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Cake Attack
Mar 26, 2010

You can let Anna die in Paralogue 2, it doesn't matter!



The newest game in the series, Fire Emblem: Awakening was deliberately designed as a sort of greatest hits title, compiling the best aspects of every Fire Emblem before it, and it shows. Awakening was released on February 4th in NA (retail and eShop), and will be released April 17th in Europe. Furthermore, Europe is getting a limited edition 3DSXL with a Fire Emblem design. Neat!

Plot:

Awakening follows Chrom, the prince of the Halidom of Ylisse, a peaceful nation who worships the Divine Dragon Naga. Faced by the twin threats of mysterious corpse soldiers, as well as hostility from the neighboring country of Plegia, Chrom assumes command of the Shepherds, a vigilante force to keep his country at peace. Further complicating things is the appearance of a mask-wielding swordsman, claiming to be Hero-King of Legends, Marth.

Characters:

All designs are by Yusuke Kozaki, of No More Heroes fame. (Click for official art).

Chrom:

Our protagonist, and the leader of the Shepherds. Voiced by Matthew Mercer.

Avatar:

The Player avatar. An amnesiac, who was found unconscious by Chrom and his Shepherds. Possesses the mind of an experienced tactician. Your Avatar’s voice actor can be chosen by the player.

Lissa:

Chrom's sister. A cleric, but can take names with axes upon promotion :black101:

Emmeryn:

Chrom’s older sister, and the Queen of Ylisse. Kind and peace-loving, like you’d expect

Gangrel:

The King of Plegia, and probably a nice guy. Look at his art. That’s a friendly looking guy.

Validar:

The leader of a cult which worships the Dark Dragon, Grima. A powerful sorcerer.

Marth:

Marth, the person who this obviously isn't, was the hero of the first and third Fire Emblem games. Both games involved him fighting to save his kingdom of Altea from the Earth Dragon, Medeus, using the Falchion.

Gameplay:

Awakening offers classic Fire Emblem gameplay, although with lots of new mechanics and returning mechanics from older games in the series.

Classic Fire Emblem:

Unlike most SRPGs, Fire Emblem places a greater emphases on strategy then the RPG aspects of the game, with clever unit placement and other such strategic elements making the difference between life and death. Fire Emblem is also dictated by some mechanics unique to the series:

Unique Characters:



Every character in Fire Emblem is entirely unique. They have their own portrait, name, and frequently fairly extensive back story. Every character also belongs to their own (non-unique) class, which determines what weapons they can wield, what values their stats cap at, provide a general idea of what to expect from a character stat-wise, and occasionally provide some other bonuses as well. Once a character hits a certain level (usually 10-20), they can promote to an upgraded version of their first tier class.

Permadeath:

Probably the most infamous of all of Fire Emblem’s mechanics. When a character dies in battle, they’re gone. For the rest of the game. While punishing, the series does provide a fairly consistent stream of high leveled units that can be used to replace casualties, although they tend to be somewhat weaker overall than comparable characters brought up from a low level. For those daunted by this, Awakening has a casual mode wherein this is disable.

Growth Rates:



Rather then having pre-determined level ups, each stat has a percent chance of going up upon leveling up. These growth rates are unique to each character, and tend to match their class (so Knights have low speed growth and high defense growth.) It can be frustrating at first, but eventually you'll be waiting for you next fix of sweet +1s.

Doubling and Counterattacks:

Whenever you attack an enemy, you attack once, they counter attack once, and then if one unit is sufficiently faster they attack twice. Counterattacks means gameplay is fast-paced compared to some SRPGs, as enemies can be fought on their phase, and large groups of enemies can be fought without things becoming a slog.

New Mechanics:

Avatar:



Your Avatar is a player created unit, who serves as one of the main characters of the game. You can choose their gender, appearance, and voice actor.

While creating your Avatar, you can give them one main asset and flaw, which provide boosts and cuts to certain growth rates, bases, and stat caps. For example, choosing strength as your best stat boosts Strength growth by 10, Skill growth by 5, and Defense growth by 5 (and reduces those growths by the same amounts if chosen as your worse stat.)

Your Avatar belong to the unique Tactician class, capable of using magic and swords, and can also reclass to any non-unique class in the game. They can also marry any opposite gendered character (which is important for non-waifu reasons).

Reclassing and Branching Promotions:



Reclassing returns in a limited capacity. Once a unit hits level 10, they can use either use a Second Seal to change their class, or a Master Seal to promote into your choice of two upgraded classes. Most characters are capable of being 3 tier 1 classes, and 6 tier 2 classes. Different classes have different stat caps, as well as different growths rates.

