• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Fire Emblem: Awakening - Character Spotlights

I need this game right into my veins.

I think the art direction is cool. I liked how they toughened up Marth's appearance in the DS remakes, but I like the designs for characters like Roy in Awakening A LOT (he's an optional, not plot-relevant DLC character, btw):

Dude wraps his cape around his ARM, what the FUCKING AWESOME. I wish there was some sick fan art out there to go along with this. I hope he is in Smash 4 just so he can have this character design.
4EGFtl.jpg


Coolest I could find.
 
Personally, I can say that the only DLC character arts that I'm not all that partial to are Micaiah's and Ike's, and I'm not surprised that others here feel the same towards them. As for the rest, I do think they are pretty neat if not great. Personal favorite would have to be out of either Marth, Leaf, Ephraim, or Catria. It's not easy for me to choose just one, haha.
 
I would just like to add that I love the new art direction. There is too much hate here for it. Frankly, it's with the times. 90s Fire Emblem looked like 90s anime, 00s Fire Emblem looked like the transition between 90/00s anime and Awakening looks like modern anime. And naturally if you're not into anime now you hate how it looks and wish it looked like the cartoon you grew up with. People who hate the style would hate whatever it looked like because it doesn't look like their first Fire Emblem or their 90s anime. Also, Micaiah doesn't look nearly as bad as you all make her out to be. If fan-service disturbs you that much you need to chill.
 
The other characters look kinda weird but Micaiah just looks awful. Even ignoring the creepy fanservice, she looks completely different compared to everything else. If you told me that was some fanart on the darker side of deviant art I would believe it.
 
I would just like to add that I love the new art direction. There is too much hate here for it. Frankly, it's with the times. 90s Fire Emblem looked like 90s anime, 00s Fire Emblem looked like the transition between 90/00s anime and Awakening looks like modern anime. And naturally if you're not into anime now you hate how it looks and wish it looked like the cartoon you grew up with. People who hate the style would hate whatever it looked like because it doesn't look like their first Fire Emblem or their 90s anime. Also, Micaiah doesn't look nearly as bad as you all make her out to be. If fan-service disturbs you that much you need to chill.
The problem isn't simply that it's more modern, it's modern in the sense that introduces (more) cheap, unnecessary titillation/wish fulfillment. Then some people take issue with the anachronistic elements of the fashion.
 
I myself was skeptical of the character designs of the game initially (Kozaki's to be precise), but to be honest I've come to love it over time. Not sure if I can say this game's art direction is my favorite of the series, though.
 
I still think the Radiance games have the best art style in the series, and I'm still not really into the character models, but I've grown quite fond of the artwork lately.

Especially since Nintendo has started releasing more of the individual character portraits. (Frederick's artwork, for example, is really awesome.)
 
I still think the Dawn games have the best art style in the series, and I'm still not really into the character models, but I've grown quite fond of the artwork lately.

Especially since Nintendo has started releasing more of the individual character portraits. (Frederick's artwork, for example, is really awesome.)

I was originally going to mention that in my last post, but yes, Senri Kita's art style in FE9 and FE10 in particular I think is very good and is the main one I had in mind when I said I wasn't sure if FE13's style was my favorite or not. It's also because of Senri Kita that I really like Marth's DLC art.
 
I still don't understand why people use numbers when referring to Fire Emblem games. Just use their names or shorten it. Some people refer to Shadow Dragon by a number when it's a remake of the first. It doesn't/shouldn't count as a numbered entry new entry in the series. The two DS games aren't FE 11 and FE 12. Their FE 1 and FE 2. It's like calling REmake RE 4.
 
I still don't understand why people use numbers when referring to Fire Emblem games. Just use their names or shorten it. Some people refer to Shadow Dragon by a number when it's a remake of the first. It doesn't/shouldn't count as a numbered entry new entry in the series. The two DS games aren't FE 11 and FE 12. Their FE 1 and FE 2. It's like calling REmake RE 4.

eh, as it's clear what they're referring to. Sometimes people do get the number wrong. I just use the subtitles.
 
I still don't understand why people use numbers when referring to Fire Emblem games. Just use their names or shorten it. Some people refer to Shadow Dragon by a number when it's a remake of the first. It doesn't/shouldn't count as a numbered entry new entry in the series. The two DS games aren't FE 11 and FE 12. Their FE 1 and FE 2. It's like calling REmake RE 4.

Intelligent Systems refers to the two DS games as FE11 and FE12.
 
so is Path of Radiance "FE8" or is it Sacred Stones. Like one was announced first but the other came out first or something.

(I don't really care, btw)
 
so is Path of Radiance "FE8" or is it Sacred Stones. Like one was announced first but the other came out first or something.

(I don't really care, btw)

Path of Radiance is FE9. Sacred Stones is FE8. Path of Radiance was announced first. Sacred Stones was released first.
 
damn, this is not helping my "stop buying games/get back to your backlog" efforts.

any idea how the art book looks? are we expecting a baby one like with Xenoblade?
 
damn, this is not helping my "stop buying games/get back to your backlog" efforts.

any idea how the art book looks? are we expecting a baby one like with Xenoblade?

its what I'm expecting honestly but ill take what I can get. we have no clue what its actually gonna loook like though. here's hoping its actually good. I don't remember Nintendo ever offering an artbook as a preorder bonus until xenoblade. be cool if they do more.
 
