Board 8 > Ace Attorney Discussion Topic, Part 5 - Let It Go and Move On Edition

(+) Yeah! (+)

transience posted...

I was happy about that. I thought it raised the stakes effectively.

I don't think it raises the stakes at all, really. To me, it was just, "oh of course it's a murder because why wouldn't it be." Phoenix vs. Apollo was plenty to sell this case as high stakes, and I don't think adding murder increases its value. 6-5 does a couple of things to dilute the showdown a little bit instead of enhancing it. Turning this into a murder case is one, making Phoenix a victim of blackmail again is the other. I don't think it detracts from the importance of Apollo's win, but I don't think either one of them does anything to improve its value. It'd be okay for Phoenix to lose fair and square!
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Anyway, we've hit our second recess of the day (it's been a while since a case has had two recesses!), so let's do another update. Two more testimonies, both from Sarge, the second of which was a Mood Matrix with three total contradictions. It's a darn great Mood Matrix, too! Easily the best one in SoJ and perhaps the best non-Blackquill one in either game (The Phantom's is great as a "whoa this is really wild and crazy" moment but it's easy and straightforward). Sarge takes going out of control to a new level, too, firing bullets, launching missiles, stealing Widget and the Judge's gavel to interrupt the trial. It's really effective as a whole because it conveys just how disturbed she is. Plus, you've got that whole "He burned the orb and my mother appeared" thing, which is creepy and cool at the same time.

Athena is really great throughout the Mood Matrix, too, because she matches Sarge blow for blow. She honestly feels more like a psychologist/therapist here than anywhere else. She has a great moment where she gets Sarge to take a few deep breaths, and then urges her to LET IT ALL OUT. Apollo comments that it was the least relaxing breathing session he's ever seen. Once Sarge settles down, she becomes somber over not being able to fulfill her father's wish to come out of hiding. Athena reminds her that it's not too late to take that first step, and we finally get our first glimpse at Miss Armie Buff! Naturally, everyone is shocked to see that Sarge is actually a 12-year-old girl!

Once Apollo realizes the reason why Dr. Buff was burning the orb, he decides it's time to put it to the test themselves and see what happens. Phoenix desperately objects because he knows this is going to end poorly for him, but there's nothing he can do to stop it. The Judge has a great line where he goes, "I never thought I'd say this, but you may burn the evidence, Mr. Justice." The scene of Apollo and Athena watching the wax melt away to reveal the Holy Mother's face is a great moment. Gotta say, I thought for sure this meant someone was going to channel the Holy Mother by the end of the case. Felt like it was leading up to that because it was obvious why depicting her face was taboo.

Apollo and Athena are both in a state of shock because it looks like they've beaten Phoenix. However, with a little prodding from Atishon, Phoenix bounces back with an ultra crazy bluff! It's weird to see it from the other side without seeing what went into the thought process! The Judge isn't really buying the bluff, but he decides to give both sides a recess to figure out what to do next anyway.

During the recess, Sarge tells Apollo someone tried to move her wheelchair after she passed out on the second floor. It definitely wasn't her father, so that could only mean it was the real killer! Athena is worried about Phoenix, so she decides to run off and talk to him. She's clearly distraught when she comes back, but she doesn't say a word about it.

Now to finish this thing off!
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The weirdest part about the first trial is probably Phoenix Wright saying something like "Did you really think I'd come here without being fully prepared?" with a straight face

right after 6-3, no less
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yeah, that's my big issue with post-AA5 Phoenix. they make him both legendary and full of crap at the same time.
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although I guess you could say that's Phoenix bluffing his way through everything but that's not really what they were going for here!
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I was definitely expecting someone to call him out on that statement but no one actually does.
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transience posted...

yeah, that's my big issue with post-AA5 Phoenix. they make him both legendary and full of crap at the same time.

Jack Sparrow syndrome.
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I took all those statements as being completely ironic and Phoenix being a little self-aware!

Janus5k posted...

The weirdest part about the first trial is probably Phoenix Wright saying something like "Did you really think I'd come here without being fully prepared?" with a straight face

He's got the "cocky smile" animation as he says it, so not quite a "straight face!"

