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=O
There ARE people who share my appreciation for phoenix wright, and they were here the whole time =D
I'm up to AAI but kinda slowed down, I think I'm half way through it. But before that I pretty much marathoned the first 4... that was a good time.
AJ is a bit different to the first 3 (as I'm sure you've noticed) but not necessarily in a bad way, I think it definitely gets better by the end
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I played AAI before starting AJ, because I wanted to play in in-universe chronological order. Only reason I didn't go for AAI2 next is because I'm not willing to wait until Christmas for the fan translation project (yes, there is a fan translation project, they already have the first case and most of the second case translated, and eventually it will work on flashcarts as well as on emulators).
AAI picks up about halfway through the third case. The fourth case is BRILLIANT, and the finale is
excruciatingly long but worth it. AAI in general takes WAY too long to get to the dang point, and its plots are a
tad overcomplex, but it's still a LOT of fun. I'm really missing the ability to look at a crime scene and Deduce the contradiction or to use Logic to uncover new avenues of questioning.
On the flip side, I am SO happy to be back in proper Courtroom mode now that I'm playing AJ. I'm sorry, but the Rebuttals just didn't quite cut it for me, the Cross-Examinations of the main series really are more rewarding. I missed the true courtroom experience in AAI. I think if an AAI game combined Deduction and Logic with the clean, precise scope of the actual Courtroom Cross-Examinations from the main series, they'd be golden.
One thing to keep in mind: the investigation in AAI gets MUCH better when you're able to roam the environment freely, rather than having to have your hand held as you try to navigate the area. The main series provides a sense of freedom of movement (yes, sometimes TOO free, but still) that is really absent in AAI, except during the fourth case. That case really shows the brilliance and power of AAI, and it should be the standard for the series.
AAI also has a few too many new characters--well, either that, or it re-uses too many old ones at inappropriate times. It seems like it can't decide whether it wants to stick to the tried-and-true (pun intended) Ace Attorney method of reusing EVERYONE as much as possible or if it wants to establish an entirely new cast. It ends up doing a decent job of setting up a specific team dynamic (the "Main Five" that you'll come to know by the end of the third case), but there are a few cameos and offhand references that, as thrilling as they are to recognize, might have been better off left out of the game for the sake of greater unity. (Lotta Hart, Winston Payne, and Mike Meekins come to mind. Ema Skye technically counts as well, but I'm a fan of her character from
Rise from the Ashes, so she gets a pass here.
)
