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[Prax]

What is this blasphemy? Shinon is awesome. He might be a smug basterd, but man he is a beast in Radiant Dawn. God tier easily. A lot of one hit kills.

Haha, yes. Shinon was awesome.

I loved how he back up his smugness with skill. Plus I liked that he admits to being a bigotted jerk and probably wrong, but decides to stick with being a jerk anyway.


I hope they bring a second generation back for this new iteration. Pleeeaaaaase~~~!
It will redeem everything!

 

[Cow Mengde]

Not digging the new art myself, but I'll live.

 

[Socreges]

This is looking excellent. I normally have the battle animations switched off anyway so I'm not concerned. The map graphics look just as I'd like them to. Very pleased.

Nintendo not bringing this to NA seems unbelievable - but they've made a few puzzling localization choices lately so we'll see.

 

[Megidolaon]

I'm sorry but Sothe and Micaiah ruin that entire game.

Yes, they completely ruined the game for me too. Not even joking. They were the only FE characters I've ever wanted to let die in a game, and yet you couldn't let them. God I hated them so much.

And Shinon was awesome. YEah, he was a jerk, but I liked him. And if you read his supports, maybe you'd feel differently about him. I did. He's a very interesting character. Though Soren will always be my #1 bro.

As for this new game, it looks fun. I mean it's FIRE EMBLEM, I'm sure it will be. But I don't like the new character designs. The main guy looks boring as hell, the rest of the cast looks generic, and that pigtailed moe thing is disgusting. Reminds me of Suikoden Tierkries like someone said, and I didn't like that one's art style either.

I miss the old character designs. Sure they were fairly typical anime designs, but they looked fairly believable, fit the setting well, and had more personality. They were more conservative and down-to-earth, appealing to look at and didn't stick out, not like that moe thing.

PoR has my favorite art style with great designs. But I loved FE7 too. Who could forget Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn?

 

[Ezalc]

Shinon is just too awesomely smug for you guys, my favourite FE9/10 character along with Ike and Ilyana.

I used Shinon in RD just because of the fact that he didn't stay dead. But I think Rolf was the archer I took with me in the end of the game. I know I took Gatrie though, that motherfucker is a diamond plated wall gatdamn.

 

[Olorin]

The great thing about Shinon is that his smugness actually translates into the gameplay as well with his provoke skill. I've never used him much myself, but I'm currently doing a RD playthrough with a focus on archers and Laguz, so Shinon is seeing a lot of action now.

 

[Rarutos]

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/256/f/0/fire_emblem_13_by_meibatsu-d49r1gv.jpg

That is amazing. Good job!

You should care. The second DS game fixes everything that was wrong with Shadow Dragon (save the graphics but that's a matter of opinion), including:

- The lack of character development. FE12 has HUNDREDS of base and support convos. They're unlocked the same way as in PoR, and every character feels like part of the story now.
- The bullshit requirements of the Gaiden maps. They're actually harder to miss now.


The game also adds several new features such as:

- Customizable "My Unit". The only time ever in the series where you can name and class a playable character.
- Casual Mode (You can let Units die and get them back on the next map)
- Five difficulty levels (Normal, Hard, Maniac, Lunatic and Lunatic Reverse). Lunatic and Lunatic Reverse are by far the hardest FE ever, and it consists of enemy units with ridiculously high stats. The only difference between the two Lunatic difficulties is that in Lunatic Reverse, every enemy unit has an FE9 Vantage skill. Imagine that.

So yeah, I'm still hoping NoA will localize this somehow. There's a fan translation in the works just in case, but... it's just not the same.

Well, eff. Now I actually really want this to be localized. ;_;

 

[Oxx]

Nintendo, don't make me have to replay Shadow Dragon! I need my FE fix.

 

[A Black Falcon]

I'm sorry but Sothe and Micaiah ruin that entire game.

Bah, no way. I don't care so much about Sothe, but mages are always some of the best units in FE games, and having a mage hero in a FE game was long overdue... it was great that she finally gave us one, though I do wish she'd been an Anima mage instead of Light. Oh well, still definitely better than yet another swordfighter.

You should care. The second DS game fixes everything that was wrong with Shadow Dragon (save the graphics but that's a matter of opinion), including:

- The lack of character development. FE12 has HUNDREDS of base and support convos. They're unlocked the same way as in PoR, and every character feels like part of the story now.
- The bullshit requirements of the Gaiden maps. They're actually harder to miss now.