Which I guess is why I took it as an ironic joke! I don't feel like you're supposed to take those statements seriously because the writers know you know better. It's very tongue-in-cheek.
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TheRock1525 posted...

transience posted...

yeah, that's my big issue with post-AA5 Phoenix. they make him both legendary and full of crap at the same time.

Jack Sparrow syndrome.

That's what Jack Sparrow built his legend on from the first movie!
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Anyway, 6-5 day 1 complete! One final testimony from Atishon, with the JFA flare of the initial testimony being Moderato and transitioning to Allegro for the cross-examination proper. That gives us six testimonies in all. The final piece of evidence is Sarge's statement about someone touching her wheelchair, because it had to be the culprit and they wouldn't have been able to wipe away the prints because she made a quick getaway after they touched it. There's a great moment during the cross-examination where Apollo tries to get Atishon to say something he shouldn't, and Phoenix calls him out on it, saying it's not very sporting to try to trip up the witness like that. In his head, Apollo goes, "I was just doing what you always do!"

After exposing the final contradiction, Apollo is about to formally accuse Atishon of murder when Phoenix interrupts him and begs him not to do it. Apollo is naturally confused, but Athena explains the situation to him. Turns out Maya's being held hostage (supposedly), and bad things will happen unless he gets his hands on the Founder's Orb. Apollo's about to back down when the fiercest OBJECTION ever rings out and Dhurke takes the stand, saying a lawyer should never look the way he does right now, full of defeat and resignation. Then we get another "A dragon never yields" voice clip, and Dhurke talks about how a dragon bites down and never lets go until its dying breath. Apollo gets his second wind, and we go through a simple Revisualization to prove that they can't harm Maya because they need a spirit medium to channel the Holy Mother and complete the legend.

With that, Phoenix is freed and Atishon is defeated, leading to a legendary breakdown, easily the best one in the game. Phoenix genuinely thanks Apollo for all his help, which is a nice moment, and he's glad to be appreciated. Apollo wonders if he'd have beaten him if he wasn't being held back like that, but Athena says he saved Phoenix today. Unfortunately, it's not over yet. Turns out Maya's still in Khura'in under the control of the MASTERMIND (supposedly). Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnn.
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LeonhartFour posted...

"Fathers must always be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their children!" After hearing that story, Dhurke says, "Well, I feel about two inches tall right now."

amazing moment.

LeonhartFour posted...

LordoftheMorons posted...

I also don't think I've ever heard the phrase "goes to pot" before

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gone%20to%20pot

I've used it a lot, but now I know where it comes from!

Anyway, if you really want to know, I work as a mail carrier, in case anyone didn't already know. While I was gone, some old dude decided he wanted to move his mailbox closer to his door so he doesn't have to walk as far to get his mail. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to do that without getting the permission of the local postmaster, so we're technically not supposed to deliver mail to that new box until it's been given the okay. Naturally, he wasn't happy about that, so he wrote a couple of nasty notes demanding that we deliver mail to the new location.

He also decided to move the neighbor's mailbox up to his door instead because...who knows? I guess he liked it better or something? But he swapped the numbers on the boxes around and claims he got their permission to do so. However, today I found a note from said neighbor that she did NOT give him permission to do this, so that's a second thing he's not allowed to do and it's kind of illegal. We left him a note telling him to call the post office so we can get this whole mess worked out, but I imagine it won't go that smoothly!

So yeah, just a weird thing to come back to after a few days off.

good lord some people be crazy
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LeonhartFour posted...

All right, hit the first recess in trial day 1, so might as well do a quick update! Three testimonies so far: One from Ema and two from Mr. Paul Atishon-Wimperson. They're making you work for the contradictions here because you have to do a lot of pressing and adding statements, and Atishon loves to drone on in his testimonies.

These cross-examinations and contradictions felt almost AA2/3-level. Cleverer and longer than your typical post-AA3 stuff.

Also, Phoenix is great at getting him back on track when he starts rambling. "Mr. Atishon, everyone here is well aware of your [insert trait here]."

It's interesting how Phoenix is treated when you're not controlling him. He can do a lot more planning ahead and have some tricks up his sleeve, ready for Apollo just to walk right into them. However, it's possible he's figuring it all out as he goes, too! We just can't tell because we're not inside his head for once! Also, Phoenix has a great moment when he announces to the court that Datz is in the audience so they can capture him. Payback for 6-3, punk!

