Fire Brand
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Posts posted by Fire Brand
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Since there's been so much Echoes talk, I think Celica's route is better than Alm's in every way. Better maps, better music, better locations, better story, better characters.
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The issue I have with three houses is that it feels the message is pushing is "killing is ok, as long as it isn't someone you were at school with for like a year!"
The school characters are really the only ones portrayed sympathetically or even at all. It just feels really... Off. Compare to the other games in the series, such as the Judgral or Tellius games, where characters who aren't the core cast still get portrayed sympathetically.
And also, as I've said before, would Marth be a worse person if each generic boss had a prologue showing them happy at school? Three houses isn't "sad", it's just trying to emotionally manipulate you into believing it is.
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Sothe: Micaiah, healing without staves or tomes is a rare gift; almost unheard of.
All of Valentia and Fodlan: That's where you're wrong, kiddo.
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1. Arvis (Genealogy)
2. Naesala (Tellius)
3. Nasir (Tellius)
4. Saber (Echoes)
5. Navarre (Archanea)
6. Luthier (Echoes)
7. Innes (Sacred Stones)
8. Lara (Thracia 776)
9. Pan (Thracia 776)
10. Leonardo (Tellius)
11. Lifis (Thracia 776)
12. Phina (Archanea)
13. Claude (Three Houses)
14. Shura (Fates)
15. Ellrean (Archanea)
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15 hours ago, Alkaid said:
Unfortunately have to add myself to the unpopular side for this one. If not for SoV, this game would be my least favorite Fire Emblem I've played. It would probably my biggest disappointment of the year if not for the mess going on with Pokemon right now.
Sorry for the wall of text but I've been sitting on these opinions for about 2 months and have yet to air them. I'll spoiler it.
Gameplay:
First up, I don't like the lack of the weapon triangle. All the melee weapon types feel too similar without it and it makes choosing engagements feel less strategic because it hardly matters which weapon you use. Gambits feel awkward, as I don't really like the idea of free super attacks that can't be countered. Some are OP like Stride or Blaze too, while the rest I rarely used besides for breaking monster shields and fighting the Death Knight. The combat arts are completely unnecessary on Hard and Maddening you're stuck using them just because your normal damage is so terrible early game against the bloated enemies. Action speed and weight returning just feel like they over complicate how doubling is calculated rather than actually adding depth. Weapon durability is nothing but a hassle this time. You get so many uses for every weapon and it's so easy to repair/recharge anything, even relics, that it adds nothing but the busywork repairing things between battles.
For the maps, I don't think they're as bad as SoV, where they were just abysmal, but they still feel mostly poor and unmemorable in this game. Even years later I can remember the majority of Conquest's maps and enjoyed most of them, but the 3H maps are so bland I could barely remember them after finishing a play session most times. The reuse of maps for multiple paralogues also felt incredibly lazy, or just another sign this game had an oddly low budget.
I really dislike the new class/skill system as well. While it sounds cool on paper I can't stand the execution and needing to grind and tutor skills to unlock classes, then master a class to get its skill. I had far more fun in the 3DS games simply sealing into classes and collecting skills by leveling up a few times. It is just pure tedium to try and grind class/skill exp during a map and needing to max out to mastery for the skills can take prohibitively long. Even with the knowledge gem it's just a complete slog and turned me away from wanting to do any fun class changes or experimentation with my characters.
The monastery segments are another thing I liked on paper, and for the first while of the game it was a pretty neat addition. However by the timeskip I was already sick of it and it'd become just a chore to do every month. Sure, you could skip it, but you miss out on quite a lot if you do. That's missed support points, student happiness for tutoring time, items and professor exp. Even things like the fishing are just tedious, and I usually like fishing in games. Sitting there for 20 minutes at a time doing the minigame every month to go through all the bait for professor points was something I started to dread by a few months in. And again, you miss out on a lot if you don't take advantage of it to get the professor points out of it, since it counts for a ton. NG+ letting you buy your ranks back doesn't change you had to slog through it the first time.
The difficulty is also totally out of whack in this game. Hard is so easy it's a complete bore to play, meanwhile Maddening jumped straight past good challenge to nonsense stat bloat and exp gimping which is just the other extreme of not being fun. Conquest's difficulties were much better balanced and more fair, even on lunatic.(minus the final chapter was a bit much without cheesing it) One-shotting everything on Hard and turtling to kill 1 enemy with 5 of your units on Maddening are equally lame balancing. I'm not a fan of the return of the Turnwheel feature either with Sothis' time skip, since that's another thing that cuts down on the thinking and risk management you need to do when you have so many do-overs to cheese with.
