Phoenix Wright revisited
(yes, it's a ridiculous hour of the morning and I shouldn't be up)
I was really resistant to the franchise for years, mostly because of all the nutty slashers who reminded me of all my least favorite BFF!Rival ships ever. The fandom just seemed gross, I didn't like the designs, have always resented the fact that one of the main female characters is fridged (or at least that was my impression for the longest time), and I didn't like having to suspend my disbelief wrt the judicial/legal system and the awkward decision to localize the game setting as "southern California" (the games are very Japanese in the legal sense, and VERY much intentional social commentary to a certain extent, and not even handwaving it as fiction/subtly futuristic-light dystopia makes a US setting* work for me). Also I was like lawyers are not detectives plskthx.
* US legal system may not be perfect, but its flaws are very different. JP legal system is (in)famous for its high conviction rate (there are several reasons for this, some relatively innocuous, others less so). Hence the defense attorney hero (instead of a righteous prosecutor vs. corruption and slimeball lawyers).
What changed my mind was Ghost Trick, developed by the same team, a very pseudo-noirish game with SF/paranormal overtones, which I found exceptionally well written and intricately designed. Played it while on vacation in 2012 (posted about it then too) and was very, very impressed.
I was still kind of resistant to the Phoenix Wright franchise after that (lawyers are not detectives!!!11) but I was definitely a lot more open to it. Also curious.
So finally at some point, I did pick up the first game. And... shock and horror... actually liked it. Not as much as I liked Ghost Trick overall (and my favorite mystery games atm are probably still the Hotel Dusk/Last Window duology, which is actually set in LA), but I was very impressed by the final case (the DL-6 case).
I stalled there for months though because it seemed like such a great place to end and wasn't convinced the following stories could hold up (especially the tacked on case that it seems they added for the DS).
Also, at some point I watched the live action movie, which was pretty fucking awesome -- both a fantastic adaptation as well as a solid movie in its own right. The worldbuilding was pretty much perfect.
(I recently rewatched it and really the only thing that bugs me in hindsight is Maya's characterization, but it's probably for the better in context.)
Anyway.... I stalled on the games until I really needed a distraction the past few weeks. Have been slowly working my way through the rest of the original trilogy. Finished the final extra episode of the first, and am just about to start the final episode of the third (however, I'd already spoiled myself slightly a long time ago wrt two certain characters and am looking forward to seeing those reveals in context).
Game 1
Still strikes me as the strongest game so far, almost soley due to DL-6. So many twists and turns in that one, and so emotionally satisfying to work out to the end.
Also I really love Dee Vasquez's design. For a "filler" case, that one's pretty great.
And the localized names are undeniably clever, and the localized script is undeniably witty (but it still bothers me that the Feys in particular are Americanized, although at least in this first game it's not quite as ridiculous).
As for the final case (Rise from the Ashes) -- mixed feelings. I actually really really liked the side characters in it (Angel, Marshall), but the plot... IDK, just seemed kind of ridiculous, and not in a good way. I mean, as I've mentioned before in other contexts, I actually really like the "internal affairs"/corruption in the force trope, but this just didn't strike me as a particularly good or interesting example of it, and a lot of the developments just seemed like a shitty rerun of Sisters and DL-6. I realize the parallels were probably deliberate, but man, how clunky can you get?
Also, after moving on to the second game, the apparent backtracking of character development seemed particularly egregious.
Justice for All
Wasn't that into this entry. And not because it was Maya-centric (I actually adore the girl -- she's such a hilarious troll sometimes) -- Maya was actually the bright spot of the game. But I thought the amnesia thing in the first episode was silly, and although the Kurain Village case was tragic I figured it out VERY early on (possibly because I have seen the swapped identity/car door trick utilized somewhere else before, though not at the same time), and I was kind of annoyed that the story never delved into some of the backstory as much as I wished it had (but I gather that's all in the last case I have yet to play through).
(Also, aside from the legal system issues mentioned earlier, this was another point in the games where the otherwise sharp localization unfortunately was forced to do a lot of awkward fudging...)
And then the circus case was just annoying. The villain's motive... understandable but a little stupid anyway. The trick behind the murder... not really as mindblowingly clever as it seems like it's going to be at first, which is probably actually the point. The truth is sad and ugly. It's a VERY well-written case in terms of the atmosphere, but it was tedious to play through.
And the final case... IDK. It was also over-the-top in a way that I didn't much enjoy, and I'm not entirely comfortable with the way the game attempts to present an ethical quandary (one that was one of the main reasons I was so resistant to the franchise in the first place) and then chickens out of it.
