Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"OBJECTION!"''|'''Phoenix Wright, and many others'''}}

They were originally developed for the [[Game Boy Advance]], with the exception of the fifth case of the first game, "Rise From the Ashes", which was exclusive to the DS remake, known as ''Gyakuten Saiban: Yomigaeru Gyakuten'' (''Turnabout Trials: The Revived Turnabout'') in Japan. The game plays out in a [[Visual Novel]] style through the perspective of Phoenix Wright during investigation sessions, where you can talk to other characters, present evidence, and find clues to build up your case. Usually the next day, court begins, where you cross-examine witnesses to find contradictions, [[The Perry Mason Method|eventually forcing the real culprit to confess.]] Starting early on in ''Justice For All'', you can try breaking characters "Psyche-Locks" by using evidence to tear their secrets apart and reveal vital information. The bonus 5th case of the first game took advantage of the touch-screen and mic on the DS allowing for more in-depth investigations on evidence.

** Gumshoe's pointy hair cannot be contained by and sticks through {{spoiler|the bandages on his head at the end of the final case in ''Justice For All''}}.

* [[Arc Words]]: In the third game, [[Tear Jerker|"The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over."]]

** Pearl, whenever she believes Phoenix has wronged "Mystic Maya" in any (in)significant way.

** Franziska, throughout her appearance in the third game, very rarely hits Edgeworth with her whip even in court, choosing to hit other people instead of him. {{spoiler|When she ''does'' smack him, its to shake him out of his deep depression over losing Iris when his fear of earthquakes caused him to pass out while he was guarding her.}} Also, if you ask the wrong question to Sister Bikini during that trial, it is possible to make Franzy [[Whip It Good]].<br />She makes up for it in ''Investigations'' however. She'll whip him a good number of times in required scenes, more if you press certain things or present the wrong evidence. Edgeworth and Gumshoe are also her victims-by-proxy whenever she doesn't want to whip the person who wronged her.

{{quote| Gumshoe: You have time to go wild monster hunting!? Why not do a little questioning for me then!?}}

* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: Just about the only thing Detective Gumshoe does right. Mia, {{spoiler|despite being dead and buried,}} also has a knack for this. And yes, it's [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] by Godot.

* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: A few of the cases end on a fairly bittersweet note. One example being case 1-5, where Lana is cleared of her murder charges, and is finally [[When She Smiles|able to act like her old self again]], {{spoiler|and Gant is convicted for not one, but two murders... the first of which he had convinced Lana that her younger sister had (accidentally) committed, and the second of which he was blackmailing Lana into taking the blame}}. However, Lana will still have to answer for {{spoiler|several other crimes she committed under blackmail}}, and will, in all likelihood, still end up having to serve some jail-time, leaving Ema alone regardless. A more straightforward example occurs in the very first case. Larry is proven innocent, but the fact remains that his girlfriend (the victim of the case) is dead {{spoiler|and the clock that he gave to Mia would be her murder weapon}}.

** 2-3 Also ends on this note. {{spoiler|The murderer hits the wrong target, killing the girl's father (the circus Ringmaster) instead of his daughter, [[Freudian Excuse|who accidentally sent his brother into a coma and crippled him]] [[For Want of a Nail|through a horrific series of accidental events]], seems truly sorry for acting out of emotions, and everyone is torn up at the end of the case, though determined to pull each other together.}}

** Maggie Byrde has pretty much lived her entire life spitting in the face of her horrible luck. No matter what happend, Maggie keeps on moving with a positive attitude. She's a tough old byrde.

* [[Devils Advocate|Devil's Advocate]]: The rival prosecutors sometimes become this, rather than your true opponent. Once he warms up to Phoenix, Edgeworth isn't acting as a prosecutor because he wants you to fail, but because he wants all the holes in the logic of the case to be filled satisfactorily.

** Almost ''nobody'' likes Phoenix, except for a token few. Even his "friends" Edgeworth and Larry don't give him much respect despite him having an almost 100% success rate.

