they struggle to hold onto their beliefs, like believing in their clients, is a fantastic lesson to all — even when everything around you looks bleak, just keep going, keep doing your best and everything else will be okay.
Yes, the overall message of the games is awesome as well. There are a lot of life lessons to be learned, great music to dance to, wonderful characters you wish you knew in real life, and also great stories. I mean, minus the dead bodies, of course.
What do you think of the Ace Attorney series? Let us know in the comments below!
We gush a lot on this blog about characters that we love and admire from our favorite video game franchises. Yet, a rite of passage for a gamer is rage-quitting a game over a level, a bad game mechanic, or an awful character. So, Rachel, if there was a character you could punch in the face, who would it be?
Winston Payne. I love to hate the default prosecutor from the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series. His voice alone is enough to make me cringe (though it makes me laugh and I love to mimic it) and his hair bothers me. He’s a great character, but he’s the type that you love to hate.
His name, along with his brother’s Gaspen Payne, is fantastic, though! There’s not too many characters that I would actually like to punch, but there is one from the Zelda franchise that annoys and, frankly, creeps me out a bit… Tingle. Sure, he helpfully sells you maps in Majora’s Mask, but he’s not the kind of character that I want to regularly interact with.
I forgot about Gaspen, actually… Tingle is a good one. I never really liked him, no matter how helpful he was. He was always annoying to me. You know who else I would love to punch in the face? Wario. I know there are so many people who like him, and I don’t mind him, but he’s just the type of character that could use a good smack in the face.
Yeah, Wario definitely was never my favorite either. Sometimes I think he’s the kind of character that people love to hate, even if some of them aren’t villains. In fact, there are villain characters that I enjoy beating to save the day — like Ganondorf, antagonist teams from Pokemon games, Bowser — but none that I particularly want to punch. Except Lusamine from Pokemon Sun and Moon. That crazy woman just needed a beat down.
Lusamine is crazy, I agree. I feel like there are a lot of video game characters out there that are kind of crazy in that sense. Like Ghirahim from Skyward Sword, for example. Except I love that guy. I don’t want to punch him in the face.
Why would you want to punch someone who dances so fabulously? Most of these characters that we have mentioned aren’t the actual villains of the games, and I find it interesting that video game characters have enough depth to make us want to punch them in the face despite that they aren’t the designated villains.
I actually like most of the villains, though… Except Ganondorf. He’s weird. Either way, you like who you like and sometimes you just love to hate people.
Are there any gaming characters that you hate or love to hate? Let us know in the comments below!
I swear I didn’t pick Phoenix to be this month’s spotlight because of that news article I found a few weeks ago.
Anyway…
Phoenix Wright is a defense attorney in the hit series, Ace Attorney, from Capcom. Phoenix first appeared in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in 2001 for the Nintendo DS. There were two more games in that trilogy where he played the main character.
He returned in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney in 2008 for the Nintendo DS, but not as the main defense attorney. He returned as a defense attorney again in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS and then again, most recently, in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice in 2016 for the Nintendo 3DS.
Phoenix is pretty popular and famous among all the games he’s been in.
What I love most about Phoenix is that he isn’t a hard-ass like most portrayals of lawyers are. He does his best and doesn’t rest until justice is served. Yet, he doesn’t do all this without complaining.
He keeps his friends close, but his enemies closer. The relationship he has between Maya, his assistant, Trucy, his daughter, and Apollo and Athena, his collegues, is wonderful. He takes care of all of them as though he were their older brother or father.
The dynamic he has with the other prosecutors, especially Miles Edgeworth, an old friend, is great as well.
No matter what happens, they all manage to work together to find the truth.
Phoenix is just one of those characters who I would love to know in real life. What he does is amazing and he’s always looking out for others.
Plus, he has witty and sassy internal dialogue that just makes him all the more realistic.
What do you think of Phoenix Wright? Have you ever played any of those games? Let me know in the comments below!
Despite the awesome feel-good, jolly, everything-is-wonderful kind of emotions that run rampant during this time of the year, let’s talk about some of our favorite video game villains. You know, those people that you love to hate (or hate to love).
Team Skull
Okay, so I’m not done with the story in Pokemon Moon, but so far the antagonistic team seems awesome. These dorks are hysterical, and I can’t wait to keep going to see what sort of antics they get up to!
Manfred von Karma
This dude was ridiculous. His cold attitude towards his adopted son, towards his victims, was horrible and his aim for perfection made me want to sock him across the jaw. The pressure he put on his children did not put him on my good list, but he was a shoe-in for a favorite villain.
Ganondorf
Although the Legend of Zelda series has a plethora of amazing characters, heroes and villains alike, Ganondorf was always intriguing. Unlike Link and Zelda, who are reincarnated in almost every game, there has been evidence that Ganondorf is one man forever looping in time for his quest for power. You have to admire his ambition and determination!
Smithy
The main villain behind all the catastrophe that had robbed the world of wishes in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Smithy was a machine-loving robot fanatic. You heard all about him throughout the entire adventure until you finally come face-to-face with him in the final two-part battle. The build-up to the scene and Smithy’s complete apathy to the heroes trying to talk him out of overrunning the world with machines really makes you dive into the fight with gusto to save the world. That, and the music during his battle is fantastic!
What are some of your favorite video game villains?
Happy Thursday!
Happy Friday everyone!
Happy Tuesday!