Reclassing resets your level to 1, however, the game uses a second internal level on top of your displayed level, which is used to calculate EXP gains. Reclassing adds half your current level to your internal level, meaning you’ll gain less and less EXP as you reclass. That said, your internal level is capped at 41 in Normal mode, and higher in greater difficulties (meaning EXP gains stop decreasing at level 41.) Being in a promoted class adds a raw +20 to your internal level.

New Classes:



- Dark Flier: Promoted Pegasus Knights that can use magic as well as lances. Will most likely be very powerful, as they learn the Lightning Speed skill, which lets you act twice per turn if you kill an enemy.
- Falcon Knight: Alternate promotion for Pegasus Knights. Not strictly new, but can now use Staves.
- War Monk/War Cleric - Promoted clerics that can also wield axes :black101:
- Trickster: Promoted thieves that can use Staves.
- Taguel: Shape-shifters who transform into giant rabbits to fight. Hell yes.
- Tactician: My Unit’s class. Can use Swords and Magic. Promotes to Grandmaster, although gains no weapons or other perks from it.
- Great Lord: Krom's promoted class. Gain the ability to use Lances, but remains an infantry unit, which is a series first.
- Griffon Knight: An alternate promotion for Dracoknights
- Dark Knight: Alternate promotion for Mages and Dark Mages, can use Swords as well as magic. Mounted.
- Villager: Unique to Donnel. Starts terrible, has terrible bases, and has no promotion, but gives the Aptitude skill (+20 to all growths). Level Donnel to Lv. 10, then use a Second Seal to make him a Mercenary or a Fighter.
- Manakete: Not really new, but they're not always present. Transforms into a Dragon for powerful attacks, helpless when not transformed. Dragonstones are now purchasable, albeit less powerful.
- Assassin: Another for the tweaked pile. Assassins can now use bows.
- Demon Fighter: A DLC only class. Uses Axes, Swords, and Tomes
- Bride: Another DLC only class. Uses Lances, Bows, and Staves
- Star Lord: Marth’s DLC/SpotPass class
- Conqueror: Walhart's class, who is recruitable via SpotPass

Eugenics returns! (Support system and the Lover system):



Awakening combines the Support system present in Fire Emblem’s 6-9, with the Lover system present in Fire Emblem 4. While same-sex character pairs have three possible support ranks, C, B and A, almost all opposite gender pairs can get an S rank support, becoming lovers and having (recruitable) children. My Unit can marry (and support) anyone, because you’re just such a stud. Furthermore, there is no upper limit on supports, one character can have as many As as you like.

Inheritance:

Like in Genealogy of the Holy War, children are tied to a specific mother. Children inherit:

i) Base stats: A child character's bases are the average of their parents base stats, and their own inherent base stats (excluding class bases in all cases)
i) Growth rates: Growths for a child character are determined in the same way as above (except with growths, not bases).
iii) Max stat modifiers from their parents: All units have small modifiers to their class bases, Children characters inherit the sum of these modifiers (+1), leading to higher, or lower, caps.
iv) The 5th active skill from their parents: Inheritance ignores gender, so feel free to put skills like Demoiselle on your male children. DLC exclusive skills can't be passed on.
v) All regular class options from both parents: Gender unique classes will be replaced by a different class for the other gender. The special Villager class can be inherited by male units, and your Avatar’s child can be a Taguel and a Manakete, but otherwise special classes aren’t passed down.
vi) Chrom and your Avatar have slightly unique inheritance. Your Avatar will always have an specific opposite gendered child, on top of the mother-dependant child (assuming a male Avatar). Similarly, Chrom will always have a specific daughter, on top of the mother-dependant child. Furthermore, Chrom’s daughter(s) will always inherit Aether, and his son will always inherit Royal Weapon EVEN if he hasn't learned either skill.
vii) Inheritance isn't locked in until the prologue wherein you recruit the child is actually played. You can start the paralogue, exit, change skills around, and when you enter the paralogue they'll have the new skills.

Inheritance is difficult, who should I pair and will I mess everything up if don't use a spreadsheet?

You don't need to min/max at all. Just pair up whoever, and do whatever. The bare minimum of min-maxing worth doing is to maybe wait until both parents are -/5 or -/15 to pass down these skills, but again, this is hardly necessary.

Screw you Dad, I want to min/max!

