Started it a year ago, in Japanese, in order to practice and improve my vocabulary and reading comprehension. It's a useful game because there's both single and dual language transcripts out there that make it easy to look up kanji you can't read, or sentences you don't understand; and the fact that JP language isn't region locked (this not true of TGAA as it needs an external patch).
Both scripts don't differ that much in information, though there's some differences in tone (Japanese version tries to be more serious, even if it still has jokes) and setting (character's names, countries of origin, foods...). In this regard, it's a good tool for learning. And it's also interesting seeing the localization differences, jokes that can't be translated... The only setback being the game itself, which I found subpar.
1-1 is super easy and obvious, fair enough being the tutorial. Only afterwards you have the same structure, but longer. 1-2, originally designed as the tutorial, also holds your hand all the time. It introduces investigations, which boil down to clicking on everything, talking with people and presenting everything in your inventory. With it you gain evidence for the next trial. I've often seen the distinction that ace attorney isn't a VN because of this, but it's so railroaded that it's almost as mindless as pressing 'next' when reading. Once you pick up all the pieces of evidence, the day will conclude and trial will start. Pressing witnesses and using evidence is just as shallow as investigations. And often, as is the case with 1-2, the case isn't won by this but by an asspull by some other character.
By 1-3 it starts being more fluid. You're not told the perpetrator outright, and situations have a bit more mystery behind them. Unfortunately it's also when it starts feeling formulaic due to the game repeating the same clichés. It's like you're replaying the same trial(s) no matter the case. Always the witnesses which you catch lying and contradicting. The judge being ready to dismiss the case and declare your client guilty until suddenly you manage to make an assessment that turns the tables (which are then turned back again, and once again you're in trouble). The cartoon villain breakdowns from the culprits, and the fact that you can identify them long before because the game tries to hint subtlety at them but just makes it obvious. Plus, their name is something like "Mr. Urder Killpeople". Each case and trial tries to make the stakes higher but only manages to desensitize you to these scenarios and make them routine.
Another part of the formula is crazy twists and sudden discoveries, often far-fetched and requiring even more suspension of disbelief than the base game already does with its world (attorneys having to investigate in cases but not really given much leeway to do so; the fact that even if you prove Will is innocent, he will go to jail unless you can name the perpetrator...). Plot-wise a lot of these cases withhold information from you for the sake of stretching the mystery, with areas unlocking only when it's relevant or cases like 1-4 or 1-5, where even your own clients won't tell you basic information about the case until after a certain point. This bundled with photographs that are blurry, ones where the identity of the person isn't clear... it's just underwhelming how the game plays the same cards every time. So in the end even more 'developed' cases like 1-4 and 1-5 are the same as the first ones, just with an even more convoluted plot and beating around the bush.
Fans sometimes acknowledge the ridiculousness of some plots, and also that it's just as much about the mysteries as it's about the characters, but I found that aspect just as badly executed. One-dimensional, generic personalities akin to a shounen anime: your rival gets presented as a terrible guy but turns out, just misunderstood. Also you are childhood friends. Also you end up working together in the name of justice.
It's not actually deep development to have him 'turn' good between chapters, or retroactively show "he actually didn't do all those bad things, it was actually another bad guy" It just shows the biggest pitfalls of this game when it comes to characters: 1. white-and-black morality: good characters do no wrong and bad characters are capable of any crime; 2. making up character development as it goes along especially by flashbacks: oh, actually phoenix wanted to be a lawyer because of miles, oh miles was a good kid until adopted by A Bad Guy™, oh Mia is your mentor and very important to you, but there's no weight to her death because development also comes later.
Phoenix himself barely has an arc, and I really don't wanna boot up the next game just to see him be a rookie lawyer again, struggling in the tutorial case. Other capcom games, which are not character driven, like RE or DMC present more changes in characters between games.
Anyway, if someone has actually read all of this word salad and agrees with some stuff, I'd recommend Disco Elysium.
Both scripts don't differ that much in information, though there's some differences in tone (Japanese version tries to be more serious, even if it still has jokes) and setting (character's names, countries of origin, foods...). In this regard, it's a good tool for learning. And it's also interesting seeing the localization differences, jokes that can't be translated... The only setback being the game itself, which I found subpar.
1-1 is super easy and obvious, fair enough being the tutorial. Only afterwards you have the same structure, but longer. 1-2, originally designed as the tutorial, also holds your hand all the time. It introduces investigations, which boil down to clicking on everything, talking with people and presenting everything in your inventory. With it you gain evidence for the next trial. I've often seen the distinction that ace attorney isn't a VN because of this, but it's so railroaded that it's almost as mindless as pressing 'next' when reading. Once you pick up all the pieces of evidence, the day will conclude and trial will start. Pressing witnesses and using evidence is just as shallow as investigations. And often, as is the case with 1-2, the case isn't won by this but by an asspull by some other character.
By 1-3 it starts being more fluid. You're not told the perpetrator outright, and situations have a bit more mystery behind them. Unfortunately it's also when it starts feeling formulaic due to the game repeating the same clichés. It's like you're replaying the same trial(s) no matter the case. Always the witnesses which you catch lying and contradicting. The judge being ready to dismiss the case and declare your client guilty until suddenly you manage to make an assessment that turns the tables (which are then turned back again, and once again you're in trouble). The cartoon villain breakdowns from the culprits, and the fact that you can identify them long before because the game tries to hint subtlety at them but just makes it obvious. Plus, their name is something like "Mr. Urder Killpeople". Each case and trial tries to make the stakes higher but only manages to desensitize you to these scenarios and make them routine.
Another part of the formula is crazy twists and sudden discoveries, often far-fetched and requiring even more suspension of disbelief than the base game already does with its world (attorneys having to investigate in cases but not really given much leeway to do so; the fact that even if you prove Will is innocent, he will go to jail unless you can name the perpetrator...). Plot-wise a lot of these cases withhold information from you for the sake of stretching the mystery, with areas unlocking only when it's relevant or cases like 1-4 or 1-5, where even your own clients won't tell you basic information about the case until after a certain point. This bundled with photographs that are blurry, ones where the identity of the person isn't clear... it's just underwhelming how the game plays the same cards every time. So in the end even more 'developed' cases like 1-4 and 1-5 are the same as the first ones, just with an even more convoluted plot and beating around the bush.
Fans sometimes acknowledge the ridiculousness of some plots, and also that it's just as much about the mysteries as it's about the characters, but I found that aspect just as badly executed. One-dimensional, generic personalities akin to a shounen anime: your rival gets presented as a terrible guy but turns out, just misunderstood. Also you are childhood friends. Also you end up working together in the name of justice.
It's not actually deep development to have him 'turn' good between chapters, or retroactively show "he actually didn't do all those bad things, it was actually another bad guy" It just shows the biggest pitfalls of this game when it comes to characters: 1. white-and-black morality: good characters do no wrong and bad characters are capable of any crime; 2. making up character development as it goes along especially by flashbacks: oh, actually phoenix wanted to be a lawyer because of miles, oh miles was a good kid until adopted by A Bad Guy™, oh Mia is your mentor and very important to you, but there's no weight to her death because development also comes later.
Phoenix himself barely has an arc, and I really don't wanna boot up the next game just to see him be a rookie lawyer again, struggling in the tutorial case. Other capcom games, which are not character driven, like RE or DMC present more changes in characters between games.
Anyway, if someone has actually read all of this word salad and agrees with some stuff, I'd recommend Disco Elysium.