The game also adds several new features such as:

- Customizable "My Unit". The only time ever in the series where you can name and class a playable character.
- Casual Mode (You can let Units die and get them back on the next map)
- Five difficulty levels (Normal, Hard, Maniac, Lunatic and Lunatic Reverse). Lunatic and Lunatic Reverse are by far the hardest FE ever, and it consists of enemy units with ridiculously high stats. The only difference between the two Lunatic difficulties is that in Lunatic Reverse, every enemy unit has an FE9 Vantage skill. Imagine that.

So yeah, I'm still hoping NoA will localize this somehow. There's a fan translation in the works just in case, but... it's just not the same.

Sounds like it fixes some of the first DS FE's problems, anyway... it doesn't fix the bad graphics, though. And what about the story? Sure, having support conversations back is great, but is the main plot any better than the simplistic and bland one in Shadow Dragon?

As for difficulty, I managed to beat US FE: PoR on Hard, and FE (GBA) on Hector's Normal, but stuff like Lunatic, I don't know... PoR Hard was pretty hard and took me quite a while to get through, something like Lunatic Reverse sounds just sadistically unfair. On the other hand, Casual Mode, sort of like the in-mission saves in Shadow Dragon, is something that reduces the difficulty of the games in ways that go against the traditions of the series... in-misison hard saves? Really?

On that note, another thing I disliked were there parts where it forced you to sacrifice a unit. I try to keep all of the players alive, forcing me to kill a character off in order to progress in a FE game is just wrong and should never appear again... not sure if it's in the other DS game too.

 

[mjemirzian]

I see there's some interest in Mystery of the Emblem DS. Check out my review and guide if you're interested in learning more about it. And yes I have completed Lunatic Reverse.

 

[Freezie KO]

I have to admit that Shadow Dragon just felt very primitive. I don't feel qualified to say too much about it, but the maps also felt simpler and less interesting. I wanted to like it because I love the series, but I couldn't really get into it too much. Javier's post really makes me want to try out FE12 though. Shame it won't get localized.

 

[AniHawk]

well, shadow dragon was a remake of the first game, wasn't it? makes sense that it would be much simpler.

this 3ds game should really be considered fire emblem xi.

 

[GDGF]

Waited for the board to settle down before I hit up the conference, so I'm just now taking everything in. This looks awesome. Love the 3D animations. Intelligent Systems has come a long way in that regard. Will be buying.

 

[Oxx]

At the time I felt like Shadow Dragon was appropriately streamlined for a handheld (I hadn't played the GBA games), so I didn't feel too let-down losing some of the density of the GC/Wii games.

In the years since I have realised that I'm more inclined to invest the time required into complex games on a handheld.

But I still enjoyed Shadow Dragon.

 

[C.T.]

At the time I felt like Shadow Dragon was appropriately streamlined for a handheld (I hadn't played the GBA games), so I didn't feel too let-down losing some of the density of the GC/Wii games.

In the years since I have realised that I'm more inclined to invest the time required into complex games on a handheld.

But I still enjoyed Shadow Dragon.

You should really play the gba ones. Awesome games.

 

[Winnie the Pimp]

on a related sidenote, i just managed to score a used copy of PoR off Ebay for 75 bucks!!!!

let's hope it's in good condition

 

[Dark Schala]

I see there's some interest in Mystery of the Emblem DS. Check out my review and guide if you're interested in learning more about it. And yes I have completed Lunatic Reverse.

That was a very informative review, thank you. I doubt it's coming over here, so I'll import this in the new year.

Do you know what the DSi Enhanced features are, exactly?

 

[Drkirby]

on a related sidenote, i just managed to score a used copy of PoR off Ebay for 75 bucks!!!!

let's hope it's in good condition

Are you not in the US? You can buy copies of the game off of Amazon for $30.

 

[mocolostrocolos]

Is the 2nd DS game going to come to the west?

I've only got the two of GBA and Path Of Radiance, but I want to get Dragon Sword.

 

[Codeblue]

on a related sidenote, i just managed to score a used copy of PoR off Ebay for 75 bucks!!!!

let's hope it's in good condition

Enjoy it! It's my favorite game in the series.

 

[Busaiku]

Is the 2nd DS game going to come to the west?

Doubtful.

 

[KittenMaster]

Sounds like it fixes some of the first DS FE's problems, anyway... it doesn't fix the bad graphics, though. And what about the story? Sure, having support conversations back is great, but is the main plot any better than the simplistic and bland one in Shadow Dragon?

