Support NeoGAF

[Lunar15]

I will gladly take anything Nintendo throws at me, except for a remake of 1/3. Ideally I'd probably want a new original story with potential for a sequel but I'd love for something either pre Rekka No Ken or post Fuuin No Tsurugi too.

Also what is going on here FEgaf, how is this thread not popping, look at the Persona thread we need to step our game up.

When Fire Emblem gets two fighting games, an EO crossover, a dancing game, and a sequel announced, then FEgaf will probably do better.

 

[Levyne]

When Fire Emblem gets

a dancing game

.

I didn't know I wanted this

 

[dakkumauji]

When Fire Emblem gets two fighting games, an EO crossover, a dancing game, and a sequel announced, then FEgaf will probably do better.

Still waiting for FE Musou.

I didn't know I wanted this

A rhythm game that's an idol showoff of all the dancers from the past FE games? Sign me up.

Spoiler

They could also do a thearhythm like game for FE and I'll be all over that and its DLC

 

[Codeblue]

FE8 sequel confirmed to be the next Fire Emblem game /s

I'd still prefer it to anything related to 6/7, if only because the cast is so much better.

 

[Aveyn Knight]

I can see a FE9 or FE10 port on the new 3DS happening.

Although I would prefer a new game.

Also, I'm surprised IS is so quiet with FE news given next year is the 25th anniversary. Pretty sure the 25th is a big thing.

On a final note, anyone still hoping for FE: Awakening portrait rips, they are coming... soon...

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

I will gladly take anything Nintendo throws at me, except for a remake of 1/3. Ideally I'd probably want a new original story with potential for a sequel but I'd love for something either pre Rekka No Ken or post Fuuin No Tsurugi too.

Also what is going on here FEgaf, how is this thread not popping, look at the Persona thread we need to step our game up.

When Fire Emblem gets two fighting games, an EO crossover, a dancing game, and a sequel announced, then FEgaf will probably do better.

Maybe once we get that SMT crossover we can combine the threads!

Spoiler

Is there an SMT general thread or just a Persona one
Wow there is one but it's even more dead then this

I can see a FE9 or FE10 port on the new 3DS happening.

Although I would prefer a new game.

Also, I'm surprised IS is so quiet with FE news given next year is the 25th anniversary. Pretty sure the 25th is a big thing.

Not for Metroid.

 

[theprodigy]

FE6/7/8 HD remake, on Wii U

we could call it Fire Emblem: The GBA Collection ( ͝° ͜ʖ͡°)

 

[GamerSoul]

FE6/7/8 HD remake, on Wii U

we could call it Fire Emblem: The GBA Collection ( ͝° ͜ʖ͡°)

lol don't give them any ideas. What makes the wait worse is the fact that Awakening created some buzz for the series and those newer fans do not have much to turn to (in terms of reasonable priced games).

 

[NeonZ]

I will gladly take anything Nintendo throws at me, except for a remake of 1/3. Ideally I'd probably want a new original story with potential for a sequel but I'd love for something either pre Rekka No Ken or post Fuuin No Tsurugi too.

Also what is going on here FEgaf, how is this thread not popping, look at the Persona thread we need to step our game up.

It's been more than two years since Awakening's release.The localization isn't that old, but it's still a long time when we don't even have any news about future games.

 

[Lunar15]

I didn't know I wanted this

No one cuts a rug quite like Havetti

 

[Levyne]

where'd I put that brain bleach

 

[mdubs]

When Fire Emblem gets two fighting games, an EO crossover, a dancing game, and a sequel announced, then FEgaf will probably do better.

Iwata pls!

 

[Codeblue]

No one cuts a rug quite like Havetti

I still suspect he's actually a heron.

So graceful.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

No one cuts a rug quite like Havetti

But can I play as Gheb?

 

[theprodigy]

where'd I put that brain bleach

you could just watch a Florida game instead

 

[Levyne]

These are quoted posts from the Gaming side thread, I just wanted to have them all in one place.

They were in response to "why is awakening not loved by some' (I'm paraphrasing). I just want a post to refer back to for future reference, I agree with a lot of this.

Basically, they stem along these lines (from what I've noticed).

-Unlimited grinding potential (though this is more up for debate, given some of the DLC challenges)

-Lack of mission structure variety

-Story is...not as good as some past FEs.

-Time travel mechanic, though fun, is kinda out there, even for FE.

-Along with grinding, pairing mechanic, alongside some of the new skills and the like, breaks the game's difficulty

-Characters aside from Robin are pretty much archetypes, and not really involved in the story as much as several were from past FEs.

-Though this may be a personal one, the lack of distinguishing characteristics between characters, both stat-wise (since you can grind everyone out), and color-wise (everyone looks the exact same with class outfits). Oh, and feet.

Yes.

Awakening doesn't really have any defend objectives, and it doesn't really do anything interesting with the seize/route objectives it does use. It doesn't have any fog of war maps. Most of the maps are also pretty bland in terms of design. Lots of open fields, other FE games generally have more interesting map and enemy layouts that changes up the strategy throughout the game and not just placed sporadically between open field maps.

It's also not balanced very well, the game gets easier the further in you get with only 2-3 chapters that stand out (even without any grinding or anything). Plus the game systems are more designed around grinding and min-maxing in this game with the second seals and the way the skill/child systems work. Unlimited grinding and class changing also makes characters way less unique.