Fine, but keep in mind this is all mostly irrelevant, since it's only necessary for as of yet unreleased post-game DLC. The most important thing is to get Galeforce on as many units as possible. Galeforce is the level 15 skill for Dark Fliers, so you want as many children as possible to inherit the class option.

Nowi, Tharja and Sully are the only three mothers with daughters who don't inherit the class option, so pair them with Donnel, Gaius, or a Male Avatar. These three characters have male-exclusive classes which are replaced with Pegasus Knight for daughters. Meanwhile, Lissa, Olivia, Maribelle and Female Avatar have male children and access to Pegasus Knight, so they must pass down the skill. (For other Pegasus Knight mothers, it's not necessary, as their child can learn the skill themselves.)

Beyond this, the various weapon -faire skills are all good, Quick Slash and Limit Break are pretty much necessary (DLC skils), and activation based damage skills (Astra, Luna, Aether, Vengeance, Ignis, Sol) are all helpful. Furthermore, pay attention to the children's stat cap modifiers. Try to pair parents who have positive modifiers for the same stats. Kellam and Nowi, for example, give Nah +7 defense. Pair Nah with a Male Defense asset Avatar, and Morgan has +11 Defense. That sort of thing.

As for Lunatic or Lunatic+, nearly all children start off too weak to be usable, so none of that really matters. For Lunatic, pair Chrom and a Female Avatar, and make sure to pass down Rally Spectrum to at least one of your children (if you're not DLC grinding, you may not get the Female Avatar to a high enough level in time to pass down Rally Spectrum to the first child.)

Once that's done with, Sorcerors with Nosferatu are your best friend. For those who can't use that, try and teach them Sol and get them a solid long-ranged weapon.

Dual System:



If you fight an enemy with allied units adjacent to you, you’ll receive a support bonus, boosting your combat stats. Furthermore, an adjacent unit has a chance of jumping into the fray, performing a follow up attack or guarding the other character, negating all damage, if they are being attacked. The magnitude of the support bonus is based on the cumulative support level of all adjacent units, and the chance of a Dual Attack/Guard is based on both support rank, and the stats of the two characters. If two characters don’t have a support, they’re considered to have a support rank of 1. Support bonuses cap out at rank 12.

Pair Up:

The Pair Up system allows you to combine units in battle, with the unit being carried initiating it. The unit carrying the other unit receives stat bonuses based on the carried unit's stats, class, and the support level between the units. The carried unit will also be treated as an adjacent unit for the purposes of the Dual System.

The World Map returns!:



Awakening brings back the world map from The Sacred Stones. You can move between various locations, with the option to buy supplies or fight optional battles at certain locations. On the world map, you can manage your characters, viewing support conversations and performing similar unit management. The Barracks return from FE12, allows you to visit your allies and gain various bonuses for doing so. The bonuses range from experience to new items. Random encounters and merchants spawn on the map as well, the former letting you grind and the latter letting you buy rare or discount goods.

Revamped Skill system:



Characters start with innate skills and gain new skills from leveling. Tier 1 classes teach a new skill at level 1 and 10, while Tier 2 classes teach new skills at levels 5 and 15. A character can have up to 5 skills equipped at a time, and can choose these 5 from their pool of learned skills outside of battle. Plenty of new skills have been introduced as well, along with new Rally skills, such as Rally Defense, a skill for generals which increased defense by 4 for all units in a 3 turn radius for a turn. SerenesForest has compiled an excellent skill guide:

http://serenesforest.net/fe13/skills.html

Furthermore, classes like Swordmasters and Berserkers no longer have innate bonuses, with all such things coming from skills.

Classic and Casual mode:

In Casual mode, permadeath is disabled, and the game can be saved at any time mid-battle. There are also four difficulty levels, Normal, Hard, Lunatic and Insane. Insane gives certain enemies unique + skills, that guarantee the activation of certain powerful skills such as Luna. Casual mode and difficulties are independent, so you can play Casual Insane if you so desire.

Spotpass DLC:

120 characters* from past Fire Emblems will available for download by SpotPass, at which point they can be encountered on the world map and recruited. Furthermore, sidequest maps, items, and Dual Tag opponents (see explanation of Dual tag later) can be downloaded by Spotpass, and rare weapons can be bought from downloaded teams on the world map. Not only that, bonus episodes featuring new recruitable characters are also being released via Spotpass.

*10 units from each Fire Emblem from 1-10, except for 4 which gets 20, and 10 extra composed of villains from the entire series.

