Topic: The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

@kkslider5552000 Yep. Can even access menus and whatnot by touching areas at the bottom of the screen.

It's just a pity you can't shout objections, since the Switch apparently doesn't have a built-in microphone.

Loved these games on 3DS, I would say it’s a good place to start because it’s a different story than the original series and made for the Switch. These games always have walkthroughs if you need help with the game.

@Ralizah
I mean, that’s what I’ve been doing since 2017 and I’ve still somehow amassed a backlog that could fill a library.

I like to say I’m playing games on other systems also, but the truth is I only ever put an hour or two in here or there and go back to Switch. Started Metroid Samus Returns again on 3DS… for like 3 days. Started Mass Effect Legendary Edition on Steam… for a day. I’ve truly been meaning to get back to them but, there’s just too much. Switch is totally viable as a sole primary console.

That said, we’re gaming enthusiasts, and we don’t just rely on what we need. We’ll buy the Steam Deck because owning half a dozen systems is in our DNA. It’s what we do Idk what my life would look like without 3 dusty consoles on my entertainment stand and 3 different handhelds docked on the end table.

I’m falling in love with this game btw. I’ve never claimed to be a big Ace Attorney fan. A fan, yes. A big fan? Not really. But this game might just change that. I don’t know what it is about it but I love it so much more than other AA games I’ve played. Being on Switch is part of it, sure, but even the trilogy didn’t grab me like this one has. I think it’s the setting and the characters. I really do love them.

I can’t explain it, but for the last few days, every time I wake my Lite, I go for Ace Attorney. Played a smidge of Neo TWEWY today, then went right back to AA. Played a smidge of MH Rise today also, then right back to AA. Even MH Stories 2 has been on pause. It feels like… Idk. A game made for Switch. It’s so cozy and crisp and snappy and charming. I also discovered the touch support. Still been using buttons mostly, but occasionally tap the screen. It’s kinda fun.

@JaxonH The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles definitely feels at home on Switch. Capcom did a great job. Still blown away this was originally a 3DS title.

It probably won't hit the heights of the stone-cold classics in the series like Trials and Tribulations or Spirit of Justice, but I'm definitely enjoying the unique tone of this spinoff. Herlock Sholmes has injected some much-needed levity into the equation, too: he's a total fop, and I laugh pretty much every time he comes on screen.

The pacing could use some work in the investigation sequences, though, if that second chapter is anything to go by.

Still, it's one of my favorite Capcom franchises for a reason. Hopefully this is followed up by a proper mainline entry next year.

@Ralizah
Could you really yell Objection into the microphone on 3DS entries?

@JaxonH Yep, in both of the Ace Attorney trilogies on NDS and 3DS. You could trigger the microphone at key moments and yell "OBJECTION!" or "HOLD IT!" instead of pressing a button. I didn't usually take advantage of it (not keen on looking like a madperson by sitting around yelling at my DS, lol), but it was a cute feature. The original trilogy games all end with the character shouting an objection before the end credits play, with the game prompting the player to yell it, and I always did, since it felt like a fun way to cap off the experience.

The first game on NDS also had a case added to it that took advantage of the system's unique hardware, and you had to blow on the microphone to clear off excess fingerprint dust you dabbed on objects. I believe Apollo Justice also required the microphone at certain points as well.

@Ralizah
That's cool. They should have kept a mic in the Switch. Super cheap to include. Then again maybe it warded off shovelware uses of it, so maybe it was the right call.

Which DS entries aren't on 3DS or Switch? Or did all of them get ported over now?

@JaxonH Shovelware is readily available on the Switch regardless. 3DS had it, and there was very little shovelware on the system compared to NDS or Switch. And, in general, most shovelware games are cheap and didn't include microphone support anyway (afaik). So I don't think there's any upside to it not being on the system.

