This review contains spoilers
Case 1:
Like how Pheonix got amnesia, this one is quite forgettable. It's okay but it doesn't hold a candle to The First Turnabout. This feels as if it was made to introduce the mechanics again.
Case 2:
Pretty decent. I felt like the investigation was got me lost at points and it introduces a really cringe character (Dr Hotti) that I hope will burn into the sun. The killer's entire story was okay but I was mainly interested in how the trials took place because it was the first time we get to see Maya's home village and it's really interesting to learn more about how this spirit medium family runs. The fact this is more so setting up Bridge to the Turnabout makes me like it even more. The introduction of the Psyche-Lock mechanic is a good way of making the player more engaged in investigations.
Case 3:
I don't think this one is as bad as people say to be honest. The case can feel really silly at points like how the cape coincidentally fell off the ringleader's waist and fell onto the bust but I didn't mind such an absurd mystery due to the setting being a circus. This is just personal preference but I actually liked the characters in this one (except the defendant being unlikable a bit and having a horrible design but he changes towards the end). I found the ventriloquist to be hilarious, the clown I liked for having a serious side to him, and just the other characters in general I didn't mind at all. I thought the end was pretty wholesome and unraveling the entire mystery behind the circus had me unironically engaged. I am a bit mixed still though for some moments in the trial, character moments and investigation being really stupid, like how some of the characters plan to propose to a 16 year old which is really poggers. I have also heard some good points on how the killer's motivation could have been sorted if he simply talked it out to someone; I can understand if someone finds this case a massive bundle of wasted potential. This filler case isn't as good as Turnabout Samurai but at least it's better than The Lost Turnabout.
Case 4:
What the fuck. I was on the verge of giving this game a much lower score until this case. This case is my second favourite in the entire franchise and it's not hard to see why. This case shines because of how it pushes Pheonix's character to his limits, the stakes are completely off the wall in this one. At first it seems really simple but by the end of the first trial it proves itself to be more bigger in scale. Phoenix is at his best in this one because it explores what it means to be a lawyer to him personally and it's executed perfectly. The investigations were engaging, the trials were beyond fun, it is paced amazingly, I honestly can't put it into words how much I liked this case. It manages to do so much in one case and the other forms of development different characters go through (Edgeworth, Gumshoe, Pearls, Maya, Von Karma, Andrea Andrews, etc) are really exceptional. To top it off, it has one of the most satisfying breakdowns in the entire series. Matt Engarde is the catalyst for making Phoenix morally question himself while Shelly De Killer is the catalyst for the stakes being as high as they are - it's bad enough that the judge is pestering Wright for the trial to end sooner.
Overall:
The worst out of the original trilogy but it isn't bad by all means. Even the worst case being the first one is still enjoyable, but I found a majority of these cases besides the last one to be lacking in comparison to the first game and the excellent cases in the third game. That last case though... Oh my god, that took me by surprise. The last case alone makes this game's score higher than I originally was intending it to be.
I wasn't to keen on the soundtrack in this one too. The first and third game have some bangers but nothing really sticks out to me in this one.
Like how Pheonix got amnesia, this one is quite forgettable. It's okay but it doesn't hold a candle to The First Turnabout. This feels as if it was made to introduce the mechanics again.
Case 2:
Pretty decent. I felt like the investigation was got me lost at points and it introduces a really cringe character (Dr Hotti) that I hope will burn into the sun. The killer's entire story was okay but I was mainly interested in how the trials took place because it was the first time we get to see Maya's home village and it's really interesting to learn more about how this spirit medium family runs. The fact this is more so setting up Bridge to the Turnabout makes me like it even more. The introduction of the Psyche-Lock mechanic is a good way of making the player more engaged in investigations.
Case 3:
I don't think this one is as bad as people say to be honest. The case can feel really silly at points like how the cape coincidentally fell off the ringleader's waist and fell onto the bust but I didn't mind such an absurd mystery due to the setting being a circus. This is just personal preference but I actually liked the characters in this one (except the defendant being unlikable a bit and having a horrible design but he changes towards the end). I found the ventriloquist to be hilarious, the clown I liked for having a serious side to him, and just the other characters in general I didn't mind at all. I thought the end was pretty wholesome and unraveling the entire mystery behind the circus had me unironically engaged. I am a bit mixed still though for some moments in the trial, character moments and investigation being really stupid, like how some of the characters plan to propose to a 16 year old which is really poggers. I have also heard some good points on how the killer's motivation could have been sorted if he simply talked it out to someone; I can understand if someone finds this case a massive bundle of wasted potential. This filler case isn't as good as Turnabout Samurai but at least it's better than The Lost Turnabout.
Case 4:
What the fuck. I was on the verge of giving this game a much lower score until this case. This case is my second favourite in the entire franchise and it's not hard to see why. This case shines because of how it pushes Pheonix's character to his limits, the stakes are completely off the wall in this one. At first it seems really simple but by the end of the first trial it proves itself to be more bigger in scale. Phoenix is at his best in this one because it explores what it means to be a lawyer to him personally and it's executed perfectly. The investigations were engaging, the trials were beyond fun, it is paced amazingly, I honestly can't put it into words how much I liked this case. It manages to do so much in one case and the other forms of development different characters go through (Edgeworth, Gumshoe, Pearls, Maya, Von Karma, Andrea Andrews, etc) are really exceptional. To top it off, it has one of the most satisfying breakdowns in the entire series. Matt Engarde is the catalyst for making Phoenix morally question himself while Shelly De Killer is the catalyst for the stakes being as high as they are - it's bad enough that the judge is pestering Wright for the trial to end sooner.
Overall:
The worst out of the original trilogy but it isn't bad by all means. Even the worst case being the first one is still enjoyable, but I found a majority of these cases besides the last one to be lacking in comparison to the first game and the excellent cases in the third game. That last case though... Oh my god, that took me by surprise. The last case alone makes this game's score higher than I originally was intending it to be.
I wasn't to keen on the soundtrack in this one too. The first and third game have some bangers but nothing really sticks out to me in this one.