Fire Emblem Developers on How the Series Can Maintain its Momentum

I like the idea of the developers challenging themselves.

"more fun and enjoyable for a broad audience" Not liking where this is going. Mass appeal is known to have killed a lot of franchises. Concentrate on what made the series known in the first place.

"this game being a tough RPG" [...] "with a turn based system"
Yup, thats the shortest description of Fire Emblem right there, dont change that.

"while some people really enjoy the interaction with the various characters" [...] "other players enjoy more of the storyline"
Why are these two points exclusive ? A good story is made through good characters. If you dont like the cast, chances are youre not invested in the story and vice versa.

"We feel like it's very important for us to continue suggesting all these different ideas that would make the game more accessible to various people"
What does this have to do with storyline and characters ? And again, accessibility sounds good on paper, but more often than not, it results in a watered down game as a whole.

As for the multi version approach:
Lets say im not a big fan of how it was done, communications and all.

Lets say the end result was just too big for a single cartridge. Splitting it up into two games in order to avoid cuting content ? Great decision.
Cutting it into two, because "the story paths are so different" and it would have fitted on one cart ? Yeah, thats a rip off in my book.

And for the obligatory comparison to Pokemon or MegaMan Battle Network. No matter what version you pick, you basically get the same game. It was made to encourage people to trade and play together. There is nothing youre really missing out if youre not a completionist.
Here, its two sides of the same story. Youre definitly missing out if you dont shell out money for both games.

Again, if this was the only way to release it, fine. If not, BS. Its down to communication, and the confusion about which region gets a single or multi cart release is still pretty big.

"Mere days away from launching in North America"?

Um....the game went live on the eShop about 2 hours ago. I'll be picking up my SE copy when the stores open today.

more relationship building and marriage options! (^_^ )/

It's pretty nice to see the series get a bit of the spotlight after years of going under the radar. Still can't believe it took Nintendo until 2003 to release the series in North America. I'm defiantly interested in how the series will progress in the future and I'm also looking forward the the English release of the SMTxFE crossover.

@Detective_TeeJay Woops, I meant to say hours! Good catch!

Implents more things players will enjoy?
Then finally the next game will feature multiple marriage!!!
Fire Emblem: Waifumon, gotta marry all ^o^

Multi versions is a clever marketing ploy, if it works.

Nintendo recently in Mario type games gives an invincible icon after five attempts, which I just grap and finish the level.

I would rather have an easy, normal and hard mode like we used to. I would be 'normal' and happy if I completed the game.

As a 'normal' gamer where do us 'normals' fit in with Fire Emblem. Do I go for Birthright the easy one or Conquest the hard one?

@Einherjar I agree with a lot of your comments. I like Fire Emblem but I don't like reading all the text and I am not really into the stories. I get that from reading books.

I like strategy games but they should be designed to be played with limited text. Like Chess.

And they are milking things with three games, maps, and Amiibo's, but I guess we don't have to buy them all.

@zool Thats my point. You will never be able to please everyone. Skimp on the story and one half wont be happy, water down gameplay and the other half wont.
So far, everything was fine as it is imo.

And im most certainly not buying this one. The whole Treehouse localisation is something i will not support in any way.
Also, two games + DLC is just a bit much to swallow honestly.

So yeah, ill pass.

@Einherjar That's the problem many felt about Awakening. I personally love the characters from Awakening and I love the game being that its the first fire emblem game I've played. But veteran gamers didn't like how the story is, how the game is even played.

Heck, this angry guy clearly hates the game even though he had a fun time with it.

http://thephilosogamer.blogspot.com/2014/07/fire-emblem-awakening-second-coming.html

Also I'm just curious. Just how broadening the audience will kill franchises? That's what happened to Metroid in the first place. Nintendo decided to make the series linear from Fusion onwards to appeal to more gamers. I heard that there is an arrow in the prime games that will lead you to the direction you're suppose to go if you take too long.

Look let's get one thing clear. Fire Emblem isn't exactly a killer franchise like Mario, Pokemon and Zelda. Infact, the series itselt fits for a small audience even though it pains me to say this. So having ways for all people to play the game will help make the series more acceptable to newcomers and veterans.

For instance, I'm really doubtful that I would have gotten awakening if it weren't for the casual mode. I am gonna play again on casual mode for conquest not because I can't play the game on classic because trust me, I've played a bit of Genealogy of holy war and I had a fun time with it having huge maps.

Its just that I like the characters there better than Birthright and it has different things to do. I mean, I played Awakening so even if I'd want to get Birthright, the fact that it sounds too similar to Awakening just makes me want to get Conquest even more.