** While Phoenix himself suffers both inside and outside the courtroom, pretty much anyone leading the defense tends to suffer extremely abusive treatment from everyone in the courthouse for most of the trial. Edgeworth, {{spoiler|after suffering under the same circumstances during his one trial as a defense attorney}} in 3-5, engages in a bit of [[Lampshade Hanging]] when he wonders if the defense's bench has a target painted on it.

* [[Exact Words]]: The Magatama has a problem with this. Depending on how the question Phoenix asks is formulated, there may be no Psyche-Locks appearing because the character may not really have something to hide about that specific point. In case 2-4, {{spoiler|Phoenix at first believes Matt Engarde to be innocent because he asked him if he killed anyone and Engarde says no, he never killed anyone; and no Psyche-Locks appear. But that didn't imply that he didn't ''hire a killer'' to do it for him.}}

* [[Fan Girl]]: Pearl is an in-universe Phoenix/Maya shipper, and Maya is also a huge fangirl of the Steel Samurai. Trucy becomes a belated fangirl of the Gavinners, and Apollo used to be a Phoenix Wright fanboy (before he actually met him). In Investigations, {{spoiler|the extent of Edgeworth's [[Fan Boy]] attitude towards the Steel Samurai is revealed!}}

{{quote| {{spoiler|'''Edgeworth''': (Thank god for inner monologue.)}}}}

* [[Foe Yay]]: So much of it, you half expect Edgey and Phoenix to rip their clothes off in the middle of a trial and start screwing like bunnies.

* [[George Jetson Job Security]]: Gumshoe appears to have this, in some part due to Edgeworth's influence.

* [[Going for The Big Scoop]]: Lotta Hart does this in ''three separate cases'', one time she goes crazy and starts going after the crime scene [[Laughing Mad]]. Even Wright doesn't know which is scarier after that, the ghosts or Lotta.

** Phoenix always seems to get the innocent clients, leading one to wonder just how competent the investigators are if they arrest innocent people that often...

** Well if they're all like Gumshoe...

* [[Next Sunday AD]]: The first game takes place in 2016. Almost nothing has changed, except the court system. They use 90s-style cell phones and VHS tapes.

* [[The Nicknamer]]: Maya, as well as Franziska (who invariably calls Gumshoe "Scruffy") and Wendy Oldbag.

* [[Oblivious Mockery]]: A museum worker says that any intelligent person would think that the writing on an urn belonging to a clan whose founder was Ami Fey would say "Ami," and would reassamble the urn to say that if they broke it. Unknown to her, a little girl who broke the urn and is standing with her reassembled it incorrectly such that the name was spelled wrong.

* [[Passing the Torch]]/[[Take Up My Sword]]: When Mia dies, Phoenix takes over her law firm having only won two cases. Maya or Pearl still summon Mia throughout the trilogy whenever Phoenix needs help. However in the very last trial of the Phoenix trilogy, {{spoiler|Mia only comes to help Wright solve the whole dilemma regarding Maya's whereabouts and Dahlia's return from the dead. Once the trial goes back to what it was originally about, a murder case, Mia refuses to help Phoenix, rendering him for the first time without assistance. However, when Phoenix finally figures out the source, the real murderer and presents the final piece of incriminating evidence that the player will ever present, Mia's spirit appears beside Phoenix, mimicking Wright's final presentation [[Rule of Cool|(in slowmotion, no less)]]. Godot who would never accept Phoenix and never forgive him for Mia's death became so shocked that his visor blew up.}}

* [[Early Installment Weirdness]]: This game features a different health system, with a "five strikes" rule rather than the lifebar and variable penalties given out in the latter titles. The trials also take place over three days, which was changed to two days in subsequent games after complaints that the frequent shifts between the trial and investigations phases ruined the game's pacing.

* [[Eureka Moment]]: {{spoiler|"Perhaps you'd like to [[Polly Wants a Microphone|cross-examine the parrot]]?"}}

* [[Evil Overlooker]]: See the picture.

* [[Expressive Hair]]: Most memorably Angel Starr. Depending on which eye her bangs cover, she can be [[Jekyll and Hyde|sweet as a lollipop, or sour as a lemon]].

{{quote| '''Bellboy''': It's French for "kiss", but not a French kiss, sir.}}

* [[Gonk]]: [http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-05/praa-sal-manella.html Sal Manella], the sweaty otaku TV director.

