Fire Emblem Awakening

Another game announced at the conference. The battle scenes look amazing, a big step up from the Gamecube/Wii versions of the game.

I played a GBA version and just couldn't get into it - thoughts?

I played a GBA version and just couldn't get into it - thoughts?

Yes. What's wrong with you? Can't see how you can like Advance Wars and not like Fire Emblem.

Wow excellent news indeed but I do have a couple of issues already...

1) I can't stand 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds - they just don't gel as the art style always ends up clashing between the two and it's no different here in the map screens. It looks silly. The world map looks lovely where it's all 2D though.

2) the 3D models look excellent... except the feet which look stupid with the little points like seen in the Wind Waker character designs. I'll forgive the round shadows unless they don't change them for the horses because then it really is just them being lazy.

3) Juding by them videos, one only shows four stats when levelling up yet another shows 5 - I hope it's just that the game is only showing changes and not that they are removing stat categories and dumbing it down.

I do like the idea of teaming up in battles though - I wonder if that's a particular extension of the affinity system or if it can be done at any time regardless. Definitely potential there for some interesting set ups.

And the music used in that second video is very nice and very Fire Emblemy.

I just pray this doesn't to a New Mystery of the Emblem on us...

I'm still waiting for the last game.

I played a GBA version and just couldn't get into it - thoughts?

Advance Wars is better. Just stick with that.

Nice! New Fire Emblem game (Though I do hope they don't pull a FE12 on us again)

I'll say the new art style for the character mugs is not of my liking. Looks so much like generic Anime. At least they're much more expressive than before.

3) Juding by them videos, one only shows four stats when levelling up yet another shows 5 - I hope it's just that the game is only showing changes and not that they are removing stat categories and dumbing it down.

Well, that seemed obvious. I mean, why would two characters level up a different amount of stats?

Looking very nice indeed!

Haven't played Fire Emblem before, this may well be the game to get me started.

I'd also much rather they put out a new Advance Wars first, hopefully one that reverts to the cutesy, colourful design of the old games, but that keeps the units from Dark Conflict.

Playing through the Fire Emblem for GBA in preparation for this. Fire Emblem is brilliant. Brillianter than Advance Wars!

Indeed, it is the brilliantest!

Fire Emblem: Awakening

Nintendo set a release date for the next Fire Emblem game and its going to come out in Japan on April 19 under the name Fire Emblem: Awakening.

 

 

Iwata did not disclose downloadable content details and instead mentioned how the game will play like previous games in the series.

Is there any chance of this coming out within a month or two of Japan's release?

So, this is going to incorporate elements from Gaiden and Sacred Stones...no harm in revisiting that style, I suppose. I just hope you can't grind, and much less be expected to do so.

The art style is still irking me, it's so anime-ish (much more than what Fire Emblem usually is, anyway). However, I do like the fact that the mugs are so expressive. Only Eliwood, Lyn and Hector were this expressive, I think.

I see the skills are managed in the style of Radiant Dawn, which is excellent. RD was pretty much the refined epitome of FE gameplay. The "joint moves" mechanic sounds like it has good potential, I just hope the game is balanced properly with that in mind.

Oh, and voices in-battle? Niiice...

Is there any chance of this coming out within a month or two of Japan's release?

I Doubt it. We'll probably get it around December next year, although sooner will be a nice surprise.

So, this is going to incorporate elements from Gaiden and Sacred Stones...no harm in revisiting that style, I suppose. I just hope you can't grind, and much less be expected to do so.

 

The art style is still irking me, it's so anime-ish (much more than what Fire Emblem usually is, anyway). However, I do like the fact that the mugs are so expressive. Only Eliwood, Lyn and Hector were this expressive, I think.

 

I see the skills are managed in the style of Radiant Dawn, which is excellent. RD was pretty much the refined epitome of FE gameplay. The "joint moves" mechanic sounds like it has good potential, I just hope the game is balanced properly with that in mind.

 

Oh, and voices in-battle? Niiice...

I don't think you were expected to grind in Sacred Stones unless you were attempting runs through the tower/ruins in the Creature Campaign. As long as there are arenas, there is always the option to grind unless there is a fixed number of opponents like like in Holy War. That thing at 0:45 does look suspiciously like an arena but that's a complete guess.

Skills were so much better in RD than PoR because you could actually reuse them if you take them off - it actually allows you to experiment without being penalised. Every time I played PoR, I'd end up using the same combinations on the same characters because it didn't seem worth risking something that might not work too well. And the skills in Sacred Stones were a bit silly - big shield on Generals with an already sky high defence and sure shot on Snipers who couldn't miss if they tried - so I'm happy with this.

