I thought it was just there to help newcomers not get stuck since they could level through stuff, but that may be why. I mean, everyone is free to disagree with me after all
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Fire Emblem Series
- Thread starter NYCrooner
- Start date
I thought it was just there to help newcomers not get stuck since they could level through stuff, but that may be why. I mean, everyone is free to disagree with me after all
It also makes intelligent and simple encounter design monumentally more challenging since the developer has to either insert the grinding element into the rest of the game or ignore it entirely and it is oftentimes hard to tell which path they've taken while one is playing such a game. The simple existence of unrestricted grinding probably plays some part into why the difficulty design of Awakening feels all over the place.
I particularly love the on-map battle sprites in the SFC games. After watching my units do little frontflips, actually dodge to the side, and stuff like that in the SFC games, watching them just bump into each other with their walking animations in the GBA games just felt so weak.
Spring-Loaded
Member
Waifuness is not a negative.
equippedwithtowel
Member
Awakening is decent as a revitalizing tool for the series but for 14 they better fix a few things namely.
Better maps
Bring back defense missions
Bring back Bexp and secondary objectives
Take away second seals
Go back to Chapters
Fix the Anima/Magic triangle
Give us more memorable antagonists
Go back to high fantasy character design
And that's just off the top of my head.
Better maps
Bring back defense missions
Bring back Bexp and secondary objectives
Take away second seals
Go back to Chapters
Fix the Anima/Magic triangle
Give us more memorable antagonists
Go back to high fantasy character design
And that's just off the top of my head.
It must be that too since FE will be axed by Nintendo if it failed to gain any success. Well I can just hope that Intelligent System continue with what they did in the past, made every installment have significant difference, not become comforted by FEA success.
Dr. Kitty Muffins
Member
Every game system should have a flagship SRPG. Well, this SRPG whore seems to think so anyways.
that's my main fear, I mean Awakening saved the franchise...so it would be hard to blame them for thinking they should just make future installments like FEA, but alas there's nothing we can do but wait and hope for the best
Freezie KO
Banned
I just want a mode with limited XP. That's all. The balance on Awakening was iffy because of the possibility of grinding. You basically had to skip random battles and guess if the Paralogues would overpower you or not.
I'm sure they'll keep the ability to grind because Awakening was so accessible, but I'd like a mode or setting that was more focused on strategy and guided in terms of difficulty.
The lack of narration becomes so apparent in hindsight. Probably wouldn't have turned things around but at least maybe the player would end up with some rudimentary understanding of Awakening's world instead of the absolute jack we were left with
Elfforkusu
Member
I'd say play Awakening. If you end up as hopelessly addicted to it as I was, you can work your way back to some of the higher regarded older ones after you're through with it.
Most of the games in the series have very little to do with each other story-wise.
Most of the games in the series have very little to do with each other story-wise.
Nah. If you watched the video link I provided the difference between it and the 3D FE titles is easily seen. You won't see me fanboying about how much better FE7/8's story/characters or whatnot are than other FE titles, it's purely the combat for me. No rose colored glasses here.
Also SkiFree? Get out. That's a terrible comparison.
Oh yeah, I didn't have that in mind but now that you mention it, I also really like that the on-map battle sprites actually behaved according to their attacks. Stuff like thunder magic being cast down or a javelin being thrown really made watching the battles from the map more interesting, and it's a shame that the GBA games relegated everything to simple bumps. I don't believe the DS games or even Awakening brought that back either.
Sir Ilpalazzo
Member
I'm not even a big fan of the GBA sprites, but it is completely insane to say that the GBA FE games are "dated". Can't say I understand the logic there at all.
thoseAREmySHOES
Member
I'm in the extreme minority, but The Sacred Stones is my favorite FE. But to be honest, you really can't go wrong with any of them... my least favorite would be Shadow Dragon, though.
Ok, all the talk I hear about Awakening has me second guessing my notion to ignore the series. I do like strategy games, FF Tactics is one of my favorites.
Big question, is the story in Awakening great? Because the thing that kept me with tactics was a story II really enjoyed.
This definitely made the experience of the story somewhat bland with more left to be desired to me. I'd also have to add(which many may disagree with), is that I didn't like myself in the game as a playable avatar. If I have to be in the game, I'd rather be delegated as an NPC strategist like how you were in FE7.
Damn!
Shadow Dragon, was such a bad remake of the original that it's saddening. It was obvious from the very first time you have control of a battle, and instantly realized they forgot to rebalance because the weapon triangle didn't exist back then.
Not the greatest FE(the original), but it deserved better than what we got...and we didn't even get the good FE DS game
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
It was 14.99 at best buy a few days ago, eBay probably flooded with people undercutting each other
Path of Radiance is the best in the series, but Sacred Stones or Awakening might be better to ease you into the series if you want to start that can be easier (depending on the modes you play).