* [[Hammerspace]]: Case 4 establishes that {{spoiler|Phoenix has carried a full-sized metal detector around with him for several hours.}}

* [[Head Desk]]: {{spoiler|Manfred von Karma}} pulls one of these against the wall as a [[Villainous Breakdown]].

* [[Taking the Heat]]: April May refuses to willingly provide information that might incriminate Redd White in wiretapping {{spoiler|or murder}}, and Lana is doing this {{spoiler|for Gant, as a result of being blackmailed}}.

* [[That Was Objectionable]]: The [[Trope Namer]].

* [[Theme Naming]]: All of the chapter names [[Odd Name Out|(save for the DS-exclusive chapter, "Rise From the Ashes"--and even then, only in English)]] have the word "Turnabout" in them.

* [[They Died Because of You]]: Manfred von Karma tries to convince Miles Edgeworth that he (accidentally) killed his father, Gregory Edgeworth, by getting angry and throwing a gun that went off and hit him.

** In 2-4, {{spoiler|Adrian Andrews}} applies too. Not to mention Maya Fey, who gets accused of murder {{spoiler|once per game}}, along with {{spoiler|getting kidnapped in 2-4}}, and many other things throughout the series. Finally, we learn in the third game that {{spoiler|Mia Fey's first trial ends in an innocent man committing suicide on the stand and having the real killer go free. She even later gets murdered by Redd White}}. It seems like all the {{spoiler|Feys}} have horrible luck.

** Going off of [[Cry Cute]], below: As is revealed in the closing credits, it seems the whole game was this for {{spoiler|Franziska von Karma, whose worldview and obsession with perfection are not only challenged by two losses, but by Phoenix willingly and happily accepting his first defeat in court}}.

** In that same case, Maya refers to the ringmaster as metrosexual after getting a glimpse at his makeup collection...

** In their defense, they both work in the entertainment business, where pretty much everyone wears makeup. Max is only likely wearing his during the trial to keep his public image up.

* [[Dr. Jerk]]: Dr Turner Grey, {{spoiler|although he turns out to be [[Jerkass Has a Point|right]] about Mimi being responsible for the malpractice}}.

* [[Dirty Coward]]: {{spoiler|Richard Wellington deliberately caused [[The Hero|Phoenix Wright]]'s amnesia in the first case and also murdered Dustin Prince to prevent being exposed as a con artist. Ironically, [[Hoist By His Own Petard|by doing so he sealed his own fate by stealing the wrong phone]]. A better example would be [[Complete Monster|Matt Engarde]] by holding Maya hostage to force Phoenix to try to get a Not Guilty verdict.}}

** Not to mention the {{spoiler|camera hidden inside of the bear's eye, which ends up an incredibly crucial piece of evidence}}.

* [[Expressive Shirt]]: Moe's hat reflects his emotions.

* [[Friend to All Living Things]]: Acro has birds that fly around him. {{spoiler|Subverted, as he turns out to be a murderer, then double-subverted: as Maya points out at the end, there were no bad people in that case}}.

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: Phoenix has an interest in Max's bust.

** Doubly justified in that he's supposed to be a [[Shout Out]] to another [[Capcom]] series character, ''[[Mega Man 3 (Video Game)|Mega Man 3]]'s'' Shadow Man.

* [[Hitler Ate Sugar]]: Inverted in an equally illogical manner, oddly enough. In 2-4, Will Powers' testimony mentions some rather incriminating observations about a certain bellboy, {{spoiler|who Phoenix knows very well is actually an assassin hired by the defendant, whom he is being blackmailed into getting a acquittal for}}, namely the bellboy's unusual pattern of stitches and his non-uniform leather gloves. Phoenix's objections to each respectively are

* [[The Ingenue]]: [[Deconstructed Trope|Deconstructed]] with Regina. Growing up in the circus sheltered by her dad meant that she has no idea what's real or normal, including the concept that ''people die''. So when she {{spoiler|accidentally kills Bat}}, she feels absolutely no responsibility for her actions.

* [[Ironic Echo]]: Fransizka promising to end Phoenix's perfect record at their first meeting.

