In Defense of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

Thanks to Capcom, I was granted early access to the Apollo Justice Ace Attorney Trilogy Collection! This was pretty fortuitous timing since I already wanted to review Apollo Justice around now anyway, so I fused the two ideas together for the first new video of 2024! In the first quarter of the video, I will give my spoiler-free thoughts on the collection, and in the remaining time, I will go in-depth on my thoughts on Apollo Justice and why it is a pretty underrated game!
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Twitter ▶️ / jsreviews2
Intro Bumper Visuals by ‪@ExoParadigmGamer‬
Intro Bumper Music composed and arranged by ‪@ThatSoundDesignGuy‬
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Chapters:
00:00 Apollo Justice Trilogy Review
05:22 Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Review
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#aceattorney #apollojustice

[@nicoloenricorimoldi7425]

I agree that Apollo Justice is more straight-faced than the Trilogy and I think it's one of its greatest strenghts. It's still an Ace Attorney game with all the series' quirks, but it's relatively grounded (a bit like the first game) and it has a modern and sometimes gloomy atmosphere you can't quite get anywhere else. There's quite a bit of grey morality in the characters as well, which I don't think was ever attempted much after this game.

[@johnd.2114]

I think the game's biggest strength is the feeling of genuine mystery that it evokes. No other game in the series forces the player to ask questions about the plot and characters from start to finish the same way this one does. I don't think it's the best or anything, but the ideas presented were far more compelling than anything DD or SoJ did.

[@Ropalme1914]

I honestly always felt Apollo Justice does a better job at showing the Dark Age of Law concept from Dual Destinies than Dual Destinies itself. You got to see Phoenix's current situation and doing shady things on Case 1, Kristoph's entire story, the whole fiasco with the Gramaryes, etc. On top of a darker atmosphere compared to the other games, and of course, Phoenix literally trying to change the system because he felt it was needed at that point

[@friendbreakfast]

​@@Ropalme1914 i mean, why do you consider the Dark Age of the Law a Dual Destinies concept? it was actually introduced in Apollo Justice, by name and all. the whole of AJ is about the Dark Age of the Law as much or even maybe more than Dual Destinies, even. Dual Destinies just picked up the concept from Apollo Justice - which is part of the reason i kinda dont agree when people say that Dual Destinies threw the story of AJ to the trash, but thats a different matter entirely.

[@Erik-gp3il]

Great Ace Attorney Chronicles does grey morality, and does a much better job of it in my opinion. The villains are more sympathetic victims of society with understandable, if not justifiable, reasons for their actions as opposed to cartoonish villains. It also meshes well with the game's overall themes of the truth not always being a wholly good thing and how society influences people.

[@nicoloenricorimoldi7425]

@@friendbreakfast The Dark Age of the Law in Dual Destinies is due to a lack of trust between the Defense and the Prosecution and lack of faith in the justice system in general, and was caused by Phoenix’s disbarment and Blackquil’s alleged murder. At the end of the game Blackquill is acquitted and the problem is solved. In the first four games the justice is system is shown to be broken and corrupt from the beginning; Apollo Justice takes it more seriously and suggests it should be supplanted by another, fairer system. The Dark Age of the Law is therefore much different from what Apollo Justice and the Trilogy present to the player, that’s why people say Dual Destinies ignored that plot point from AJ:AA.

[@SageofLight777]

Frankly, I'm glad we have many of the Ace Attorney titles under one roof now. Now if we could just get both Ace Attorney Investigations games...c'mon, Capcom. Give us Investigations 2...

[@theoutsiderjess4869]

I really want to plsy that

[@paperluigi6132]

Don’t forget the Layton crossover.

[@mistydolphin2524]

​@@paperluigi6132Maybe they can throw it in the investigations pack as an extra.

[@yokaipinata1416]

Capcom just stated they know about the fanbase's interest in an Investigations compilation (in part due to the second game not having an overseas release yet), but that they cannot officially announce anything yet, so at least, the chance exists. Regarding the crossover, as much as I'd like to see it re-released, I think it's a bit unlikely, if only because Capcom and Level-5 would have to talk it over, just your typical "more than one company owns this" complication, really. I don't think it would be impossible, though. ❤

[@glaceRaven]

This. Both games got mobile ports... but AAI2 _still_ wasn't released outside Japan. Hopefully this release will sell well enough to convince Capcom it would be worth it financially to finally give it to us. Honestly at this point people would probably be overjoyed even if all they did was ask to use the fan translation and fill in whatever was left. I know I would be.

[@keebs5780]

I love Kristoph as a villain. I wish the final cross examination with him was a little longer/complex to really feel like you’ve gotten him. It always felt a little anticlimactic to me. Love his breakdown though. The laugh was a chilling ending to the character.

[@tftf9337]

Klavier is my favorite rival/opponent/person-on-the-other-side. He was a refreshing change from the previous prosecutors and it really felt like he was just a really decent guy. It felt like we were a team trying to struggle our way to the truth together while being blindsided and mislead at every turn. He's also so quietly tragic, but he doesn't really let it get him down. He needs more love.

[@Zelenal]

Minor correction: The bracelet isn't what lets Apollo use that whole observe thing; it's an ability he innately has. The bracelet is just a magic artefact that lets Apollo know that there's something to notice. It's just like how the magatama simply lets Phoenix know that the person he's talking to is lying when it isn't obvious that they are.