And personally, I don't like the whole waifu thing, and I don't like traversable world maps in FE games. Among other things I'm probably not thinking of. And yeah, the story was really bad too.

It's not very different, but thematically and content wise, it does come across as a bit of a black sheep, even when compared to its more recent siblings.

A big part of it is that Awakening comes off of the recent "Tellius" entries of the series, where the plot and setting got quite intricate and had several sides to a common conflict being portrayed by likeable characters. PoR and RD are both rather challenging games at the higher difficulties, too, which is due to their strict following of the FE formula - no grinding, few arena opportunities, and really interesting map scenarios.

Awakening feels like a slight step back. That's not to say that it was made for the 'casuals' - I do hear that from time to time on other fan sites - but rather, they re-evaluated what features they wanted to emphasize. Most notably, the game's relationship system was placed front and center, and kind of aped Persona's social links system (and it paid off - a lot of the initial buzz and interest was in being able to hook up people of your party).

On the other hand, other elements suffered - encounter design and overall plot being the most noticeable. Maps are rather samey and rarely throw interesting encounters at you, and since the relationship mechanic is made so prominent, there's a smaller cast of characters to account for the fact that you might not possibly get a 'full party' throughout the course of the game.

Granted, now that they've got one title out, they also have a lot of opportunities to improve these areas and basically try to appease both crowds. With them busy on Project: S.T.E.A.M, though, we might not see the fruits of those labors for quite some time...

Basically, there's too much focus on character creation and not enough focus on what makes Fire Emblem a strategy RPG series: strategy. What this means is it doesn't matter if you made a decision that hampers your progression. Simply grind, change classes and cheese your way out, as long as you put enough time into it. In past Fire Emblems, you're restricted to a limited exp pool; you have to work with what you've chosen to train and level up. Then there's the limited map variety and routes in Awakening, which makes it even more non-strategic. They put all their eggs into one basket, the characters, but unfortunately, that makes it no different from tactical RPGs such as FFT and TO.

Alongside the points made above...

Yes because the entire gameplay was a watered down experience that is not what is indicative of the Fire Emblem series and the SRPG genre as a whole.

The entire difficulty scale of Awakening is completely off-scale where Hard Casual really isn't hard at all. The ability to revisit stages and grind out like in Sacred Stones completely off-balanced the entire game.

The Pair-Up system is also horribly flawed in terms of the amount of boosts you receive to the point where you basically break the entire game with the Pair-Up system.

Don't get me wrong, the story and setting weren't bad and they were completely adequate for Fire Emblem standards. However the gameplay compared to previous games is offensively watered down.

You really don't need to strategize and manage your resources at all throughout Awakening because of how easy it is to stock up on weapons and Pair-Up boosts and cruise through the entire game. You aren't required to use strategy at all and all you have to do is literally pair-up, have high speed, and basically one man army the entire map. I mean do your enemies ever use the pair up system against you? You the player were the only one with access to it and the stat bonuses you received because of it outweighed the entire difficulty curve of the rest of the game.

You don't have to really think about where it's best to place my units or which weapons I must use because that's all thrown out the window with the introduction of limitless Seals where you can make every unit work for any situation.

In previous games, you wouldn't be able to grind your way through or cheese out the system because you followed a castle/mission structure and you didn't revisit past stages.

In previous games you had no pair-up support system and you had to calculate which weapons, classes, and positions were best for your situation and make do with it.

The entire point of permadeath was so that you didn't carelessly take down an entire map without any consequences. There's a reason why Fire Emblem is a STRATEGY RPG and not your regular down the mill Role Playing Game.

The only times were Awakening was similar to difficulty and gameplay of the previous games were during Lunatic and Lunatic+ missions in the first 4-5 chapters. You had to rely on your jeigan character and use strategy to get past it. After that, the entire mechanics of the game are out the window because it was no longer forced upon you. The difficulty between Lunatic and Lunatic+ was also completely unbalanced. The fact that the game's challenge was locked behind DLC made it worse because as a fan, you basically had to pay at least another $30 to get the same kind of experience.

You had to buy DLC for classes and for challenge missions such as Katarina's mission, experiences that were not offered at all in the main game.

Fire Emblem 12 was basically Awakening before it came out, but it didn't have the unnecessary fluff that watered down the gameplay. Like seriously, Fire Emblem Awakening was just FE12 with a new character skin and Super Easy Mode pasted onto it.

TL;DR Fire Emblem Awakening's success was mounted on characters and NOT the gameplay, contrary to the rest of the series which focused on both character development and strategy. The game itself was a completely watered down experience in comparison.

Fire Emblem Awakening wasn't a bad game, that title belongs to Roy's game and Shadow Dragon, but it was a game that completely stripped what made Fire Emblem the game it was and made up for it in the characters and DLC.

Awakening is basically the DmC Donte to Fire Emblem's Devil May Cry.

Awakening was great for a newcomer or during your first play through if you didn't grind, but certain design decisions hurt the game.

In previous FE's, you'd have a very limited amount of exp as you had only main chapters as battles. So how characters grew and performed was very important, and one character who might randomly have been a beast in one playthrough becomes sidelined and useless in the next. There was better map design and more emphasis on using terrain, more varied mission objectives, and more interesting tactics rather than just pairing everyone up.

Basically the tl;dr is that the ability to grind to max level and pair everyone up threw the difficulty and progression all out of whack, and some gameplay changes weren't for the best.

FE:A is still a great game though, it really is.