As for difficulty, I managed to beat US FE: PoR on Hard, and FE (GBA) on Hector's Normal, but stuff like Lunatic, I don't know... PoR Hard was pretty hard and took me quite a while to get through, something like Lunatic Reverse sounds just sadistically unfair. On the other hand, Casual Mode, sort of like the in-mission saves in Shadow Dragon, is something that reduces the difficulty of the games in ways that go against the traditions of the series... in-misison hard saves? Really?

On that note, another thing I disliked were there parts where it forced you to sacrifice a unit. I try to keep all of the players alive, forcing me to kill a character off in order to progress in a FE game is just wrong and should never appear again... not sure if it's in the other DS game too.

1. They actually did improve the graphics some. It still uses the same animations and pre-rendered graphics, but they're more vibrant and better organized. Since this is a remake of Mystery of the Emblem, the story by default is much better.

2. Lunatic mode is pretty much the response to all of the methods possible to break an FE game to the point where it's actually preferable to play on a lower difficulty mode unless you intend to use every single powerful feature in the game.

3. You are no longer forced to sacrifice characters. In fact they greatly nerfed the generic characters you can get from sacrificing characters.

Is the 2nd DS game going to come to the west?

This is why we didn't and won't be getting New Mystery of the Emblem.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

makes me hurt for advance wars so bad

 

[Starwolf_UK]

Since the thread has been bumped so has my memory. The artstyle of the the portraits. I just recalled what it almost exactly reminded me of. Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes (I mean down to things like the colouring and general detail).

 

[mjemirzian]

2. Lunatic mode is pretty much the response to all of the methods possible to break an FE game to the point where it's actually preferable to play on a lower difficulty mode unless you intend to use every single powerful feature in the game.

Not true. There are still plenty of loopholes you can use to make Lunatic significantly easier, such as any wi-fi feature (rainbow potion, etc.), intermission store stat boosts, "everybody's situation" clock abuse, or save/load spamming checkpoint saves for growths. If you're using all of the above features and not going for an A rank, Lunatic mode is not particularly intimidating. As I already stated, Thracia 776 SSS rank is still more difficult (although has a little too much random BS).

That was a very informative review, thank you. I doubt it's coming over here, so I'll import this in the new year.

Do you know what the DSi Enhanced features are, exactly?

Thank you. The only DSi "feature" is region locking.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

Thank you. The only DSi "feature" is region locking.

And WPA support for the WiFi stuff.

 

[PokéKong]

The girl ain't too out of place as far as female clerics go.

She's just a little more fancy than the norm, forcefully having a "unique" design due to being story centric probably.

 

[MutFox]

makes me hurt for advance wars so bad

Good thing FE is better

 

[Frosteey]

The previous record holder for craziest Fire Emblem hair is like, Tiltyu, and she's pretty much the best Fire Emblem character ever. Or maybe, Tinny or Makalov or something. But they're awesome too.

I'm sure new girl will be great.

 

[The Awesomest]

This sold me on a 3DS, along with Paper Mario and Layton vs. Phoenix Wright. Now to just for a localization announcement.

Did anyone else notice in the gameplay trailer, there was no battle theme? The map theme continued into the battle, only louder and with heavy percussion and such.

Spoiler

I had that idea a long time ago

 

[MuddyDonut]

makes me hurt for advance wars so bad

I want both, I am not a fan of Days Of Disappointment

 

[Boney]

Good thing FE is better

I want both, I am not a fan of Days Of Disappointment

Objection!

 

[MuddyDonut]

Objection!

Would it make you happier if I said I loved Dual Strike?

 

[Emitan]

Would it make you happier if I said I loved Dual Strike?

Dual Strike is the worst one though.

 

[MushroomSamba]

The girl ain't too out of place as far as female clerics go.

She's just a little more fancy than the norm, forcefully having a "unique" design due to being story centric probably.

I wouldn't say "just a little". She seriously looks mentally retarded with that hunched over look, unkempt hair, and that stupid button hat or whatever it is. She seems like she might a central story figure, so we'll unfortunately be seeing a lot of her, but I'm still holding out hope that she isn't one of those must-use "Lord" characters.

 

[Boney]

Would it make you happier if I said I loved Dual Strike?

It'd actually make me sadder because it's the worst of the 4 ones.

 

[Codeblue]

There is no reality where Dual Strike is not better than the original AW.

 

[Emitan]

There is no reality where Dual Strike is not better than the original AW.

AW = AW2 > DoR >>> DS

 

[MuddyDonut]

It'd actually make me sadder because it's the worst of the 4 ones.

I only played the 2 DS ones so I am guessing I should go back...
And why is Days of Ruin better than Dual Strike?

