Fire Emblem Too Mainstream?

[Speedy - IX]

Your thoughts on this?

Personally I feel like this could be a thing..

[MMM]

"I think there's a scaringly huge amount of truth in this." - Me, 1 week ago

[WyvernSlayer]

This video perfectly explains why I'm less enamored with Awakening and Fates than I was with Rekka no Ken and Fuuin no Tsurugi.

[Zanryu]

I haven't even watched the video and I'm in absolute accordance just by reading the thread title. I loved Awakening and I intend to get my hands on Fates when I have the money available, but I'm really in no rush. Since Radiant Dawn, I feel like IS has been making some very strange design decisions and the series as a whole is suffering for it. I don't think I'll ever say goodbye to Fire Emblem, but I'm definitely less inclined to play them like I used to.

[Kitsune]

I never played Awakening. I was interested in it, but I never got it. The prior one I completed was Radiant Dawn, right now I'm working on Fates and while I have been enjoying it, some of the changes feel odd(though I can't put my finger precisely on what). I personally don't think Phoenix mode should exist, it dumbs it way too much to the point of "why even try". If I wanted someone to figure out Fire Emblem, I would hand them Sacred Stones since I found that entry easy to get into and learn the mechanics of, but that's just me.

[Zanryu]

(04-17-2016, 05:50 PM)Kitsune Wrote: I never played Awakening.  I was interested in it, but I never got it.  The prior one I completed was Radiant Dawn, right now I'm working on Fates and while I have been enjoying it, some of the changes feel odd(though I can't put my finger precisely on what).  I personally don't think Phoenix mode should exist, it dumbs it way too much to the point of "why even try".  If I wanted someone to figure out Fire Emblem, I would hand them Sacred Stones since I found that entry easy to get into and learn the mechanics of, but that's just me.

Whole heartedly agree on the FE8 point. My main issues with Fates are in regards to the over simplification of certain mechanics and excessive complexity of others. Why have such casual game modes for FE? It's like an Easy-Easy mode. Why do away with weapon uses? Why add so many debuffs and such? It doesn't fit what we've seen from Fire Emblem in the past. I feel like they went a little too far in one direction than necessary.

[Swift_Assassin]

Yeah...to my knowledge, only one person I know IRL that plays Fire Emblem didn't start with Awakening, starting with...either PoR or RD. The mainstreaming of FE, along with all the waifu stuff, brought in most of the other IRL people I know into it. A friend of mine who doesn't play Fire Emblem loves Tharja because her friend cosplays as her.

I'm still confused about that buff and debuff stuff to try to balance no weapon uses. They should have left that in and made gold more available to Conquest, which I think is why they did it.

They also need a better justification for the children as well if they plan on keeping that in. Maybe a FE4 scenario with a time skip, if they dont want to kill off half the cast.

[Zanryu]

Yeah, not a fan of all this alternate timeline, time warping crap either. Not very FE. Feels like a gimmick to add in extra characters with no REAL importance or impact.

[Swift_Assassin]

At least Awakening kinda justified it in storyline. Fates just shoehorned it in. I'd love it if they would have actual plot relevance.

[Kitsune]

The child system just feels REALLY disjointed to be honest. It's why I haven't bothered to really mess with it myself.

[Falaflame]

I'm inclined to agree with most of the posts made, except for Phoenix Mode. Phoenix Mode is just optional, and even then, it's only selectable under Casual play.

And while someone pointed out Intelligent Systems have been making questionable decisions with Fire Emblem as a franchise, there's more where that came from. They've been making questionable choices ever since Path of Radiance was released. Radiant Dawn was where the series started taking a questionable direction. Why did we need to have a sequel? Why did 95% of the entire cast from PoR have to return, and barely any new characters to introduce? Why are the aesthetics so outdated for a Wii game? Why does the gameplay and plot SUCK SO MUCH SHIT?

Furthermore, FE11 didn't really do any better on that front, either, and FE12 sold so bad in Japan that they didn't even bother trying to release it in NA. I really don't need to explain those two games. Their sales should speak for themselves.

Awakening was at the boiling point where IS had to decide where to go with the Fire Emblem franchise. And admittedly, as flawed as the plot was, I feel like they made the right choice. And they ALMOST made the right choice with Fates too. (Fates could've been so much more of a better game if Nintendo Treehouse didn't meddle with it so much...)