SO GOOD YES. I don't think Phoenix having tricks up his sleeve is out of character. He can do his homework, and in the OT especially, he can direct traffic. 2-4 Day 2, 1-4 Day 3 (latter), 3-3 Day 2, etc. all feature Phoenix driving. 6-3 Day 2 has him being the one to call for the Divination Seance, and when it works, he goes to town. As for the latter part, Phoenix selling out Datz is both a jerk move and utterly earned.

He's got the "cocky smile" animation as he says it, so not quite a "straight face!"

Which I guess is why I took it as an ironic joke! I don't feel like you're supposed to take those statements seriously because the writers know you know better. It's very tongue-in-cheek.

With you here. And as I noted, Phoenix often does have an idea of what to do during trial. I know you hate the mention of it, but Phoenix also shows some confidence in 4-0 - though in fairness, he is clueless in that one.

The climax of the case really feels like the reveal of the Founder's Orb, and you think that you've finished the case, but it's awesome to watch Phoenix's desperation attempts almost succeed. This is where you really see the bluffing side of Phoenix as he uses his powers against truth. It's just a shame that you need to have 'Maya's been kidnapped!!!' as the terrible bait for it. A really clunky bit of writing that stains an otherwise amazing case - even if some of the outcome is pretty dope.

(For me, it was abundantly clear at this point that Ga'ran couldn't channel spirits. I dunno if I'd figured that out earlier, but it felt super-right by now.)

Love Athena's explanation that Apollo saved Phoenix.

transience posted...

I was happy about that. I thought it raised the stakes effectively. but then, I don't like 3-2.

I dump on Athena but her #1 quality in AA6 is selling the Apollo/Phoenix showdown.

Agreed on Athena, and agreed that the murder was fun. And I love 3-2!

Trial 1 is so, so good. Trial 2 probably edges it out, but it is really close. I didn't even comment on Armie here, but she's an unexpected delight (and is one of the reasons, along with Atishon and the bland victim, that this feel like a non-epic case). I just love that something depressing turned so joyful.

This has to be one of the most positive posts I've made in your playthrough post-3-2!
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SeabassDebeste posted...

I know you hate the mention of it, but Phoenix also shows some confidence in 4-0 - though in fairness, he is clueless in that one.

I don't have an issue with Phoenix displaying confidence. He does that from time to time, even (or perhaps especially?) when he's bluffing. I know there's one time, maybe in 2-4, where Edgeworth sees straight through his bluff and calls him out on it, which is great. Trash talking Phoenix is also excellent, and they need to have that side of him show up more often! He trash talks Blackquill one time at the beginning of 5-6's first trial day, and it's glorious.

My issue with 4-0 is Phoenix looking down on Klavier and sort of just taking it for granted that he's better than him because he's a rookie. That's not really in-character for him.
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SeabassDebeste posted...

some people be crazy

there's a new wrinkle in this story...!

Apparently, the neighbor whose mailbox he swiped is his daughter (didn't realize this because she's married and they have different last names), and they don't get along at all. Makes me wonder why you don't just move away! I didn't realize they were father and daughter because she never refers to him as her dad in that note, and she actually just calls him "Mr. [insert last name here]" in the note.

this really is shaping up to be an Ace Attorney case
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new options

> to throw off the scene of the murder
> to throw off the time of the murder
> to find out if his daughter is cheating on her husband
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need some AA names here

Archie Postman
Paula Osterman
Fred Extra
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All right, I hit the point in the investigation where the perspective swaps to Phoenix, so let's do a quick update! Plus, I'm not sure I'll get a chance to finish later on, so this might be all we get! It's ridiculous how loaded everything Dhurke says in the lobby is. It makes no sense on a first playthrough, but it's all blatantly obvious with hindsight. Inga's reaction to realizing he's talking to Dhurke is pretty telling as well, but it's a great moment when he gets outed as the benefactor. However, Inga hints that there's someone else close to Dhurke that's within his grasp, so even if he can't harm Maya, he can still harm them, so he makes an ultimatum to exchange the Founder's Orb for their safety. So is Inga talking about Rayfa or Amara? Or both? I'd think maybe Amara because, as much of a jerk as Inga is, he does seem to have a soft spot for Rayfa despite not even really being her father. It's a strange quirk in his character that humanizes him a bit, although he could be bluffing either way.