EDIT: Forgot about the story. Old FE's had wonderfully political stories with incredible world building and reasonably realistic characters. Ike's journey through the two Radiant games is insane. FE:A's story, on the other hand, was just awful. Anime inspired nonsense from start to finish.

Past Fire Emblems also had a system to flesh out the characters' relationships, the support system, but unlike Awakening, it didn't broke the game. It actually added depth to your tactical approach, since unit placement got a lot more important with the bonuses from supporting characters. The bonuses are however slight advantages. And unlike Awakening, the support conversations didn't have to involve marriage.

It's not a coincidence Awakening is sometimes referred to as a dating simulator.

Basically, to boil it down to the bare essentials, my perfect fire emblem game would have

- Limited Exp pool (if deciding between an arena or bonus exp to supplement, would rather have bonus exp)
- Traditional Supports (each character gets 2-6 support options, some ending as pairings)
- Much more limited reclassing (something expanded from the SS system, perhaps)
- 2d art (lol)
- Varied win conditions and map structure
- Gaiden chapters

I'm indifferent on whether there's a main unit.

I don't have a lot of story preferences, but the more characters with important roles, the better, and putting some backstory behind supports I thought was always a cool narrative supplement.

 

[Draxal]

These are quoted posts from the Gaming side thread, I just wanted to have them all in one place.

They were in response to "why is awakening not loved by some' (I'm paraphrasing). I just want a post to refer back to for future reference, I agree with a lot of this.















Basically, to boil it down to the bare essentials, my perfect fire emblem game would have

- Limited Exp pool (if deciding between an arena or bonus exp to supplement, would rather have bonus exp)
- Traditional Supports (each character gets 2-6 support options, some ending as pairings)
- Much more limited reclassing (something expanded from the SS system, perhaps)
- 2d art (lol)
- Varied win conditions and map structure
- Gaiden chapters

I'm indifferent on whether there's a main unit.

I don't have a lot of story preferences, but the more characters with important roles, the better, and putting some backstory behind supports I thought was always a cool narrative supplement.

And my opinion is the same, Thracia and the Radiance Saga were the worst selling games in the series as they targeted a player base that was too small.

Which is why I don't understand complaints about unlimited xp and classing ... they don't force you to grind in this game, they don't force you to partner they don't force you to reclass they don't force you to play casual mode. Those were design choices to make the game more accessible to more people, which for a series that was on its deathbed ... a smart move.

This is to akin, to forcing the ice cream store to only sell vanilla ice cream because only you like it.

edit.

Now if you want to argue that there were tradeoffs that made the game worse I'm all for it.

.ie the children and parents coexisting at the same time resulting in a unsatisfying time traveling story.

 

[Levyne]

Which is why I don't understand complaints about unlimited xp and classing ... they don't force you to grind in this game, they don't force you to partner they don't force you to reclass.

This is a common argument that I've never known quite how to tackle. First of all, I don't want to come across as if my opinion is correct or incorrect, I really don't feel as strongly about these things as it might appear, if the next entry does everything the exact opposite of my silly list I will still buy it and likely love it.

As for the argument, I've never known how to word this well. But "avoiding grinding or reclassing" because the game doesn't force me to has never given me the same satisfaction of knowing that everyone going into a map or level has had the same amount of exp or base roster going in. Because if I run into difficulty, I'm never quite sure what the developer expected of me, how many battles should I grind? Do I need to simply get better or am I woefully underleveled? But at the same time, I love challenging myself in the limited-exp games by only using units of a certain type (pre-promotes, only swords) etc which could be seen as a similar case of self restraint.. The game doesn't force you to use mounted units. Or something. I suppose the difference is that one set of limitations is paring back from a defined baseline, the other is paring back from infinity. For some reason I enjoy the first way more than the second and I still find myself thinking about why that is, I am not entirely sure.

 

[Draxal]

This is a common argument that I've never known quite how to tackle. First of all, I don't want to come across as if my opinion is correct or incorrect, I really don't feel as strongly about these things as it might appear, if the next entry does everything the exact opposite of my silly list I will still buy it and likely love it.

As for the argument, I've never known how to word this well. But "avoiding grinding or reclassing" because the game doesn't force me to has never given me the same satisfaction of knowing that everyone going into a map or level has had the same amount of exp or base roster going in. Because if I run into difficulty, I'm never quite sure what the developer expected of me, how many battles should I grind? Do I need to simply get better or am I woefully underleveled? But at the same time, I love challenging myself in the limited-exp games by only using units of a certain type (pre-promotes, only swords) etc which could be seen as a similar case of self restraint.. The game doesn't force you to use mounted units. Or something. I suppose the difference is that one set of limitations is paring back from a defined baseline, the other is paring back from infinity. For some reason I enjoy the first way more than the second and I still find myself thinking about why that is, I am not entirely sure.

I hear you, here's my counterpoint.

There's been plenty of people who gotten stuck in a chapter six or seven of a fire emblem and suddenly there Jeigan is no longer so good and oh they let all their ogmas and nabarls sacrifice themselves on earlier chapters and they stop playing either the game or the series.

Fwiw, my ideal Fire Emblem would have be something like old Akaneia or Jugdral (multiple kingdom/provinces) and having the same fire emblem tactical gameplay but weaving in Brigandine/Dragon's Force's/ROTK/Nobunaga's Ambition political overmap in as well.