I just wonder what form the DLC will take - trial maps or something more substantial? I guess they could make Gaiden chapters and integrate them into the game as long as the story merely expanded rather than changed. That way, you could replay the game and go for the extra levels.

As long as the content justifies the delivery method, I don't mind... assuming it's not overpriced which I suspect it could well end up being.

I Doubt it. We'll probably get it around December next year, although sooner will be a nice surprise.

If we are to get it, it sounds about right. After FE11, I wasn't holding out much hope but Nintendo have learned a valuable lesson with the 3DS that should hopefully guarantee this a release.

I don't think you were expected to grind in Sacred Stones unless you were attempting runs through the tower/ruins in the Creature Campaign. As long as there are arenas, there is always the option to grind unless there is a fixed number of opponents like like in Holy War. That thing at 0:45 does look suspiciously like an arena but that's a complete guess.

Yeah, I was mostly thinking of Gaiden when I said that. I hope it's more like SS than Gaiden.

Skills were so much better in RD than PoR because you could actually reuse them if you take them off - it actually allows you to experiment without being penalised. Every time I played PoR, I'd end up using the same combinations on the same characters because it didn't seem worth risking something that might not work too well. And the skills in Sacred Stones were a bit silly - big shield on Generals with an already sky high defence and sure shot on Snipers who couldn't miss if they tried - so I'm happy with this.

100% truth. In PoR, I kept holding on to the skills because they weren't needed, and even if they were, I didn't want to waste anything (skill slots in characters AND the skills themselves).

I see this game follows the RD method, so it's all good.

100% truth. In PoR, I kept holding on to the skills because they weren't needed, and even if they were, I didn't want to waste anything (skill slots in characters AND the skills themselves).

I see this game follows the RD method, so it's all good.

Yeah, Ike and Volke always got the Occult scrolls and Oscar/Keiran were good for one since most other Master skills felt a bit weak. I too used to pretty much hold onto a lot of my skills until the last couple of chapters when I just throw them on anyone in the hope they see some use. Nihil was useful for the Black Knight battle though.

It annoyed me with those that came equiped with skills.

Take Tauroneo for example. He came with Resolve but odds are, you've already trained a General in Brom or Gatrie and whilst it does make up for the fact he's weaker at this point, the chances of you actually bothering are slim and so the skill gets wasted as you can't take it off him and you only get a free one right near the end of the game.

And Keiran has Gamble yet his Skill will never really be high enough to make this an attractive proposition. On a SwordMaster/Sniper, sure, it could get you out of a fix but not him.

Krom is one of two, main characters in this game. the other being your own created character! sounds awesome, there's also a new "Dual battle system" meaning if you go into battle with an ally next to you, you'll battle together! sounds so AWESOME! even if they didn't have this system I'd still buy it DAY 1!

Source:http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/35280/fire-emblem-3ds-gameplay-details-revealed/

So it's definitely Europe bound for starters - phew :p

Hopefully, the first DLC will be free to us too? I wonder who the returning characters will be.

Serenes Forest says the games takes place in the Kingdom of Iris - is this near Akaneia or somehow related as the Shield thing looked almost identical to the Fire Emblem from the first and third game. Plus, there is someone who looks so like Marth as to be untrue making frequent appearances in all the promo material.

It can't be merely coincidence.

I almost thought it was Marth... perhaps it is?

I almost thought it was Marth... perhaps it is?

If this isn't Marth...

...either Elice isn't his only sibling or he's been cloned.

That he's wearing a mask and seems to be at odds with Krom suggest he's either the bad guy (probably possesion, Gharnef or Medeus back from the dead?) or he's deliberate hiding his identity trying to save the world from a threat the rest don't understand and thus becomes the antagonist of the game until the very end.

Trailer

Is it a mask? Thought it was shadow.

Trailer

 

Is it a mask? Thought it was shadow.

It's definitely a mask of some sorts.

Ah so it is, at work so have't watched the full trailer. He does massively look like Marth in that picture.

"Two sleeping dragons--one a sacred ally of mankind, the other its sworn destroyer. Two heroes marked with the symbols of the dragons. Their meeting heralds the dragons' awakening--and the world's ending."

Edit: official Japanese site

Seeing Marth run through the fire & destruction, with that music in the background was just EPIC!