I still don't understand why people use numbers when referring to Fire Emblem games. Just use their names or shorten it. Some people refer to Shadow Dragon by a number when it's a remake of the first. It doesn't/shouldn't count as a numbered entry new entry in the series. The two DS games aren't FE 11 and FE 12. Their FE 1 and FE 2. It's like calling REmake RE 4.
There is no objective truth. Only an understandable consensus. And people DO commonly and consistently refer to the DS games as FE11 and FE12. Your analogy also fails since Capcom uses the numbers to name their RE games, whereas it's the fans who use the numbers for FE to help easily distinguish between games (FE:SD DS... is that what you're suggesting?).
 
Not sure where to ask this, but is it possible in FE: Awakening to grind out levels with repeatable battles or something. I didn't like how in the Wii FE game I was always on a set path with no real way to go back and level up my guys the way I wanted to. Not really a dealbreaker for me, but it would be for my wife.
 
386617_427243594014304_396125595_n.jpg


Emmeryn from Fire Emblem Awakening is the holy ruler of Ylisse and Chrom’s older sister. She is gentle and kind and believes in peaceful negotiation even when her kingdom is threatened by the Plegia invasion.

Now I know Chrom has two sisters. I feel like I'm spoiling myself too much by making this thread lol.
 
Not sure where to ask this, but is it possible in FE: Awakening to grind out levels with repeatable battles or something. I didn't like how in the Wii FE game I was always on a set path with no real way to go back and level up my guys the way I wanted to. Not really a dealbreaker for me, but it would be for my wife.
Yes, thanks to skirmishes, StreetPass, SpotPass, and DLC.
 
If you have a Club Nintendo account and plan to buy Awakening, you can go fill out a survey and get an extra 10 coins when you register the game.
 
OK, so Eireka is now a staff wielder rather than using a rapier? And what happened to Elincia's other leg?

Not too keen on Ike either, but Ephraim looks cool, as does Lynn.
 
OK, so Eireka is now a staff wielder rather than using a rapier? And what happened to Elincia's other leg?

Not too keen on Ike either, but Ephraim looks cool, as does Lynn.

DLC Eirika comes in as a Bride, a powerful class that can use lances, bows, and staves. There is also a SpotPass Eirika who comes in as a Myrmidon. Either way, Rapiers are only usable by Lords, Great Lords, and Star Lords.

Elincia's leg is right behind her other, which you can barely see.
 
I didn't even know about the spotpass characters. I still don't even know how the streetpassspotstuff works, I never take my 3DS out of the house.
 
There is no objective truth. Only an understandable consensus. And people DO commonly and consistently refer to the DS games as FE11 and FE12. Your analogy also fails since Capcom uses the numbers to name their RE games, whereas it's the fans who use the numbers for FE to help easily distinguish between games (FE:SD DS... is that what you're suggesting?).

Not just that, even Intelligent Systems assigns a number to each game. There's nothing to debate here.
 
I didn't even know about the spotpass characters. I still don't even know how the streetpassspotstuff works, I never take my 3DS out of the house.

Spotpass isn't streetpass. Spotpass is just connecting to the internet through the 3DS, not with other 3DS. Also, regarding Bride Eirika, the DLC itself has a small explanation for her class change, although it has nothing to do with the concept of a "bride".
 
Spotpass isn't streetpass. Spotpass is just connecting to the internet through the 3DS, not with other 3DS. Also, regarding Bride Eirika, the DLC itself has a small explanation for her class change, although it has nothing to do with the concept of a "bride".

I knew they weren't the same thing, I just didn't really know how either worked at all.

I don't even leave the system in sleep mode. Guess I might as well do that since content is apparently downloaded at random.
 
@OP: Sully's was put up some time ago.

I knew they weren't the same thing, I just didn't really know how either worked at all.

I don't even leave the system in sleep mode. Guess I might as well do that since content is apparently downloaded at random.

Let's start with StreetPass.

Like with any 3DS game that utilizes StreetPass, the StreetPass functionality of Fire Emblem Awakening has you exchange data with other players you come across in real life. As you may already know, Awakening allows you, the player, to create what is known as the Avatar, a playable character who represents yourself in the game's story. In the game at some point, you will be able to arrange a group consisting of ten units from your save file, including the Avatar, for the purpose of exchanging with other players' through StreetPass. In the Japanese version of the game, this group of units is called My Team. My Teams are basically carbon copies of their sources in every regard in addition to some other information you can attach to them, so upon creating a My Team, you aren't actually exhausting yourself of your units or weapons.