 

[Levyne]

Oh yeah, your middle line reminds me. I think all future fire emblems should have the casual mode / non-perma death option. I forgot to mention that. I don't see myself using it since it would be too much of a paradigm shift after not having that option for so long, but that is definitely a QoL change from awakening that I feel the series needed.

 

[Draxal]

My actual biggest pet peeve of Awakening is that it takes so far in the future compared to the other fire emblems. I liked the idea of having them kinda concurrent.

 

[theprodigy]

If people get stuck in any of FE1-11 they're bad at the game, you can beat them all on the highest difficulty with 0% growths

 

[Codeblue]

This is a common argument that I've never known quite how to tackle. First of all, I don't want to come across as if my opinion is correct or incorrect, I really don't feel as strongly about these things as it might appear, if the next entry does everything the exact opposite of my silly list I will still buy it and likely love it.

As for the argument, I've never known how to word this well. But "avoiding grinding or reclassing" because the game doesn't force me to has never given me the same satisfaction of knowing that everyone going into a map or level has had the same amount of exp or base roster going in. Because if I run into difficulty, I'm never quite sure what the developer expected of me, how many battles should I grind? Do I need to simply get better or am I woefully underleveled? But at the same time, I love challenging myself in the limited-exp games by only using units of a certain type (pre-promotes, only swords) etc which could be seen as a similar case of self restraint.. The game doesn't force you to use mounted units. Or something. I suppose the difference is that one set of limitations is paring back from a defined baseline, the other is paring back from infinity. For some reason I enjoy the first way more than the second and I still find myself thinking about why that is, I am not entirely sure.

I feel like the infinite exp. is handled pretty well in FE8 and 13. It's pretty clear that grinding is optional in any mode, and therefor you can treat it like a fixed exp game by just not grinding.

The other thing I would argue is that 13's difficulty really comes from the DLC, wherein you're pretty much going to be maxed out to even have a shot at some of those maps, so experience is sort of thrown out as a factor and you're just focused on building a team and executing a strategy with all the tools available to you.

That said, I understand where you're coming from. It's sort of like telling people to not collect heart containers when they think Zelda is too easy. The player shouldn't have to create difficulty for themselves, especially in a series that is loved for be unforgiving. Perhaps it'd be better to just keep the ability to grind in the "Casual" setting.

 

[Lunar15]

you could just watch a Florida game instead

Why must you bring this up in here? Fire Emblem is my escape from the crushing depression.

On Awakening: While the gameplay felt trivial a lot of the time, it's not my biggest gripe with the game. I was largely fine with it. My biggest gripe was the story, which was just really half-assed. It's not like FE's have award winning stories, but they tend to feel pretty focused. Add in the fact that some characters, while enjoyable, felt even more shallow than usual, and the fact that it was kind of aping the dating sim trend that's overtaking JRPG's right now (and I say this as a Persona fan), and you just end up with something that seems a little frivolous.

The production values still won me over. I also wasn't totally against some of the gameplay changes, like the Pair Up system. I don't think it's perfect, but with some refining it could be improved.

But yes, ultimately, the more "hardcore" elements of this series, like the limited XP runs, were pushing this series into relative obscurity. Awakening saved this franchise from dying, so expect most of the changes to carry on. However, they can definitely do better in the story department moving forward.

 

[NeonZ]

I'm not one to like restarting games many times, so Awakening's open world approach and unlimited support system made it one of the FE games that I've put the most time on, since I could just continue focusing on my initial party for a long time. I even put quite a bit of time on some DLC and spotpass characters. On the other hand, I do fear the series going in a direction where the open world gains importance and might eventually lead to a situation where you have to grind to actually advance through the story. I've seen people complaining about how grinding breaks Awakening's main story, but I enjoyed how the optional battles were there, but I could still just play through the main and side story chapters, without needing to grind to finish the game, and only focus on the extra stuff afterwards. The unlimited supports are also a nice way to still get some "story" scenes when there's no story going on anymore. Sacred Stones stumbled there, since the limited supports didn't really line up with the creature campaign.

However, if the series changes to one where grinding becomes a component of the main game, I don't think I'd really enjoy it anymore. Maybe in the next game they could make "Classic" mode also close the world map before finishing the game? That'd guarantee they'd have to balance the game with no grinding in mind, but wouldn't remove the extra content that comes with the world map.

But yes, ultimately, the more "hardcore" elements of this series, like the limited XP runs, were pushing this series into relative obscurity. Awakening saved this franchise from dying, so expect most of the changes to carry on. However, they can definitely do better in the story department moving forward.

Regarding the story though, I think Awakening minimizing story was done as part of the game's accessibility, just like some of the gameplay changes. No narrator is the biggest sign, but even story scenes get awfully short after a while, during the middle of the game. They preferred (in the main game) to feature short story scenes but that could be rendered in 3d with the battle models, leaving longer ones alongside CG scenes in the beginning and ending of the game than to have long story sequences that had to use only 2d art and map models, unlike PoR and RD. It doesn't help that PoR and RD had the decision of using the map models with in-engine custcenes, rather than the battle ones. I don't think Awakening had higher production values, they just knew how to not stretch themselves past their limit like they had done in the Gamecube/Wii games. So, I'll be really surprised if they go back to a more political story in the next FE. However, I guess there are other ways to write good stories without the political focus that FE had before.

 

[Levyne]

It would be nice to have some news to chew on so we're not just circling the same couple discussions every handful of months

 

[RiggyRob]

It would be nice to have some news to chew on so we're just circling the same couple discussions every handful of months

Any news would be nice - Direct soon pls Nintendo.

