Fire Emblem Thread II: Stalwarts Unite!

[Sam cw]

Yep, it's silly in that it's a mean way to sell the grinding DLC. But it's also legitimate in that the difficulty is supposed to really push you, not force you to grind for hours and then cheese it.

I can see that, but I think it would have been better if they instead put a limit on how high a level you can get from skirmishes in a given area. That way you can still catch up new recruits and they could balance the game around a consistent expected level for each chapter. Or just remove them altogether and adjust people's base stats up so they're useful for more than just Pair-up bonuses from the moment you get them. Ether one would also add to the DLC grinding missions on Lunatic, by providing a clear point at which you're using them to cheat rather than simply save time.

The hard part of Lunatic is the first 5 missions and the last 3 or so paralogues. Everything else is pretty easy once you get the main characters rolling and no longer need Frederick.

Eh... I feel like that if you can't run a full set of units on every map in Lunatic, then you can't really say you're playing Fire Emblem Lunatic mode. You're actually playing a far more simplistic character building game instead of the strategic RPG that the game's box claims it is.

[Rising Phoenix]

You CAN do the lunatic modes without DLC grinding, I've done so, but getting good class skills for the kids becomes a real pain.

[Anteros]

You're actually playing a far more simplistic character building game instead of the strategic RPG that the game's box claims it is.

This perfectly describes every single Fire Emblem game. The only "strategy" involved in these games is deciding which giant hammer you want to use to destroy your target....unless you place arbitrary restrictions on yourself (max difficulty, no using certain characters, no overlevelling, no choke-point strategies, or hit and run tactics.)

The fact that it's a strategy rpg that's designed so that most players will get all the way through without ever losing a unit tells you all you need to know about the "difficulty". Don't get me wrong, I love the series...but Chess it isn't.

[Sylthia]

This perfectly describes every single Fire Emblem game. The only "strategy" involved in these games is deciding which giant hammer you want to use to destroy your target....unless you place arbitrary restrictions on yourself (max difficulty, no using certain characters, no overlevelling, no choke-point strategies, or hit and run tactics.)

The fact that it's a strategy rpg that's designed so that most players will get all the way through without ever losing a unit tells you all you need to know about the "difficulty". Don't get me wrong, I love the series...but Chess it isn't.

Would choke-point strategies be strategies, and hit and run tactics for that matter, without getting pedantic about tactics vs strategy?

[Anteros]

Would choke-point strategies be strategies, and hit and run tactics for that matter, without getting pedantic about tactics vs strategy?

Fair enough. My point was the game's difficulty breaks apart with even the tiniest amount of effort.

[Sam cw]

This perfectly describes every single Fire Emblem game. The only "strategy" involved in these games is deciding which giant hammer you want to use to destroy your target....unless you place arbitrary restrictions on yourself (max difficulty, no using certain characters, no overlevelling, no choke-point strategies, or hit and run tactics.)

The fact that it's a strategy rpg that's designed so that most players will get all the way through without ever losing a unit tells you all you need to know about the "difficulty". Don't get me wrong, I love the series...but Chess it isn't.

It's more a matter of degree. The character building aspect of the game is part of the fun, but the god-army-no-need-for-strategy phase is mainly fun because you spend two-thirds to three-quarters of the game getting to that point and it rarely lasts long enough to overstay its welcome. I just feel that bee-lining one unit to godhood and only using them for 70 percent of the game throws out too many of the other aspects of the game for it to be something mandated by a difficulty level alone.

[Anteros]

Fire Emblem outright gives you the god units though, often without even needing to train them. Look at units like the Laguz royals. Most of them can easily solo the vast majority of maps in the game. It's the same in every game. Even looking at starting units...let's use Hector for an example. He'll be weak for like, 5 maps at most. After which he'll be able to carry you through the game with minimal support. It's the same for every game. I actually did a Lords only run of FE7 Hector Hard Mode once. The only difficulty was not running out of weapons to kill things with.

The fact is that you have to intentionally weaken your army by picking weak units, and making sure those units don't get too strong if you actually want strategy to matter is a huge flaw in the game. I still like the game, but I'm certainly not going to criticize someone else for playing a "simplistic character building game" because that's what 99% of the FE games are at their core.

[Sylthia]

Fire Emblem outright gives you the god units though, often without even needing to train them. Look at units like the Laguz royals. Most of them can easily solo the vast majority of maps in the game. It's the same in every game. Even looking at starting units...let's use Hector for an example. He'll be weak for like, 5 maps at most. After which he'll be able to carry you through the game with minimal support. It's the same for every game. I actually did a Lords only run of FE7 Hector Hard Mode once. The only difficulty was not running out of weapons to kill things with.