[@aghadlarhen9397]

It's less magic and more...novelty? (The explanation that the heat from Apollo's blood under his skin causes the bracelet to become tight because it's made from some metal with inverse properties) Also, the Magatama physically allows Phoenix to "see" the lies that people are hiding through visual representations as Pysche-Locks (Edgeworth also "sees" the locks during AA:3 case 4.) whereas Perceive is closer to a "radar ping" that lets Apollo know something is sus and he has to identify it himself.

[@petitpois23]

id say thats how apollo thinks it works, because he doesnt actually know. he describes it that way in tutorial sections

[@Eclin]

Trucy also has the same ability, without the bracelet to help of course.

[@Handepsilon]

​@@Eclin yeah, although without the bracelet (or perhaps Apollo is just naturally a little bit better? Probably both), she wasn't able to sus out several witnesses' habit herself. She'd sometimes say stuff like 'Oh wow, I didn't notice it'. That said, the fact that she managed to train herself without the help of that bracelet is impressive on its own

[@hassanshaikh3451]

Yea let's be honest the bracelet is just a magic artifact, but for those who want the in game Canon explanation of the bracelet: The bracelet tightens to fit the wrist of the wearer, but it also tightens when the wearer becomes tense, when Apollo sees a witness tense up he subconsciously also tenses up so the bracelet notifies him to become aware of that tensing in which he can then focus and find where witness is displaying their habit. This is why only the descendants of Magnifi Gramarye can utilize it.

[@dragonbro8687]

25:06 People say this a lot when talking about Turnabout Succession, or just Apollo Justice as a whole, and while definitely true, I think Apollo Justice purposely takes a much different approach to a climax. Instead of having shocking, dramatic moments similar to previous games, Apollo Justice has and used darkness and mystery. There are so many different things that have been foreshadowed throughout the game, and so many different stories to uncover in Turnabout Succession, the truth behind Wright's disbarment, the fall of the Gramaryes, the story behind the Misham's, the truth behind Magnifi's death, Kristoph's omnipresent connection to it all, etc, or even more simplistic things like Trucy's origins and connection to Wright, or Spark Brushel as a whole. And then we have the slew of reveals, such as Zak Gramarye being Shadi Smith, Trucy and Apollo being related, Thalassa not being dead, etc. With all of these things to piece together, figure out unwravel, the finale reaches a incredible level of compelling-ness. There is just so much to untangle in this massive web of confusion, and that the feeling of darkness this game has, and the satisfying feeling of connecting all of these dots is nearly unmatched throughout the entire series (imo), the closest probably being Bridge to the Turnabout with all the loose ends it ties up, or Rise From The Ashes with its multiple story jumps and sections, and uncovering S-L9. While this game does not have the shocking, dramatic moments of previous finales, its masterful use of mystery, plot foreshadowing, darkness more than makes up for that, resulting in a incredibly unique and entertaining case. and game as a whole. tldr: turnabout succession underrated

[@MegamanStarforce2010]

straight up best soundtrack in the series. i love the sorrowful and melancholic tones throughout, it's really brilliantly done

[@___________0Z0X]

A new trial and session is still my favorite theme from ace attourney.

[@VampyreJellyfish]

completely agree! i have to say DGS has the best soundtrack, but apollo justice has the best soundtrack of the main games for sure. i wish we got more games with its music style.

[@yoursonisold8743]

It's all a matter of taste. I much prefer SoJ's soundtrack which feels like the ultimate refinement of all tracks that came before. Phoenix, Apollo's and Athena's themes are the best they have ever been and it also has a bunch of new outstanding tracks.

[@galaxyfam6471]

Apollo Justice was my favorite game of the series back when I played it when I was younger. After hearing how divisive this game was, though, I decided to replay it to see if it was really as good as I thought, or if I just had rose tinted glasses when I looked at it. After finishing it again, this game is still my favorite in the entire series, and I liked it even more than I did before. This game is so consistent to me. All of the classes are solid 8/10s, yet they stay more grounded than pretty much any of the other games. I also really respect how ambitious the final case is, and I love any story that has to do with the Gramarye troop. It’s a shame that Dual Destinies undid pretty much everything Apollo did to differentiate itself from the rest of the series. This game has such a cool take on how Phoenix developed in the last 7 years. I also personally think this art style is the best looking in the series. The games after still look good, but a lot of the animations look really uncanny. This was a great video on the game!

[@Juanma4thougths]

As much as I love this game too, not all the cases are created equal. Turnabout Trump is the only one that can hold up to scrutiny, and even then, there's issues, like the fact that if Kristoph could've ousted Phoenix and Apollo for having used forged evidence, even with being found guilty. Turnabout Corner's main issue is that Pal Meraktis, a surgeon, didn't realize Alita was still alive, and left a loaded gun inside the Noodle stand for some reason. Turnabout Serenade is easily the most infamous, since Machi Tobaye literally couldn't have shot with the murder weapon, yet that's never really discussed. And Succession mostly just suffers from Apollo being sidelined imo.

[@pack-gc9gt]

​@@Juanma4thougthson which grounds could Kristoph out Apollo for using forged evidence though? I agree with turnabout corner, but serenade was intentionally designed to be like that. an error you could point that would be much more incriminating in serenade was the fact that Lamiroir was attacked while Machi was in detention centre, which would somewhat evade suspicions from him

[@Juanma4thougths]

@@pack-gc9gt The card was presented by Apollo in Trump, so according to the law, and supported by this own game, he would be held accountable for presenting it as evidence. I don't get your point about "Serenade intentionally being designed like that", since there's a big difference between corruption and nonsense.