Thankfully, Edgeworth comes prepared and we charter a flight to Khura'in right away. Phoenix stops Trucy from coming for obvious reasons (or does he?), and Apollo foists his old evidence off on her. When we get there, we rush straight to Amara's Tomb, only to run into Rayfa, Ga'ran, and her Royal Guard. Ga'ran acknowledges she is aware of Inga's plot and has her guards surround the tomb, but Dhurke urges her to give him twenty minutes to resolve the situation first. In the meantime, Phoenix has Apollo explain the situation to Rayfa, who is distraught at the thought of her father being a total scumbag.

After twenty minutes, we bust in, only to find that Inga is dead and Dhurke is standing over him holding a bloody dagger. Naturally, he gets arrested on the spot, not just for the murder of Inga, but also for the assassination of Amara. Phoenix finds Maya, who is completely exhausted and collapses. At this point, Phoenix and Edgeworth head to the hospital to look after Maya, and Apollo and Athena take up the case and investigate. Apollo and Athena continue to prove to be a great investigative pairing and have a lot of good exchanges. If you show her the picture of Apollo's dad, she says he looks like a manly man. Apollo says he senses a compliment in there somewhere, but she's confused. Apollo tries to change the subject, but then she realizes what he meant and goes, "Was there something you were hoping I would say?"

We're off to see Dhurke, who's very murky about the details of what happened. Everything went fuzzy as soon as he entered the tomb, and next thing he knew, he was standing over Inga holding the dagger in his hand. Another big hint about what really happened! Dhurke continues to be cheerful and optimistic despite the situation, which Apollo can't quite understand but is typical of him. Dhurke even says he never thought he'd see the day his own son would come to his rescue, so now he can rest in peace. Apollo doesn't find that very funny, obviously, but yeah. Dhurke tries to cheer him up by offering to take him to something called a "hash house" after this is all over, and Apollo replies with, "...I'd like that." It's really painful to see how much he keeps growing closer to Dhurke knowing what's coming. If you present the picture of Apollo's father to him, Apollo will be impressed by the lengths he went to find it.

During our time talking with him, Dhurke mentions that Amara was killed in a fire...oh, and she was his wife, too, for good measure. Way to go, bro! Unfortunately, Nahyuta interrupts our chat to conduct the interrogation. Apollo is surprised that Nahyuta is going to prosecute his own father, but he's as emotionally unresponsive as ever, so we can't get anything out of him.
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LeonhartFour posted...

Dhurke even says he never thought he'd see the day his own son would come to his rescue, so now he can rest in peace.

the feeeeeels

and man - starting the second half of the case as apollo - whaaaaaat?!
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If you investigate the bell in the detention center, Athena will be thinking about something and start smiling, only for Apollo to preempt her by saying, "Don't do it, Athena. Don't ring that bell." She tries to protest her innocence and says she'd never do anything like that, but Apollo busts out his bracelet, so she's forced to relent, while saying that's a dirty trick. Second best use of Perceive in the series! Some more good investigation moments follow if you examine the courtyard. If you examine the water pot that's tipped over, Athena will quickly say she didn't do it, which prompts Apollo to think that when you're so used to being blamed for accidents, you start to get so defensive that you speak up before anyone even accuses you. Another good one is if you investigate Rayfa's veranda, and Athena thinks it must be Rayfa's living quarters because of how cute all these flowers are. Apollo says Rayfa doesn't seem like the type of girl who'd be into cute stuff like that, but Athena says not to judge a book by its cover. She's a pretty decent judge of character...!

Inside Amara's Tomb, Ema is somehow also back in Khura'in. Not a lot of laughs here, because everything you find seems to make Dhurke look worse. Apparently, one of the Royal Guard is a die hard mystery novel fan, so they searched every nook and cranny (their phrase, not mine!) right after the crime, so there's no way anyone could've been hiding in there after killing Inga. Once we're done, Ema tries to shoo us out because Nahyuta is coming. However, Apollo tries to confront him about what's going on and if this is really what he wants. Nahyuta feigns disinterest and apathy, but Apollo's bracelet says otherwise. Nahyuta does one of his weird chanting things and disables the bracelet. Apollo tries to explain his feelings about this, but doesn't do a very good job. After he leaves, Apollo wonders what happened to make Nahyuta be like this.