Between 3DS and Switch, the only AA-related games that aren't readily accessible are the Ace Attorney Investigations spinoffs, where you take control of prosecutor Miles Edgeworth and solve murder mysteries outside of court. The second one isn't available in the West at all, as it was never localized, despite reportedly having one of the best stories in the entire franchise. There is, of course, a fan-translation available that people have played.

Anyway, all of the mainline games are available on the 3DS eshop. As is that Professor Layton crossover game.

@Ralizah
I was more referring to utilization in otherwise quality games, such as blowing in the mic to move stuff in Super Mario 3D World. Nintendo can't resist that temptation. If the feature is there, they'll find a way to weasel it in wherever they can.

Good to know 3DS and Switch basically have it covered. There's 5 games on Switch alone.

In your opinion, what's the top 3 games in the series, ranked as your #1, 2 and 3?

@JaxonH I don't recall too many Wii U games that utilized the microphone in a forced or detrimental way. Ditto with the 3DS, tbh

I take the bad with the good when Nintendo hardware features gimmicky features, because, more often than not, they enable interesting experiences that are impossible on other hardware. In the case of the microphone, for example: I've been playing Warioware Gold on my 3DS, and there are microgames in that which simply wouldn't be possible without it.

If I had to rank the Ace Attorney games...

#1: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice - The final localized 3DS outing which caps off the second trilogy of games. While the second trilogy is overall a bit rough (Apollo Justice and Dual Destinies are both very low on my list of favorite games in this series), the final entry goes for a grand finish and pretty thoroughly succeeds. It's a lot of fun seeing returning characters years later after they've grown and settled into their new lives (particularly Maya Fey, one of the central characters in the original trilogy, who gets a huge role in this game). The new setting of Khura'in, a far-eastern monarchy that has taken to persecuting lawyers and is embroiled in civil conflict, really helps to refresh the series (similar to Great Ace Attorney, actually, with its meiji/victorian-era stylings), and the game introduces a genuinely cool mechanic where a priestess summons the last memories of the dead in court, which are then treated as a form of evidence. This one is probably the most consistently excellent entry in the series, and, like T&T, skillfully re-introduces plot threads, characters, and themes from previous games, making it feel like not just the grand culmination of the previous two games in the trilogy, but of the series as a whole until that point. The final case is also arguably the most emotionally affecting one in the entire series. Also, in terms of production values, they really ironed out the kinks in terms of how the 3D models moved and interacted from Dual Destinies, and while it's not quite as gorgeous as The Great Ace Attorney is on Switch, it's still one of the best looking games on the 3DS.

One of the best-sounding, too. LOVE the OST in this game:

#2: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations - The third game in the series, which caps off the original GBA/NDS trilogy. The central villain is memorably evil, and the final face-off with her in court is one of the best scenes in the entire series; the game expertly weaves in lore, returning characters, and expands on character relationships that were introduced in the first two games, which gives it the quality of a grand finale (as I recall, the creator originally intended to stop making AA games after this entry, and it shows, since he pulls out all the stops to make this supremely satisfying and thrilling); and it features the single most memorable prosecutor in the entire series.

Also really love the dramatic trial music:

#3: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - There's a big drop-off in quality here, as the first three cases are kinda rough, and it has, almost inarguably, the worst tutorial case of any of the games. With that said, the fourth and fifth cases are some of the best ones in the entire series, and it introduced quite a few fantastic characters.

The OST isn't one of my favorites overall, but the Pursuit theme (the music that plays, typically near the climax of a trial, when you're finally pinning down a criminal by submitting incontrovertible evidence and identifying the contradictions in their nests of lies) is utterly iconic:

I'll be honest, my only worry with the Great Ace Attorney is that I didn't get super into either the Khurain focus nor the main setting of the Layton crossover, so I'm worried I might feel similarly this time too.

@Ralizah
Ya, it cuts both ways. Resident Evil Revelations 1/2 used the IR sensor for reloading. Amazing feature. But it also inspired 1-2 Switch, a waste of a launch title. Just looking at the silver lining.