Also, I liked Sacred Stones more than 7. Better overall cast, and Ephraim was one of my favorite lords. 7's only saving grace is Hector and you can't pick his mode from the start.
Also, I liked Sacred Stones more than 7. Better overall cast, and Ephraim was one of my favorite lords. 7's only saving grace is Hector and you can't pick his mode from the start.
equippedwithtowel
Member
The entire Avatar thing was a bad idea tbh, he's like a much less interesting Soren but OP from the start.
Riposte
Member
If FFT is one of your favorite strategy games, you have nothing to be afraid of with Awakening.
I liked it, but you're going to have a hard time finding anyone that can match Matsuno these days. Jump in and see for yourself.
Elfforkusu
Member
Awakening's plot is very... bare bones. It has some good moments. There's just not a lot of substance.
Why didn't you make your avatar be a fictional character then? Nobody said it had to be you. Come on, man!
yeah I didn't mind it in 7, and actually kind of liked it there...because even though Lyn would talk to you, they didn't force the entire attention of the game upon you. I'm guessing avatar is here to stay (I swear if he gets in Smash, I am going to flip)
It's also a problem when the Avatar starts proposing Soren/Izuka-esque tactics and everyone responds with "Yeah the power of ~Friendship~!!" instead of being rightfully horrified/hesitant. Going by the boat chapter, I don't believe for an instant that the people who mapped out the plot in Awakening actually got the kind of simplistic nuance you need to take for an upstart freedom fighters vs asshole government/genuine embodiment of evil story
True, but I hardly see how that would change how bad the idea of an OP avatar that steals attention from the main chars are is...
People are saying play Fire Emblem Awakening and I think I generally agree with them. It has an easy mode and a no-perma death mode so it should make everything flow smoothly but I'm leaning towards Fire Emblem 7. There is a huge nostalgia cloud in front of my face but I feel like none of the post GBA games explain themselves very well. The GBA games take their time to explain the mechanics and introduce new concepts at a good pace. The other games seem to do this less and less with each iteration, but Fire Emblem Awakening does it decent enough. My problem with that game specifically was that the information they give wasn't clear enough or they didn't cover all the scenarios I would have liked so I ended up having to do a bit of trial and error.
equippedwithtowel
Member
Also Pair Up is quite possible the most stupidly OP thing in FE history.
There's pretty much no drawback not coming from self imposed challenge.
There's pretty much no drawback not coming from self imposed challenge.
dragonlife
Member
Radiant Dawn on Wii is my favorite (followed by Path of Radiance). It has the best battle themes out of all the localized games--and in great number--and some maps are just insane with the number of units, which really helps drive the "we're at war" aspect of the game.
Normally I'm not entirely fond of tons of units on a map, but in Radiant Dawn it feels right because it's usually for big moments.
Something else I enjoyed was the structure Radiant Dawn's story presented. You control both sides of the conflict, and seeing each side's view of the opposition was really intriguing, because you'll probably grow fond of characters from every side and feel conflicted about who you're rooting for. And, coming from Path of Radiance (which is the first of the duology), it's interesting to see where your old teammates wound up. It's an effective storytelling method that worked on me, but people always complain about the first group you control because they're not the Greil Mercenaries from the first game.
Awakening is a great starting point for people new to Fire Emblem, but it just doesn't reach some of the highs the older entries have set. When it tries to, it still doesn't quite stack up... but new players won't have anything to compare it to, so I guess it doesn't matter. Overall, I was extremely hyped for Awakening (I even bought a 3DS for it), but it just didn't have the same magic the prior entries had. The team-up mechanic was great, though; but I can live without it and play Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn just fine and not miss it.
Chrom from Awakening is such a boring main character, too. I'd probably have more fun fisting myself with sandpaper and pouring alcohol afterward than reading his dull personality via the great localization. He's probably only popular because he can make BABIES with (almost) ALL THE WOMEN, and not because he's a good character.
Ike, though? Yeah. That's a fucking great character right there (you'll have to play Path of Radiance to see why, though). Badass motherfucker as the game goes on. Some of the lines he has against bosses make him even more awesome in my eyes. Some examples:
Ike <3
Of course, Radiant Dawn does have its flaws: mainly its stock support conversations instead of unique ones per units. That's really the biggest one, but you learn to accept it.
Normally I'm not entirely fond of tons of units on a map, but in Radiant Dawn it feels right because it's usually for big moments.
Something else I enjoyed was the structure Radiant Dawn's story presented. You control both sides of the conflict, and seeing each side's view of the opposition was really intriguing, because you'll probably grow fond of characters from every side and feel conflicted about who you're rooting for. And, coming from Path of Radiance (which is the first of the duology), it's interesting to see where your old teammates wound up. It's an effective storytelling method that worked on me, but people always complain about the first group you control because they're not the Greil Mercenaries from the first game.
