I’m also going to express my concern about the channel’s current direction and, if you’re interested in YouTubers that go more in-depth with the Ace Attorney series, recommend YouTube channels that focuses on analyses and discussions on Ace Attorney at the end.
I'm going to keep this rant as clean as possible and read the writing right off the wall; Game Theory has declined to fan wanking and click-baiting garbage.
I really don't know when this channel went down hill. Some say it's the "Link is Dead" theory, others say it's the seemingly endless saturation of FNAF videos where Pat gives the only sensible (and I use this and the following word loosely) plot to a thus far $20 total collection of games where the real horror comes from searching for fan art on deviantART.
What I DO know is that Game Theory used to be based on actual evidence. If you watch some of the earlier videos of the series, you can tell that MatPat has put a lot more time and effort into each episode back then.
But now Game Theory (and by-product, Film Theory) has reduced to MP coming to inaccurate or downright wrong conclusions that borderlines over to WMG territory. The theory about Sans being Ness can literally be boiled down to MatPat wanting to cross his favorite game over with a indie game heavily based on it. I'm not even gonna touch the Pope bullshit.
I’m genuinely growing concerned about the channel’s future. I don’t doubt that MatPat’s success will dwindle, but I am seeing a change in the quality of his content and it’s...kinda cringeworthy, if you ask me.
For the sake of simplicity I'll first bring up a point that happens early in Turnabout Sisters, the case where MatPat builds most of his arguments off of. I'll also bring up the Evidence Book you obtain in Rise from the Ashes.
Matpat’s first claim that Phoenix is somehow a criminal is the bottle that Nick and Maya found in the defendant’s room during the second Investigation Phase in Turnabout Samurai. As this leads up to his Discovery Law point, I will bring this up later.
His next claim is when Phoenix called for the Bellboy, a witness Edgeworth has no control over, to testify. This is where he brings up the Discovery Law. He describe this as, “a legal privilege that both sides, defense and prosecution have, so that they can do research on relevant details before the trial begins to avoid surprises that can negatively impact their case.”
“This [referring to the bottle from Turnabout Samurai] gives Edgeworth zero time to think about the evidence and how it affects his case before he’s expected to respond.”
Not only are we applying something from the American Legal System to a fictional law game originally made in Japan in 2001, but even if the Concept of Discovery is true in the Ace Attorney series, then it’s not right to ignore what the prosecutors in the original trilogy pull to secure a Guilty verdict.
A example from Turnabout Sister; Phoenix points out a contradiction with Gumshoe's testimony. The detective states that the victim in the case wrote the defendant's name, but her autopsy report says that she died instantly. But what's this? Edgeworth just so happens to have an updated autopsy report without Phoenix's knowledge and the Judge just accepts this with no questions, invalidating Wright's objection. This is one of the many major holes in MatPat’s theory.
And to explain why Phoenix was able to present evidence like the sleeping pills bottle in Turnabout Samurai, allow me to present a piece of evidence that you come across in Rise from the Ashes.
I present you this Evidence Law Book.
Allow me to elaborate a bit. I’ve looked this up after reading a comment left by Chaotic Note and it turn out that they were right. The book’s two rules are essential to not just the case itself, but also to the understanding of the legal system that Phoenix lives in. Read these two rules carefully, as they’re related to presenting evidence during a trial.
Rule 1: No evidence shall be shown without approval of the Police Department.
Rule 2: Unregistered evidence must be relevant to the case in trial.
No only does this evidence proves that Wright is more than likely not breaking any laws in term of presenting evidence, but this also pushes the envelope that Wright’s legal system is very much different from ours! The reason why Phoenix "conceals" his evidence is because the court system demands that he present these pieces of evidence on relevant statements. This is how the game works!
Now, why MatPat chose to not speak of this information, I am not sure. All the re-releases of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney since 2005 came with Rise from the Ashes. This only leads me to one conclusion. Though I'm hoping this is just a hunch, I cannot ignore this implication.
MatPat did not complete the full game, stopping at Turnabout Goodbyes so that he can put out an Ace Attorney theory two months before Spirits of Justice comes out so that he can make a quick buck of the AA community.
I don't want to believe it, but considering the videos he made as of late, I wouldn't put it behind him. At least this isn't a YouTube Red video. *shivers*
And of course, MatPat's final claim that Wright is a criminal is obstruction of justice, saying that Wright has tampered with the crime scene. The answer to this is simple: Wright didn't do nuffin.
Firstly, I'm going to pretend that MatPat didn't just call Mia Fey "Hotty McLegal" and assumed that Wright was touching something else instead of her arm to check for a pulse. I'm not trying to be a SJW here, but it just makes MatPat look immature.
Secondly, when Wright takes note of a piece of evidence he finds in the background, he does not remove them from the scene. If he have, none of the evidence he "collected" would be on the floor, let alone one of them in Gumshoe's possession when he returns to the room, as shown by the very footage you're using!
It may just be a theory, but a theory isn't excused from criticism. I hope that MatPat eventually comes around and resume making quality videos. Until then, I'll just stick to the WMG sections of TVTrope pages. The defense rest their case.
If you wish to find more in-depth analysis and general videos on the Ace Attorney franchise, I recommend giving Innocent Kristoph Gavin (on hiatus, will be back late July with a new video) and TheStoryteller (writing a review on Apollo Justice) a try. I would like to thank for giving feedback on what I had on GDoc prior to making this blog. Now if you excuse me, I have to get through Moe's testimony again.
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