Paid DLC:



The paid DLC offers bonus episodes and new maps featuring characters from previous games in the series. So far, the bonus chapters allow you to recruit Marth, Roy, Leaf, Micaiah, Arum, Elincia, Ephraim, Celice, Eirika, Cellica, Lyn, Ike, Est, Catria, Palla and Katarina. Arum and Eirika's bonus chapters also unlock extra classes. Each character has received a redesign by a different artist, they range from awesome (Drakengard Roy :swoon:), to terrible (Micaiah). They tend more towards Micaiah then Roy, sadly.

There are also some bonus scenarios available. Some are gameplay focused, and occasionally exceedingly punishing, while others are more lighthearted, with simple gameplay but extra support conversations (mostly between same-sex units, as the Lover system made it so that most supports were between opposite sexes.)

The DLC is being released in NA. The basic price scheme/schedule so far is one new DLC episode around every Thursday, priced at ~$2.50, with the option to buy three episodes in a ~$6.00 bundle. Said bundles are available from the moment the first episode in the bundle opens, you won't be able to play the unreleased episodes, but you don't need to wait until all three episodes are released to save money on the bundle.

To access the DLC, you need to clear Chapter 4, at which point the Outrealm gate opens. You can purchase and play DLC from there.

DLC guide:

quote:


Here's a guide to what DLC is worth buying:

Get any DLC that lets you recruit a character you personally want to use--this review doesn't attempt to take personal preference into account. Even the maps I mark "skippable" are probably worth it for diehard/obsessive fans (like me).
Champions of Yore 1 (Marth)--skippable
Champions of Yore 2 (Roy)--skippable
Champions of Yore 3 (Micaiah)--rewards you with the nice All Stats +2 skill, and, in addition, is a good early- to mid-game grinding map for the higher difficulties if you need a bit of help.
Lost Bloodlines 1 (Lief)--skippable
Lost Bloodlines 2 (Alm)--rewards you with the ability to change male characters into the Dread Fighter class, which, in addition to having powerful skills which are important for the postgame, is cool as heck. It's a mid- to late-game map.
Lost Bloodlines 3 (Seliph)--rewards you with the Paragon skill, which doubles the unit's exp gain. In addition, it's the best post-game grinding map, having 50 enemies which all suicide into you rather rapidly. If you intend to do the postgame, this map is almost mandatory given how much time it saves.
Smash Brethren 1 (Elincia)--skippable
Smash Brethren 2 (Eirika)--rewards you with the ability to change female characters into the Bride class. Gender issues aside, the Bride class has some neat animations and nifty skirt physics, and it's really fun to watch them twirl around the battlefield. It also has an important skill for the postgame if you intend to pursue that. This is an end-game level map.
Smash Brethren 3 (Lyn)--skippable. Rewards you with the Iote's Shield skill, which negates a flier's weakness to bows and wind magic.
Rogues and Redeemers 1 (Ephraim)--skippable
Rogues and Redeemers 2 (Celica)--skippable
Rogues and Redeemers 3 (Ike)--rewards you with the Limit Breaker skill, which increases a unit's stat caps by 10. If you fill out those caps, you'll breeze through most of the postgame (the Challenge Pack is designed assuming you don't have it)--however, The Strongest One's Name assumes that you have it. If you want to pursue the postgame all the way to the end, this DLC is mandatory otherwise it isn't amazing. This map requires a postgame team to beat.

The Golden Gaffe--this map's gimmick is that it showers you with money for each enemy you kill. This is mostly a convenience--the game gives you enough money to do most of what you could want to do. However, if you want to pursue the postgame in hard mode or above, you'll need the extra gold, making this map mandatory. Otherwise, unless you really like forging weapons, it's probably skippable. It does have some amusing dialogue, though.
EXPonential Growth--this map's gimmick is there's a large number of non-hostile enemies that give a large amount of experience for killing them. It's essentially the only way to grind on lunatic, and is a large convenience on hard, but is skippable if you either don't want to grind or are playing on normal mode (where you should use reeking boxes instead). I features amusing dialogue as well.
Infinite Regalia--this map's gimmick is it has three treasure chests containing random legendary weapons from previous entries in the series. They're pretty neat, but ultimately skippable, even in a postgame file--forged brave weapons are better. Still, some of the divine weapons have niches that can't be easily filled with existing weapons, so if you absolutely must minmax (like me), then you'll want this map. It again has some laughs in the script. Also you get the silver card, which owns (buy things at half price.)
Death's Embrace (Est)--probably the best map in the Challenge Pack, and the one that most rewards strategic planning rather than having high numbers. An excellent map for anyone looking for a challenge, and my favorite map in the DLC
Five-Anna Firefight (Catria)--the weakest entry in the Challenge Pack, and probably skippable. The map is trivialized by maxed-out units in a way the rest of the pack isn't, even if you don't have Limit Breaker, and the gimmick isn't particularly interesting.
Roster Rescue (Palla)--not quite as good as Death's Embrace, but still a nice challenge, even for maxed-out teams.