Awakening is a great starting point for people new to Fire Emblem, but it just doesn't reach some of the highs the older entries have set. When it tries to, it still doesn't quite stack up... but new players won't have anything to compare it to, so I guess it doesn't matter. Overall, I was extremely hyped for Awakening (I even bought a 3DS for it), but it just didn't have the same magic the prior entries had. The team-up mechanic was great, though; but I can live without it and play Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn just fine and not miss it.
Chrom from Awakening is such a boring main character, too. I'd probably have more fun fisting myself with sandpaper and pouring alcohol afterward than reading his dull personality via the great localization. He's probably only popular because he can make BABIES with (almost) ALL THE WOMEN, and not because he's a good character.
Ike, though? Yeah. That's a fucking great character right there (you'll have to play Path of Radiance to see why, though). Badass motherfucker as the game goes on. Some of the lines he has against bosses make him even more awesome in my eyes. Some examples:
Ike <3
Of course, Radiant Dawn does have its flaws: mainly its stock support conversations instead of unique ones per units. That's really the biggest one, but you learn to accept it.
DidntKnowJack
Member
Coming from another casual Fire Emblem player, just play Awakening. No need to worry about missing out on the stories of earlier games.
Path of Radiance is my favorite game of all time.
Fire Emblem for the GBA may be in the top ten or twenty.
Awakening furthered design decisions from Sacred Stones that I simply did not care for. Chapter progression with limited experience WAS the series to me. Open up to a map, allow you to use everyone in one go and simply grind...was terribly disappointing.
I also don't care for Radiant Dawn at all. For having such an impossibly huge cast of usable characters...so many are limited in their usefulness because of either terrible availability or stupidly overpowered better options (such as the Laguz royals). When you have a cast of 70 plus characters and find that you, almost unknowingly, are led to use the same majority of the characters unless you make a deliberate effort not to...that is a huge failing.
Fire Emblem for the GBA may be in the top ten or twenty.
Awakening furthered design decisions from Sacred Stones that I simply did not care for. Chapter progression with limited experience WAS the series to me. Open up to a map, allow you to use everyone in one go and simply grind...was terribly disappointing.
I also don't care for Radiant Dawn at all. For having such an impossibly huge cast of usable characters...so many are limited in their usefulness because of either terrible availability or stupidly overpowered better options (such as the Laguz royals). When you have a cast of 70 plus characters and find that you, almost unknowingly, are led to use the same majority of the characters unless you make a deliberate effort not to...that is a huge failing.
equippedwithtowel
Member
It didn't really phase me since apart from the DB they were just story characters in POR anyway. You don't really get anyone stupidly advanced until Part 4 apart from Taurneo and the Wolf Queen.
Metroidvania
People called Romanes they go the house?
Radiant Dawn, to me...was not terrible or anything, but not good, especially coming off of something like Path of Radiance. Map diversity was cool, but a lot of the units sucked and/or were filler, and there was no reason not to roll with the greil mercs and Laguz Royals endgame (save maybe Edward and one or two other units). Combine that with the lack of non "main unit"-characterization and neutered supports, and I didn't quite get a good Fire Emblem 'feel' from it.
Honestly enjoyed my last (non-grinding) FE8 run more.
I miss FE7, my GBA cart battery is dead. I remember putting a shitton of effort into levelling Nino to kill the next gaiden chapter boss, saving stat boosters, the RNG flask, the works.
Honestly, after Awakening, get ahold of FE7 and FE9, as has been said before.
And if you can import a copy, get the fan translation for 12. Leaps and bounds better than than the remake mess that was 11.
Awakening is more than enough to scratch the itch at first, though.
Seeing as how Awakenings sales basically saved the franchise from dying, I'm guessing we'll be seeing the avatar again. If not in the next FE, then for sure some time in the future.
But I agree I'd like him/her to have a less of a central role next time around.
Honestly enjoyed my last (non-grinding) FE8 run more.
I miss FE7, my GBA cart battery is dead. I remember putting a shitton of effort into levelling Nino to kill the next gaiden chapter boss, saving stat boosters, the RNG flask, the works.
Honestly, after Awakening, get ahold of FE7 and FE9, as has been said before.
And if you can import a copy, get the fan translation for 12. Leaps and bounds better than than the remake mess that was 11.
Awakening is more than enough to scratch the itch at first, though.
Seeing as how Awakenings sales basically saved the franchise from dying, I'm guessing we'll be seeing the avatar again. If not in the next FE, then for sure some time in the future.
But I agree I'd like him/her to have a less of a central role next time around.