You think these should be played in order, or is jumping into Spirit of Justice perfectly suitable? I’m really enjoying Great Ace Attorney. Like, a lot a lot. It suddenly hit me. I get it now. I get the appeal and I’m loving it. I’m already anticipating evidence that I can use to poke holes in the prosecution’s case. The wheels start turning before I even get to that point, and that’s when I know the game is clicking. And it’s hard undo this feeling. Now that I get it, I get it. Suddenly all the other entries that I spent meager time in order looking really appealing now.

I feel like the trilogy would be my next stop since it’s on Switch, but your best games listed here are on 3DS. I wonder if they’ll bring over the other trilogy? Clearly I’ve got my hands full right now already, not just with other games but even just in this franchise alone- 2 full games in TGAA and another 3 to dive into in the Switch trilogy. Then again, I have the sudden urge to scream “Objection” while playing. Maybe I will check out Spirit of Justice on 3DS.

@JaxonH I mean, it'd be playable, but the game was designed with the idea that the player experienced at least the previous two entries in the series (and heavily references those games), and it's more rewarding, IMO, if they also played the original trilogy. I guess it's a bit like a Trails game, in that regard. You can start with Cold Steel 3, but that's not the ideal way to experience the series.

So yeah, the trilogy would be my recommendation, honestly. The DS trilogy is really solid, and it's already on Switch in remastered form. It's hard to imagine they won't eventually also bring over the second trilogy. But if they don't, you also have a 3DS.

How far are you in The Great Ace Attorney, btw?

This is very quickly becoming my favorite game I've played all year.

It provides a really interesting contrast with the mainline entries: the narrative is much tighter; the farcical and 'comic book' elements (prosecutors dressing like supervillains; lawyer super-powers; magic; etc.) are extremely muted; and, so far, the game is utterly lacking in the sort of formulaic structure that the mainline entries rely on. The music itself is also much more grounded than in previous mainline titles.

In terms of the setting, the game also does a good job of portraying the sort of rather undisguised and casual racism ethnically Japanese people would have had to endure in England during this time period without simultaneously allowing this aspect of the setting to hijack the experience overall.

Presentation-wise, the game is just flat out gorgeous. It looks like a game that was developed primarily for the Switch, frankly. I can't get over all how well-animated, detailed, and charming all of the character animations are.

If I had to criticize it... the tutorial chapter wasn't terrible, but it was also far too lengthy for the simplistic story it was trying to tell. Actually, my issue with the second chapter also relates to pacing: there are too many sequences where the dialogue seems to go on and on without moving anything forward. It also takes up more time than it should. So far, I have no complaints about the third chapter, though.

Really, thoroughly enjoying this game so far.

@Ralizah
Not too far. Moving on to the second chapter. But I'm already loving it. Being Friday I'm looking forward to getting off work today so I can finally put some time in. Still torn between this, MH Stories 2, Zelda Skyward Sword and Neo TWEWY. And MH Rise gets Okamu today. Will for sure being unlocking that. But I wanna put some more time into this also

Wow! Case 3!

(absolutely don't read if you haven't gotten to the end of the third case)

Finished case 1 last night. So far, I am hooked.

I'm just done with the first case, love the game so far. AA is probably my favorite gaming franchise, so finally being able to play these games is a treat.

Now I just wish they had kept the Japanese setting in the original games, not trying to pretend they takes place in the US.

Gotta run to GameStop today and pick this up.

I loved Jezail Brett, that woman with the swan on her head lol. This game kills me. Herlock Sholmes is so perfect for this game, too.

Also, Idk why it took me til just now to notice, but Prosecutor Auchi looks just like his modern descendent lol. It’s like Back to the future, where you’ve always got Marty, and Doc, and Biff, and even 100 years ago Mad Dog Tannon was a bully lol.

It feels like that, and I love it.