But anyways, we should be happy that because IS made Fire Emblem more accessible, the series can go bigger than it is now.

@Einherjar The approach in Fates is far better than being episodic which would have made the game content wise far worse.

Explain Oracle of Ages & Seasons then. You need both the games inorder to get the ultimate ending. That's not the case here in Fates as you get an ending based on which side you choose.

Combine 25+ hours for both the fate games and you get 50 hours which is something that not everyone is willing to spend huge time on just to play both games. When they beat one side, do you honestly expect them to pick the other one immediately? No. Because this is strategy and strategy requires a lot of thinking. I'll be fine just picking one side and wait for the time to try out the other sides.

@Socar Episodic games are made while parts of it are released. Fates is a finished product that may or may not have been cut in half to double profits.

Wrong, you need a clear password from the respective companion game, wich you could get from a buddy. Also, the two are completely independant in terms of story. Regarding fates, the 3rd DLC path is only reccomendet to those who played through both sides.

Youre kinda contradicting yourself here. First, you say people dont have the patience to sit through 50 hours (which is the standard length of a good JRPG btw) of both campaigns and then you say the genre requires a lot of patience ?

What kind of people are we talking about here ? Impatient people with the patience of a saint ?

All of this is still no excuse why it had to be split up other than, like i said, to double the revenue.
The game was finished, it was teased as an in-game decision only to later be communicated to be two seperate games plus an additional 3rd DLC campaign.
And even if people only have the patience to sit through a single campaign, it still wouldnt matter if the other one would be on the same cart.

My point still stands, the major issue here is communication. It is not clear why it was first announced as one, later as two games. And stuff like that is bound to raise some eyebrows.

Combine that with bad PR, supposed censorship, cut content, no dual audio, only half the spoken dialog compared to the japanese original and youve got i game many people lost interest in.

And for such a prominent IP, thats the polar opposite of good marketing.

What would be nice is if they remade all the early games that never came to the West... but don't screw it up like they did for FE11 and 12.

@Einherjar But you still need them both inorder to unlock the final story for both those games whether you get the password or not. Funny how you claim that Ages & Seasons have independent stories and yet you say the complete opposite for Fates. The reviewers have never stated that you need to get all three of them inorder to get the ultimate experience.

What's also funny is how you say that you can get the other companion game from a buddy....um....can't you also do that for Fates except the password thing? After all, that's the whole point of physical copies right?

The fact that the main games are more fun than the actual stories just proves that you don't need the stories to enjoy it.

Or in your case, the fact that the content is cut so that you can decide which one to get rather than getting them both for the same price is dumb because it feels like you don't get you're money's worth.

Even if Nintendo somehow decided to make both games in one at a cheap price, that still won't change the fact that there will be people who will not like the game for what it is simply because if they choose a path that they thought would be fun but in the end, it turns out that they didn't like it so it still makes more of a personal rant that you don't get your money's worth.

Actually, not that many gamers have a lot of patience when playing these types of games which is why TRPG's are niche games. That could also further explain why the division itself is needed even though it pains me to realize this fact.

Also, who said that 50 hours is the standard length for JRPG's? You clearly haven't played a lot of them where majority of them are lower than 50 Hours (Chrono Trigger? Bowser's inside story? Pokemon? Golden Sun?)

And even then, you're mistaking the fact that Fire Emblem is an SRPG which means simulation RPG not a JRPG. That's even so for games like Sakura Wars which is mainly focused on simulation.

As for lack of dual audio and censorship, every Nintendo fan who knows NoA should have seen it coming as they are infamous for censoring things and removing other things that NCL does.

Remember how NoA removed hard mode on Fusion which remains a Japanese exclusive? its for things like this that you can't blame Nintendo's doing but rather NoA's doing.

These people seem very considerate of their fans and I feel bad because there are individuals that accuse these kind people of being sell outs in the forums. u_u

@Socar
"Funny how you claim that Ages & Seasons have independent stories and yet you say the complete opposite for Fates."
Uhm...because its a fact ?
Each Fates campaign is the same story from a different perspective. And it was a promotional tagline that, in order to get the most out of the 3rd campaign, it is recommendet to have seen both sides of teh story first.

Whats next, advocating several versions of, say, Mass Effect ? One for each branching Storyline ?

"What's also funny is how you say that you can get the other companion game from a buddy"
I was talking about a password you could get from virtually anyone. Lending games is something different than to ask around if anyone has the password for whatever game youre playing.

