Board 8 > Best Ace Attorney Epic Case

(+) Yeah! (+)

Decided to include 1-5 because I've always considered it an epic style case, and I combined Layton/AA and DGS1's epic cases into a single option since those two haven't been as widely played. If you're someone like dowolf who's actually been able to play DGS2 and you really like that epic case, my apologies!
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Oh right

2-4 > 1-4 > 3-5 > 6-5 > 5-5 > E2-5 > 1-5 > E1-5 > 4-4

I never really know what to do with Layton/AA's epic case. It's probably down there around 4-4 though.
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1-4: Great, though drags at times. The last part is amazing and it has one of the best breakdowns in the series.

1-5: Very elongated and one of the few cases where there are times where it's unclear what you're supposed to do next. But the great cast and the moral questions asked make up for it.

2-4: A fucking incredible thrill ride from start to finish with memorable characters, morality questions, and legit concerns with the stakes being so high. So many twists and turns.

3-5: Almost as good as 2-4 with its twists and turns, a strong cast, and a few really good twists. It does a great job at recapturing the same magic and puts an end to the original trilogy's storyline, though with one disappointment.

4-4: Fuck this stupid array of plotholes, out-of-character actions, and general bullshit.

5-5: The one I remember the least about, though the ending really sticks out to me. Something's never really sat right with me here.

6-5: Technically two separate cases, it's very long but very epic with many twists and turns throughout. If you count the two cases as one, it's almost as good as 2-4 - but I don't get why the game doesn't label them separately. It flows better if they are. Which is why I do what I do.

E1-5: This one was so great, but then boy did it start to drag. It's not a fun "final confrontation" with the Big Bad if he finds one excuse after another that has to unravel one at a time. For that alone, it's ranked below most of the others.

I haven't played the other two. So:
2-4 > 3-5 > 6-5 > 1-4 > 1-5 > E1-5 > 5-5 > Eating dog shit > 4-4
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3-5

3-5 > 2-4 > 6-5> 1-4> 1-5 > 5-5 > E1-5 > Layton > 4-4

Still haven't played E2

Oh good, the right one is winning.
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1-5 > 6-5 > 1-4 > 3-5 > 2-4 > E2-5 > 5-5 > E1-5

2-4 > 6-5 > 3-5 > E2-5 > 1-5 > 5-5 > 1-4 > 4-4 > Witch Trial > E1-5
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I feel like the B8 perspective on best epic case has slowly shifted over the years. In the early days, it was 1-4. Then it became 2-4. Now it looks like it's 3-5.
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6-5 has the best individual trial day, 2-4 has one of my favourite ever videogame moments, but 3-5 has everything.

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6-5 was an incredible emotional roller coaster that cemented Dhurke as my favorite Ace Attorney character. So that one easily gets my vote.

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2-4 is a perfect case that by itself justifies AA2's existence. 3-5 really isn't that far behind though, and feels easier to enjoy amid AA3's other fantastic cases.
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StifledSilence posted...

6-5 was an incredible emotional roller coaster that cemented Dhurke as my favorite Ace Attorney character. So that one easily gets my vote.

Dhurke is in my top 10 yeah.

Honestly, 2-4, 3-5, and 6-5 are all fantastic cases and I could say any one of them is my number one, but this time I voted 6-5. 5-DLC may be on that tier as well, or at least not far off
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2-4 is my favorite case in the series, but 3-5 is amazing as well. I particularly like getting to play as Edgeworth in the defense attorney's seat and squaring off against Franziska on Day 1.
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Wow... where are all the Grand Turnabout votes?

3-5 > 2-4 > E2-5 > 6-5 > 1-4 > 5-5 > 1-5 > E1-5 > 4-4 > Layton > DGS
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3-5 > 2-4 > 1-4 > 6-5 > 5-5 > 1-5 > E1-5 > E2-5 > 4-4
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Haste_2 posted...

Wow... where are all the Grand Turnabout votes?

Where they should be.

That case takes forever to really get going.
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Haste_2 posted...

Wow... where are all the Grand Turnabout votes?

3-5 > 2-4 > E2-5 > 6-5 > 1-4 > 5-5 > 1-5 > E1-5 > 4-4 > Layton > DGS

I mean, it sounds like you yourself would vote two others before it. So doesn't that answer the question? Lots of good cases.