And with that, the perspective swaps to Phoenix, so that's all for now!
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SeabassDebeste posted...

LeonhartFour posted...

Dhurke even says he never thought he'd see the day his own son would come to his rescue, so now he can rest in peace.

the feeeeeels

and man - starting the second half of the case as apollo - whaaaaaat?!

It's funny how, the whole case, I was waiting for the perspective to switch to Phoenix, even though in retrospect, it's obvious that this was ALWAYS Apollo's case, and his alone, and that decision was so much better than to have Phoenix ever take the reins

You say there aren't many laughs to be had invesigating the tomb, but you left out my favorite part, which are the murals depicting Amara and Dhurke on the walls. Those are such a great touch.

Paratroopa1 posted...

You say there aren't many laughs to be had invesigating the tomb, but you left out my favorite part, which are the murals depicting Amara and Dhurke on the walls. Those are such a great touch.

Oh man, I meant to mention those but forgot! Yeah, those are great! Revisionist history at its finest!

I also forgot to mention the trail of blood leading from the chair where Maya was restrained to the sarcophagus, which does not belong to Inga. I guess this should've been a big hint about what happened, but when Apollo outright says neither Dhurke nor Maya has a wound anywhere on them, I quickly dismissed it as belonging to either of them! Whoops! Should've clued me in that SOMETHING was inside that sarcophagus, but I sort of put it out of my mind after this because I couldn't make sense of it.
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6-5's misdirection is subtly brilliant. They pretty much put all the evidence of what happened to Dhurke right in front of you, but they make the full picture just out of reach enough that when you finally get the final piece of the puzzle later, you didn't see it coming, even though you totally should have. You take it completely for granted that Dhurke is standing right there in front of you and miss the evidence to the contrary.

Yeah, they reveal a lot of hints. If you ever stop an consider what happened to Dhurke, huge parts of the case fall into place and you can run way ahead of the plot in terms of figuring out how the murder happened.
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Finished the Phoenix section of the investigation!

Unfortunately, my internet is down, so we'll have to wait for an update! It's super great though!
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since you're at the end here (or so I would assume - who knows with DGS), I'm expecting a rerank? or at least a list of potential movers?
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He does still have one more case after he beats 6-5.
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oh yeah, 6-6 exists
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man I spent most of last year ranking stuff

I'm not in any hurry to do it again
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didn't stop you from replaying the whole series again!
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yeah but I was doing something new with it this time
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I look forward to more suggestions in the future
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I really want to finish a series replay so I can properly rank cases, but I:

- Can't find my copy of AA4
- Am sick of playing AAI2 on emulator instead of cozying up with my 3DS
- Feel like it's too early to replay AA6
- Just don't really feel like going through all of LvW again

So I'm in a tough spot

Paratroopa1 posted...

- Can't find my copy of AA4

well there's always the new HD version on phone!

transience posted...

I look forward to more suggestions in the future

I'm sure you could come up with some reason to get me to play through it again!
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6-5 investigation day 2 complete, finally! Whew, what a day!

Update will have to wait until later this evening though!
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All right, let's talk about this massive investigation day! The Phoenix/Edgeworth investigation pairing is filled with so much goodness. I probably can't remember all of the great moments here, but I'll try! If you present random evidence to Edgeworth, he'll comment that a change of scenery hasn't affected his incurable habit, but Phoenix replies that he heard Edgeworth used to do the same thing in his investigations. When he asks where he heard that from, Phoenix says he has his sources, and Edgeworth says, "You can tell your 'source' he can look forward to his next salary assessment." At least Gumshoe's still on the force!

Edgeworth says that he didn't realize Phoenix had been in Khura'in all this time, and Phoenix wonders if he's missed him. Edgeworth denies it, adding that it's been nice to have the courtroom be so quiet while he's been gone. "You make it sound like I leave nothing but legal devastation in my wake." Then Edgeworth smirks and goes, "Well...don't you?" The continuity in this section is pretty amazing, because when you talk to Ga'ran later, she'll comment on the devastation Phoenix has left in his wake on their legal system.

