This is the official AAI Countdown thread for case 1-2, Turnabout Sisters. Use this thread to chat about the case and its characters, any pairings you drew from it, tell us when the last time you played it was and if your feelings about it have changed, etc.

This is just for fun so if you're not following the countdown exactly or at all you're still very welcome to post.

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I always feel all warm and fuzzy but sad whenever "Ballad of the Turnabout Sisters" plays. Especially when replaying the beginning of 1-2 and knowing Mia is going to die.

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I almost cried when I first played the case and the character who was most appealing to me in 1-1 died. Every time I play the game, I still feel sad, but am happy that justice was served. It's also an introduction for the real challenge that AA brings. That's why it was quite hard when I played it for the first time, because 1-1 seemed so easy. That's all for now. This is Angel Aquino, signing off.

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Ohhh, this case made me SAD D: Mia was and remains my favourite GS character and although I really enjoyed the case, I always wish they'd kept her around for just a little while longer...

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Ah, the first real case. Turnabout Sisters is one of my favorites, and April May's phony story led to some pretty fun contradictions and deductions.


"I like a man with a big... vocabulary."

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I thought it was good, that in this story the good characters aren't "immortal" like in many movies with happy endings and such. I really like it from time to time, when a main character dies and is not just assumed to be dead and than magically awakes for the happy end. As I liked Maya more than Mia the instant I saw her, I wasn't too sad about Mia's death (it's not like we don't see her anymore).
I wasn't too happy, that we saw again who the murderer was at the beginning of the case, it's not really necessary to know it. But well it's not a big deal, when we encounter Redd White in the game we would have known that he was the culprit anyway.

The story of this case is pretty important, we encounter Mia's death which determines her role in the future of the series and meet Maya, our main support for the three PW games. Also we learn about DL 6, which is important for case 1-4.

But the case itself is crap, in my opinion it's the worst "full length" case in the whole series.
First thing is the "death message", I hate those things! Which sane murderer wouldn't erase such an obvious message? Just to think that Maye could be the culprit because of such a message is...
At least we have a "witness" who saw Maya, so at least the first half isn't complete nonsense (but I hate April as a character, she is boring and annoying).
The case becomes ridiculous when we meet Redd. He's quite some rich and powerful man, but has to personally kill Mia? Yeah, right. And then his great plan to get away: "Mhmmm I just do it like that idiot Sahwit and testify that another person did it instead of me. That's brilliant!"
So now the murderer isn't a small girl anymore, but a man with spikey hair and even less of a motive? That makes sense.
I can't play that last part anymore, as my brain would melt because of White's inanity.

Mia deserves a better case.

For some reason, I always look back on this case as if it has a dark shroud over it. Like recalling something while standing in front of a window looking out on a dark day. Solemn, but difficult to remember experiencing it recently. I always remember the first time playing it, never other times.

I can't really find anything to say about the case itself. Same with 1-1, and possibly 1-3. Very unremarkable, very straightforward.

Also, Edgeworth. That's literally all I can really remark on it.

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One thing I like about this case is that the audience realizes what a farce the trial is by the second day. Phoenix has them convinced that White is the killer before things even really get going. Edgeworth and the Judge just make him jump through hoops to prove it.

Phoenix really is personable and charismatic when he gets going like this. It's an entertaining contrast to his somewhat goofy demeanor that he can have under other circumstances.

Too bad this case has one of the weakest, most unsatisfying endings. Having not played it for a while, I was really enjoying breaking apart Redd's story again, so having Mia deus ex machina it up at the end was something of a letdown. Especially since it never even explains what about this list of names could scare Redd so badly into confessing. But whatever. This and 1-1 are my two least favorite cases, and they're through now. So it's all uphill from here! Looking forward to 1-3.