OTOH, Maya is the bestest (this case really solidified my love for her), and I do like the "answer" Phoenix and Edgeworth reach together.
Oh, also, Franziska's awesome but I also find her character a little ridiculous. On one hand, I think she's great. OTOH, her characterization is so flimsy... I hate the trope her motivation is based on. Although I'm glad at least it wasn't the other trope they throw at us as a red herring for like half the game.
I think it didn't help that not a single one of these cases really had me stumped, unlike the first game, where I was mostly piecing together clues at about the same rate as the story progression (and so the only thing that frustrated me in this game was finding the right evidence/timing the presentation of said evidence, which made me want to scream at Phoenix sometimes hahaha).
Trials and Tribulations
In no particular order:
- I love Godot. Period. He's just the right balance of ridiculous and badass -- and I think he may have kicked Edgeworth off my "favorite character" throne (Maya's also up there). I'm very much looking forward to the reveal that I am sort of spoiled for because I have no idea WHY.
- I ship Gumshoe/Maggey. Who doesn't?
(But let's be real, I was also thinking various arrangements of Gumshoe/Franziska/Edgeworth would be pretty hot.......)
- I love Mia too. I'm no longer sure she really counts as "fridged", considering how often she shows up anyway even now that she's dead, but... I have a feeling the final case is going to make me pretty frustrated. PS: Idiot university student Phoenix is a thing of hilarity.
- I wonder if I'm just getting used to the games' style or they just gave up on the "whodunnit" aspect to focus on the evidence-gathering stuff. But I don't recall being very much stumped in any of the cases here yet either. The thief case being the major offender this time around (actually the flashback case was obvious too, but I assume it was supposed to be) -- the twists were convoluted but I figured out/had a pretty good inkling of all the main ones even before the initial trial (so you can imagine just how tiresome the rest of the case was....). Not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. In the second game it was annoying, but in this game, it's been mostly tolerable, and I'm not sure what the difference is.
- - -
tl;dr looking forward to the grand finale, not sure if I'll pick up the various spinoffs... Still think first game was best by far (minus the bonus case), but the final case of game 3 and its reveals may change my mind.
Except I admit I'm intrigued by Meiji-era lawyering, because tbh that was what resparked my interest after all that time I spent stalled on the first game, even though I roll my eyes at Yet Another Sherlock Holmes Crossover.
comments at the original Dreamwidth post
I was really resistant to the franchise for years, mostly because of all the nutty slashers who reminded me of all my least favorite BFF!Rival ships ever. The fandom just seemed gross, I didn't like the designs, have always resented the fact that one of the main female characters is fridged (or at least that was my impression for the longest time), and I didn't like having to suspend my disbelief wrt the judicial/legal system and the awkward decision to localize the game setting as "southern California" (the games are very Japanese in the legal sense, and VERY much intentional social commentary to a certain extent, and not even handwaving it as fiction/subtly futuristic-light dystopia makes a US setting* work for me). Also I was like lawyers are not detectives plskthx.
* US legal system may not be perfect, but its flaws are very different. JP legal system is (in)famous for its high conviction rate (there are several reasons for this, some relatively innocuous, others less so). Hence the defense attorney hero (instead of a righteous prosecutor vs. corruption and slimeball lawyers).
What changed my mind was Ghost Trick, developed by the same team, a very pseudo-noirish game with SF/paranormal overtones, which I found exceptionally well written and intricately designed. Played it while on vacation in 2012 (posted about it then too) and was very, very impressed.
I was still kind of resistant to the Phoenix Wright franchise after that (lawyers are not detectives!!!11) but I was definitely a lot more open to it. Also curious.
So finally at some point, I did pick up the first game. And... shock and horror... actually liked it. Not as much as I liked Ghost Trick overall (and my favorite mystery games atm are probably still the Hotel Dusk/Last Window duology, which is actually set in LA), but I was very impressed by the final case (the DL-6 case).
I stalled there for months though because it seemed like such a great place to end and wasn't convinced the following stories could hold up (especially the tacked on case that it seems they added for the DS).
Also, at some point I watched the live action movie, which was pretty fucking awesome -- both a fantastic adaptation as well as a solid movie in its own right. The worldbuilding was pretty much perfect.
(I recently rewatched it and really the only thing that bugs me in hindsight is Maya's characterization, but it's probably for the better in context.)
Anyway.... I stalled on the games until I really needed a distraction the past few weeks. Have been slowly working my way through the rest of the original trilogy. Finished the final extra episode of the first, and am just about to start the final episode of the third (however, I'd already spoiled myself slightly a long time ago wrt two certain characters and am looking forward to seeing those reveals in context).