 

[Lunar15]

It would be nice to have some news to chew on so we're not just circling the same couple discussions every handful of months

STEAM comes first, I'd wager. That game was so close to being done, it has to be late spring or early summer for sure.

 

[theprodigy]

Why must you bring this up in here? Fire Emblem is my escape from the crushing depression.

just like the college football thread will not forget, neither will I


also now that TheOddOne is on his last Awakening stream RIP Awakening ever breaking 2000 viewers on Twitch again

Kappa

 

[Man God]

Pretty sure it's going to be Awakening 2.0.

 

[StayDead]

Pretty sure it's going to be Awakening 2.0.

Yes please <3

 

[Cosmic Dreams]

Pretty sure it's going to be Awakening 2.0.

Sold.

 

[Codeblue]

AGDQ put their 2015 schedule up.

Looks like they'll be speed running Path of Radiance on January 7th at 1:35 AM.

 

[theprodigy]

AGDQ put their 2015 schedule up.

Looks like they'll be speed running Path of Radiance on January 7th at 1:35 AM.

nah it looks like a bid war between Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn

Spoiler

Radiant Dawn is totally the better game to speedrun

 

[Codeblue]

That was my attempt at a subtle jab.

 

[StayDead]

Hopefully the RNG gods rain praise on them and they don't fail to finish like Sacred Stones.

I've never played PoR or RD so it'll be nice to see them. I wasn't a fan of Fire Emblem until I got the first one/second ones on Wii U/3DS virtual console and started playing Marth in Melee lol.

 

[Chrom]

I can see a FE9 or FE10 port on the new 3DS happening.

Although I would prefer a new game.

Also, I'm surprised IS is so quiet with FE news given next year is the 25th anniversary. Pretty sure the 25th is a big thing.

On a final note, anyone still hoping for FE: Awakening portrait rips, they are coming... soon...

I saw this stuff the other day on Serenes Forest. I found all these discoveries through the datamining to be really fascinating, if only people had pulled all this up sooner!

I've also been speculating on my own that a New 3DS remake of both FE9 and FE10 is pretty likely. I feel that Intelligent Systems is in its best position now to remake those games.



Hey everyone, OP here after being gone for about what feels like a year. I'm very happy to see that FE GAF is still alive! Thanks for being awesome.

 

[Chrom]

Hmm, how about some icebreaker questions?

• Where are you from?
  
• How did you get into Fire Emblem? What was the first game in the series you played?
  
• Who are some of your favorite characters in the series?
  
• Favorite class?
  
• Favorite weapon?
  
• Overall favorite Fire Emblem?
  
• What was the last Fire Emblem you recently played?
  
• In Smash Bros., which Fire Emblem characters do you like to play as?
  
• Favorite lord?
  
• Favorite character archetype?
  
• What kind of FE4 holy blood would you have?
  
• Thoughts on Awakening's success and the potential for the series' future?
  
• Rank the Fire Emblem games.
  
• Classic or Casual/Newcomer?

 

[flohen95]

Good idea. Hopefully I won't be the only one who answers these questions.

• Where are you from?

Germany.

• How did you get into Fire Emblem? What was the first game in the series you played?

I'll quote myself from earlier in this thread:

I was introduced to the series via Nintendo's 3DS ambassador programme. So around late 2011/early 2012, I first started Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. I didn't know what to expect, but I had heard of the series through Super Smash Bros. Brawl. At first, I was a bit reluctant to it, since I didn't like the whole "medieval fantasy" setting at the time, but after playing for a while, it clicked with me. I think that was around March 2012.

In that post, I explain a bit further how I went about buying every game in the series, but no sense in quoting the whole post here.

• Who are some of your favorite characters in the series?

I've never been good in deciding favourites. Though I guess I could mention those that come to my mind right now: Frederick is pretty awesome, I like Eirika (probably because she was one of the first characters I encountered, I played her route on my first playthrough of Sacred Stones, too), Hector is cool, too, and Ike is just badass in Radiant Dawn. There are a lot of characters I could name here, but I don't want to go on forever.

• Favorite class?

Hm... Probably one of the flying classes. I like their movement abilities.

• Favorite weapon?

Any of the brave weapons. It's just so satisfying to defeat an enemy with the fourth hit.

• Overall favorite Fire Emblem?

Oh god... I've touched upon this in my first post here as well. I'd probably still say Awakening, though I do see it's problems (mission variety mainly). Other than that, I hold Sacred Stones very dear to me as it was the first game I've played. Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn are really awesome, too (I actually prefer Radiant Dawn to Path of Radiance).
Honestly, I like them all.

• What was the last Fire Emblem you recently played?

I'm currently trying to play through Thracia 776 on my Super Famicom, but the language barrier is making it hard for me. I know some simple Japanese sentences and Kanji and can read Kana pretty proficiently by now, but that, of course, doesn't help too much, so I always have a computer with some guides beside me in order to know what the goal of the chapter actually is and how and who to recruit.

• In Smash Bros., which Fire Emblem characters do you like to play as?

Ike in 4 player FFA. He's actually my favourite character in the Smash Bros. series in that mode, because you can just swing Ragnell around like a (very slow) madman and will probably hit someone, who will then fly off (I'm not a very tactical player in SSB as you can see). Very satisfying and fun. In 1on1, which I rarely play, I go with Marth or, as of SSB3DS/WiiU, Lucina.

• Favorite lord?