This was one of the saddest cases out of all of them, I think. I really didn't expect Mia to die so early on, so when it happened I was shocked. It does however introduce us to Maya, although she was the accused killer. Despite it being a bit lacking compared to the other cases throughout the series, it's very important to the storyline (Mainly in T&T). April May and the Bellboy were funny witnesses- Sort of, I guess, and Redd White was to me a lame villian. His motives were just dumb- Blackmail? Plz. I was surprised that he was the one that killed Mia personally, because he doesn't look like he could do it :P

Anyway, my grade for this case is a C. It's average at best, but at least the cases later on are much better.

This case was annoying to me. I had already played JfA so I knew that Mia was going to die sooner or later and it came as no big shock to see her killed off so quickly. April and Redd were both... strange, and I tired of them before long. The only part I remember liking was when Edgeworth said:

Fool... You fell right into my trap!

Because It reminded me so much of Fran, and I couldn't stop laughing.

This is still my least favorite case because of what happened with Mia and Maya (i first saw it on Youtube). I couldn't beleive they killed Mia off that fast. I figured Phoenix/Mia would be the main pairing also.
And of course you just wanted to rip Redd's head off.

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First day done. Getting ready for the end. (Well, I counted both the beginning investigation and the detention center as one day) And, then... we have Edgeworth being at his best.

This was supposed to be 1-1, but the developers didn't like that his mentor, of whom we knew nothing about were to be killed right off the bat.

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Replaying the early cases reminds me that we can't always take these games seriously! Between Gumshoe arresting the first person he sees to Edgeworth questioning whether or not Mia mentioned the clock instead of, you know, how Phoenix got his hands on the wiretap, it's a wonder their legal system functions at all.

But the case does bring up a few interesting questions that unfortunately aren't really touched upon again. Such as, Maya talks about finally getting used to having her own place in the city, but was she paying for it herself? Was she working? Was there any backlash in Kurain, having both Misty's children just leave the village like that? Of course Pearl didn't exist at this point, but the fact that she doesn't show up to support Maya makes you wonder if the village even heard about her being on trial, since it's so cut off from the rest of the world. Or maybe Morgan kept it from everyone hoping Maya would be sentenced?

We've already talked here about how Phoenix not recognizing Grossberg at this point makesno sense, knowing what happens in 3-1, but even if you forgive that, Mia worked for Grossberg. It's hard to imagine she never talked to Phoenix about the man that taught her, even if she didn't tell him about her secret investigation. But then 1-1 already proved that Phoenix and Mia can forget to talk about things for weeks at a time!

(Makes even less sense by AJ when Apollo works for Kristoph but has no idea that his brother is a famous rockstar and prosecutor! Lots of failed boss-employee communication going on!)

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Hm? Where'd you hear that?


@Croik: Of course, the whole Phoenix-should-know-Grossberg thing is more a fault for T&T, not AA. I mean, they didn't really expect two sequels like that, did they?

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Yeah, but my point is even if you don't look at that part, the first game admits that Grossberg was Mia's mentor, but Phoenix didn't seem to know that or recognize him even though Grossberg is a successful lawyer in the field Phoenix is heading into. Most people when entering a career should know a little about the people that have already "hit it big" in their area of expertise, but Phoenix (and later, Apollo) doesn't seem to have done any research on his peers. Add to that his poor knowledge of evidence law (stealing evidence from a women's room while she's showering!) and it makes you wonder what he even did in law school.

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I forgot how desperate Phoenix was in this case. His life was depending on it, and Edgeworth just says "Admit that you placed the wiretap.", White's fine again, the judge IMMEDIATELY believed Edgey and Phoenix admits defeat. That was so sad, until Mia came to the rescue.

That's what I don't like about this case, you did all your cross-examining for nothing, and White confesses because of a piece of paper with names on it.

EDIT: If you wanna watch that scene, you can find it here.