I didn't vote for 6-5 but to be honest, I played 6-5 at a different time than I played the other great epic cases (I mean, this was like 10 years ago?) and it's hard for me to compare the experiences. Like Stifled said, that case's twist may have hit the hardest of them all and Dhurke is a fantastic character. I admit I didn't like how over-the-top evil the Queen was, plus Nahyuta is a pretty lame character as we've established. The other villains were sort of "meh" as well. (I'm referring to day 2 here because I don't even consider day 1 to really be the same case, though day 1 was also fantastic, but I don't know if it's additive)

2-4 > 6-5 > 1-4 > 1-5 > 3-5 > E2-5 > E1-5 > 5-5 > 4-4 > L-4

I still haven't played DGS

I'll defend Nahyuta. Great theme, good desk slam, good catchphrase. Decent as a prosecutor; he's no edgeworth but he's not as much of a pushover as klavier or franziska. His turn in 6-5 is pretty emotional.

Negatives: the red pepper/egg yolk stuff and the beads. I think he's somewhere in the middle of a prosecutor ranking

colliding posted...

good catchphrase

"Let it go and move on" isn't something I thought I'd see someone praise Nahyuta for...! I think he actually suffers from SoJ being a ridiculously long game because it makes him feel like he's overused.

Nahyuta has his moments. I think he's legit great as a prosecutor in 6-3 (albeit with a massive home court advantage). He's a fun opponent for Athena in 6-4. I feel like he gets wasted in 6-2, and he's involved in some of 6-5's worst moments.
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I just found out 6 exists

i bought 5 and never played it

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2-4 > 3-5 > 6-5 > E2-5 > 1-5 > 1-4 > 5-5 > E1-5 > D1-5 > L-4 > 4-4

Still waiting on the Youtube DGS2 translation to finish. They finally started up again so hopefully they don't run into many more roadblocks.

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More
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only one of these cases has godot
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It pleases me to see 6-5 doing so well
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I didn't think the Ace Attorney series could really surprise me again until 6-5 happened

E2-5? Saw it coming

5-5? Reasonably surprising, but I had kind of imagined they might someday do a setup like that

6-5? Completely laid me flat out on my ass and wondering what the hell just happened

DGS2 has the biggest surprise of all

but it's so, so bad
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6-5's twist was amazing because I figured it out like 30 seconds before the reveal and it was just like "oh crap no way no way no way no way" until they dropped it on me.

Also, just to give me an excuse to post it, transience and I came up with a list of notable Ace Attorney moments a year ago or so.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bJE03uTTRiLOOP6DKAMw8yg5fK0y33eU6TJpMUDjHxk/edit?usp=sharing
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2-4 > 6-5 > 3-5 > 1-4 > 5-5 > 1-5 > turd > 4-4

Paratroopa1 posted...

I didn't think the Ace Attorney series could really surprise me again until 6-5 happened

E2-5? Saw it coming

5-5? Reasonably surprising, but I had kind of imagined they might someday do a setup like that

6-5? Completely laid me flat out on my ass and wondering what the hell just happened

6-5 is like 3-5 but better.

Better prosecutor (sorry Godot but you're not a great prosecutor), more epic plot (revolution!), better protagonist (sorry Phoenix but you're not Apollo), better side characters overall (Durkhe, Inga, etc), better finish (dethroning the queen).

Meanwhile is ther same type of extremely complicated case full of spirit medium switches like 3-5.

yikes those are some hot takes

Godot isn't a great prosecutor in a technical sense but he's a fantastic opponent

Also 3-5's ending is pretty much perfect
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I also feel like 6-5 is kinda cheating by having two great cases in one essentially what with Apollo Justice: Civil Case being a part of it. Armie is just the absolute cutest, sorry Pearl.
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LeonhartFour posted...

yikes those are some hot takes

Godot isn't a great prosecutor in a technical sense but he's a fantastic opponent

Also 3-5's ending is pretty much perfect

I mean I loved 3-5 as mucyh as the next guy but 6-5 just made it better.

As for Godot the problem is that he belongs to the Edgeworth school of prosecution. He's ready to drop the whole thing about winning in order to pursue the truth. I mean it's funny watching him troll the people on the stand once they are caught lieing but that also does a poor job at opposing Phoenix.

He's probably my favorite character in the whole series, just not a great prosecutor imo.