Harvest Scramble--If you like the support conversations (and if you don't why are you even playing this game), then good news--this map essentially gives you even more by having a whole bunch of conversations scattered throughout it. It focuses on fleshing out same-gender pairs that already have supports.
Summer Scramble--Like Harvest Scramble, but this time with pairs that don't support in the main game, focusing on the first generation. You also get to see Chrom, Gaius, Cordelia, and Tharja in swimsuits, and some hilariously inept censorship on NoA's part.

Hot-Spring Scramble--Like Harvest and Summer Scramble, but focusing on children who don't support in the main game. You also get to see Lucina, Severa, Owain, and Inigo in kimonos.

Future Past (1-3)--This series is a set of post-game maps (though less gimmicky than the Challenge Pack) set in a future where the children are fighting a losing war against Grima and hordes of risen. The story is pretty solid, and is the main draw of the maps. It's also the only source of father-specific conversations with their children.

Apotheosis (Katarina)--The postgame map, and the ultimate reason to spend those endless hours grinding your team after you beat the game. It has hordes of strong, maxed-out enemies with powerful skills. Limit Breaker (from Rogues and Redeemers 3) is mandatory.


Dual Tag:

Via a local connection, players can team up with a friend to battle computer controlled enemies.

StreetPass features:

Players can form a squad of up to ten units, including Avatars. After passing another player, your squads will appear on each others world maps, allowing you to purchase goods, recruit their My Unit, or even fight their squad. While recruiting their My Unit normally costs money, beating them in battle lets you recruit them for free. Streetpassing people who aren't playing Fire Emblem will give you a randomly generated team.

Media:

Opening Movie
Subtitled Story Trailer
Overview Trailer
System Overview Trailer
Support System Overview

English and Japanese Voice acting comparison (Note: small spoilers. The first scene is in medias res, and occurs at the start of the game.)
English Trailer

Reviews:

91 - Metacritic
9/9/9/9 - From Famitsu - Tied for a series high.
9.6 - IGN
4.5/5 - Joystiq
90 - EGM
90 - Game Informer
85 - GameTrailers

Tips for people new to Fire Emblem:

- :siren: Always Pair Up :siren:. One great unit is better than two worse units due to how Fire Emblem's gameplay plays out.
- Don't overuse Fredrick. While he seems better than most of your other units, he's level 1 promoted, not level 1. In essence, he's functionally level 21, and thus has terrible stats for his level, and gains exp really slowly. The best way to use him is to either give him a weak weapon and let him set up kills for other units, or pair him with a squishy unit for a large strength and defense boost.
- While you can promote right away at level 10, it's usually best to wait until level 20. EXP gains slow down a fair bit when you promote, and so without the extra stats from going all the way to level 20, they'll fall behind. Alternatively, reclass at level 10 using a second seal, then promote at level 10.

Important Information:

-Soft reset is L+R+Start

Miscellaneous mechanic changes:

- Weapon Weight has been removed
- Attack Speed must be 5 or greater than an enemy’s to double
- Tomes are all consolidated under one weapon rank:
- Dark Magic can only be used by Dark Mages and Sorcerers.
- There's no limit on the amount of supports one unit can have
- Units must be adjacent to receive support bonuses

Cake Attack fucked around with this message at 05:42 on Feb 16, 2014

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Cake Attack
Mar 26, 2010



Recently, NOA announced the limited edition 3DS bundle would be released in NA. The bundle comes with a pre-downloaded copy of Awakening, a 4GB SD card, and a 3DS (not an XL), with a special Fire Emblem design.

Cake Attack fucked around with this message at 04:12 on Jan 17, 2013

Slate Action
Feb 13, 2012

by exmarx
As a longtime Fire Emblem fan I think this game looks freaking ridiculous but I don't own a 3DS and I don't have $200 to spare. Sigh.

