Blaze The Great

At this point, I would choose Three Houses in both respects (may or may not be biased having just finished VW Maddening last night, but we won't talk about that). Story is the category in which I would definitely consider TH to be at the top of the list in terms of complexity. Between 4 different routes + DLC, all of which have some highly complex characters and a splendidly crafted world, there is plenty to go around here. And although there are plenty of flaws with the game's story overall, I would say that it deserves some props for making me want more in certain areas. As far as gameplay, I probably have a more skewed picture of this because of my recent run. I've only completed four FE games on the hardest difficulty (SS, FE:A, BR, and now TH), though I'd like to do more at some point. Of those four, I would consider TH-Maddening to be the most difficult of those modes, and the general standard of play throughout the game is more involved than any of the others with the monastery, combat arts, battalions, etc. So, overall TH is the most involved I've played to this point.

I would say Sacred Stones. It was my first FE game, and thus likely the one I've played the most to this point. The story of the game is roughly in line with the complexity of an average FE game, and it's a relatively 'soft' story - not too overdeveloped, generally likable characters, a somewhat predictable plot, bittersweet ending. Add in some of the easiest gameplay in the series and you have a very chill FE game.

Crimson Flower is fine in terms of the plot that it does include. Where it could really use some touching up is with regards to what it DOESN'T include. The 7 chapters of CF that we get, centered around the Empire's conflict with the Church, do a good job at wrapping up that specific plot point. But, unfortunately, it doesn't adequately wrap up the rest of the world, particularly so with regards to TWSITD. Even adding just 2 more chapters to resolve that conflict (since Edelgard was shown to have distaste for working with them) would have certainly strengthened the plot of CF and made it feel more complete.

Hanneman's Law; only a scholar such as he would spend so much time philosophizing over semantics like this.

Congrats! Sounds like you're following a similar arc to what I did (CF -> AM -> currently almost done with VW). I have to say, in my opinion the Blue Lions route is probably the most fulfilling in terms of story, at least out of the three that I've more or less completed so far. As you said, Dimitri's character arc is excellent, probably one of the best for any lord in Fire Emblem, and the Blue Lions have better luck compared to any other house with having their characters actually involved in the plot during White Clouds. Cheers!

I'm still only on my third playthrough of the game (did CF-Normal -> AM-Hard -> currently VW-Maddening, all the same NG+ file). First two runs took me roughly 50 hours apiece. I wouldn't actively skip much, even on supports, but I did play quickly through the monastery and auxiliary battles. This maddening run, on the other hand, is proving to be significantly longer, largely due to much more effort being put into optimizing the run. I'm slightly over 60 hours on this run and just cleared chapter 17, so I anticipate this one taking 75-80 hours in total. Obviously, playtime varies heavily based both on playstyle and difficulty of the game, so such a wide spread isn't particularly surprising.

Since most of the other questions have been answered already, I'll just respond briefly to your last one regarding ISOs for the game. Strictly speaking, it's against forum rules to ask for/supply ISO/ROM files to other users. This holds true on most major forum sites, not just SF. So, the best advice I'd have on that front would just be to keep using your search engine of choice to try to find the appropriate file for RD. Best of luck with finding it; RD is arguably my favorite Fire Emblem game, so it's always fun when somebody starts it!

