Phoenix returns to the courtroom for day two of deliberation on the topic of the top ten cases from the Ace Attorney series. Just like any good case, the final day is where the true excitement peaks. This list is no different.

Here is a reminder of the rules for this list. First, this list will only contain games from the main series except Spirit of Justice. This includes the Miles Edgeworth Investigation games and the Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright crossover. This is because I want to keep the list to true games that follow the Ace Attorney formula. Spirit of Justice isn’t here either because I have not finished it and I don’t want to make any premature judgements. However, from what I have seen, it is very good.

Last rule, this is all purely subjective and my personal opinions. People will definitely have their fair share of objections, yes that joke was forced and yes it was totally worth it, but it is my list of my opinions.

With all that being said, the end of this list is nigh, and the final testimonies are about to be said. It’s time to hear the rest of what needs to be said and see the remainder of the evidence.

5. Turnabout Academy: Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies

Themis Legal Academy is the setting for one of my favorite cases from Dual Destinies where the crime mimics a mock trial script pretty much to a “T”.

This case earns its place on the list for a number of reasons. The first being that this is Athena’s first case as the lead attorney and she has a handle on everything… most of the time. The end of the first day spins out of everyone’s control which ends up helping Athena in the long run.

This case is honestly extremely well structured when it comes to how I feel a case should be made. There is a reason why the lawyer believes your client, there is an ulterior motive for everything, there are twists and turns for everything, the characters are likable and the main villain makes the player want to throw a brick at their virtual head. With that being said, the villain for the case is easily my least favorite character of the series.

This is a fun case to play and truly experience. Aside from the final moments where Athena takes full control of the case and insanity consumes the court, my favorite part has to be Robin Newman’s twist in the first day of the trial. Play the game to figure out what I mean. It is awesome.

4. Turnabout Succession: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

While Apollo Justice may be one of the most hated games in the franchise, not to me, it’s final case is amazing. It takes a new approach as it is a “test case” for a new judicial system that uses jurors to decide verdicts instead of just the judge making the decision based on what they see.

While the game could just stop there with the idea, they expanded it to living hell and made it something completely different. It brings up why Phoenix lost his badge seven years ago and how the past seven years have affected multiple people.

The investigation segment with this is easily my favorite of any game in the main series as it transitions between investigating in the present and seven years in the past.

Not only does it explain why Phoenix has been so shady through this game, it also shows how much is truly at the heart of this “test case”.

This case also ties up a bow nicely on the game’s main villain who I still believe is the most evil and conniving to this date. He is pure evil, and to see him put in his place is extremely rewarding.

3. Farewell, My Turnabout: Phoenix Wright: Justice for All

This one will definitely get me some flack and for good reason.

Justice for All is considered the worst game in the main series according to many, including me. However, Farewell, My Turnabout is arguably the best case in the entire series. It asks one main question to the player. What is more important: Finding the client innocent, or finding the truth? Up until now, Phoenix has only defended clients who turned out to be completely innocent.

(SPOILERS) However, Matt Engarde is completely guilty and is possibly the worst human in the entire series. He hired an assassin to kill his rival and even kidnap Maya so Phoenix would be forced to defend him. This guy is the definition of demon from hell. (END SPOILERS)

Phoenix is forced to try and find Matt innocent or risk having Maya murdered.

At the end, it is shown that the case could go either way and the player is forced to make a choice. Should Matt be found guilty which would serve justice and have Maya be killed, or have him found innocent which would let a killer go free and an innocent woman would be found guilty in his place.

This case really makes the player think about what is right and wrong when it comes to these scenarios and bring up an overarching theme that the series wanted to make clear in the first game and ultimately did not fully succeed.

Overall, this case is incredible and could very well be number one on this list, but decided against it in the end.

2. Bridge to the Turnabout: Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations

The series was originally supposed to end on this game, and if it had, this would have been the best ending to any series ever.

Bridge to the Turnabout has everything that a good case needs and then some.

The whole premise is that Maya wants to go through intense spiritual training on a mountain in the middle of nowhere and Phoenix goes up with her. While there, she gets trapped on an island and someone gets murdered. If that were the end of it, this case would be boring. Thankfully this case is so much more than a simple murder.

This case ties up pretty much every loose end the series has had up until this point including Maya’s mother, what happened to Edgeworth, everything the first game was about, and even the last remnants of what this game made with Dahlia Hawthorne get resolved. This case is amazing. The player feels like everyone got justice, including a literal ghost, and that everything had come full circle. Sadly, the villain in this case, if I can even call this person a villain, did not make me mad. In fact, I loved the killer and was sad to see that we had to convict them.

Overall, this case maybe the best one of the series. I really fought about which of these two to put number one and this barely lost out. Even number three was close, but to me, my number one is one that I love for my own personal reasons.

By the way, whoever thought of letting Edgeworth play with the Magatama and breaking "Psycho-Locks" deserves a medal.

1. Turnabout for Tomorrow: Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies

Aside from case two, Dual Destinies is my favorite of the series. While the comments are already ripping me to shreds for this, allow me to plead my case.

I have mentioned the formula of what makes a good case several times in this part alone, and this one fits it perfectly and goes above and beyond just the formula alone.

The main idea of this case is that Athena Cykes murdered an astronaut and as every good case goes, the full story never reveals itself right away.

After that, the case takes a complete 180 when Simon Blackquill’s sister kidnaps a bunch of people including Phoenix’s adopted daughter Trucy and holds them hostage. She says she will let them go if they can hold a re-trial for Simon Blackquill to find him innocent for the crime he is currently convicted of.

They find that all the courtrooms are full except for one, the destroyed courtroom number four from the fourth trial which led into case five extremely well.

After dealing with Blackquill’s case they move back to the case at hand with Athena and work to find her guilty.

I know that I haven’t said a whole lot of good things about the case, but the best parts of it are extremely spoiler-filled and I wouldn’t be doing it justice if I said everything.

I will say a few last things on it, though.

Using the Mood Matrix on Simon is probably the most frustrating and hardest segments of the game, but it is so worth it.

The villain of this case is amazing. They have been involved with everything going back to the second case and everything makes sense. When I first learned who it was, I literally screamed. I was shocked and amazed that I didn’t see it coming earlier. Whether that makes me completely oblivious or just easily amused, the villain caught me completely off-guard.

To truly find out why this is my favorite, go play this case. It is worth every penny and every bit of time spent on it.

The list has reached its end. While my opinions are probably being burned at the stake right now, just remember that this is my own personal list, and it has changed a ton even over the past month.

If anybody has their own opinions, I challenge them to write out their top 10 and send it my way. I love talking about my favorite series and hearing multiple opinions about it. Until then, court is adjourned.