"The fact that the main games are more fun than the actual stories just proves that you don't need the stories to enjoy it."
Who even said something like that ? And how is this a fact ?

"Or in your case, the fact that the content is cut so that you can decide which one to get rather than getting them both for the same price is dumb because it feels like you don't get you're money's worth."
This doesnt even make sense.
Youre either talking about cut content, which was cut from both games, or youre talking about the game being "cut in half" ans in split into two.

"Even if Nintendo somehow decided to make both games in one at a cheap price, that still won't change the fact that there will be people who will not like the game for what it is simply because if they choose a path that they thought would be fun but in the end, it turns out that they didn't like it so it still makes more of a personal rant that you don't get your money's worth."
Wait...what ? Do you even read what youre typing ? So, it doesnt make sense to sell both storylines in one game...because there may be people...who dont like the storyline they picked ?
I dont know about you pal, but for me, that sounds exactly like the reason to not split that stuff up. That way, people pay full price for "the wrong decision" instead of having the ability to chose the other path on a whim.

"Actually, not that many gamers have a lot of patience when playing these types of games which is why TRPG's are niche games. That could also further explain why the division itself is needed even though it pains me to realize this fact."
It is needed...why exactly ? And if patience is so rare, and the genre is so niche, explain to me how the Disgaea series, the most grind heavy, tedious and micro-managing heavy SRPG series out there lands a hit every time they release a game ?
Why are games like the recent XCOM2 so popular then ? turn based strategy games / SRPGs are far from niche titles.

"Also, who said that 50 hours is the standard length for JRPG's? You clearly haven't played a lot of them where majority of them are lower than 50 Hours (Chrono Trigger? Bowser's inside story? Pokemon? Golden Sun?)"

Buddy, i started playing RPGs in the DOS era, where 100 hours were considered "middle of the road. JRPGs usually clock in at 40-50h, 80h for most "collect X" type of games.

"As for lack of dual audio and censorship, every Nintendo fan who knows NoA should have seen it coming as they are infamous for censoring things and removing other things that NCL does.
Remember how NoA removed hard mode on Fusion which remains a Japanese exclusive? its for things like this that you can't blame Nintendo's doing but rather NoA's doing"
And that makes it acceptable....how ?
If anything, its even more reason to speak up so this stuff doesnt continue as far as im concerned.

@GamecubeMan
"seem very considerate of their fans" How exactly ?

@Utena-mobile Sad to hear this, as the old titles are quite good. But youre not the first person who felt like this.

IS would have to be nuts to change their approach now, as they've finally found a way to make decent money with this series.

I'd also like to see the series develop the social sim aspects further. Going on dates with your husband/wife would be fun, for instance. Or perhaps minigames involving your children, ala Nintendogs.

And grieving scenes need to happen for classic mode when a unit who is S rank with someone does.

Yeah, all three games can fit on a cart because they all share textures and music. (FYI, Birthright was ~15,000 blocks to download, and Conquest is just another ~900, for the extra dialogue and mission outlines and whatnot.) Doesn't bother me.

I thought Awakening was stellar, and I'm thinking this is stellar. Played in "sequence" (birthright -> conquest -> revelation) it offers an enormous game that starts easy, gets much harder, and then ends with a bang. I could understand people being upset about the pricing scheme, but they should not be upset about the "direction" the game is taking.

@Einherjar Totally not on your side here, by the way.

Yes, the games were all made at once, using the same asset, and then split into three and sold separately. This is not that uncommon; they did it for The Lord of the Rings (and the new Avatar movies). It's not even unprecedented for video games (LOTS of games launch with paid DLC these days). It's not to cheat money out of the consumer, its to recoup the losses that come from putting a lot of extra effort into the product (and to save money during development, of course!)

And, "buddy," let me tell you that back in the good ol' days 100 hours was NOT the standard length from start to finish for DOS games; you could spend that long if you were insane, but with notable exceptions most games could be finished relatively quickly. FE:Fates cost a lot more money to develop than any DOS game you ever played. And for what it's worth, Golden Sun (~20 hours) is objectively better than any DOS RPG you ever played

Opinions aside, at the end of the day, you get 100+ hours of gameplay for $80 here, which is still a fine deal compared to what the "industry standard" seems to be these days.

@Einherjar You seem to define a $40 game as "if it's able to be held in one 3DS cart". What Fates is is two full Awakening-sized games. Yes, the stoy is cut in two, but the story is twice the size of Awakening's to begin with. Meaning twice the work went into it.