Speaking of Ga'ran, one of her lackeys--the appropriately named "Lah'kee" (whose name Edgeworth gets wrong and calls him "Lakhee") and the royal shoulder rubber--says Ga'ran wants to see them. It's interesting how both times Phoenix visits the audience chamber (which has an amazing theme, by the way), there's a quick cutscene of him entering the room and the camera slowly rolling up to the throne where Ga'ran sits, with Inga by her side in 6-3 and Rayfa by her side here in 6-5. Apparently, Ga'ran is interested in the whereabouts of the Founder's Orb. They also have a very in-depth conversation about the origin and supposed "merits" of the DC Act. It was enacted after Dhurke represented himself in Amara's assassination and won. Ga'ran claims he forged evidence, and thus provided the impetus to pass that act (along with Dhurke admitting he ran away after they tried to force a retrial, knowing he had no chance to win). Phoenix doesn't back down in stating his opinion here, which causes Ga'ran to laugh and say it feels like she's being cross-examined herself, but Edgeworth tells him this isn't really the time or place for this conversation.

Once they get on the topic of the Founder's Orb, Phoenix says he doesn't know where it is but for some reason, he volunteers the fact that Apollo is Dhurke's adoptive son. I seriously don't know what he was thinking here. Just a really stupid thing to do! Even if you don't think Ga'ran is involved in the crime, you still have to be wary of her and what she might do! Ga'ran whispers something to her lackeys and they run off, but Phoenix and Edgeworth somehow can't connect the dots. You'd think at least Edgeworth would've figured it out!

Anyway, next we head over to the bazaar, but we're not there for long before Rayfa comes running up to us. She doesn't believe any of the accusations against her father, and she wants the two of them to help her investigate. Phoenix is happy to oblige because it means greater freedom to do whatever he wants! If you investigate this area, Edgeworth will say that he never thought he'd see the day when he'd be investigating with him, and Phoenix shoots back that he never thought he'd see the day when he got sentimental. Unfortunately, this is the same response you get no matter where you investigate. It also made me sad that you couldn't investigate the tomb as Phoenix and Edgeworth. Phoenix just says, "Apollo and Athena have this covered, so we should go elsewhere." Apollo and Athena have the same reaction if you try to investigate Inga's room later on, too.
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I marked out at the simultaneous Gumshoe and AAI references

Also I wonder how many times this makes this that Phoenix just went up to the bad guy with the important evidence

I sort of wonder what evidence Dhurke was accused for forging. The Amara assassination case doesn't really have any evidence at all since it all burned up.
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Team Rocket Elite posted...

I sort of wonder what evidence Dhurke was accused for forging. The Amara assassination case doesn't really have any evidence at all since it all burned up.

Yeah, it's a good question. Supposedly the lighter had his fingerprints on it, so you'd have to wonder what he came up with to counteract that.

Paratroopa1 posted...

Also I wonder how many times this makes this that Phoenix just went up to the bad guy with the important evidence

If we're including important information or evidence that he tells or shows for no reason that gets him or someone else in trouble, let's see...

Redd White in 1-2, Dee Vasquez in 1-3, von Karma in 1-4 (rookie Phoenix sure is dumb huh), Tigre in 3-3, and here. That's all I can recall off the top of my head anyway.
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Apollo also did it in 5-2

In the royal courtyard, there are some great trigger points. The best one is perhaps when you investigate the knocked over urn, and Phoenix says, "Well, this was like this before we got here, so we can rule out Athena, at least," which is another great instance of continuity with Apollo's side. Edgeworth replies, "...What does it say about your agency that the first person you suspect is your subordinate?" If you investigate the veranda, Phoenix has no problem believing it belongs to Rayfa, unlike Apollo!

As Phoenix approaches the door to Inga's quarters, he can hear Rayfa crying inside the room. "Oh Father, I had so many things I still wished to tell you." That line hits Phoenix hard (because it reminds him a lot of Trucy), and it hits me hard, too. transience was asking about possible movers after this playthrough, and even though I ranked Rayfa pretty highly already, I like her more and more each time I play. Also, there's no way Rayfa doesn't make an appearance in a future AA game, right? Even if it stays set in America, they'll find a way to put her in. She's just a really great character.