* [[Jerkass Has a Point]]: {{spoiler|Dr. Grey was right and Mini Miney was at fault for the malpractice}}.

* [[Karma Houdini]]: {{spoiler|Shelly de Killer. He's an assasin who killed Juan Corrida and presumable many others. At the end of the game, he gets off scott free and he even sends a cheerful transceiver message saying that he's leaving the country but you can give him a call anytime.}}

* [[Locked Room Mystery]]: 2-2.

* [[Love At First Punch]]: "Director Hotti" reacts quite... [[The Masochism Tango|happily...]] to being whipped by Franziska.

** [[Comically Missing the Point|Or "Mad Prosecutor's Beautiful Daughter"?]]

* [[Moral Dilemma]]: ''[[Meaningful Name|Justice For All]]'' teaches us that {{spoiler|"Justice" does not always mean "Not Guilty"}} with case 4.

* [[Ominous Pipe Organ]]: [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]]'s "[[Toccata and Fugue In D Minor (Music)|Toccata and Fugue In D Minor]]" plays during the opening cutscene.

** {{spoiler|Which becomes a [[Chekhov's Gun]] later in 2-1, as this is Richard Wellington's ringtone.}}

* [[Princess Curls]]: Regina Berry.

* [[Red Herring]]: At the beginning of Case 2-4, the rivalry between two film studios is discussed at length. What does this have to do with the case? Nothing. {{spoiler|The rivalry between individual people working at those studios is relevant, but the studio rivalry means nothing to the case.}}

** Played with somewhat, though, by the fact that unlocking Psyche-Locks does refill some of your health meter, so that's a bit of a help.

* [[Shipper On Deck]]: Pearl is absolutely convinced that Phoenix is Maya's "special someone", and nothing either of the supposed lovebirds can say will change her mind.

* [[Stage Mom]]: Morgan Fey is a particularly venomous version; it's clear she's not happy about being passed over as head of the Kurain legacy, and {{spoiler|she attempts to frame Maya for murder so that Pearl will become the next head of the Fey family, effectively putting Morgan in charge for the next decade, if not longer}}. Her attitude towards Maya is particularly tragic considering that Pearl herself idolizes Maya and hangs on her every word.

* [[Stupidity Is the Only Option]]: Played straight in the last case when Phoenix finds out that his client {{spoiler|Matt Engarde is truly guilty since he hired an assassin to kill Juan, but the assassin is holding Maya hostage in exchange for a not guilty verdict on Matt, which would mean Adrian will be blamed and sent to jail. Phoenix pretends that he doesn't know anything (eventually, Edgeworth learns about situation and plays along with Phoenix during the trial) in order to buy time and wait until Gumshoe finds and rescues poor Maya, so that Matt can get the guilty verdict he deserves}}.

* [[Viewers Are Geniuses]]: Sort of, anyway. 2-1 requires the player to know enough about baseball to realize that {{spoiler|a catcher wears his mitt on his off-hand}}, and 2-2 requires the player to know that {{spoiler|the driver sits on the right in British automobiles.}}.

** Well, for 2-2, if you don't know {{spoiler|which side the driver's seat is on in a British car, you can press one of the statements and Phoenix will make a comment about it.}}

* [[You Can't Get Ye Flask]]: 2-1 revolves around a murder where the victim was pushed from a ledge and died of a broken neck upon impact. The defendant is accused because the victim wrote her name in the sand with his finger before expiring. {{spoiler|You are not allowed to argue that it wouldn't have been possible for someone with a shattered neck to write a name, even if he ''didn't'' die immediately.}}

** Possible [[Call Back]] to 1-2, where arguing that the victim couldn't have written the killer's name due to expiring immeadiatly fails because the prosecutor shows evidence that they might have survived long enough to.