[@pack-gc9gt]

@@Juanma4thougths Kristoph's effort of accusing Apollo of using forged evidence would be to no avail, specially when the circumstances by themselves(his concealing of his presence in the crime scene prior to the murder, his knowledge of the victim's bald, the police finding a hidden passage in the crime scene). It wasn't a situation like Zak's trial, where there was an actual challenge for the defense to overcome. The bloody card wasn't a game changer as much as something that truly cemented Kristoph's guilt. The state of affairs really naturally led to Kristoph's status as a culprit. And regardless, using of the same logic presented in the game, he would have no evidence to prove the the ace card was indeed forged. As for the gun found in the stand, it is the one that Tiala attempted to shoot Meraktis in her confrontation that ended with her unconscious. Meraktis put her body and the pistol she tried to use against him in the stand with the intent of disposing of both. For Serenade, there was actually a degree of legitimacy behind the accusations in terms of evidence(Machi's fingerprints being found in very specific of the crime scene). That, combined with governamental interference(Klavier himself stated that higher-ups seeked for the incident to have a resolution as quick as possible), warrants Machi being a scapegoat. But I agree the logic in it is twisted, but for a critical flaw people tend to overlook: when Lamiroir was attacked, Machi was in the detention centre. That, by itself, would greatly undermine the accusations against him and imply another suspect altogether.

[@dan_man3087]

​@@Juanma4thougthswell, it's actually kinda both. This case INTENTIONALLY had an absurd allegations, but they were poorly explained by the developers, making this idea look unreasonably stupid.(in contrary to the reasonably stupid things main trilogy did). But the main idea was actually great, even though it wasn't explored much. Like... You do know, that Machi is being suspected not because the police WANTS to arrest him, but because Borginia is putting pressure on the Japanifornia's government to end this case as swiftly as possible due to the cocoon smuggling complications, and Japanifornia is just complied to avoid any possible political scandal? That's actually an AWESOME premise: because of the government, the police would be forced to do a quick and sloppy investigation, grasping at thin straws(like the general state of the crime scene and prints on the vent that were used in the game itself) or blatantly skipping the important facts, but... Yeah. It almost wasn't explored beside the smuggling plot-point and one phrase from Klavier about how "Borginia wants to close this case as soon as possible for some reason..." in the end of the first investigation day. I love the IDEA behind the case and a few twist in it, but i'm not a fan of the way they handled those ideas. Still, i have some soft spot for this case.

[@lssjgaming1599]

I remember playing these games back in high school in the 3DS. Im so glad to see it on modern consoles after a long while of waiting and with the eshop being down. Makes it much easier to access these games

[@magnusprime962]

It's especially good because the last game to get a physical release in the US was Apollo Justice. With the 3DS eshop down the only way for new players to get DD and SOJ would be the smartphone versions. They're fine, but obviously not as good as an HD remaster for consoles.

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

The games are on Android and iOS as well, so the upscaling and higher quality presentation aren't as new as people make out. Still a great compilation with new extras. Doesn't sound like they included the "Asinine Attorney" DLCs for SOJ, though.

[@josephburkhart6602]

I love how serious the athmosphere is. The final case when cross examining Kristoph I could cut the tension with the knife. He seems nice but then you do the ring thingy and he is just GLARING AT YOU. I LOVE IT.

[@massimodalessandro108]

I'm glad you got this Capcom partnership! Was super into your AA series retrospective for the original trilogy, so I'm super glad we're moving along with the following games, but I didn't expect Capcom to send you the new trilogy and all!

[@apollojustisnt]

Yesssss Apollo Justice is my favorite AA game (if you couldn't tell) and I think you did a great job at pointing out all the things that it did to stand out from the others. It's sad to see it being dismissed as one of the weaker titles with little regard to the things it did right

[@donut358]

Not gonna lie I think you really undersold the Gramarye family dynamics and how it all came together at the end with Lamiroir being the hand that casts the vote in the final trial was so beautiful

[@martincutcher1774]

I think saying that AA4 isn't as funny as the original trilogy is a little unfair because I think they have very different senses of humor AA1-AA3 has a very outwardly goofy sense of humor with wacky characters, silly quirks, and jokey dialogue, and while AA4 does that too it's not the main sense of humor. AA4's main sense of humor is very sarcastic and witty, focused more on the humorously realistic responses from Apollo to the goofy weird world he now lives in with the Japanifornia legal system, and how everyone around him just accepts it without question. It leans very heavily on Apollo being the straight man and he plays that role wonderfully, and I think his humor is a big contributor to his relatability

[@Phoeboi]

and yet it seems like nobody in Ace Attorney is straight

[@yoursonisold8743]

@@Phoeboi I guess you never played Turnabout Time Traveler.

[@hjghjgjhhjkhklk2683]

​@@yoursonisold8743bisexual

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

While ive come to terms with it over the years, im still sad that it feels like DD and SOJ basically abandoned everything unique that AJ was going for both narratively and thematically. It just has this unique feel compared to every other ace attorney game and its sad that DD played it so safe in comparison. Im also really sad we diddnt get the characters expanded on. Klavier has a lot of subtle details in how he is characterised that a future game could have expanded upon, but just werent. Trucy technically got more in 6-2, but imo that one felt like it kind of oversimplified her character and removed some of the complexity she had in AJ.