The fact is that you have to intentionally weaken your army by picking weak units, and making sure those units don't get too strong if you actually want strategy to matter is a huge flaw in the game. I still like the game, but I'm certainly not going to criticize someone else for playing a "simplistic character building game" because that's what 99% of the FE games are at their core.

Most of the really powerful units, like the Laguz Royals are only available for a chapter or two at end-game. Even then, you're usually only given one or two to supplement your current team.

[Anteros]

Most of the really powerful units, like the Laguz Royals are only available for a chapter or two at end-game. Even then, you're usually only given one or two to supplement your current team.

C'mon, you know as well as I do that every Fire Emblem has units like that available all game. There's a reason I used Hector as my example earlier in addition to the royals. Any game where you have single units capable of soloing the entire game (unless you get extremely screwed by the RNG) is not something I would consider a pure "strategy" game. You can create the need for strategy by fielding sub-optimal units, or putting self imposed restrictions on your playstyle, but let's not pretend it's an inherent quality of the game, or that others are somehow playing wrong for not doing so.

[Laughing Dog]

And I am now at the endgame for my PoR run. I goofed earlier, so Ike doesn't get an A support, but honestly? Meh.
Brom has 20 speed, otherwise known as absurd speed for any heavy armor unit (other than Meg). I gave him all of my Ashera Icons, because he had 5 Luck before hand. Soren got both Energy drops, because he needed the Str to wield his Lightning Magic. Mist got the Skill books, Nasir got both Angelic Robes (for giggles, really), Soren got both Draco shields, and Ashnard is screwed This run as turned out to be fairly fun, if you leave out my self appointed idiocy.

[Sylthia]

And I am now at the endgame for my PoR run. I goofed earlier, so Ike doesn't get an A support, but honestly? Meh.
Brom has 20 speed, otherwise known as absurd speed for any heavy armor unit (other than Meg). I gave him all of my Ashera Icons, because he had 5 Luck before hand. Soren got both Energy drops, because he needed the Str to wield his Lightning Magic. Mist got the Skill books, Nasir got both Angelic Robes (for giggles, really), Soren got both Draco shields, and Ashnard is screwed This run as turned out to be fairly fun, if you leave out my self appointed idiocy.

Congrats, I wonder when we'll hear an announcement for the next installment of FE. I think Awakening sold well, didn't it?

[Rising Phoenix]

Congrats, I wonder when we'll hear an announcement for the next installment of FE. I think Awakening sold well, didn't it?

It was the best selling FE in the history of the series. In fact, if it hadn't done so it would have been the last instalment...

There was an add a while ago about a Shin Megami Tensei x FE cross over. However, to my knowledge nothing has been said since...

[Geno9999]

It was the best selling FE in the history of the series. In fact, if it hadn't done so it would have been the last instalment...

There was an add a while ago about a Shin Megami Tensei x FE cross over. However, to my knowledge nothing has been said since...

I'm going to assume we'll get more details about it as/when E3 comes.

[Sylthia]

It was the best selling FE in the history of the series. In fact, if it hadn't done so it would have been the last instalment...

There was an add a while ago about a Shin Megami Tensei x FE cross over. However, to my knowledge nothing has been said since...

Considering FE 11 and 12 were remakes, it kind of bad to make a decision to dump the series when the last game that had come out was FE10 in 2007.

[chiasaur11]

Considering FE 11 and 12 were remakes, it kind of bad to make a decision to dump the series when the last game that had come out was FE10 in 2007.

They were remakes of some of the more popular games in the series after Radiant Dawn bombed.

And Shadow Dragon did bad enough to make the states skip an iteration. That's not a minor amount of failure.

[Rodin]

It also wasn't obvious that Shadow Dragon was a remake to newbies to the series. I had only played Sacred Stones prior to trying out Shadow Dragon, and was not amused.

Fortunately, Awakening developed enough of a buzz when it was in development and I had enough good memories left over from Sacred Stones that I gave it a try. Several hundred hours of gameplay later...

Damn, mentioning Sacred Stones made me want to play that one again, until I remembered I gave it to my brother-in-law. It's halfway across the country from me now. Wonder if it can still be found for a reasonable price?

[Sylthia]

It also wasn't obvious that Shadow Dragon was a remake to newbies to the series. I had only played Sacred Stones prior to trying out Shadow Dragon, and was not amused.

Fortunately, Awakening developed enough of a buzz when it was in development and I had enough good memories left over from Sacred Stones that I gave it a try. Several hundred hours of gameplay later...