Phoenix calls out to Rayfa, and she quickly composes herself before coming out. Unfortunately, Phoenix is bad at playing dumb when he actually needs to, so Rayfa realizes he overheard her crying, so he gets the Snackoo'd sound effect (presumably getting hit with her staff...?), and Edgeworth says it would've been smarter to feign ignorance and it's as if his brain-to-mouth filter stops working the moment he steps outside of a courtroom. Rayfa also reveals that it was some "dingbat dog" that knocked over the urn, but she doesn't have time to remember the characteristics of every stray mutt she sees, so she has no idea which dog it was.

The investigation in Inga's chambers is really good. Rayfa reveals her theory for why her father wanted the Founder's Orb: To give her the spiritual power needed to channel spirits. She desperately wants to believe that if he DID do it, it was for her, not for the purposes of a coup. Rayfa calls out for Nayna at one point, but she doesn't show up. Apparently, she hadn't been seen since around an hour before the murder. Rayfa wonders if she's been a little too spoiled lately, and says she plans to give her a nice massage whenever she comes back. Rayfa has these really nice little moments once in a while where you see she really does have a good heart deep down. There was a good one in 6-3 where she reduces the reward for Datz from 3 million to 1 million since the money is provided from the people's taxes.

We find a bottle of Je Suis L'Belle in here for some reason. Phoenix offers it to Edgeworth, who insists he likes his natural color just fine. Phoenix discovers some painkillers, which Inga needed for his bad back, which he can relate to now. They also find a notebook filled with descriptions of various people. This was the moment I knew Inga had prosopagnosia, because it doesn't make sense otherwise. As Phoenix notes, why would he need a physical description of Nayna if he sees her every day? When Rayfa asks what description her father has for her, Phoenix reads out, "Pink garments, facial tattoos, and childishly cute." One of the weirdest disconnects and hardest things to reconcile in the series is the fact that Inga genuinely seemed to care for Rayfa, even though he knew she wasn't his real daughter. It's hard to imagine because you only ever see his evil side, but Rayfa at least had a hard time imagining her father as an evil person, so he must have had a soft spot inside of him somewhere.
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Paratroopa1 posted...

Apollo also did it in 5-2

Yeah, he did, but I was only counting Phoenix there. I don't think he ever does it in AJ and Edgeworth never does it in either AAI game, I believe.
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So yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your writeup - and all my favorite parts were just the Phoenix-Edgeworth banter. 6-5 is masterful with that. Probably the best part about playing as Phoenix in the latter games is just chatting with Edgeworth.
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Edgeworth is a weird piece of fanservice in a case that is as deadly serious as any case in the series. I don't think I like the Edgeworth stuff nearly as much as you guys, probably because I want Edgeworth to be substantial and he's a total cameo in 6-5. I probably won't get a lot of consensus on this.
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Edgeworth's mainly fanservice in 3-5, too, and he has the best part of that case. Maybe any case!
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transience posted...

Edgeworth is a weird piece of fanservice in a case that is as deadly serious as any case in the series. I don't think I like the Edgeworth stuff nearly as much as you guys, probably because I want Edgeworth to be substantial and he's a total cameo in 6-5. I probably won't get a lot of consensus on this.

Yeah, I don't care about this at all. It bothers you that Edgeworth is used in such a throwaway case in 6-6, too, but I'm fine with Edgeworth whenever the series wants to give him to me.
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SeabassDebeste posted...

Edgeworth's mainly fanservice in 3-5, too, and he has the best part of that case. Maybe any case!

Well, the cameo itself is fanservice, but it's a substantive role. 3-4 is a bigger piece of fanservice, really, because it didn't HAVE to be Edgeworth there. They just threw him in because Edgeworth is awesome.
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yeah, that was my next sentence (Edgeworth and 6-6). it felt substantial in 3-5 while still being mostly fanservice and I liked that a ton. in 6-5 I was like '....why is Edgeworth here? what is he going to do to justify his existence?'
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6-6 edgeworth is worse than 6-5 edgeworth for sure in terms of the mystique. we don't get much of the phoenix-edgeworth friendship, so any time that's emphasized it's great stuff to me.
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