[@Mx.Monkey]

Thisssss🔥🔥 Need an AA5+6 written by Shu takami asap

[@saxor96]

I'm very sad that DD tries to get as far as possible from AJ... But I have to say, SoJ doesn't exactly throw everything into the trash bin. The Magical Turnabout is a natural follow up to AJ's themes (to the point that it *feels* like an AJ case). While, in the final case... (spoilers of course) . . . . We get to see Hobo Phoenix behaviour while he acts as Paul Atishon's attorney. When he got cornered into acting as a criminal's attorney (which is also a nod to Justice for All), he turns back into his shady mask to hide his emotions, and he even shows some of the poses that were previously exclusive to his hobo self.

[@erc3338]

Wasn't the whole "Dark Side of the Law" theme of DD directly because of the events prior to and during AJ?

[@saxor96]

@@erc3338 That as well, it's basically a follow up. DD just makes the whole thing explicit with a name. But they kill Phoenix characterization. He just feels like if he got back into his Trials and Tribulations self most of the time.

[@travismoon3251]

Honestly even his T&T self came off as more competent than in DD.

[@queencancerous5332]

Ace Attorney probably has one of the best translations to using 3D models. Literally none of the original charm or soul was lost.

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

I'm not sure I'd quite agree. I think DD still had some kinks to work out, and its presentation doesn't work as well as the 2D games for me. But thankfully, SOJ and especially great ace attorney more than fix those issues, so I guess I'd agree that the transition worked out extremely well in the end.

[@emisor9272]

Only because most 2d sprites were very old, from 2001-2004 for the GBA, retouched a bit for the DS and then upscaled for 3ds, wii, etc. They weren't that good to begin with, being frank. Apollo Justice's are amazing, especially the remastered versions since they are actually higher definition and not just an upscaling

[@nathanriver1556]

@@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502 PWvPL was even rougher than DD. But ya, I would agree that by GAA the charm of the original trilogy was all back.

[@shadowXD00]

2d has always been better then ace attorney 3d in my opinion

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

@shadowXD00 can't agree. Great ace attorney looks gorgeous and does so much with 3D that it would be a waste for the series to ever go back.

[@fdg2208]

Apollo Justice is doing FINE!!!

[@rasengdori13]

One thing I’ve learned all these years is that gamers HATE change. Anytime a franchise tries something different and takes a big risk there’s always backlash, only for the game that did it to be fondly remembered several years later. It happened with MGS2, Wind Waker, and now Apollo Justice. It will happen again (The Last of Us 2).

[@Zephridus]

Nah, doubt about TLOU2

[@nicoloenricorimoldi7425]

The use of Sam Riegel’s voice clips in the remastered version of Apollo Justice is so jarring. It feels so odd to hear his voice come out of Trilogy/AJ Phoenix. I can understand why they did it though.

[@Juanma4thougths]

Do you know if they use Sam Riegel's voicelines in Succesion too? Because I kinda prefer it in Trump, it makes more sense and feels more fitting imo

[@nicoloenricorimoldi7425]

@@Juanma4thougths I don't know, unfortunately. I don't own this remastered "trilogy", either.

[@Juanma4thougths]

@@nicoloenricorimoldi7425 That's fine. Though there's no need to use quotes, it is a trilogy, just a very messy one haha. Calling it "Apollo's" trilogy will always be the thing most take issue with.

[@JsReviews]

Yeah, Sam Reigel replaces Ben Judd in Succession. I am not sure why they did that, since Apollo and Klavier still have their original voices in AJAA.

[@nicoloenricorimoldi7425]

@@JsReviews Ben Judd has apparently been a subject of controversy in the last few years (s. harassment and inappropriate behaviour), so the staff for the remaster probably decided not to include his voice.

[@jerielc709]

you do a much better job painting the problems of ace attorney's legal system than ace attorney does lol ive always liked and defended aa4 but you really put into perspective that there's still more to appreciate

[@Cejilmeister]

Always good to see people back after the New Year. I'm excited to see what you have in store. Also, nice intro animation.

[@ghrtyeje]

0:34 He has an intro animation now. J is evolving 👀💪

[@KratosAurionPlays]

Apollo Justice is still my favorite ace attorney game. It was my 4th game and I just found the story so captivating.

[@Exellocks]

Great review! Really hit the nail in the coffin on a lot of what makes AA4 tick. I love the darker direction they took Wright in, with him getting too cocky costing him his job, growing into getting more and more bitter to the point of doing anything he can to get back at Kristoph, it's really compelling. (Oh and by the way, if you wanna do the Investigations game next but worry about them not having gotten remasters yet, just know that DS emulation has gotten really good nowadays, and you can very easily grab a save from the internet to be able to get through the text faster')

[@brysonlambes7175]

I'd love there to be anime adaptation of the forth game, just for the scene of Phoenix jumping behind the defence stand.

[@GeneralBolas]

My biggest issue with this game is that it's not Apollo's game. Phoenix is still functionally the protagonist. We just see everything from the perspective of Apollo. In the previous games, Phoenix got to make plans. A lot of those plans blew up mid-way through, but he got to make them. It felt like we were following his story. Even with Mia became a central character in the third game, Mia didn't uncover the villain's ultimate scheme (at least not in court); that was still Phoenix. In this game, it feels like Phoenix knows everything and is just leading Apollo around. The only reason Apollo is even involved is because Phoenix is no longer an attorney, so he needs a proxy in court. Apollo doesn't even do the most important investigation; we just flash back to Phoenix doing all of the work, and then just dumping the case to Apollo to litigate in court.