I like 1-2 mainly because it introduces Edgeworth, Gumshoe, and Maya for the first time, and is the first case with an investigation phase, but also because of the shock of seeing Mia die. However, the plot is easily the weakest in the whole series (1-1 makes more sense, and 4-3 is saved by its pacing and intensity).

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1-2 is a weird case for me, because I just can't make myself like it, even though it's obviously got so much going for it. I usually fall in love with the dramatic, main-character-driven cases, and this should be the king of those. I think it goes on just a little too long. The fact that its continuity doesn't hold up well in light of the other games has a lot to do with it, too. I like everything to make sense.

Another big part of the problem is that I played the games out of order the first time, so I'd seen the "Mia slumped over by the window" picture about a thousand times already. Her death didn't come as much of a shock to me at all. (Though I was surprised it was in such an early case!)



Does she explicitly say she has her own place in the city? I just assumed that with Mia moved out, Maya was living by herself somewhere in Kurain. I guess she wouldn't really be "on her own" in that kind of situation, though, since Pearly and Morgan would always be dropping by to pester and/or murder her.

I haven't finished the case yet, or I'd include this in my own write up, but since it's been brought up I might as well share.

Before you go into court, Phoenix assumes that Maya lives alone on the mountain. I never really noticed that until now. That canon the games messes that up later because I believe cell phones don't work in Kurain. Therefore, you assume she was alone in the city.

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Ooh! I didn't even think about the cell phone issue! Thanks for pointing that out. Now I really wonder what Maya was up to before getting caught up in Phoenix's lawyer stuff. Furthermore, do you suppose she continues to live in her own mystery place throughout the rest of the game? I wanted to think she just sleeps on the sofa in the office lobby.

Another thing that I've wondered about: Assuming Mia had made it a little longer, would she have been the target of all the Morgan hate later on? It's mentioned that she was a strong channeler (or something to that effect,) but moving out to be a Big City Lawyer makes it sound like she never considered herself a candidate to be the master of Kurain.

(Sorry if I should be saving this for the next game discussion. It just popped into my head now.)

Same.
I loved April's design. So pink and cute, and I though her breakdown was funny. And Redd's sparkling was hilarious.

To add to Lunaria's point about the phone, by the time of AA Mia's been living in the city and practicing as a lawyer for three years. Maybe Maya was living with Morgan and Pearl and finally got a village place of her own when she turned 17, but in JFA it seems like she's still living with them in the manor. I think you're supposed to assume she's in the city.

In all, having finished the case I really wish 1-2 would have been written a bit tighter. It tries to do a ton, setting up Redd as some kind of huge city-controlling blackmailer, but he breaks down under the slightest pressure. Gumshoe is immediately endearing but completely incompetant. Even Edgeworth takes kind of a hit: one has to wonder what he really thought about getting a call from his superior which basically says "Every piece of evidence you collected was wrong and now you're going to prosecute this other guy because I say so." If White's business was as prolific as it seemed, Edgeworth must have known something about his reputation, and must have known that Phoenix was innocent. But he didn't seem to have too much of a problem prosecuting him anyway.

I also wish they would have saved the whole "lawyer defends himself!" concept for a stronger case. It was such a bummer to have Mia say "Present this evidence" and then blackmail Redd into confessing anyway.

Though the real shock to me was at the end of the case when Maya teased Phoenix for mistaking her for Mia. "Hey did I sound like MY MURDERED SISTER? Maybe I can take advantage of the fact that SHE'S DEAD to get burgers out of you!" I'd forgotten about that and man. I know Maya's MO for dealing with trauma is forced cheer but sometimes she comes off as downright unaffectable.

Bellboy, on the other hand, is funnier than I remembered.

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most of my love for this case really comes from nostalgia and the sheer fact that I did, as a matter of fact, solve my first real case.

I was spoiled by Mia's death ahead of time. I distinctly remember borrowing the game (well technically getting) from my BFF and asking her "who's the chick with the huge boobs". "Oh yeah, she dies in like the second case." "Thanks a lot jerk." So suffice to say I was ready for it.