Nah, Godot doesn't care about finding the truth, but he didn't care that much about winning either. All he wanted to do was put Phoenix to the test in order to, as he put it, "find out what kind of man" he was. He wanted to see if Phoenix could beat him one-on-one at the end. That's what makes him a great opponent. His entire goal is to push Phoenix to the limit.

And 6-5's ending isn't one of its strong points. It peaks with the big reveal, and it's never quite that good again.
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I have this theory where the prosecutors split into two schools, and that explains why some of them are better than others:

Von Karma School

Edgeworth (3-4, 1-2, 1-3, start of 1-5)
Manfred
Franziska
Nahyuta
Ga'ran
Paynes

Edgeworth School

Edgeworth (later 1-5, 2-4, 5-5, 6-6)
Godot
Klavier
Blackquill

Von Karma school prioritizes winning at all costs, while Edgeworth school always pursues the truth.

The thing is that the Von Karma school are just better opponents most of the time.

Godot doesn't always work, and Klavier is also a mediocre prosecutor.

Edgeworth works in 1-5 because that's his epiphany moment and because the opponent is one of the most invincible killers in PW history. It works in 2-4 because of the specific situation, and in 5-5 because it's a short section (though arguably 5-5 is not as epic precisely because the prosecutors are helping you). He only barely works in 6-6 because he forgets for a moment that he is supposed to pursue the truth, and remembers it by the end.

Simon is probably the exception, maybe he's the middle of the fence guy who doesn't easily rank easily in either school. I guess he's so much of an anti-social badass that we kind of forget he is pursuing the truth.

Imo Edgeworth school are more likable characters, but Von Karma school are better opponents.

Apollo's dethroning of Ga'ran was so good I wrote a mafia ability with that line as the title.

"We will dethrone her. Right here, right now".

Man, Nahyuta isn't a better opponent than Godot and especially not Blackquill. 5-2 Blackquill is perhaps the most vicious non-epic case prosecutor in the series. It takes Apollo the whole case to finally be able to stand up to him because he's practically scared to death of him.

(Apollo/Blackquill low key a top tier rivalry for the series)

The problem with all the "von Karma school" prosecutors is that they tend to be shallow and after a while I just get tired of dealing with them. Ga'ran would be a crappy prosecutor if she weren't in Khura'in, for that matter. All she does is try to rewrite the rules whenever something doesn't go her way.
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6-3 Nahyuta is amazing, though.

6-3 Nahyuta is him at his best, but Blackquill is the best part of 6-4 despite being the assistant. He's great in every single appearance.

One of the biggest problems with Nahyuta is that the epic case is his weakest showing, which should never be the case for a prosecutor. Even Klavier was at his best in 4-4.
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6-3 Nahyuta still sucks because he's still stuck with his shitty dialogue and personality. The lack of Nahyuta is the reason 6-5 is actually good.
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6-5 over 3-5 is an opinion I respect. It's wrong, but I still respect it.

Yeah, I can respect 6-5 over any of the traditional triumvirate. I just don't think its ending or the main opponent are why it should be put over them.
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nahuyta's music is better than blackquill's though. arguably even better than godot's.

roughly,

2-4 > 1-4 > 6-5 > E2-5 >>> 3-5 > 5-5 > E1-5 > 1-5 > 4-4

the AAI cases, 4-4, and 6-5 also have the weirdest rankings, since they're monster cases with tons of different highs and lows, while the narrative is more linear in AA1-3 and 5-5

Dels posted...

I'm referring to day 2 here because I don't even consider day 1 to really be the same case, though day 1 was also fantastic, but I don't know if it's additive

this sums it up pretty well
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No way, Blackquill and Godot have top tier themes
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From another topic:

6-5 >= 2-4 >= 3-5 >> 1-5 > 1-4 > 5-5 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 4-4

I guess you could put Ablaze after 5-5 and Grand after that, because I really hate the second half of that case. Final Witch Trial can go somewhere in the large gap between Grand and 4-4, close to the middle I guess. And Unspeakable Story... uh.... I dunno, between 5-5 and Ablaze I guess?
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Trying to bump it until 2-4 overtakes 3-5? How unethical. (oh....whoops)
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I mean, liking Nahyuta is an opinion, and I can understand it, but I certainly won't ever relate. I guess I do think his design and concept had potential, but, meh.

Personally, Nahyuta is a solid contender for worst AA character. His huge amount of screentime makes him much more of a nuisance than all of the single case annoyances.
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Meekins will forever be the worst character in the series
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