Ooh boy, hard to rate, especially given how many EU books I've consumed, but I'll give this a shot. Skywalker Saga: The Phantom Menace: 5/10, not a particularly exciting movie in the grand scheme of the universe, with the only notable scenes being the podrace and the duel of the fates. However, I don't think it's as bad as many say, the political storyline does have a bit of intrigue to it, especially if you've read certain books from the EU. Attack of the Clones: 6/10, this might be a somewhat controversial opinion, placing this one so high up. I find AotC to be a generally good movie that suffers significantly from the Anakin-Padme love story. Excluding this subplot, which could itself be salvageable if it had better dialogue and better setup, AotC has many elements that make up an otherwise good Star Wars movie: great action scenes, fun character interactions, witty banter, and a variety of interesting environments/species. Revenge of the Sith: 9/10, the best movie outside of the original trilogy, by a long shot. Everything the prequels have built up to culminates in a surprisingly satisfactory manner, and the elements and narrative style built in the first two prequels really shine in this one. RotS is memeable through and through because of its dialogue, which gives it great rewatch potential and provides it with some levity amidst the intensely dark narrative. Also, the twin duels of Anakin vs. Obi-Wan and Yoda vs. the Emperor is one of the best scenes of the whole series. A New Hope: 8.5/10, the one that started it all. ANH is a force (pun intended) to be reckoned with in its own right; it is, after all, the movie that spawned the universe. Its spin on the David vs. Goliath tail is well executed, in a time before the story became too cliche. Both factions are compelling in this movie, with characters on both sides drawing a viewer in. It does slightly lose out to its successor, however, simply because it has to spend more time developing a world, unlike ESB. The Empire Strikes Back: 9.5/10, the closest thing we're likely to ever get to a perfect Star Wars movie, and indeed, a pillar of the sci-fi movie genre in its own right. No Star Wars movie handles its characters or dialogue nearly as well as ESB does, while also effortlessly mixing in philosophy, space adventure, personal intrigue, action, and family drama. Really could not think of any complaints for this movie in a specific sense, this is just Star Wars at its peak. Return of the Jedi: 8/10, the climax of the strongest Star Wars trilogy...but not the strongest climax overall. This movie would've done well to go all in for its action and character drama, which are the elements that are best in this movie. It suffers slightly from having too much screentime at Jabba's/on Endor pre-battle. Even though it wouldn't have really fit with the overall storytelling method of the trilogy, it might've been fun to see the famous Bothans collecting intel on the Death Star. The Force Awakens: 5.5/10, ANH redux...not really...but kinda. The parallels here are unmistakable, and hard to ignore in the context of the story as a whole. The characters here are overall better than at any other point in the sequel trilogy, so that's one point in this movie's favor. The Last Jedi: 3.5/10, this movie was not very good, to say the least. Character interactions are weak amongst a trilogy with weak character interactions overall; the interactions of Kylo and Rey carry this movie, though there was definitely a missed opportunity in electing not to have them team up. Alas. Otherwise, this movie doesn't offer a whole lot in terms of positive content. The Rise of Skywalker: 6/10, Ben died from carrying this trilogy on his shoulders. This movie is not particularly good in an objective sense, partially owing to all the backtracking that needed to be done from TLJ. Once again, characters are not a strong point of this movie, particularly the newer ones. Other Movies: Solo: 6.5/10, a decent action flick. I don't like it as much as the EU origin story for Han, but it's still a fun watch nonetheless. I also really enjoy the continuity this movie has with other elements of the universe. Rogue One: 8/10, the best movie made since Disney took over. Even though we largely know going into the movie that all of these characters will have to die, they're still the best movie characters of any of the new ones. This movie packs some major emotional weight, it offers a strong portrayal of the lead-up to ANH, and the closing scene with the escape from Scarif and Vader attacking the rebels...need I say more? I might come back and do other materials later.

I'd like to throw in my support for this as well! One thing in particular I've noticed that could be added in (though it'd be a huge undertaking and might have less practical value than the addition of gameplay mechanics information) is the game script for Three Houses. This would probably be need to be done by a somewhat large group of volunteers, due to the sheer volume of text in this game. Anyway, mostly just wanted to add a reply here to increase visibility and show support.

Yeah, certain Sacred Stones FoW maps don't pull any punches. At all. With this map's difficulty spike and the notably infamous Phantom Ship, SS does have a few maps here and there that resemble actual difficulty. Too bad the rest of the first segment of the game is so easy. Also, with regards to how Grado learned about the twins' bracelets...maybe the twins told Lyon in confidence? It's a bit far out there, but that seems a semi-plausible explanation for how Grado would've learned; the twins told Lyon as a friend before the war, and then he exploited that knowledge later on to take the bracelets.

Fire Emblem, unfortunately, is not known for its exceptionally subtle writing. It's pretty much a reference to this.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic here or not, but I believe she's talking about...

Greetings, Serenes Forest! I'm BlazeTheGreat (or just Blaze); I was a semi-active member of this forum from about 2014-2016, lurking and posting about various games, serious discussion, and let's play topics. As life got busier, I lost time for the forums, but now, with being forced to remain at home most of the time and my university activities taking less of my time, I've found myself drawn back here, and I decided it'd be fun to boot up the old account. Hope to see some familiar names around here (and some new ones); I'll likely be around a lot of the same forums I was in the past, whether that comprises just lurking, commenting on other topics, or starting my own. Cheers, y'all!

Probably the most difficult map in the game, at least from my experience. Fortunately, Laraya is fairly well-equipped to survive the onslaught, so you don't have to worry too much about rushing across to save her. Methodically making your way through the center of the level is probably your best bet.

I second this notion. Granted, my argument is purely anecdotal, but anecdotes are pretty strong evidence in Fire Emblem. Ordanze is a very solid unit.

Should you get Fates or Awakening? No.

Not a chapter I enjoyed very much, gotta admit. Not because of bad design, but no one who plays FE likes weather effects.

Classic Fire Emblem. A handful of new good guys show up and the superpowerful baddy goes running. COWARD!

Relevant. Also, Trump is ahead in Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Arizona, with a virtual tie in Pennsylvania. This is over.

I actually can't believe this is happening. America made a big time mistake. Here's to surviving the next four years...

Vote in the house of representatives. I believe each elector gets one vote, though someone correct me if I'm wrong.

So I'm a little over halfway through the game. I love it so far, probably my favorite FE hack. One minor thing that I thought I might make you aware of is the fact that the banner in the upper right corner of the prep screen displays incorrect numbers for what chapter it is. Since it first showed up in FE7 in Chapter 14, the first chapter with a prep screen in Ash mode (I believe 12?) displays as Chapter 14 instead of the correct number.

I'm currently on my first play through of this game myself. Was not expecting Shel to appear, so I barely got away with all the treasure. I would've had to reset if he'd gone a different way, because Edward would've been stuck in the right treasure room. As for Chapter 14, I found it fairly easy. Just ran everyone over to the right side and tanked there for a couple of turns.