I rather liked the new characters they introduced, even if Redd and April were weak compared to most of the other villains. They had wonderful art design and were defidently unique characters :P

I also remember interrupting this case because I went to the zoo. Yes. The zoo.

(btw totally love this idea. Can't wait to geek over 3-2 and 1-5 <3)

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And now for another instalment of Lunaria's overly long case review.

Just finished replaying 1-2 and I hope I remember everything I wanted to talk about. That's the bad thing about playing a case over a period of two days and not taking notes. This at least my fourth time playing and I did notice alot more stuff about this one than I had in previous play throughs. I think I was looking for more this time, so it was easier to see.

When I first played it, I thought the difficult had risen a lot because of the investigation phase, but it I noticed a lot of hand holding with that now. For example, when you examine anything in the first crime scene, it gives you three clues (all inter-related). Really, do you not think I'm smart or curious enough to think to look at Mia, the note, and the glass shards separately?

Replaying this trial was easy to and I got through it without penalty and without a walkthrough. I'm pretty sure I had to use a walk through at some point the first time I played because I think I remember getting stuck. I know I got a few penalties because I couldn't figure out what I needed to present on which testimony (or made the wrong choice in an option). Now I'm not sure how I could have made those mistakes because the case seems super easy.

I was surprised that Mia was killed off so soon. No more real thoughts on that. It made me sad at the time, but it was necessary for the plot. I guess I didn't have time to mourn because I had a client to save and an investigation to wade through.

I wasn't upset that they showed us who the killer was again. It's a common trope in detective shows and for me it let's me enjoy figuring out the motive and how they pulled it off. Of course, this is a much simpler version of that.

Redd White, on his first appearance, reminded me of an eighties cartoon villain. His hair and outfit were utterly ridiculous and fit that kind of opulent lifestyle of such a villain. Particularly he reminded me of the villain from the Alvin and Chipmunks movie where they go around the world and collect dolls for some. I thought his manner of speech was amusing because it showed how dumb he really is. At least that's how I interpret it. To think this guy is blackmailing the whole of Los Angeles is astounding. His name, like him, is also pretty ridiculous, but it fits the game. Redd's sprite doesn't look as clean as the others as well, but more on that in April's section.

April May is cotton candy personified. It's pink, fluffy, and not all whole lot going on upstairs. That being said, I didn't mind her character. She was wonderfully sweet and evil all rolled up into one. I loved pissing her off and seeing her personality flip. I even felt bad for her when she was afraid to say anything against White. I loved that Edgeworth introduced her as a "sweet, innocent girl" that had the horror of observing the crime. We already know he's totally lying because we've had the pleasure of meeting her already. She also has a silly name, but given her looks, it fits her quite well. Sprite wise, I've noticed that April doesn't look as well other sprites. This makes me believe that this was their first case to work on, possible and maybe her and Redd's sprites were a part of a demo we didn't get, but for someone at the company to see to approve the idea.

Bellboy is a character I've always been indifferent to. He's annoying in the investigation phase because he's more concerned with the reputation boost the hotel is going to get instead of helping Phoenix. His character design is nice and he looks like a bellboy, so that's good.

Gumshoe made a big impression on me. He's a tall guy, looks like he's taking charge, and then you realize this guy is at the bottom of the totem poll. His manner of speaking reminded me of a hard boiled detective (all of those 'you see's' when you first meet) him. I don't see him that way anymore because I know more about him. His name is very fitting seeing as both Dick and Gumshoe are synonymous with detective. He's even got the hard boiled detective look. The fact that he's also utterly blind when it comes to evidence didn't win any points with me initially. He just looked at the obvious and went with it without thinking critically (I can see why Edgeworth would prefer to do his own investigations).