Slate Action fucked around with this message at 04:12 on Jan 17, 2013

Zore
Sep 21, 2010
willfully illiterate, aggressively miserable sourpuss whose sole raison d’etre is to put other people down for liking the wrong things
I dunno if its really fair to say Manaketes have been unseen since Fire Emblem 8 when we had Tiki and Bantu in FE11 and FE12. And Dragon Laguz in 9 and 10.

Besides that, really solid OP. You may want to drop in a mention that classes have lost their inherent bonuses, like the Swordmaster/Berserker crit bonus, in the new skill system.


Oh, and detail more how the new Support system works with the bonuses. Like infinite A supports, how almost everyone can support with the entire opposite sex + 2 token same sex people, the Avatar can support with literally everyone etc.

Zore fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Jan 17, 2013

theshim
May 1, 2012

You think you can defeat ME, Ephraimcopter?!?

You couldn't even beat Assassincopter!!!
I have been waiting since Radiant Dawn was released for a new Fire Emblem.

Waiting with deep and dire anticipation.

And I am broke because of root canals and crap.

And I don't think I care, I think I'm getting that 3DS XL and this game because everything about it looks so wonderful.

EGSunBro
Nov 1, 2012

PEPSI FOR TV-GAME
I cannot wait for this game, I bought a 3DS for it. Although I was still using my original DS so it was time for an upgrade anyway.

So, is spotpass essentially free DLC or what? I still haven't really caught on to 3DS lingo.

Zurai
Feb 13, 2012


Wait -- I haven't even voted in this game yet!

EGSunBro posted:

So, is spotpass essentially free DLC or what?

Yes.

RuBisCO
May 1, 2009

This is definitely not a lie



EGSunBro posted:

I cannot wait for this game, I bought a 3DS for it. Although I was still using my original DS so it was time for an upgrade anyway.

So, is spotpass essentially free DLC or what? I still haven't really caught on to 3DS lingo.

Spotpass is the free set, yes. Paid DLC is another beast.

It's been a long, long time since I've been this stoked for a game.

Artix
Apr 26, 2010

He's finally back,
to kick some tail!
And this time,
he's goin' to jail!
So loving psyched for Drakengard Roy. Best DLC, no questions asked.

EGSunBro posted:

I cannot wait for this game, I bought a 3DS for it. Although I was still using my original DS so it was time for an upgrade anyway.

So, is spotpass essentially free DLC or what? I still haven't really caught on to 3DS lingo.

Spotpass is free "DLC" (it's usually just unlock codes) that downloads automatically. In Awakening, it gives you a bunch of old characters who aren't cool enough to get proper DLC, like Innes (from Sacred Stones, just as an example).

Artix fucked around with this message at 04:23 on Jan 17, 2013

Pixeltendo
Mar 2, 2012


Is Validar Batman?

Anyways this will be my 3rd Fire Emblem game :)
I thought Sacred stones was pretty cool and picked up Radiant dawn because of it, but I am terrible and cannot beat either still.

Serifina
Oct 30, 2011

So... dizzy...
I can and will be absolutely getting that package. I have a 3DS, but when I first saw the FE one, I wanted it back when it came out for Japan. I was jealous. The current one? Meh. Trade in time.

It looks a little bit like they took PoR/RD 3D stuff and said "okay, how can we make this more like the GBA games" graphics wise - they look much, much better than the anything since Sacred Stones.

Zore
Sep 21, 2010
willfully illiterate, aggressively miserable sourpuss whose sole raison d’etre is to put other people down for liking the wrong things
I think I'm the only one not really looking forward to recruiting DLC characters.

The missions and rewards? Hell yeah. But, I'd rather use the actual cast instead of a bunch of people with almost universally terrible art styles, generic Avatar models and no supports or interaction.

I dunno, I just feel like the novelty of having 'Lyn' or 'Ephraim' on my team would wear thin when they're just a silent version of an Avatar I could have constructed. And they have a horrifically bad portrait (with one or two exceptions).

Regy Rusty
Apr 26, 2010

Man I still need to finish 12. I got turned off by the stupid map design since I was sick of dragging Marth all around the map.

Important question - I hate reclassing. Can I completely ignore it in Awakening without seriously hindering myself?

Momomo
Dec 26, 2009

Dont judge me, I design your manhole
Yeah, I'm not either. They didn't really put any effort into the DLC at all, they even reused the same maps three times each.

edit: You can ignore reclassing, but I think a big part of the game is in the skill system, so you might end up missing out.

Eddain
May 6, 2007
They really need to announce the bundle retailer(s) already.