@TeslaChippie Complete and utter BS.
First of all, comparing movies with games is like comparing apples to space stations. Then LotR wasnt split. 3 Books, 3 Films. The hobbit was split and so was its audience by the way.

"LOTS of games launch with paid DLC these days). It's not to cheat money out of the consumer, its to recoup the losses that come from putting a lot of extra effort into the product (and to save money during development, of course!)"
I hope youre not serious here...content finished in budged and in the designated time span, that is deliberatly cut to be sold extra is "recouping the losses" ? What losses ?

"good ol' days 100 hours was NOT the standard length from start to finish for DOS games; you could spend that long if you were insane, but with notable exceptions most games could be finished relatively quickly" Sooo, you never heard of games like Daggerfall then ? Or Wizardry ? Captive ? Might and Magic ? Ultima ? Anything ?

"Golden Sun (~20 hours) is objectively better than any DOS RPG you ever played"
You misspelled "subjectively"

@Detective_TeeJay
You seem to define a $40 game as "if it's able to be held in one 3DS cart"
Yes, i do, because it was marketed as such before they decided to split it for no reason.

@Einherjar I just explained to you why it was split. Try refuting it instead of ignoring it.

Best news I've heard all day.

I absolutely LOVE the Awakening/Fates style, and not only has it revived the series, it's elevated games with great gameplay to great games all around.

Don't get me wrong, I love the older entries but, they're stagnant as **** compared to the addictive stories and lovable characters of the last 2 entries.

Multiple paths was brilliant.

@Einherjar
Never did they market as being on one cartridge. They marketed as having a choice, which you do. And "until they decided to split it". Not one piece of evidence showing they ever planned to not make 2 versions. Just assumptions without evidence, as per usual.

I'm a fan of the series since FE(GBA), and since then played every FE game (even the Japanese only released before), so I'm a old and huge fan. That said, FE fans are the worst, our beloved franchise is finally getting the attention that deserves, we got 5 characters in Smash, not only 1 but 3 games in the west, and you guys are complaining that the game isn't perfect in the way that you guys think should be? Really? FE deserve better fans. And I'm not a blind one even, Shadow Dragon is almost unplayable, and Shin Mosho no Nazo isn't a great game too.

@Detective_TeeJay That was supposed to be an "explaination" ? How ? The game was marketed as one, fits on one cart and was then split in half.
It has nothing to do with "putting twice the effort into it"

@JaxonH No, what about the Direct from Jan. 14. 2015 ? Where Iwata talks about the game and the choices you make in this game. Never did they mention these games or the choice which game to pick

@Frank90 Tell me again how this game got the attention it deserved: http://imgur.com/a/Imgtu
You realise that people are against the localisation practices, not the game / series right ?
If it wasnt so beloved and endeered, there wouldnt be such a ruckus.

@Einherjar I'm not sure why you mispelled "explanation" and put it in quotes. I spelled "explain" correctly.

And yes it has everything to do with that. Like I said, which you keep ignoring, each story is a full game in its own right, each the size of Awakening alone.

Are you saying Awakening should have gone for $20 at launch?

@Einherjar "No, what about the Direct from Jan. 14. 2015 ? Where Iwata talks about the game and the choices you make in this game. Never did they mention these games or the choice which game to pick"

What was revealed was a trailer. After which news had spread immediately from Japan that the game was split into two games.

And like he said, its only a few exceptions which you have listed The rest of them were not really all that long.

@Frank90 I feel you pal. IS really hit a true gem here considering that its one of the only strong IP's they have.

How about not splitting the game into three parts next time? Or less creepy fanservice stuff like touching the faces of other characters?

I know this complaint will fall on deaf ears given Fates will likely find an audience that likes it, but I'm convinced that we will never get another Path of Radiance or Sacred Stones.

Rather, I see the series going down the path of fanservice and giving Nintendo tons of incentive to put out three "Storylines" as their own games to justify the cost.

I loved Fire Emblem Awakening. I loved Fire Emblem since the GBA games, but the crap that I saw leading up to the launch turned me off.

Path of Radiance(which is the best game in the series in my opinion) did not need three separate versions, creepy touching minigames, and other stuff to work.

It was just a really damn good strategy RPG.

I'll skip Fates and save my money for Dragon Quest VII and VIII. If I want to play Fire Emblem, I'll go download Sacred Stones off the Wii U eshop.

"Basically, the developers seem keen on continuing down the path they've started with Fire Emblem: Awakening and Fates."

Well, we're screwed.

@Detective_TeeJay Not a native speaker, i wasnt aware this was a test. It was in quotes to highlight it for it was not an explanation.
According to that logic, every game with major differences in story based on a choice is practically multiple games ?