I have to decide on just one? Hm. I'm gonna go with Eirika, for reasons stated above.

• Favorite character archetype?

The Pegasus Trio.

• What kind of FE4 holy blood would you have?

Neir, because Axes are awesome.

• Thoughts on Awakening's success and the potential for the series' future?

Since I like Awakening, I don't mind to much if they carry on with its concept. A bit more variety in terms of chapter goals and I'd be fine. I wouldn't mind going back to Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn-style Fire Emblem, either, so they could go either way with it. Just don't heavily change they formula like they did in the Paper Mario series.

• Rank the Fire Emblem games.

Hahaha, I can't do that. No, seriously.
I've already pointed out my favourites, and everything else is more or less close behind. I'd say my least favourite is 1, just because of its age, but then again, considering its age, it's not that bad, so I dunno. Gaiden is weird as well, but I kind of enjoyed what I played so far. That's all I can really say. FE is my favourite gaming series after all.

• Classic or Casual/Newcomer?

Classic. Obviously.

 

[Lunar15]

• Where are you from: Florida
• First Game: FE7 was the first. I enjoyed AW to death, so of course I was going to pick up a new tactics game from Intellegent Systems. Plus, I liked Marth and Roy in smash.
• Favorite Characters: Ike, Hector, Haar, Nephenee, Owain. Ike, Hector, and Haar are all badasses, Nephenee is one of my favorite units to use and very unique for the series, and Owain is the in-universe representation of every FE fanboy.
• Favorite Class: Quite partial to Paladins, myself.
• Favorite Weapon: Ragnell.
• Favorite Game: Path of Radiance. Best setting, characters, story, and game pacing. RD comes close, but the pacing is all over the place.
• Last game you played: Awakening
• Smash Character: Ike
• Favorite Lord: Ike
• Favorite Archetype: I have to think about character archetypes first. I like the characters that you have to put a lot of initial work into first and then become amazing.
• Holy Blood??: I don't know enough about FE4 holy blood, let me do research!
• Thoughts on Awakening: Glad it apparently "saved" the series. The game definitely trended more casual, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The only thing that really upset me was just the total lack of effort in the story. Characters were fun, though.
• Rank the games:Of the ones I've played: PoR>RD>A>7>8
• Casual/Classic: Classic. Yes, I reset when people die, too.

 

[Chrom]

Here are my answers!

• Where are you from?

New Jersey.

• How did you get into Fire Emblem? What was the first game in the series you played?

I was introduced to the series via the Smash Bros. games. I really enjoyed the characters and music that were featured in Melee and Brawl. When I discovered the emulation scene later on, Fire Emblem 7 was one of the first games I tried out because of how much I liked it in Smash Bros. and became very hooked on the game.

• Who are some of your favorite characters in the series?

Just to name a few because I love too many characters: Lewyn, Lex, Pent, Hector, Sirius, and Tana.

• Favorite class?

Master Knight. For something less absurd, I also really like Great Knight.

• Favorite weapon?

Hard choice but I'll go on a whim and say the Killing Edge. Having one on hand, especially early on in the game, is something I always found to be very exciting. Criticals are really fun to see too.

• Overall favorite Fire Emblem?

It would have to be Awakening. I got into the series at the point where Shadow Dragon was the latest release but it wasn't easy for me to get a hold of. I had heard it was really divisive, so I've yet to get around to playing that particular entry. As a result, my anticipation for a whole new entry was quite the wait, especially considering New Mystery of the Emblem unfortunately never got localized. I highly enjoyed Awakening and much of what it set out to do, and while I do recognize some of its shortcomings, I can't say I found myself enjoying any other game more.

• What was the last Fire Emblem you recently played?

I haven't played any Fire Emblem since playing through Awakening, so it'd have to be that.

• In Smash Bros., which Fire Emblem characters do you like to play as?

Marth without question. I've been using him in all the games since Melee and even in the 3DS game I main him. I really love his style of play. I've gotten a few questions by others asking if I would switch to Lucina since she's a clone of Marth and is from my favorite game, but the truth is that I can't see myself separating from Marth and his tipper because of our history.

• Favorite lord?

It would be Chrom, surprise. He may come across as quite boring to some, but I like his character. And yes, I am quite salty that Chrom isn't playable in Smash Bros.

• Favorite character archetype?

The Ogma. These guys always have your back.

• What kind of FE4 holy blood would you have?

Baldr. I'm the everyman.

• Thoughts on Awakening's success and the potential for the series' future?

I'm very happy at the turnout of events thanks to Awakening and am very excited to see how they'll use Awakening to advance the series even further.

• Rank the Fire Emblem games.

FE13
FE4
FE5
FE3
FE7
FE8
FE2
FE1

Haven't played 9-12.

• Classic or Casual/Newcomer?

Classic. I respect Casual and am glad it's a thing, but Classic is just the Fire Emblem experience I prefer.

 

[theprodigy]

might as well right?