Game 1
Still strikes me as the strongest game so far, almost soley due to DL-6. So many twists and turns in that one, and so emotionally satisfying to work out to the end.
Also I really love Dee Vasquez's design. For a "filler" case, that one's pretty great.
And the localized names are undeniably clever, and the localized script is undeniably witty (but it still bothers me that the Feys in particular are Americanized, although at least in this first game it's not quite as ridiculous).
As for the final case (Rise from the Ashes) -- mixed feelings. I actually really really liked the side characters in it (Angel, Marshall), but the plot... IDK, just seemed kind of ridiculous, and not in a good way. I mean, as I've mentioned before in other contexts, I actually really like the "internal affairs"/corruption in the force trope, but this just didn't strike me as a particularly good or interesting example of it, and a lot of the developments just seemed like a shitty rerun of Sisters and DL-6. I realize the parallels were probably deliberate, but man, how clunky can you get?
Also, after moving on to the second game, the apparent backtracking of character development seemed particularly egregious.
Justice for All
Wasn't that into this entry. And not because it was Maya-centric (I actually adore the girl -- she's such a hilarious troll sometimes) -- Maya was actually the bright spot of the game. But I thought the amnesia thing in the first episode was silly, and although the Kurain Village case was tragic I figured it out VERY early on (possibly because I have seen the swapped identity/car door trick utilized somewhere else before, though not at the same time), and I was kind of annoyed that the story never delved into some of the backstory as much as I wished it had (but I gather that's all in the last case I have yet to play through).
(Also, aside from the legal system issues mentioned earlier, this was another point in the games where the otherwise sharp localization unfortunately was forced to do a lot of awkward fudging...)
And then the circus case was just annoying. The villain's motive... understandable but a little stupid anyway. The trick behind the murder... not really as mindblowingly clever as it seems like it's going to be at first, which is probably actually the point. The truth is sad and ugly. It's a VERY well-written case in terms of the atmosphere, but it was tedious to play through.
And the final case... IDK. It was also over-the-top in a way that I didn't much enjoy, and I'm not entirely comfortable with the way the game attempts to present an ethical quandary (one that was one of the main reasons I was so resistant to the franchise in the first place) and then chickens out of it.
OTOH, Maya is the bestest (this case really solidified my love for her), and I do like the "answer" Phoenix and Edgeworth reach together.
Oh, also, Franziska's awesome but I also find her character a little ridiculous. On one hand, I think she's great. OTOH, her characterization is so flimsy... I hate the trope her motivation is based on. Although I'm glad at least it wasn't the other trope they throw at us as a red herring for like half the game.
I think it didn't help that not a single one of these cases really had me stumped, unlike the first game, where I was mostly piecing together clues at about the same rate as the story progression (and so the only thing that frustrated me in this game was finding the right evidence/timing the presentation of said evidence, which made me want to scream at Phoenix sometimes hahaha).
Trials and Tribulations
In no particular order:
- I love Godot. Period. He's just the right balance of ridiculous and badass -- and I think he may have kicked Edgeworth off my "favorite character" throne (Maya's also up there). I'm very much looking forward to the reveal that I am sort of spoiled for because I have no idea WHY.
- I ship Gumshoe/Maggey. Who doesn't?
(But let's be real, I was also thinking various arrangements of Gumshoe/Franziska/Edgeworth would be pretty hot.......)
- I love Mia too. I'm no longer sure she really counts as "fridged", considering how often she shows up anyway even now that she's dead, but... I have a feeling the final case is going to make me pretty frustrated. PS: Idiot university student Phoenix is a thing of hilarity.
- I wonder if I'm just getting used to the games' style or they just gave up on the "whodunnit" aspect to focus on the evidence-gathering stuff. But I don't recall being very much stumped in any of the cases here yet either. The thief case being the major offender this time around (actually the flashback case was obvious too, but I assume it was supposed to be) -- the twists were convoluted but I figured out/had a pretty good inkling of all the main ones even before the initial trial (so you can imagine just how tiresome the rest of the case was....). Not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. In the second game it was annoying, but in this game, it's been mostly tolerable, and I'm not sure what the difference is.
- - -
tl;dr looking forward to the grand finale, not sure if I'll pick up the various spinoffs... Still think first game was best by far (minus the bonus case), but the final case of game 3 and its reveals may change my mind.
Except I admit I'm intrigued by Meiji-era lawyering, because tbh that was what resparked my interest after all that time I spent stalled on the first game, even though I roll my eyes at Yet Another Sherlock Holmes Crossover.
comments at the original Dreamwidth post