Bioware games, where choices affect multiple games, The Witcher, same deal. Heavy Rain has about 24 different outcomes to the story based on decisions made in it. Is that 24 times the work put into it ?
Deus Ex plays drastically different depending on the skills you pick.
Or obscure PSP game Hexys Force. Two playable characters, two completely different storys sharing the same maps.

This has all been done before without dividing games because "it was X times the effort"

@Einherjar Just something to add, Sacred Stones also had branching paths in the middle of the game and which twin's storyline you decided to follow caused you to play different maps, recruit different characters, and see different points of view when in came to the storyline.

So even branching paths is nothing new for the Fire Emblem series if we count Sacred Stones.

Simple, watch more of the mainstream popular (and droll) anime to add way more waifus and husbandos and put the series on mobile in addition to handhelds. Boom, instant profit.

@Caryslan But path of radiance wasn't even finished and it barely sold well. Sure, it proved the value that the Good ol gamecube was but in the end, it didn't do well.

You do realize that Conquest seems ideal for you right? Infact that's what I'm getting too.

Sacred Stones having multiple paths is not as different as Birthright or Conquest but then again, you can't please everyone like @Soren so enjoy ranting about things you don't like in Fire Emblem while everyone and myself included will get Fates.

@Einherjar
People are are wlling to pay more if it has the Nintendo brand. Their brand allows them to sell their games to their fans for whatever price they want under the illusion of more content, even when other games have done the same thing at normal prices.

The split versions make a lot of sense, being able to cater to two different sides of the fanbase without too much more work than making one game, since they share so many resources. And I have to say, if you're going to get them all, $80 for three similar games with different stories and tones and themes and gameplay styles is a better value than Pokémon's $120 for two identical games and a third game that's the exact same thing but slightly better. It's weird that people are finding reasons to complain that there's more unique content in a $20 second Fire Emblem than in a $40 second or third Pokémon (though to be fair, B2&W2 might be an indication that they're changing that up a bit in the future).

As someone who kinda sucks at thinking strategically and really loved the characters and story of Awakening, I like that I can have an enjoyable experience without hurting the hardcore strategy fans, by getting Birthright, and I'm probably gonna end up buying all three though it sounds like I may have to turn on Phoenix mode (and I like that I'll be able to enjoy the story of Conquest, which was the one that interested me more, even though I can't actually play it).

If we want our favorite serieses to survive, we're going to have to be open to ways of broadening their base - and this is pretty much the best way to do it. All the hardcore fans can play Conquest in Classic mode on the highest difficulty and have the experience they want, while more casual players can still enjoy the experience they want, and the casual players end up subsidizing the smaller niche of hardcore players, and the game doesn't have to be "dumbed down" if you don't want it to be. In any other medium, you can't really do that, not nearly as well as you can with video games. When movies or books or TV shows need to broaden their audience, they can't have two discrete experiences based on what the viewers want to see, but video games can. Adding stuff like Phoenix mode and white tanooki suits and Super Guides and Sheikah stones is what makes the games that hardcore gamers want still be commercially viable. I certainly prefer this over what they did to try and make Paper Mario more broadly appealing (namely, remove everything that made Paper Mario what it was). We need to get over the elitism that says you shouldn't be allowed to see the story of a game unless you have the necessary reflexes or strategy or just hundreds of hours to grind. There are people in the movie theater whe aren't appreciating it on as deep a level as you because they didn't read the novel explaining why the New Republic capital is on Hosnian Prime, there are people who read Cliffs Notes of your favorite book, there are people who skipped your favorite season of House on Netflix, and there are people who used Phoenix mode so they could see their favorite characters smooch (and the fact that they were able to do that by buying a $40 game instead of watching a Let's Play is good for the series' future). None of that has to affect your enjoyment.

I do have to say that I hope the fanservice doesn't get any more embarrassing than it is, but other than that, the future looks pretty bright.

@Einherjar I can agree with most of your concerns about Fire Emblem and widening it's accessibility. I did like Fire Emblem Awakening but I LOVE the older games. The most frustrating aspect for me is that I feel like the team is going to sacrifice difficulty for the sake of accessibility which I don't necessarily think is a great trade off. As for the 3 versions of fates, I'm not personally a fan of how they did this. I think from a story standpoint it's dumb to split the game into 3, especially since the game entices you to play all 3 stories (which is $80 total. A lot to ask for a handheld game). I do think that their main reason for doing so is to try and appeal to their now split fan base (those who got in with awakening, and those who are fans of the old school games. Not to say that there isn't any overlap). The ultimate worry I have is that this type of plan to try and appease both audiences in this way isn't sustainable. I feel like the map design and level progression is largely going to cater to one audience or the other going forward past Fates, either trying to go for the more complex map objectives and goals of the older games or appealing to the new crowd with more opportunities to grind and simpler mission goals. I highly doubt that they'll return to the former so it makes me a bit frustrated that we might not be getting that type of design anymore.