[@lpfan4491]

The funny thing is that Phoenix has indeed stacked the deck just to reach his overarching goal. People always talk about the trope "hijacked by ganon"(Where a previous villain suddenly takes over), but this game is one of the rare and possibly biggest example of a "hijacked by Link".

[@JordanStar7]

I love Apollo Justice. My switch copy of the collection will be here Sunday and I can’t wait to experience it all over again 🎉 thanks for the video

[@GentlemanGamer94]

This was a wonderful retrospective ^_^ While Apollo Justice isn't my favorite game of the series either, the pacing definitely feels a tad off to me in places upon revisits, it's still a great time. Wonderful new characters, a compelling overarching story, possibly the best pursuit theme in the series (tied only with AAI2's in my mind) and some really interesting themes that are fun to think about. Even now, roughly 15 years after having played it for the first tine, I'm finding new layers to this game and its writing thanks to videos like yours. :) So yeah; great video, and I'm looking forward to revisiting the Apollo Justice Trilogy in the days to come ^_^

[@user-df8hl4zx2l]

IMO, the only problem with AJ is Turnabout Serenade. That case is a slog, but it isn't bad.

[@ripedevilfruit]

I have the same opinions of AJ (the game) as you but I appreciate that while you pointed out its cons you also gave credit to what it does right and whats different from the og trilogy. Its not my favorite game but I do also feel it still has its own stuff to appreciate. Thanks for the review!

[@nvnvnv13]

Frankly, I always love Apollo Justice. he is a charming main character and not to mention, have one of the likeable prosecutor over all the franchise (I hate u, Nahyuta). But hear me out here. I think Capcom did him dirty when they port this game and bundle it as APOLLO JUSTICE TRILOGY Because, no. No no no no, what do you mean it's HIS trilogy? The next game is about Athena, and the next next game is about Phoenix. The game was SO desperate to make Apollo relevant once again, they kept adding another background story upon another background story. Him being Nahyuta's step brother is so out of nowhere, it's no wonder I hate that game His trilogy? More like 'FEATURING Apollo from Apollo Justice' :/ It's kinda saddening to me because I do love Apollo Justice but Capcom didn't do him justice 🤧

[@TheLadysAtelier]

Oh my god I agree so much

[@bpaed]

I love Apollo Justice mainly because of the atmosphere. It isn’t as over-the-top as the first trilogy, and the soundtrack greatly reinforces this as well. I feel like it gives the sinking feeling of hopelessness throughout the game.

[@thattimestampguy]

0:41 The Apollo Justice Trilogy 1. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (2007) 2. Dual Destinies (2013) 3. Spirit of Justice😊(2016) 1:50 + You can Customize The Menu Screen 2:12 + Extras 2:38 Updated Apollo Justice to HD. 3:00 Upscaling animation 4:03 *+ Endearing Characters and Mystery Solving* 5:20 The Birth of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. 6:16 Apollo Justice Ace Attorney got favorable reviews in 2007. *Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, The Story* 7:20 AJ Case 1: Turnabout Trump. 10:17 _Fake Evidence to Catch The Real Killer_ 🩸 ♠️ 10:53 Case 2: Turnabout Corner • New Characters • The Wright Anything Agency 11:28 • Trucy Wright, “quirky and confident to a fault.” 🎩🪄👧🏻 11:46 • Ema Skye, “Grump Homicide Detective.” 🕵🏻‍♀️ 12:28 _Perceive_ 👀 12:55 • Klavier Gavin 🎸 + A Prosecutor That DOESN’T hate or want to ruthlessly defeat The Defense. 15:30 Case 3: Turnabout Serenade 🎤 🎹 🎸 🔥 17:33 Case 4: Turnabout Succession. ☠️ 🏥💅⚖️ 19:42 Confident, Capable, Phoenix Wright. 20:01 Dramatic Irony 🎭 20:10 Assinine Legal Standards for Presenting Evidence in Court! 📚⚖️ 21:59 “Evidence won’t be good enough.” 22:34 Cool Calm Confident, Serious yet Goofy Phoenix Wright. 23:41 Kristoph, A Villain of The Old Legal System 📚⚖️ 25:22 The Strength of Apollo Justice + Telling a Story about The Ace Attorney Legal System

[@quint866]

You legend

[@trigunlover11]

Amazing to have a newer remake on the Nintendo Switch and others for these 3 games in one. Love it. :) Many things to happen a few years later, good story with some old and new characters here. Really cool review. Keep at it for this series. Well, you're reviewing the fourth game first, also a good story there.

[@petertilton7004]

One thing you forgot to mention: The original Apollo Justice had Ben Judd's Phoenix Wright voice clips, but for the trilogy they use Sam Riegel's Wright voice clips from Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice.

[@natyfop]

Yeah! AJ needs more love! I still don't enjoy playing through Turnabout Serenade, but like you said, this game has a very unique approach to its main plot and themes, which I really like. It's the only AA besides DGS where I like the majority of the characters, and it's also my favorite AA OST. Good stuff.

[@lukasvokurka9224]

Now that I see this trilogy I hope so much, that we'll also get rerelease of Investigation games and especially the Phoenix Wright vs Professor Layton game(although I think that would be the hardest one to get, since they would need to make a deal with Level5). But of course, I would take new game over rerelease.