You'd think I'd remember more about Edgeworth since I'm such a huge fan of him. I remember think his name sounded elegant and proper. This also probably why I don't remember thinking his outfit as totally ridiculous. Being a fan of period clothing, I didn't mind the cravat. I could see it as showing the player that Edgeworth was a in a different social class than other characters. I loved all of his sprites. It made it seem like he was bored with the proceedings at first and he was unimpressed with what was going on. I loved the sound of his objection too because I thought it fit his character. And I loved putting him in his place even more. Proving all of his ridiculous ideas wrong was so awesome because he was truly an asshole in this case.

Maya. What can I say about her? I don't remember my initial impression of her really. Her outfit was kind of funny but fitting for her profession. She was in a bad situation and needed help, so I didn't mind helping her out. Playing the game again it is weird to see her actually call Phoenix by his given name and not Nick. That really stuck out to me. Also, when she tells Nick what a great job he did, but also compliments Edgeworth really stuck out to me too. The only sprite movement of hers I can't stand is that pissed off face she gets in court that looks like she has taco neck syndrome (her neck is titled at a kind of unnatural angle).

Mia. Of course, when they brought the channeling up, I thought it would come up at some point in the game, but not in this case. I think I would have fainted to if I saw my mentor that just died right in front of me. I like the Maya!channeling Mia sprite better than I do her original sprites. I think they look cleaner and her face is nicer looking. I was kind of annoyed with the hand holding she does at the end of the case. I wish we would have been able to conclude those things for ourselves instead of having her tell us about them (the receipt and then the list thing). I thought those took the power away from the player.

It was on this playthrough that I noticed the judge's big eyed expression. I hadn't noticed it in this case before. Wow, no wonder I needed a walkthrough. I'm totally observant.

The technology of the time also kind of shows it age in this case. Instead of saying Cell Phone when Mia calls Maya, it actually says Cellular. It's nothing major, it's just not something I paid attention to the first time I played.

On first playthrough, I didn't notice anything really ship worthy other than Redd/April and that was more because of a Boss/Secretary angle (sharing the hotel room helped that along a little). On subsequent playthroughs I noticed Maya's little comment about Miles and how she was impressed with him (Hello, he's trying to put you to death!). It's not strong evidence for the ship, but it's something.

Overall, this cases also looses a lot on multiple playthroughs. The flawed writing really shows, and I'm not even talking about the later game contradictions. Everything happens so quick it is ridiculous. I'm looking forward to the other cases now that we've got these two out of the way.

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Oh boy, this case. It left me bad impressions of Maya, Gumshoe, and Edgeworth before the second half of this case.

I thought Maya was rather annoying, even though I did feel some pity for her, just something about her in this case was just...wrong. She didn't even look anything like her older sister!

Gumshoe was also really annoying in the beginning, the fact that he kept confusing Phoenix for Larry so many times got on my nerves. I didn't even care too much when Edgeworth repeatedly threatened to lower his salary.

Which brings me to my next point, like most people would not like to admit, I too despised Edgeworth at the beginning. He appeared to be corrupt, evil, uncaring, and I thought the cravat just made him look silly. However, also like most people, my opinion of him changed later...

I was pretty mad that I had to do some boring detective work instead of Object in the courtroom, it took me a while to get the hang of things and finally move on.

I hated how Mia died in the beginning since she is what drew me into the series in the first place (damn hormones). I was about to give up on this series when I noticed April May. My attention was caught and I decided to stick around a little longer to see what was going to unfold. Naturally, when I came across the part when she goes bazonkers and shows her mean side, I felt willing to give up again. But by instinct, I decided to keep going. Of course the case somehow managed to glue me to the series with the remaining dialouge, the fun cross-examining, and of course, Maya channeling Mia.

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I agree that the case doesn't stand up as well after multiple playthroughs. Even if AA isn't always known for strict adherence to law, it's a little painful to see some stuff fly. I can't get over how Edgeworth accepted "Look at this wiretap that is clearly not mine but the witness's!" without any proof. Not your finest hour, Perfect Prosecutor!