El Belmondo
Apr 3, 2011

by XyloJW
I can't wait to get this, it's a major reason why I want to pick up a 3DS in the next year or so.

I'm still sad Zigludo is reduced to spotpass DLC though. :negative:

Zore
Sep 21, 2010
willfully illiterate, aggressively miserable sourpuss whose sole raison d’etre is to put other people down for liking the wrong things

Regy Rusty posted:

Man I still need to finish 12. I got turned off by the stupid map design since I was sick of dragging Marth all around the map.

Important question - I hate reclassing. Can I completely ignore it in Awakening without seriously hindering myself?

Reclassing is very different than it was in 11 or 12 and this time around its both better integrated and more necessary.

First gen characters are only going to get four skills if you level and promote them, and they're probably not going to do so hot stat-wise if you're going for the optional difficult DLC content, or higher difficulties. Skills are incredibly important and are going to require class switching if you want to mix and match the best ones.

The game should be totally beatable on normal and maybe hard though even if you completely ignore it.

RuBisCO
May 1, 2009

This is definitely not a lie



Eddain posted:

They really need to announce the bundle retailer(s) already.

For once, Canada comes out on top.

Regy Rusty
Apr 26, 2010

Zore posted:

Reclassing is very different than it was in 11 or 12 and this time around its both better integrated and more necessary.

First gen characters are only going to get four skills if you level and promote them, and they're probably not going to do so hot stat-wise if you're going for the optional difficult DLC content, or higher difficulties. Skills are incredibly important and are going to require class switching if you want to mix and match the best ones.

The game should be totally beatable on normal and maybe hard though even if you completely ignore it.

I guess I'll have to see how it's integrated. It does sound more important and hopefully it'll make natural sense as to when it should be done. One of the reasons I don't like it in 11 and 12 is that you can just do it whenever, and I had no way of deciding when it was a good idea, so I just chose to ignore it.

It doesn't change the fact that characters feel less like individuals when they can just swap sideways to be another class which is the other reason I don't like it.

Shiny777
Oct 29, 2011

YAMI WO KIRISAKU
OH DESIRE


Can't wait for February to roll around. It's been way too long since we last got an FE over here, let alone a good one.

Magil of Shadow
Dec 28, 2009

Proposal: Form a friendly relationship immediately.

"You have GOT to be kidding me"

Slate Action posted:

As a longtime Fire Emblem fan I think this game looks freaking ridiculous but I don't own a 3DS and I don't have $200 to spare. Sigh.

I'm unfortunately within this same situation. What's worse, is that I COULD afford the bundle, were I not saving for the annual Pax East trip me and a few friends take every year. With any luck, the 'limited' edition's decal pattern will be able to be replicated and such, whenever I DO get a 3DS

The Iron Rose
May 12, 2012

:minnie: Cat Army :minnie:
I'm probably going to get the bundle but oh god I don't know who's good and terrible and class growths trip me the gently caress up and bluh.

It will be hellish. And wonderful.


Also playing without savestates?

I might actually have to restart!

Rirse
May 7, 2006

by R. Guyovich
Can't wait for this to come out. I should finally finish Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn after shelving it for so long.

By the way, since this has the optional battles like Sacred Stones, does this mean the monsters from that game return too?

Cake Attack
Mar 26, 2010

RuBisCO posted:

For once, Canada comes out on top.

:toot: I have like 100 bucks in best buy gift-cards lying around, guess who can justify buying the bundle now? Now to cancel my preorder at EB games.

Annath
Jan 11, 2009

Batatouille is a great and funny play on words for a video game creature and I love silly words like these
Clever Betty

Serifina posted:

I can and will be absolutely getting that package. I have a 3DS, but when I first saw the FE one, I wanted it back when it came out for Japan. I was jealous. The current one? Meh. Trade in time.

It looks a little bit like they took PoR/RD 3D stuff and said "okay, how can we make this more like the GBA games" graphics wise - they look much, much better than the anything since Sacred Stones.

I'd totally trade in my 3DS towards the LE Fire Emblem one...if mine wasn't the Limited Edition Zelda 25th Anniversary one...

GAH!

Momomo
Dec 26, 2009

Dont judge me, I design your manhole

Rirse posted:

Can't wait for this to come out. I should finally finish Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn after shelving it for so long.

By the way, since this has the optional battles like Sacred Stones, does this mean the monsters from that game return too?

No, this game has its own unique enemies. They're mostly just reanimated corpses, but I think there's at least one special thing.