[@jacobgiron96]

Man, I literally saw this video yesterday, and they just announced both Miles Edgeworth investigations on switch, it's been some years since I watched anything Ace Attorney related, that's crazy coincidence

[@Cosmicninja747]

My biggest gripe about everything after this game is that a lot of what was introduced in this game was backtracked going into Dual Destinies. The jurist system isn't even mentioned and Phoenix himself has also backtracked in his personality. Going back to how he was in the orginal trilogy and showing little signs that Dual Destinies Phoenix going forward is Apollo Justice Phoenix. Sure he still has some of that development but no where near the level of what he actually had in AJ. I wish that Phoenix in DD and SOJ was the more developed Phoenix we got in AJ. I personally am not a fan of Phoenix still being largely the same person even though it had been almost a decade in between T&T and DD.

[@Lazrael32]

To be fair Shu never intended to make them past the first game. as he was told it will never be ported. I am sad we never got to see his vision realized for apollo but at the same time i'm glad we got the other games he did make. Now for Miles Edgeworth to finally get a release and for us to get the final game that wasn't brought over!

[@dietrichrache1975]

Here arter the Investigations Collection announcement. Good timeline.

[@yocyber5711]

So glad we finally got a port of Apollo justice. I remember emulating it on my mom’s old android back then cuz I couldn’t convince my parents to buy me a Nintendo ds.

[@mistersonic93]

Man I loved this game. It's not my favorite but I had a lot of fun. I was shocked to see a lot of people online didn't like it. Anyways, this was a great video!!

[@sumirahuja1117]

I really enjoyed the review. Hey J's, can I ask, will you be doing proper reviews for duel destinies and spirit of justice

[@Impbrush]

I really like Apollo Justice, I have a bias since it was my first one (it is honestly a great jump on point since very few returning characters are used). The game had this fun use of space as the means to present mysteries, from how a character is positioned in the scene to how they can move through it or affect it. I know this sounds odd since that was a factor in the other ones but it felt more emphasised here. Also I love Trucy as an assistant, I like Athena and Maya but Trucy felt like she needed another game or two standing next to Apollo to handle crimes, just liked their dynamic.

[@gundambassexe31]

Just got my copy today ! Thank you capcom !

[@SMPandanic]

12:50 THATS CANON!?!?! xD

[@GDitto]

Love the video! Some of the name pronunciations are a bit off, which can ruin the puns. For instance, “Vera drew my sham”.

[@Holy_Zen]

I did just finish re-playing it myself courtesy of the collection and, while I agree that it was better than I remembered it to be, I still definitely think it's one of the weaker entries. The issue is that Apollo Justice was supposed to be the main character and yet he has no real "moments of cool". When Phoenix Wright was a rookie, he had his mentor die in the second case he ever presided over, and had to deal with a hostile prosecutor, followed by the likes of Manfred Von Karma. I liked Klavier Gavin, but it felt like Apollo got thrown a soft-ball for his first time up. On top of that, Phoenix Wright did all the heavy-lifting in the investigations for him in the final chapter, and Apollo was kept in the dark. I felt he never really got any real time to shine for his entire debut game, and never got an identity of his own beyond "Phoenix Wright 2: Electric Bugaloo" until the next couple games.

[@righteousrawb7225]

Loved these games as a kid and still love em now

[@erc3338]

All I wanna know about the AJ Trilogy is if they fixed the glitch in AJ Case 3 that softlocked you and made you restart from the last checkpoint, or from the start if you saved after the glitch occured.

[@BritBox777]

Just watched your 06 and saw you bring up Apollo Justice for "when characters you love do things you don't agree with" and I thought... Yup, I need to see if he's covered AJ before.

[@thewindwaker]

Do dual destinies next please

[@Door3234]

spoilers: i don't know if you've mentioned it as i haven't watched the video but the trial from 7 years ago is a work of art with the way that it builds a sense of dread, you know what piece of evidence is fabricated while Phoenix doesn't, you have to sit there and watch as Phoenix at the height of his career thinks he's on top of the world while trying to show Klavier just who he's up against, what really sells it is that Klavier buys into the hype, he ends up asking for one of those "wright moments" while we know, this time Pheonix can't rise from the ashes, there's no way to not present that piece of evidence and because we as the player have to do it the sense of tension and dread is overwhelming because you have to destroy pheonix's life with something as simple as one button press, just like how easy it was for Kristoph to ask for that evidence.

[@krackkokichi]

im a huge fan of this game and have always felt it's been mostly overlooked and underappreciated. definitely close to the top of my list in the series

[@Morgil27]

In hindsight, I kinda wish the previous trilogy collection had a lot of the sweet special bonuses that the Apollo trilogy has.

[@areono460]

Just decided to jump into all these justice games after playing judgment and this video reinforced my happiness to purchase these

[@robmarshall6387]

Sensational video, sir

[@jboyathegamer]

I love this game so much i used to play the ace attorney series but i never got to play spirit of justice

[@BiGmIl21]

Missed A chance to play when it came out for the ds. glad the trilogy is out now i continue playing these also games!!!

[@daxteryvillencourt9048]

Props to Capcom, their collections keep getting better when it comes to adding stuff to their collections and UI.

[@SuperBatSpider]

I don’t always ship Apollo and Klavier, but I start to again every time I play Turnabout Corner

[@klaus.sfc01official30]

Now we just need an investigations trilogy (yes, trilogy) then the world is lovely once more.

[@quint866]

Ooh Here we go!