Casual mode I can begrudgingly put up with since it did help more people get into the series. The one mode I do not understand at all is phoenix mode. What is honestly the point of playing a strategy game in a mode that hardly forces you to use strategy?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategy_video_game

I feel like having most if not all the threat and tactical challenge stripped away by having your units incapable of dying is a waste. Even things like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance have more of a penalty than this. At least in that game your units get knocked out until you revive them. With no penalty for not being strategic, it just removes a lot of the fun and enjoyment out of the game imo.

What I loved about the older games is that your gameplay decisions mattered. I remember the first time I had a unit die on me and being shocked and amazed that this game ACTUALLY killed off that character. It was the first time I had experienced that. It really made me want to go back and play more strategically to try and keep everyone alive. It lent more weight to each battle knowing anyone could die at any moment. This is a series with more than 11 games that are KNOWN for this. Yet here were are, where so many people are more concerned with the dating elements of a strategy rpg series that was never know for it's dating sim elements, rather than the actual STRATEGY itself.

@Utena-mobile
throws babies @ you

@MitchVogel I don't know if you all would consider this news worthy, but some information on the possibility that Best Buy delayed some people's special edition preorders to March, and cancelled long held preorders for the special edition of FE Fates and sold the copies off through retail and/or eBay is being conveyed by some fans today:

http://gameranx.com/updates/id/39150/article/best-buy-is-cancelling-fire-emblem-special-edition-preorders

This may be worth looking into. There's a screenshot showing that Best Buy sold at least 888 copies on eBay, ending yesterday. Today, the listing was replaced with a sparse "temporarily sold out" page.

For those whose shipments got delayed to March, a possible fix has been found. According to the customer support forums, updating your shipping method or address will force it out of "awaiting authorization". Maybe a bug with Best Buy's systems in that regard.

@Oat
The brilliance of Casual and Pheonix mode is, that they are optional.

From what reviews are saying, these games can be absolutely brutal on classic mode. Particularly Conquest.

@Einherjar
Semantics. They made it well known before the game launched what it was. It would be one thing if they actually ran commercials saying "in this single game for $40 to make a choice!" And then you buy it and find out otherwise. But they didn't do that. They made it clear, from day 1, what the score was. Any misconceptions from that trailer were promptly and concisely cleared up within 24 hours, and nearly one year before it actually released here in the west.

@Einherjar I agree with most everything of what you're saying. The only exception would probably be the developers "not caring about the fans." We have no idea what kind of crap they had to deal with from Nintendo, or how many times the concepts and flow of FE Fates' game design were changed and morphed. It would be interesting to see a postmortem pop up somewhere on Gamasutra, gamesindustry.biz or Edge, or somewhere else.

It will be interesting to see how Nintendo and retailers try to abuse the "split paths = multiple games from now on" scheme. The DRM and DLC handling of FE Fates is crazy, it's an abomination from an anti-DRM standpoint. There are so many people who are oblivious to this aspect, that I wonder if this really could become Nintendo's norm in the future. They've already caught plenty of people hook, line and sinker.

It can improve its momentum by being released in Europe

@Caryslan Interesting. I recently replayed Path of Radiance (to prime myself for Radiant Dawn, which I never got the chance to play), and I thought it was downright ARCHAIC compared to Awakening. Although I do love it for introducing the series to those gorgeous cell shaded cutscenes it still features! I think a lot of people are hesitant to buy games that deviate from their predecessors in unexpected ways, so I understand your disappointment.

But it is worth mentioning that each of these three parts are about as long as vanilla Awakening was by itself (or, if you prefer, all three together are far longer than any other game in the series). And the face touching minigame? Totally optional, like Pokemon Amie was in X/Y/OR/AS. Some people (like me) find those things to be immersive additions (okay, more Amie than the slightly off-putting face petting...).

If I were Nintendo, I would have released Birthright as "Fire Emblem Fates," and then in due course released the other two campaigns as DLC. That's what it HAS done, actually, but it's sent a very mixed message in marketing that you need to buy both Birthright and Conquest at full price (which you don't. Whatever two branches you don't buy first are $20, not $40.)