Neenski
Apr 22, 2006
I'd be all over the bundle if it was the XL and not the regular 3ds. Still waiting on a decent color.

Serifina
Oct 30, 2011

So... dizzy...

The Fisher King posted:

I'd totally trade in my 3DS towards the LE Fire Emblem one...if mine wasn't the Limited Edition Zelda 25th Anniversary one...

GAH!

That is definitely a dilemma! Clearly the answer is to get the Fire Emblem one and have two!

katkillad2
Aug 30, 2004

Awake and unreal, off to nowhere

Eddain posted:

They really need to announce the bundle retailer(s) already.

You can already pre-order it at gamestop: http://www.gamestop.com/nintendo-3ds/consoles/nintendo-3ds-blue-fire-emblem-awakening-bundle/107660

Edit: And you can cross amazon out, because they don't sell Nintendo hardware directly anymore for whatever reason.

katkillad2 fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Jan 17, 2013

Francis
Jul 23, 2007

Thanks for the input, Jeff.
I get a Disciples of Order vibe from the Corpse Soldiers, and they were the most boring villain faction in the entire series. There are at least some human armies with actual characterization and the Anime Politics one expects from Fire Emblem too, right?

Zurai
Feb 13, 2012


Wait -- I haven't even voted in this game yet!

Francis posted:

There are at least some human armies with actual characterization and the Anime Politics one expects from Fire Emblem too, right?

A quick look through the portraits in the OP should answer that for you.

ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

Francis posted:

I get a Disciples of Order vibe from the Corpse Soldiers, and they were the most boring villain faction in the entire series. There are at least some human armies with actual characterization and the Anime Politics one expects from Fire Emblem too, right?

Yes, there are actual villain factions with actual faces.

RuBisCO
May 1, 2009

This is definitely not a lie



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT66kLCNx8U

First 20 minutes of the game, if anyone is inclined.

Terper
Jun 26, 2012


A few notes about the OP:

- Chrom is still referred to as Krom in a few places.
- The Holy Kingdom has been changed to Halidom.
- "Obviously not Marth" Okay, but who is Marth and why should we care? I know there's a lot of people for whom this will be their first FE, and a brief history lesson might be appriciated.
- Combat can be sped up, slowed down, freeze-framed, has 360 camera control, and a first-person mode. Worth mentioning, I think.
- It should be noted that your decision of Classic or Casual mode does not impact on your choice of difficulty mode; you can still play Casual Insane+.
- Also, the hardest difficulty is Insane, not Lunatic.

That's about it, I think.

Adelheid
Mar 29, 2010

Adding to OP comments, Avatar is referred to as My Unit a few times.

Cake Attack
Mar 26, 2010

Adelheid posted:

Adding to OP comments, Avatar is referred to as My Unit a few times.

Terper posted:

A few notes about the OP:

- Chrom is still referred to as Krom in a few places.
- The Holy Kingdom has been changed to Halidom.
- "Obviously not Marth" Okay, but who is Marth and why should we care? I know there's a lot of people for whom this will be their first FE, and a brief history lesson might be appriciated.
- Combat can be sped up, slowed down, freeze-framed, has 360 camera control, and a first-person mode. Worth mentioning, I think.
- It should be noted that your decision of Classic or Casual mode does not impact on your choice of difficulty mode; you can still play Casual Insane+.
- Also, the hardest difficulty is Insane, not Lunatic.

That's about it, I think.

Whoops, I didn't write this entirely from scratch, so I must have missed most of those.

Terper
Jun 26, 2012





GOTY, all years. :gay:

SC Bracer
Aug 7, 2012

DEMAGLIO!

Terper posted:


GOTY, all years. :gay:

Oh my sides ahahaaa his name's Hubba.

I'm so terribly hyped even for the demo tomorrow I don't know what to do. Thank god the full game releases after midterms at least.

BlondRobin
May 29, 2005

Sssh! Be vewy vewy quiet. It's wabbit season.

Regy Rusty posted:

I don't like it. (re: class changing.)

Honestly, sideways class changing is not really necessary unless you want to use Donnel or play on Lunatic. You can get a lot out of it but the game bends over as it goes on under the weight of the support/dual attack/pair up system anyway. Plus, unless you feel like grinding, it'll probably be difficult to get multiple classes *and* promotions under your belt, and if you grind all challenge is going to go straight out the window.

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Eddain
May 6, 2007
Plus you could just replay the DLC missions that give items/gold and grind that instead.

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