[@kdsm6424]

i think this game is about on par with justice for all two great cases relevant to the overarching plot and 2 kinda meh cases inbetween em, i will say that case 3 trial day 2 was really good but yeag it wasnt that good for most of the case and case 2's investigation sections had a very cozy vibe to em that i like, i actually feel like im exploring the environment in this case

[@CosmizEve]

9:45 d-did they change his voice to the 3d games voice actor in Apollo Justice? Phoenix always used the og voice in apollo justice, not Sam Riegel's

[@boychinwonder]

Sounds like it. It really bothers me.

[@brentonbuchanan8445]

Yeah like I was bored by AJ when i first played at like 14, but i replayed last year as an adult and thought it was pretty brilliant, and just figured the more serious "straightfaced" tone was intended to set it apart from the trilogy paving the way for a more grounded and realistic future going forward. But I see how some could take that as a flaw or otherwise just not on brand making it a lesser entry in ace attorney as a whole for some people.

[@Sleth0theoriginal0]

I replayed this last year and quickly realized it was the best written and most coherent in the series. Nowadays I'd say it's my favorite hands down. (SLAPS DEFENDANT'S DESK)

[@Keaixiaoen0919]

As someone who's learning Chinese and will be learning Japanese these games are amazing for me to practice my reading. I'm glad we have a language selection beyond English and Japanese😊

[@ironjoe9694]

THE INTROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@weisstofall2615]

I'm gonna use this chance to say: Dual destinies would've been better if they didn't do the whole "THe first case is cronologically right before the last"

[@Scorbunzx]

So all that’s left is both miles edgeworth games and Layton vs wright that would equal to 4 games or 11 games if you count each of them separately.

[@teeth227]

i never understood AJ hate, its actually my favorite in the series

[@PointingouttheObvious]

I’m gonna be real I played Apollo for the first time last year and it isn’t bad but boy is it rough

[@ImportAustralia]

Not everything about Apollo Justice worked but at least it was willing to take risks and shake up the status quo. Can’t say that about DD and SoJ.

[@captaincz5763]

THATS RIGHT MY GOAT HAS UPLOADED 🙏

[@BritBox777]

Despite popular impressions of Dual Destinies I think the finale case is one of the strongest in the series. Plus, the DLC case (Reclaimed) is in my top 3 favourites of the franchise because it's just a fun time.

[@theoutsiderjess4869]

I was hooked the minute I heard pheonix lost his license and he was on trial Im just glad I can finally play it on ps5

[@gundambassexe31]

Are you familiar with great ace attorney chronicles? Just curious 😊

[@toxagen1144]

Some people say that Kristoph's motivations are boring since his whole reason for doing everything is basically just because Phoenix Wright was hired instead of him. However, I think it is actually a really cool motivation because it shows how someone so well respected can lose the entire script for what they were trying to do. The point of a defense attorney is to prove that the accused is innocent. But for Kristoph, is was just a way to make money, look good and slide under the law.

[@sorendipitous]

That was his motive for the forgery setup at least. Everything else was him covering his tracks out of paranoia

[@YOSHIERIDER]

One thing that always irritated me about this game is that I was constantly prevented from talking to the defendant. 1 is the tutorial, so it kinda gets a pass. Phoenix keeping secrets the whole case sets a trend though. 2, I'm not sure Wocky ever tells you what happened from his perspective. Being the most annoying defendant in the series thus far didn't help. 3, what's-his-face is supposedly blind, and doesn't speak English. You're not allowed to have a single conversation with him until day 2. I still hate this case, after all this time. 4, Vera is so incredibly shy she can't bring herself to say anything either. It's hard to care about defending these people, when you never get to talk to them. Unfortunately, Wocky is the only one we get to really talk to. Of course, he's lying to everyone. In the AA trilogy, this wasn't a constant problem. Game 1, we got to talk to everyone except Lana Skye, and getting her to finally reveal what she knows is essentially the crux of the entire case. Though Edgeworth not explaining his perspective until day 3 is dumb; there's no story justification, Phoenix just apparently didn't ask the right question I guess. Game 2, Maggey might be the most cooperative defendant in the franchise. Matt is lying big time, but that's kinda the whole point. Game 3, I always hated that Phoenix takes the stand before Mia has had any opportunity to talk to him. It sucks. You can't really tell when Ron is being honest, and when he's not, but I think it works in case 2. Case 4, Terry being mentally retarded is a hindrance, and I doubt many people consider him a favorite defendant, but he isn't trying to get in your way until the very end. Case 5, Iris hiding things from you partially caused everything to happen in the first place. Being the big finale of the whole trilogy, I'd say it works. The recurring motif here is that the hardest cases are the ones where your defendant is working against you, and their own interests. It's a special event, usually reserved for the grand finale. Everyone else is willing to trust their lawyer and provide everything they know. Meanwhile, in AJ, literally every defendant is uncooperative, in a major way.

[@marleonka.]

One thing that I always like to point out about this game is how Apollo really is alone for most of it. Trucy being his only friend and even Phoenix only ever seeing him as a tool for revenge on Kristoph, the same way Kristoph aimed to use Apollo. AJ's Phoenix, even in his highest moments is always shown as a much more cynical person, because while he didnt use forged evidence in the final trial, he used Lamiroir as one of the jurists for Vera Misham's trial and abused the fact that nobody else knew she was the defence's mother. He's breaking the rules every chance he gets just to achieve his goals. The game in general plays into the idea of people not being what they seem (the Gavin brothers, Guy Eldoon, Winfred Kitaki, Machi Tobaye, all four of the Gramarayes, the real forger at Drew Studio, etc.) and Phoenix himself is the best example of that.