[WyvernSlayer]

To be fair, they really should have seen FE12 coming. Shadow Dragon DS got lukewarm reviews as it was. Following it up with Bord & Cord's Excellent Adventure (and with no updates to the much-maligned graphics) was sure to be a bust.

My fiancée is a FE fan. She started with Awakening after she saw me play it. (I was acting out the support conversations - the Gregor impression gets her every time.) If she didn't have Casual mode available to her, it definitely would have been a barrier to her enjoying the series. So I don't think Phoenix Mode/Casual Mode are bad for the franchise. Us old farts can still scoff at how easy the kids have it while we play through Hector Hard Mode.

What REALLY bothers me is how the franchise seems to be taking a page from Pokémon with some of their design decisions. And the kids... dear god, the kids. IS, please just put a FE Waifu Simulator in the Nintendo eShop and stop forcing it into the rest of your games.

[Toogee]

I haven't even finished my first playthrough, so I can't comment on the story too much. But the way I see it, there was no way FE could continue as a franchise without making changes like casual mode or even the kids (even if I don't think the kids should have been in Fates at all). Considering the series almost died, I'm just glad we get games at all.

Quote:What REALLY bothers me is how the franchise seems to be taking a page from Pokémon with some of their design decisions.

This is why I'd be willing to bet the next games end up being remakes of either the SNES or GBA games, except redesigned to incorporate kids and a custom player unit. I could see a game that revisits Elibe and includes both FE7 and FE6. The tactician in FE7 would be an actual unit. Whatever couples made in FE7, their kids would be playable in FE6, which would probably be redesigned storywise to shoe in those new characters.

[MMM]

Lazy mode: on

(04-18-2016, 09:24 AM)Toogee Wrote: I haven't even finished my first playthrough, so I can't comment on the story too much. But the way I see it, there was no way FE could continue as a franchise without making changes like casual mode or even the kids (even if I don't think the kids should have been in Fates at all). Considering the series almost died, I'm just glad we get games at all. <- this even if everybody is spoiling the game for me already because fuck europe

Quote:What REALLY bothers me is how the franchise seems to be taking a page from Pokémon with some of their design decisions.

This is why I'd be willing to bet the next games end up being remakes of either the SNES or GBA games, except redesigned to incorporate kids and a custom player unit. I could see a game that revisits Elibe and includes both FE7 and FE6. The tactician in FE7 would be an actual unit. Whatever couples made in FE7, their kids would be playable in FE6, which would probably be redesigned storywise to shoe in those new characters. I would buy this. ESPECIALLY if Lunatic FE6/7 become a thing

[WyvernSlayer]

(04-18-2016, 09:24 AM)Toogee Wrote: This is why I'd be willing to bet the next games end up being remakes of either the SNES or GBA games, except redesigned to incorporate kids and a custom player unit. I could see a game that revisits Elibe and includes both FE7 and FE6. The tactician in FE7 would be an actual unit. Whatever couples made in FE7, their kids would be playable in FE6, which would probably be redesigned storywise to shoe in those new characters.

At which point I would stop caring about kids in my FE and start wondering who's gonna voice Sain.  Zapp Branigan

[Swift_Assassin]

Fire Emblem 15 New Blazing Sword and the Binding Blade? I think they would probably have to work around the diminished importance of Durandal, possibly throw in some of Lyns weapons. It would be a long game, definitely, no including that they might include a Hector mode.

Damn, I want this now.

[Kitsune]

I don't have as much issue with Casual mode myself, yes you don't permanently lose your units, but you still have to play intelligently enough to make sure you don't lose everyone. Phoenix mode bothers me because of the fact, if I understood correctly, basically makes it so your units aren't off the field long at all and it's nearly impossible to lose. If there's no threat of a game over, then why are you playing the game? I would say to play a graphic adventure game or one of the more relaxed games. Phoenix mode, to me, is basically that "participation trophy". Now I would approve of it a bit if you couldn't get the standard ending for X game and you had to practice to actually beat it(and thus get a sense of accomplishment), but I digress.

[Speedy - IX]

Y'know...I'm already throwing my money at the screen for an FE6/7 remake .____.
I really just hope some of the complexity can return to the series and not just have roughly two mage classes in the entire game (not counting dual-wielders..

[Falaflame]

Yeah I'd like to see the return of the Anima>Light>Dark>Anima trinity, too. But the chances of that ever returning is slim to 0.

That being said, I'd welcome the remake of FE6/7 if they overhaul it like GameFreak did with, for example, Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver. Because FE7 is pretty dated, and FE6 IS REALLY FUCKING DATED.