** Another case has Desiree DeLite talking about how Ron saved her life when they fell in love. Maya then asks Phoenix if he would ever risk his life for her. {{spoiler|In 3-5 Phoenix believes Maya's life is in danger while a murderer is on the loose and chases after her across a burning bridge}}

*** Don't forget how Pearl asks whether Phoenix would {{spoiler|run across hot coals for Maya}}.

*** In 3-2, Maya asks what Phoenix would think if she came in calling herself Ayam (which is both the backward spelling of her name and a homophone of "I am.") Early in case 3-3, when it turns out that someone is {{spoiler|impersonating Phoenix, who Maya calls Xin Eoph}}, Maya asks, "I wonder if {{spoiler|Ayam}} will make an appearance?" Later, we see that {{spoiler|Phoenix's impostor also has an assistant from a messed up family who looks a teensy bit like Maya, although the person said assistant impersonated wasn't Maya.}}

** In case 3-3, upset with Viola's misguided affection, Phoenix mentions that poisoning and betrayal - the marks of a coward - are things he considers unforgivable. {{spoiler|Cue case 3-4...}}

{{spoiler|'''Judge'''('s brother)}}: "High! {{spoiler|[She's] really high up [there]!}}" }}

** And when they judge misinterprets one of Godot's obtuse coffee metaphors: "Cafe o' Lay? Is that even legal?"

* [[Grand Finale]]: 3-5 neatly wraps up the trilogy.

* [[Hair Today Gone Tomorrow]]: Winston Payne ({{spoiler|In five words... "My... hair... is... flying... away!"}}). The judge notes that Payne has lost his spirit along with his hair very soon after. It's mostly true, though he keeps more of his general ineffectiveness than he regains his self-confidence....

* [[Lonely Piano Piece]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCHFbYFTx1Q "Elegy of the Captured"].

* [[Lucky Charms Title]]: Mask★DeMasque. Ron DeLite will be sure to correct you if you don't include the ★.

* [[Made of Iron]]: Phoenix {{spoiler|chews up a ''glass bottle'' with '''poison residue'''}} with no ill effects, and later {{spoiler|runs across an old, burning bridge and tumbled into the freezing cold rapids in February}} and only catches a cold. He also is repeatedly whipped by Franziska and has [[Food Slap|scalding hot (and one cold) coffee thrown on him]] by Godot, though both of these are [[Played for Laughs]].

** It's a possible allusion to his extreme luck, both in and out of court.

* [[Never Found the Body]]: {{spoiler|Dahlia}}.

* [[New Old Flame]]: Two: Dahlia {{spoiler|or rather Iris}} for Phoenix and {{spoiler|Godot}} for Mia.

** {{spoiler|He was the thief in general, but not in that particular instance. He turned himself in to ensure he could have an alibi for the aforementioned murder.}}

* [[No Export for You]]: Despite EVERY other game being released and despite even getting a few prerelease reviews in gaming magazines, ''Trials and Tribulations'' was never released in Australia. No reason was ever given (although it may be related to the fact that its release was delayed in Europe over ratings complications, causing ''Apollo Justice'' to come out before it).

** The [[Wii Ware]] version of ''Trials and Tribulations'' was released in Australia, at least.

* [[Palette Swap]]: Iris and Dahlia's court record pictures are exactly the same except for the hair color.

* [[Palm Fist Tap]]: Mike Meekins does this, then yanks on his hand since he did it with his bandaged hand and he hurt himself doing it.

** {{spoiler|Acro also seems to be the most remorseful culprit of the series. For one, he didn't even kill the person he wanted to, and ended up killing the man who had given him everything. By the time Phoenix uncovers his guilt, he seems to be willing to let go of his hate of Regina, who has realized that her naïve outlook on death is what caused everything.}}

* [[Twin Switch]]: {{spoiler|Phoenix thought he was dating Dahlia (who, unbeknownst to him, wanted to kill him). It turns out he was dating Dahlia's sister, Iris, who asked Dahlia to take her place so she could retrieve a trinket that Phoenix had without Dahlia killing Phoenix.}}

* [[Weapons Grade Vocabulary]]: Particularly clever counterpoints apparently have the ability to hit opposing attorneys like a gale-force wind, throwing them back, making them flinch and, in one particularly devastating case, tearing all the hair off a person's head, leaving him mostly bald.

** The fate of {{spoiler|the Hawthorne family's diamond}} is never revealed.

*** Presumably, it's still {{spoiler|at the bottom of the river}}.