[@dinasov9]

I loved Apollo Justice, it's one of my favourite ace attorney games. There's just so many interesting and compelling characters all the way through.

[@Klemeron]

genuinely good analysis! I think we weren't ready for Apollo Justice when it released. It was a darker, more nuanced and subversive take on the franchise and it's a shame they didn't keep that theme running, basically retconning all the most interesting bits away...

[@moejuggler6033]

Thanks to the new collection, I learned how much better AJ is than how I remembered. Also thanks to the new collection, I realized how much worse Dual Destinies was....

[@leont6813]

Wait WHY didn't they use the sprites from the HD trilogy?? Phoenix looks so wrong in apollo justice

[@twilighttiger2368]

Having just gotten done playing through Apollo Justice for the first time (via the new AJ:Trilogy), I definitely believe it is a SEVERELY underrated gem! I haven't played through AA5 or 6 yet (just started DD) so I can't say anything about those 2 games for myself just yet; But I honestly think Apollo Justice (AA4) is right now **currently** my VERY close 2nd favorite mainline AA game I've played overall (just behind PW:Trials&Tribulations/AA3)! And the game's OST is an absolute banger too! My current ranking (of the games I've played through fully so far) would be: 1. AA3 (T&T) 2. AA4 (AJ) 3. AA1 4. AA2 (JfA) Don't get me wrong I love all these games by themselves, but I'm just ranking them based on the overall emotional impact they left upon me as a whole narratively-speaking).

[@ItMeRobin]

I have to heavily disagree with the stance on Case 3. It's not positively remembered because "it's dry, slow and boring". It's not positively remembered because it's just not a good case. A lot of it doesn't really make any sense, and even for ace attorney standards, it's just not believable.

[@BobbyTheGamerOfJUSTICE]

Me one of the few AA fans who prefer the Apollo trilogy over the original trilogy.

[@SamtheBravesFan]

It's one of my favorites in the entire series. I get that the characterization was a bit funky, but I enjoyed the characters in general and didn't feel like I was beung manipulated into liking Apollo and Trucy. The entire story arc was solid. I like that there was a whole manipulation scheme and it was good to aee Phoenix had done his usual investigative mastery in order to uncover the truth. Plus I love the courtroom music. You have to knock that out of the park because that's where you spend most of your time and I think it was a home run.

[@Beanzops]

True

[@kolkagaming1234]

When are you going to to do that classic Mega Man retrospective?

[@blackman34]

Miles Edgeworth next 👀

[@legobeylov7470]

Ngl itd be cool to see layton trilogys have the first 3 (trilogy) then the other 2 plus layton and wright (trilogy) while it wouldnt have a cohesive trilogy title like apollo or pheonix but itd be cool or do ace attorny distant lands where its investigations 1+2 and wright and layton

[@ExImperialDragon]

I enjoyed playing Apollo Justice when I was younger, but it was never my first pick in the series (it released when I was just starting in college, so I played while waiting for classes to begin, or while waiting for a ride back home or to work). The largest issue I had back then with AA4 was... Apollo. It just didn't feel like his game, or his story to tell. Multiple other characters had more skin in the game for that story, and Apollo was just along for the ride. It took me years to understand that my issue with AA4 wasn't actually Apollo- it was Phoenix. Basically everything that transpired was set up by either him or Kristoph. Phoenix is far and away the most interesting character, which is strange given how AA4 is both clearly trying to move away from Phoenix but also isn't ready to let go of him, yet. It also doesn't help that I consider AA4's 3rd case to be one of the worst cases in the entire franchise (well, the first half. It's aimless, nonsensical to an incredible degree, and you go into the trial even unclear on why the defendant was even arrested. The second half is fine). Apollo's backstory isn't even fleshed out until Spirit of Justice, which as far as I'm convinced, is the actual Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. AA4 is okay. It's not my favorite in the series (I prefer it to Dual Destinies and AA1, but it's still in the lower bracket for me. I think much more highly of Justice for All (that final case is perfection), Trials and Tribulations, Spirit of Justice, Investigations 1 and 2, and Great Ace Attorney 1 and 2, but that still doesn't mean Apollo Justice is a bad game.

[@amyunderwood2113]

Just finished Apollo Justice last night on the Switch and overall I agree with your points. I think Apollo is really just another Phoenix Wright sans years of experience, but I am curious how Apollo will be like in Dual Destinies since I think that's where he kinda breaks off from that personality. (Did not have a 3DS so never played it myself) I was not a huge fan of the "lying mechanic", as you were right it was a stretch, and very difficult to catch compared to the Magatama mechanic. Also, IMO, the music in Turnabout Serenade was the worst. I was not a fan of that song. I would rather listen to the Blue Badger theme song over and over than have to continuously watch that piece of evidence haha. I think while not as dramatic and emotional as Trials and Tribulations, finding out the mystery of "seven years ago", and realizing that every case was connected somewhat to them was really satisfying when you get to the end. So I still overall liked Apollo Justice.

[@rouge939]

Didn’t know this needed a defense. It’s a great game

[@TinkBellQ]

Wait you mean you can just skip the first half of Turnabout Revolution

[@auser1472]

Im hoping that the next pack is the Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection. Containing 1 and 2. And... Maybe they could licence the Prof Layton game to make it a trilogy?

[@joeser6666]

i hope this review convinces me to like apollo justice (the game)

[@felixorozco4055]

5 and 6 already had the chapters in the 3ds version.

[@stevenuniveresefan2179]

Nice