I'm excited. I LOVED Awakening. Birthright and Conquest both sound so different and so much fun! I couldn't find a copy of the Special edition (I hit up 2 stores this morning and I was the first guy in line at Best Buy) I'm torn on which to play first, but I'm sure I'll play all 3.

I am very pleased with the positive reception to the game considering it wasn't that long ago that the series was in danger of being put on the backburner for a long time if not forever and judging by some of the comments on here I am willing to bet that some of you would have preferred that! I am still baffled as to what part of two seperate stories some of the people on here are simply unable to comprehend. They are pretty much releasing two brand new full length games at once and people act like they should be entitled to both for $40? All I can say is that you are not only hopeless, but are especially cheap and that is coming from a penny pincher!

@JaxonH I agree with you, I'm looking forward to how Intelligent Systems can contine with the series and develop and refine the gameplay in fresh and new ways.

For anyone who does appreciate Fire Emblem's gameplay they'll recogmise how Fates has improved upon it in ways most Fire Emblem games never could, while also managing to widen the appeal/audience. This is exactly what Nintendo should be doing for the most part, refine the gameplay while also making sure their are options and features more accessible and widely appealing.

I mean looking at the past entries I'm glad we're past the approach used for the GBA entries. They were great, however they were graphically and gameplay-wise they practically the same game three times in a row just with a couple extra classes, a few extra features and a different story without even attempting to adjust or improve the existing features. I couldn't imagine them going back to the old approach after playing Fate's Japanese release.

@Dpishere Personally, I would have been fine paying $60-$65 for all three paths on one card, with no other options. If it's a premium offering, then it deserves a premium price. I don't think anyone seriously expects the entirety of a big new game like this to cost $40.

It's also a bit of a strawman argument to say that anyone who doesn't agree with how FE Fates is being handled would go as far as to say the series would be better off being discontinued. Let's not demonize anyone here.

@PlywoodStick @Dpishere I just wish they would have produced enough of the special edition cartridges so that I could have bought one at $80. Now I'm torn. I know I'm going to get the game, but I am torn as to how. I'm a Gamer's Club guy so I can get one of them at Best Buy for $32 (or both for $64), but I already have $52 in eShop credit. However, I prefer my Wii U games digitally and my 3DS games on cartridge (Wii U digital so that my kids to scratch, break, lose, loan them out and 3DS carts because we have 3 3DS systems and I like to be able to play the games on any of the systems). If I buy the first on cartridge for $32 and then use the eShop credit to download the other 2 then I can still only play them on the 3DS from which I bought the DLC so I don't get the advantage of the cartridge. If only I had known and ordered the special edition during that small window when it was available.

Super Smash Bros. for NX to consist of only Fire Emblem characters. And Kirby.

@Caryslan Funnily enough, Sacred Stones is the one FE game i never really delved into. I always got distracted before it even properly started. But if thats the case, you basically pick "factions" and thus, the rest of the game. So yeah, pretty much the same thing.

@AVahne Pretty much, yeah. And honestly, i was exactly like that for the longest time. I tried to defend everything they did. But things like that are just too "anti consumer" and shady that i simply cant stand behind it.

@Oat Yup, thats what i tried to get across in my initial post.
There have been several series that have been killed off by an attempt to make them more accesable and appealing to a wider audience.
The problem is, that these series lose their identity in favor of mass appeal. Say, a Dark Souls 4 with Dynasty Warriors difficulty.
More people would be able to play it, sure, but it would lose all its meaning and purpose.
The dialogue changes already point in a more child friendly, young audience direction in a game, that actually is more adult and grim than several of its peers.

@PlywoodStick I think we have to define "developers" here.
I, personally, am not a fan of the localisation job and the liberties they took with it. I actually praise the original dev team for tackling more controversial themes. It just suits the scenario way better than people acting like children in a war torn land.
And this trend catching on is also a pretty big concern of mine.
It was a pest back then with Pokemon and MegaMan, when games were virtually identical and now story branches are split up and sold seperately.
If this catches on, certain publishers could wreck havok with it pretty badly.

@Adamario "If we want our favorite serieses to survive, we're going to have to be open to ways of broadening their base - and this is pretty much the best way to do it. All the hardcore fans can play Conquest in Classic mode on the highest difficulty and have the experience they want, while more casual players can still enjoy the experience they want, and the casual players end up subsidizing the smaller niche of hardcore players, and the game doesn't have to be "dumbed down" if you don't want it to be."
^^^^^^^^
This.
I have played the older FE games, and I do enjoy them! I also enjoy Awakening, and (once I get a new 3DS, because mine died and I'm a high school student.) hopefully I will enjoy Fates.
Its nice to go back and see how things have evolved and changed, almost like going through a photo album.
I feel this way with Final Fantasy too. Things change, things evolve, and things open up to more people. It's a really nice philosophy of life too.