 

[Codeblue]

AW = AW2 > DoR >>> DS

This is almost exactly the complete opposite of how I feel about the series. I loved AW and AW2 when they came out, but I can't go back to them now that I've played the newer games.

 

[Boney]

I only played the 2 DS ones so I am guessing I should go back...
And why is Days of Ruin better than Dual Strike?

Dual Strike is just plain broken when it comes to the tag mechanic. Sounds good on paper, but it's just so incredibly overpowered that all victories relly on it, and makes all strategy revolve around it. So when you have a core mechanic that's so broken, it doesn't really matter how much other cool stuff the game has because it'll be taken down because of it. Has a great cast, and an enormous numbers of CO's, campaign is fun, but units aren't really well balanced either. Some cool extras as well, like 2 outfits per character, different challenges and even the real time battle thingy. It's a shame really.

DoR, goes back to a more basic approach regarding CO's, and revamps the battle system as well. Air and naval combat get completely overhauled with the introduction of a few key units. Lessens the impact of infantry walls, and has some cool new ground units. Has a pretty cool campaign as well, even if it lacks all the extras DS had.

AW 1 cpu doesn't actually take in consideration Fog of War and that's pretty bullshit.

rank is AW2 > DoR > 1 > DS

 

[Drkirby]

AW = AW2 > DoR >>> DS

Nope, DS > AW2 > DoR > AW

 

[mjemirzian]

AW 1 cpu doesn't actually take in consideration Fog of War and that's pretty bullshit.

That's incorrect. The AW1 CPU does respect fog of war if your unit is hidden in a forest or reef.

I sentence you to hard time playing Advance Wars Advance Campaign with all S ranks. I'll be nice and not order you to obtain perfect S ranks.

 

[WillyFive]

This is why we didn't and won't be getting New Mystery of the Emblem.

Man, fans are a series' worst enemy.

Shadow Dragon is incredible if you realize it's a 21 year old game.

 

[BatDan]

Stupid question but what's the "correct" way to play Fire Emblem?
I know the main rule is "don't let anyone die".

I might start with Shadow Dragon contrary to what people think of it.

 

[Emitan]

That's incorrect. The AW1 CPU does respect fog of war if your unit is hidden in a forest or reef.

So only almost blatantly cheats like hell. It just mostly does.

 

[Boney]

That's incorrect. The AW1 CPU does respect fog of war if your unit is hidden in a forest or reef.

I sentence you to hard time playing Advance Wars Advance Campaign with all S ranks. I'll be nice and not order you to obtain perfect S ranks.

Yeah, that's how it goes I know. It's still pretty bullshit.

And I was actually playing the hard campaign earlier this year. No idea how one would S rank all of it, sounds impossible to me.

 

[Drkirby]

Stupid question but what's the "correct" way to play Fire Emblem?
I know the main rule is "don't let anyone die".

I might start with Shadow Dragon contrary to what people think of it.

You have two options.

1) Never let a man die. You will restart the mission if so.
2) Keep marching on. Favorite Secondary Character dies? Shrug it off.

Both can be pretty challenging, to keep every man alive is pretty hard, and fighting some of the later levels with a limited character pool can also be challenging.

 

[M-PG71C]

Hey, Days of Ruin kicked all sorts of ass. The series goes as follows:

AW>>AWoR>>>AW2>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Damn Dual Strike piece of fucking crap.

It looks amazing, NOA better fucking bring it! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! I need more Fire Emblem, its been too long!

 

[mjemirzian]

Shadow Dragon is incredible if you realize it's a 21 year old game.

Shadow Dragon is a decent game in its own right, I'd give it a 7/10 or so. Fans were pissed off because it did things such as having killing off units to reach gaiden chapters and relatively shallow plot/character development.

Stupid question but what's the "correct" way to play Fire Emblem?
I know the main rule is "don't let anyone die".

Generally you don't want to let people die, so it's best to play conservatively and always set up hit/dodge rates in your favor. Other than that, there are factors to consider such as turn counts, funds spent, attacked/countered ratio, gaiden chapters, support conversations, etc. Most modern FEs have easy modes that almost anyone can enjoy and play in whatever way they want.

So only almost blatantly cheats like hell. It just mostly does.

The CPU acts exactly as it was intended and programmed to behave. To cheat a CPU would have to break its own coded rules, and I don't think your Gameboy is Skynet.

And I was actually playing the hard campaign earlier this year. No idea how one would S rank all of it, sounds impossible to me.

You can check out my guide here or a site with screenshots here. My highest AW Advance Campaign score was 991 but I heard recently that people have gotten 993.