And on a random note, I would like to add that I am amused by the idea of Will/April. Thanks to a random RP idea and the image of huge hairy Will with cute pink April. Like if someone told her he's a famous actor and she didn't figure out it was for a silly kid's show until after she slept with him, lol.

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That would be hilarious. That idea makes me think of Max/April because he's an "entertainer" and the she'd fight out he does magic tricks for a failing circus and be pissed. It could be a theme for her life.

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Definitely. Maya was horrible. She was my least favourite character out of that case and the entire series. Always whining and had an annoying personality.

And here is my late review of Turnabout Sisters. ((I only played it because of TS ))

Turnabout Sisters is probably the most important case in the entire Ace Attorney history for a number of reasons, the main being that it was Mia Fey's death that lead to a lot of the future plots forming.

Case 2 introduces many of the main characters that would later go on to have a major impact on the series. Mia Fey is developed more as a character here and her younger sister, Maya is also introduced. Miles Edgeworth and Dick Gumshoe make their first appearance.

To me, it was a very interesting case. It wasn't easy but it wasn't too hard, so it was good overall.

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I did finish the case yesterday..but I'm posting today.
Ive played it 4 times and only this time did i find out that Charley is a "Cordyline Stricta" ...how Gumshoe knows this is a Mystery to me..
Edgeworth in this case is Halarious. He knows he's awesome.
I like how there are lots of options when your talking to people giving more dialouge options, which doesnt happen as much in later cases.
Still Enjoying the "Grossberg and Redd are Lovers!" Option. Choose it everytime.
And I noticed that Gorssberg has a theme song but only 4 sprites...

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Hmm, Maya. I remember the first time I played I was a bit incredulous as I sensed she was our token female sidekick, but this soon melted away - this was not a stereotypical story.



Maya says about her own place, but in the detention centre Phoenix laments about her being 'all alone up on that mountain'. So maybe her own place isn't in the city. But she must have a place in the city later in the game, unless she lives at the office. Phoenix doesn't live at the office, at least in 1-3.

I don't' think they even decided Kurain this point, they talk about 'the mountains' and they haven't decided how far away they are. They're probably made less remote in the next game to make plots easier. Maybe in their minds here Maya even lives all alone on a different mountain to 'Kurain', for some kind of solitary training.

If it's in the city, and later, Mia was probably paying. All that spirit training doesn't exactly lead to city employment, and she is only 17. Things seem to be worse in terms of channelliing business then, with Misty still disgraced - doesn't 1-4 sort of clear her name, because she wasn't lying? I forget, but along with exposing Redd White as a repeated blackmailing liar, Kurain's reputation must be marginally restored again, so there's some market for channeling again by 2-2. I'm not sure about business specifics, [did Fey and Co. just end after Mia died?] but I bet Mia left everything to Maya, [money to pay for place in city] and that would include the contents inside the office, though the office itself is rented. She'd hardly have included Phoenix in her will.



Pearl knew about the 2-2 murder because it happened in Kurain, and she had to escape Morgan's notice to come and support Maya. Morgan probably didn't tell her in 1-2. Morgan probably didn't care about Maya, good riddance. [Well, they didn't exist, but..]



Maybe she didn't respect him very much any more, as she probably chose there to work to get the answers over his blackmail of Misty, and by the end it would be clear to her that he'd ruined her mother, so she's probably not making nice small talk about him as her mentor. [And Phoenix never mentions Mia by name in AJ so maybe she didn't either ]

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I liked this case, a good first whole case.

It was said that Mia had to die so soon, but I guess they had to make the game (and the whole series as a whole, for that matter) more interesting. Also, a lot of the plot points introduced in future games wouldn't have worked if it didn't happen.

I found that with this case there was a lot more "Select an Option" parts than other cases. The "You're lovers!" one is probably the best of the series. XD