• Where are you from? Texas
• How did you get into Fire Emblem? What was the first game in the series you played? Melee->FE10? don't ask about the time delay lol
• Who are some of your favorite characters in the series? this is mostly Tellius characters lol (Nephenee, Jill, Micaiah, Haar, Mia, and a few others)
• Favorite class? Master Knight, for something that's actually common Swordmasters I guess
• Favorite weapon? hmm....Forseti? so broken lol (actually maybe Exalted Falchion)
• Overall favorite Fire Emblem? Radiant Dawn
• What was the last Fire Emblem you recently played? Awakening
• In Smash Bros., which Fire Emblem characters do you like to play as? Lucina (carrying over from Marth) and Robin
• Favorite lord? Micaiah I'm a rebel
• Favorite character archetype? can I say none? characters that don't deviate at all personality wise are boring, and Ests are stupid
• What kind of FE4 holy blood would you have? major or minor? major: Naga (too OP), minor: Forseti (Dain is also acceptable)
• Thoughts on Awakening's success and the potential for the series' future? RECORD BREAKING SALES lol, I just hope they have better map objectives/designs tbh, the later chapters in particular are really boring
• Rank the Fire Emblem games. 10>9>12=13>the rest (too lazy) (Path of Radiance really needed Maniac Mode though, it was way too easy)
• Classic or Casual/Newcomer? Classic
  Spoiler

  casual is for casuals

 

[StayDead]

Where are you from?

England

How did you get into Fire Emblem? What was the first game in the series you played?

Sacred Stones for all of 5 minutes, then Awakening.

Who are some of your favorite characters in the series?

Marth/Lucina + Paora/Katua/Est

Favorite class?

Pegasus Knight or Sniper

Favorite weapon?

Falchion

Overall favorite Fire Emblem?

Out of the ones I've played it's Awakening. Number 3 is a close second.

What was the last Fire Emblem you recently played?

Fire Emblem 3

In Smash Bros., which Fire Emblem characters do you like to play as?

Marth/Lucina main.

Favorite lord?

Lucina

Favorite character archetype?

No idea

What kind of FE4 holy blood would you have?

Naga, because I'm totally royalty.

Thoughts on Awakening's success and the potential for the series' future?

Very very happy and very excited for the future.

Rank the Fire Emblem games.

I haven't played them all yet so I can't say, but from what I've played it's:

1. Awakening/Monshou no Nazo
2. Ankoku Ryou to Hikari no Tsurugi
3. Gaiden.

Classic or Casual/Newcomer?

Classic, although I reset if anyone dies. I can't let anyone die, I just can't.

 

[Rutger]

• Where are you from? - Florida
• How did you get into Fire Emblem? - Smash got me interested, eventually I bought the three GBA games and became a fan.
• favorite characters? - Much of FE9's cast, Mia, Nephanee, Ike, and Haar stand out. I guess I should also mention FE6's Rutger, I like his name and how useful he is, but his character isn't that interesting.
• Favorite class? - Swordmaster
• Favorite weapon? - Any Brave weapon
• Overall favorite Fire Emblem? - FE6, not a popular choice, but I love it's difficulty and the silly hit rates. FE9's story, characters, and music make it a close second, but it's too easy(NA version anyways) and I've grown to hate the canto skill.
• What was the last Fire Emblem you recently played? - I've been slowly working on a FE6 HM run, it's not my focus at the moment.
• In Smash Bros., which Fire Emblem characters do you like to play as? - Roy, because I am a master of bad ideas! Project M Roy is great though, and PM Ike is a ton of fun as well. I like the idea of Robin, but I don't do well playing him/her.
• Favorite lord? - Ike, lords tend to be some of the least interesting characters in their game, but FE9 Ike wasn't so bad.
• Favorite character archetype? - The Jagen, anyone should suffer for relying too much their early game god unit!
• What kind of FE4 holy blood would you have? - I'd rather forget about the mess that was FE4's pairing system.
• Thoughts on Awakening's success and the potential for the series' future? - It's a good thing. The game did some things I'm happy to see, things like enemy turn reinforcements, no mounted units only canto skill, supports no longer limited to five levels forcing many replays if you want to see them all. I like the new skill learning system, but scrolls should return with it. I also love all the fanservice towards older FE games and hope that recruiting old characters is a thing that will stay. Though pair up needs to be reworked and should exist alongside rescuing, magic should be expanded again, and the maps could be better. I guess the story needs to be better going forward too, though story is the last thing I care about in a FE game honestly. I'm indifferent to the open map once I realized arenas are easier to abuse in the older games than 13's map on higher difficulties(outside of DLC.) Overall I'm happy it was a success, and I think if the easily fixable faults are taken care of we could get the best FE game going forward. Also, shoving needs to return.
• Rank the Fire Emblem games. - Something like 6 > 9 > 13 > 7 = 10 > 8 > 4 > 11
• Classic or Casual/Newcomer? - Classic always, and no one dies, the lord is not special. I'm glad Casual is an option for those that want it though.

 

[Draxal]

• Where are you from?
  NJ
• How did you get into Fire Emblem? What was the first game in the series you played?
  Sealed Sword
• Who are some of your favorite characters in the series?
  Sigurd, Gerik, Ike, Ogma
• Favorite class?
  Hero
• Favorite weapon?
  Brave Sword
• Overall favorite Fire Emblem?
  Awakening
• What was the last Fire Emblem you recently played?
  Awakening
• In Smash Bros., which Fire Emblem characters do you like to play as?
  Ike,Robin
• Favorite lord?
  Sigurd
• Favorite character archetype?
  Ogma
• What kind of FE4 holy blood would you have?
  Baldo
• Thoughts on Awakening's success and the potential for the series' future?
  Keep it accessible, but change the harder options to appeal to some of the core fans of the series.
• Rank the Fire Emblem games.
  13/4>7>8>6>11
• Classic or Casual/Newcomer?
  Casual, in game saves is the big deal for me.