While, some people may not like the fanservice that has been featured in Awakening and Fates, maybe some people don't like perma-death, and they've been praying for a phoenix mode or casual mode to pop up. I'm not the best at strategy games, and I grow attached to characters easily, so perma-death isn't for me. I'm glad that now, people can choose their game experience. It is more money, and yeah split version games tend to be controversial, but its okay. We still have Fire Emblem as a series. We can still enjoy a series we "hopefully" love!
I think that is something to be thankful for, even with the changes that come with it.

Fire the morons at treehouse would help NA sales.

@JaxonH Yeah that's true. My main gripe is more with Phoenix mode rather than Casual mode. To me it's like playing chess or checkers where none of your pieces can be captured but your opponents can. It just makes playing the game trivial at that point.

ok. so I bought the game. I had to restart a couple of times because I wasn't satisfied with my hair style and color (apparently, just because it looks good in the art, doesn't mean it looks good in the character model). I'm liking it so far.

Also, even though I feel it's going to lead to a lot of tears, I'm going to play with perma-death. (T-T )

I want my first Fire Emblem experience to be as emotional as possible.

"Basically, the developers seem keen on continuing down the path they've started with Fire Emblem: Awakening and Fates"

Great! Bye latest FEs from my favourite games' list. That spot now probably belongs to the Tellius series permanently.

Oh and we're doomed.

@Einherjar
I agree with most of the stuff you said. Broad appeal has in my opinion devalued the series. Not only does the game pander excessively to the 'muh waifu' crowd with generic anime tropes, but the strategy has been dumbed down. No light magic, no status effects, simpler maps, excessively powerful pair up, etc. and in my opinion cheaper difficulty at higher modes. Oh and the addition of Phoenix Mode ....

Funnily enough Sacred Stones wasn't regarded as highly as Blazing Sword in the GBA games, but the latest games are taking a lot of things from it. The map and moving around it, more dungeons (albeit free in Sacred stones) where you could build exp/supports and get neat item, and the branching paths. I loved Sacred Stones and the way it executed all these things. Fates requires you to buy all three games to get a conclusive ending (and all three paths) and to understand the story fully... Not to mention all the DLC maps.

Splitting the game because of size constraints used to happen earlier like in Golden Sun where the game was meant to be one cohesive game but due to the cartridge constraints they had to make GS1 and GS2. They did a fine job though and the games already stands as one of the best games on GBA in the technical department. Not to mention they were great RPGs.

Now the splitting occurs for DLC >.<

P.S. I still like FE: Awakening but I don't like the way the 'development' of the series is going.

People just keep getting more and more extreme. First it was:

Awakening needs more map diversity.

Then it became, Awakening did so many things wrong.

Then it was, Awakening was a horrible game, just horrible, and Fates is gonna be worse.

Now it's, these games are an abomination! An insult! Fire Emblem is dead!

Nothing but a bunch of elitist balogna. These games are fantastic. Better in almost every conceivable way than previous FE games. Awakening had some shortcomings for sure (though it was still amazing) but Fates nails it 110%. Awesome maps, diverse range of difficulty options (I don't care WHO you are, there's a difficulty for your preference, from a god-mode all the way to more difficult than the SNES entries), SUPER awesome story, exponentially more lovable characters and dynamic, and almost all the cons of Awakening have been rectified.

In fact, I'm convinced most of these types of people were never really fans at all. They just happened to play a FE game or two, and once it got mass recognition they seized the opportunity to boast about "how hardcore their favorite game is".

And the more inclusive it becomes, the smaller their list of bragging rights. So now the only way to demand that attention is to get angry, shout from the rooftops and pretend the franchise is somehow now worthless and utterly ruined because it has a casual mode and an optional stylus-tapping time-waster that wasn't even included in the western version.

@Oat
Ya. I agree, but I'm never going to use it so I have no objections to it being there. I have a friend who sucks but loves the story, so for people like him it's perfect.

It's a textbook example of how to make a game more inclusive, without affecting anyone else.

@JaxonH Fair enough. I hope your friend enjoys the game. You've been very respectful. It's refreshing to go on a site where you can actually have a discussion about something like this rather than have someone shout down your opinion.