Damn, mentioning Sacred Stones made me want to play that one again, until I remembered I gave it to my brother-in-law. It's halfway across the country from me now. Wonder if it can still be found for a reasonable price?

Shadow Dragon was a remake of an early Nineties game that didn't do enough to establish itself as a stand alone title. They either should have bundled a few of the early games as a collection or pulled out all the stops and updated it to be on par with modern FEs if they expected it to sell well/tide fans over until the next FE installment. We went what, six years between FE10 and FE13?

[Rising Phoenix]

I'll just leave this here

Spoiler

Show

Guess I have to start saving towards a WIIU, I also wanna play 'X'.

[Sylthia]

I'll just leave this here

Spoiler

Show

Guess I have to start saving towards a WIIU, I also wanna play 'X'.

Is that the crossover they've been planning? I assume that's the Japanese release date? We always seem to have to wait at least half a year after they get it to get ours.

[Mando Knight]

I'll just leave this here

Spoiler

Show

Guess I have to start saving towards a WIIU, I also wanna play 'X'.

Metroid 3DS! Star Fox U! If this is legit (it seems too... perfect...), I will be so. Stoked.

[Sylthia]

Metroid 3DS! Star Fox U! If this is legit (it seems too... perfect...), I will be so. Stoked.

I've heard that most, if not all of these are fake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jci1qCC-x6s

[Rising Phoenix]

I've heard that most, if not all of these are fake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jci1qCC-x6s

Aww :(

But even without all of the releases I still will get a wiiu for X.

[Sylthia]

Aww :(

But even without all of the releases I still will get a wiiu for X.

I'm still on the fence about getting a Wii U. How close to being a Fire Emblem game will X be? If it was a true Fire Emblem game, I'd probably pick up a Wii U for it (as well as Smash Bros). As it is, there's not really any games the Wii U has that I'm really dying to play.

It was only last year that I got a 3DS and that was mostly for Awakening and Pokemon.

[Mando Knight]

I've heard that most, if not all of these are fake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jci1qCC-x6s

It's highly probable that they're fake. I mean, Star Fox and Metroid aren't exactly franchises that Nintendo has been as inclined to milk for all they're worth... at least not compared to Pokémon and Mario.

[Rising Phoenix]

I'm still on the fence about getting a Wii U. How close to being a Fire Emblem game will X be? If it was a true Fire Emblem game, I'd probably pick up a Wii U for it (as well as Smash Bros). As it is, there's not really any games the Wii U has that I'm really dying to play.

It was only last year that I got a 3DS and that was mostly for Awakening and Pokemon.

I was referring to the monolith release of X. Xenoblade Chronicles was the best JRPG I've played in recent memory.

[StabbityRabbit]

Recently I finished Awakening (I always arrive to the party fashionably late) and I have to say I didn't expect to like the ending as much as I did. What they did with the cutscene at the end if you had the avatar strike down Grima was pure genius (to me at least). Anyway more on topic a crossover of Shin Megamei Tensei and Fire Emblem sounds interesting, but I don't know how that would work. Maybe have Fire Emblem type fights with demons and summoners ( If that's what the people and monsters in Shin Megamei Tensei are called. I've got no clue as I've never actually played one of the games) where summoners are like lords, and fusions replace class promotions? I don't know that just seems the most feasible to me.

[TillySparks]

You CAN do the lunatic modes without DLC grinding, I've done so, but getting good class skills for the kids becomes a real pain.

I'm about half way through the game on Lunatic. I'm almost positive that I got to a few different points where I was completely unable to continue without DLC grinding. As in, I had just one mission choice for progressing the story and retried it about 20 times and never got past the first 2 turns without losing Chrom or Frederick.

[Anarion]

I'm about half way through the game on Lunatic. I'm almost positive that I got to a few different points where I was completely unable to continue without DLC grinding. As in, I had just one mission choice for progressing the story and retried it about 20 times and never got past the first 2 turns without losing Chrom or Frederick.

That may be a result of poor unit training early on. Your best bet is actually to feed MU all the XP from the first couple chapters, then he gets strong enough to carry the whole party.

That said, I've given up on Lunatic+. I beat the prologue and chapter 1, but chapter 2 has destroyed me well over 30 times. I just don't see how to reasonably play it without resetting for 6+ stat levels on MU to start out.

[Knaight]

I was referring to the monolith release of X. Xenoblade Chronicles was the best JRPG I've played in recent memory.

Monolith also put out Baten Kaitos, which I'd consider one of the strongest games on the gamecube. It's a name with some weight behind it.

[Geno9999]

IKE IS BACK!
Now the question is does that mean that Chrom won't be a playable character.