• Favorite Archetype: I have to think about character archetypes first. I like the characters that you have to put a lot of initial work into first and then become amazing.

That's the Est Archtype.

 

[Levyne]

Where are you from: I currently work in Atlanta. I grew up in the Midwest.

First Game: I, like many others, started with the first english game (Blazing Sword) after learning of the series through Super Smash Brother Melee. I instantly fell "in love", I suppose. That's a bit dramatic, but it really clicked for me. I liked the strong character focus, decent level of strategy, the music, the sprite art, the colors. It was, if I recall correctly, a pretty strong compliment to FFTA, which I was playing at around the same time.

Favorite Characters: I like a lot of characters. I like the mystery behind Renault and what you learn of him through multiple playthroughs and seeing his extra dialogues in the late secret chapters and with Nergal. I like Titania's role as someone who acts as a veteran with leadership characteristics but never really takes charge since she allows Ike to step in instead. I like Hector's confident demeanor for a protagonist, without really ever getting obnoxious. I also like Gerrik, who is just barely more than a regular Mercenary leader, who fights for money but still considers his crew as good friends. I also like the growth you see from Shanan and Oiyfaye (I might be using incorrect translations on those).

Favorite Class: I like Sages and Paladins. Sages are just no nonsense magic class. No mounts or swords. I like the versatility of the mounted units even if they don't excel anywhere.

Favorite Weapon: Has to be Ragnell. Though seeing the Hector sprite use Armads the first time was really neat as well. But Ragnell I suppose is more iconic looking? I mean, it's not the Falchion, but it has a really different look to it with respect to its size and color that I think stands out.

Favorite Game: Path of Radiance. It has basically everything I want in a Fire Emblem game, as I've stated probably too many times.

Last game you played: I replayed Sacred Stones on Hard, recently.

Smash Character: I don't plan on picking up Smash Brothers, but it would probably be Ike.

Favorite Lord: Hector

Favorite Archetype: I don't know the archetype names, but I generally enjoy the foil to the super-serious early game cavalier. (Ie, Kieran)

Holy Blood: I've played FE4 but I don't have these down, really. I don't have an answer.

Thoughts on Awakening: I'm glad it sold well. I don't like the art and I think it's a bit grindy and don't have a strong desire to play it again because I thought the experience was fairly bloated.

Rank the games:

Really great games:
Path of Radiance
Genealogy of the Holy War
Blazing Sword

Great games:
Radiant Dawn
Binding Blade

Good:
Awakening
Sacred Stones

Not so good:
Shadow Dragon

The rest I have not played.


Casual/Classic: Classic.

 

[RiggyRob]

Hmm, how about some icebreaker questions?

• Where are you from? Manchester, UK
  
• How did you get into Fire Emblem? What was the first game in the series you played? Fire Emblem 7 - I may have played it less than legally the first time, but I've made up for it by buying a proper physical version on eBay
  
• Who are some of your favorite characters in the series? avatar.quote, Ike, Gerik, Raven, Joshua, Hector and Jaffar
  
• Favorite class? Hero
  
• Favorite weapon? Alondite
  
• Overall favorite Fire Emblem? Radiant Dawn
  
• What was the last Fire Emblem you recently played? Awakening
  
• In Smash Bros., which Fire Emblem characters do you like to play as? I play as random, so all of them
  
• Favorite lord? Ike
  
• Favorite character archetype? Ogma
  
• What kind of FE4 holy blood would you have? Noba
  
• Thoughts on Awakening's success and the potential for the series' future? Excellent, and I'm really hoping they don't take too long to make the next Fire Emblem game, whatever it is
  
• Rank the Fire Emblem games. 10, 9, 13, 7, 8, 11, haven't played the rest
  
• Classic or Casual/Newcomer? Casual, it's a massive stress reducer

Answers in bold.

 

[Aveyn Knight]

Hmm, how about some icebreaker questions?

• Where are you from?
  UK
  
• How did you get into Fire Emblem? What was the first game in the series you played?
  Binding Blade. I jumped ship from Advance Wars when I heard Fire Emblem was medieval/fantasy Advance Wars.
  
• Who are some of your favorite characters in the series?
  The mage girls?
  
• Favorite class?
  Female Mage
  
• Favorite weapon?
  Naga
  
• Overall favorite Fire Emblem?
  New Mystery of the Emblem
  
• What was the last Fire Emblem you recently played?
  Awakening
  
• In Smash Bros., which Fire Emblem characters do you like to play as?
  Robin
  
• Favorite lord?
  Ike's not bad
  
• Favorite character archetype?
  Don't even go there
  
• What kind of FE4 holy blood would you have?
  Naga please
  
• Thoughts on Awakening's success and the potential for the series' future?
  Really well-made game, but skimps on the story and world-building. Hopefully we'll see a follow up using Awakening's engine and maybe a Wii U game in time for the series's 25th anniversary?
  
• Rank the Fire Emblem games.
  12, 5, 9, 7, 13, 4, 6, 10, 8, 11, 3, 2, 1, give or take
  
• Classic or Casual/Newcomer?
  Classic all the way!

Answers in bold.

Do I know you by any chance? Or do you know StreetPass Manchester?

 

[Chrom]

.

I've been meaning to tell you that I like your avatar.

 

[StayDead]

Do I know you by any chance? Or do you know StreetPass Manchester?

I'm not from Manchester but I know the guy who runs StreetPass Manchester. He's my best friend infact, first time I've ever seen it mentioned on GAF