Damn those quotes bring back, some good memories. Path of Radiance is one if not my favorite FE game. Story-wise it is my favorite. So many playthroughs, all with Mia and Ilyana lol. Radiant Dawn is too expensive for me right now :/ but I need to play more of it.
I feel Awakening is a great game and if you have not tried the series it is a good entry Fire Emblem. The story is fine and has an interesting twist, imo, but there are a few things I would have liked to see expanded on. In terms of gameplay, there are a few mechanics, like pairing up, that make the game a bit easier but the depth is still there. I love the pair up ability because before I never focused on supports or pairing units ever but this game gives you better incentives to do so.
How does the difficulty compare between old games in the series and Awakening? I know about the permadeath, but I was wondering how they might compare in terms of raw challenge to, say, lunatic classic in FE:A? Up to chapter 16 lunatic in Awakening and it's become a real slog (love the game to death tho).
It's not simply Royals though. Why would you ever use Rolf over Shinon when Shinon starts out something like 10 levels higher and is a fantastic unit? Why would you ever use Jill over Harr when you have Harr with you more than any other character in the game and is also a fantastic unit? There's little reason to not use Soren, the only other mage with good availability is potentially Ilyana. Titania and Oscar clearly outclass every other Paladin in terms of availability. Why would you ever consider using a non-royal laguz except maybe Ranulf. Though Geoffrey does get Paragon to help him at all. I mean, it just seems woefully imbalanced. It's not minor differences in ease-of-use like Erk vs Pent, or Skill vs Power vs Defense of Kent and Sain and Lowen. It feels like you are literally handicapping yourself if you try to go against the grain and use unorthodox characters, where in the other FE titles you can more freely mix up team compositions on each go through.
I mean, there is some enjoyment to be derived to figure out how to make Tormod useful, or baby Meg to be a great general, or intentionally bench Harr despite his greatness, but playing the game that way just felt entirely inorganic and manufactured to me. It's nice just to be able to use Rebecca or Will, Tormod (FE9) or Soren, etc with only miniscule inconvenience of not choosing the other.
And at the same time, HAVING to choose one or the other was exciting to me. Being able to just go "oh, I'll train the other in the tower later"......ugh
I mean, there is some enjoyment to be derived to figure out how to make Tormod useful, or baby Meg to be a great general, or intentionally bench Harr despite his greatness, but playing the game that way just felt entirely inorganic and manufactured to me. It's nice just to be able to use Rebecca or Will, Tormod (FE9) or Soren, etc with only miniscule inconvenience of not choosing the other.
And at the same time, HAVING to choose one or the other was exciting to me. Being able to just go "oh, I'll train the other in the tower later"......ugh
equippedwithtowel
Member
Also the character design needs to be brought up, the difference between
and
is not insignificant
and
is not insignificant
Maybe so, but ya know from what you're showing, I actually really like both.
My first was the one on GBA that was just called Fire Emblem in the US (is that 7?)
It had my favorite animations, but Awakening is my favorite all together.
It's much easier thanks to how they changed how supports work in FE:A
To me it's just a style change. I like the new one for females, and the old one for males...so there is a tradeoff
You bring up a good point PoR had some great promoted units. I used Titania throughout the whole game a few times. To solves this problem I usually just play and build a main team with my favorites now and use others as interchangeable units depending on the chapter. For example in PoR I almost always chose Jill over Harr becase I liked her story and character.
Riposte
Member
This is what happens when you get the no more heroes guy to do the art I guess. (I don't like it)
FE7 Was also my first Fire Emblem and its tied as my favorite one alongside PoR.
The cast of characters is pretty good and has good support conversations within characters. Some of the characters can only be gotten on one playthrough, and depending on the level of some of your characters at certain points you will be facing different maps on occassion.
There's 3 story modes that are essentially the same, the first one (Lyn's) is sort of like a tutorial, while the other two are very similar, with a few extra maps on Hector's side (and you get to see some cutscenes from his perspective.
These things give it some replayability as Seda said, its per-chapter without a map. So there's limited EXP and characters can only support a certain number of times.
I also feel it had really good map design. After you get a enough units where you have to select on them for maps, maps from that point on will be designed so you usually have to split your forces to conquer the map. I always liked that and I feel it was missing a bit in Radiant Dawn and basically completely gone in Awakening. It made you plan on what units to send against which forces and how to split your units classes in a balanced way.
I felt it was also well paced, and the plot was alright, I really liked some of the characters such as Matthew and Hector.
One of the things I don't like about it is how support conversations build, you have to have your characters be adjacent to each other at the end of a turn. That kind of crippled your moves somewhat if you wanted to support units.
In the end I feel it was a really well designed game with a strong character cast and really good level design.
Radiant Dawn is equally as good gaining and edge on plot as its the one time I actually liked the plot of a FE game and not just the characters.