Upon receiving another player's My Team, what should happen is that that person's My Team will appear on your world map through representation of that player's Avatar, not unlike an enemy or merchant. As Chrom, the game's central protagonist, you navigate to where that Avatar is located. From there, you can choose to view that Avatar and its group's abilities, recruit that Avatar through gold, buy weapons or items off of the group that they were set to have when created by the other player, fight the group with your own party in order to recruit that Avatar without paying gold, or just dismiss the group. The My Team will disappear after you've engaged with it, but it will randomly reappear later for you to interact with it again, and will continue to do so until you dismiss it.

One tidbit worth sharing is that My Teams appear even if you don't StreetPass with other Awakening players in particular. StreetPassing anyone else has almost the exact same effect as StreetPassing an Awakening player, but in this case the characteristics of that computer generated My Team isn't personalized. From my understanding, at least.

Now, SpotPass...

SpotPass is a type of wireless communication that allows 3DS users to download content via the Internet, for free. As seen with games such as Dead or Alive Dimensions, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and New Super Mario Bros. 2, said content is not really new, but rather is content that is already developed or has a basis of data that is already established in accordance to the game and is able to be modified. The same holds true with Fire Emblem Awakening. Fire Emblem Awakening offers a ton of SpotPass content.

Upon the release of the Japanese version of the game, Nintendo began distributing SpotPass teams. There are now, as originally announced, 120 different SpotPass teams, which are organized into 12 groups of 10 teams, and the 12 groups are all (except for one) themed after a particular Fire Emblem game. Each of the 10 teams of the 12 groups consist of one particular legacy character from the past games, who leads a group of generics, and may be interacted with in pretty much the same manner as you would with an Avatar that you meet through StreetPass. Each group is initiated to appear manually via what's known as a Download Box, once Nintendo releases that group for distribution, with each team appearing on their own one after the other for the next couple of days after you summon that group. This means that, over the months after the game came out, Nintendo let you get 120 returning characters to recruit.

At the same time as when Nintendo began releasing SpotPass teams, they also started to distribute unique Dual Tag teams for the player to face off against in Dual Tag, the game's local multiplayer mode. These new SpotPass challenges are generally much more difficult than the ones initially available, but completing them nets you better rewards, including powerful weapons and Fame points, the latter which is used to earn even more items.

Not long after, Nintendo would also begin offering powerful weapons directly to the player via the Download Box. There are twelve in total, including Luna (FE2), Tyrfing (FE4), and the Double Bow (FE10). Once they're available, you take it for use in your save file.

In addition, over the months after the release of the Japanese version of the game, Nintendo "unlocked" the ability to access a number of exclusive SpotPass sidequest chapters that relate to the game's story and let you recruit specific characters who you couldn't before from them, with the only prerequisite being that you needed to reach a certain point in the game to reach them.
 
I'm finally starting to see webads and trailers for this game. The marketing tagline for the game seems to be:

This is life

This is death

This is fire emblem​


They're also pushing the "only on 3DS" aspect
 
I'm finally starting to see webads and trailers for this game. The marketing tagline for the game seems to be:

This is life

This is death

This is fire emblem​


They're also pushing the "only on 3DS" aspect

Where? Link the sites, if it's possible for you, thanks. :D I'm intrigued to see the ads.
 
I'm finally starting to see webads and trailers for this game. The marketing tagline for the game seems to be:

This is life

This is death

This is fire emblem​


They're also pushing the "only on 3DS" aspect

I actually kind of like that. It's a tad generic, but at least it's true to some of the core gameplay mechanics (permadeath). Although, if it was 100% honest, the tagline would be this:

This is life

This is death

Fuck

Restart.
 
I actually kind of like that. It's a tad generic, but at least it's true to some of the core gameplay mechanics (permadeath). Although, if it was 100% honest, the tagline would be this:

This is life

This is death

Fuck

Restart.

The ad sometimes also has

this is sweet​

in between "this is death" and "this is fire emblem". It then shows a fire emblem character who has lollipops or something in his shirt pocket. Kinda random lol
 
Updated.

248672_428033190602011_661165430_n.jpg


Our Fire Emblem Awakening character spotlight is Sully. A no-nonsense, capable Shepherd who is admired by the other Ylissean women for her strength.

537367_429012797170717_579319803_n.jpg


Stahl from Fire Emblem Awakening is a Shepherd with a big heart and a good head on his shoulders. He is very attentive and kind to others.
 
guessing the person who did the art in Fate/Extra worked on this one. Hahah I like it myself but not surprised at the hate.
I did some digging around since it was bugging me and you're right, Aruko Wada did the art for her.
 
guessing the person who did the art in Fate/Extra worked on this one. Hahah I like it myself but not surprised at the hate.

I did some digging around since it was bugging me and you're right, Aruko Wada did the art for her.

I'm rather surprised that it's the Micaiah artwork that was drawn by the woman artist. I would have guessed it was your regular otaku bai..

"It was only a few years ago when I first realized the sense of satisfaction that comes with drawing things for the pleasure of fans; now it is the most important thing to me and I predict even more changes for the future."

...oh
 
So as someone who has never played a Fire Emblem game, would I be horribly, horribly lost on the story or anything if I tried this one?
 
Top Bottom