Story/characters:
While the game's better written than Fates(not hard to do) I still didn't care for the story. I didn't care for any of the main lords, Sothis, or even Byleth and just didn't feel invested in what was going on at all. The game doesn't even give you much time with some like Sothis and Jeralt, and failing to make me feel attached to these characters also just made what was supposed to be emotional moments completely fall flat. The villains that were most interesting, the Slitherers, are mostly sidelined by the Edelgard vs Dimitri conflict which was a disappointment. I was pretty on board with the story leading up to the the time skip, but when it hit the parts for Kronya, Jeralt, Solon, Sothis and Edelgard it was a series of events that just sucked my interest away with how bad I felt those all were.
I found all the paths overall pretty unsatisfying, since I didn't really like the lords enough to want to side with them. Claude's the only one who's really sane but he also just feels like a 3rd wheel added so IS could round the game out to 3 houses rather than 2. It really made me wish for a Revelations-like choice to unite them instead or something, since individually they all felt like sides I didn't want to support and it feels like you have next to no agency in what's going on despite how supposedly important you are.
I think the students are okay, though I fail to see how these characters are as realistic as they've been hyped up to be, besides Dorothea just because of the way she talks is pretty natural. They don't feel much deeper to me than the commonly complained about one-note 3DS characters, just the supports are longer and fully voiced so they have a better presentation. That said, I don't mind that in of itself since I like a lot of the 3DS characters despite not being that deep, rather I wasn't attached to these as I just didn't find their quirks very likable. Hilda's laziness, Linhardt's sleeping, Sylvain's womanizing, Ferdinand's noble thing, etc. Even after hearing all their sad story backgrounds it didn't really make up for it. I'm sure plenty who disliked the 3DS characters instead had problems with Felicia's plate dropping, Sumias clumsiness, etc., but I just feel the other way around.
Byleth also felt like a rather poor avatar, and while I get the Sothis thing supposedly suppresses his emotions it's pretty bad having most supports with Byleth feel like the other characters are just talking to a wall. At least Robin and even Corrin had some personality. Byleth's personality is like a piece of cardboard. I was never a fan of Corrin either with how whiny he was, but I'd still take him over this.
Visuals:
Since this has been a controversial aspect since pre-release trailers this gets its own section. This was my initial gripe with the game since the first trailers came out, though I remained hopeful about the gameplay. I was in the camp that thought the game looked really rough, and despite all the people defending it would be cleaned up a lot by release it barely was. The graphics are still disappointing for a 2019 Switch title and I'd say FE Warriors may even look slightly better than this does despite being an even lower budget side game from 2 years ago. Lots of muddy textures(even right on characters' armor), serious anti-aliasing issues sometimes, animations manage to have less weight and fluidity to them than even the 3DS games, etc. And while I'm glad the artist did indeed clean up some of their work compared to the initial footage, I still don't like this otome artist's style nearly as much as Kozaki or even Hidari.
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Overall really hoped to love the game and definitely gave it a fair shake in trying. I wanted to be part of the crowd that's been adoring the game but I can't get on board for this one. I can forgive a poor story much easier than poor gameplay, which is why Conquest is still my favorite FE by a mile, but here I just disliked both and the gameplay especially. I hoped Maddening would change things for me with the game actually getting some challenge in it, but like I said they just jumped to a different type of unfun instead.
I had hoped SoV was a fluke with its gameplay, as it was a remake of Gaiden, but it feels like 3H just doubled down on that gameplay and took it further. If this is how FE games' gameplay will be from here on out I may not purchase the next one. I feel like 3H makes for a better visual novel than a strategy game and I genuinely prefer the gameplay of Heroes to this, which is kind of sad.
Also, while that wall of text makes it sound like it I want to say don't hate the game, just it was a big let down for me. I think it's not an objectively bad game, but it's not one for me. I still like some things such as how archers are more unique this time around(and not just have absurd range like SoV), it has probably the best world building and lore of an FE game(direct opposite of Conquest on that one) and some characters like Dorothea are pretty damn good and actually do feel realistic.
Hey, I'm not alone!
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On 9/30/2019 at 1:03 AM, Harvey said:
Shadow Dragon: Camus
Echoes: Can't think of any...
Mystery of Emblem: Hmm......
Holy War: Ishtar, Eldigan, Alvis
Thracia 776: Ishtar
Binding Blade: none
Blazing Blade: Lloyd, Linus, Leia and Roland
Awakening: Emmeryn
Fates: none
Three Houses: None
Um, Emmeryn is playable in awakening?
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I'd say one of the greatest "pitfalls" with Fire Emblem is thinking you have to keep everyone alive. Once you get rid of that restriction, the games become much more enjoyable. Lost a unit? Think on your feet and figure out a way to fill the gap with what you have left. Of course, this isn't for everyone, but it's definitely a valid playstyle, and the one I personally favor. Fire emblem is a game about war, after all, there would obviously be casualties. You shouldn't feel bad about it.
Higher difficulty settings in FE are generally more tedious than difficult, so I'd recommend playing on lower difficulties first time, and playing harder difficulties if you feel up for it on multiple playthroughs. I recommend Path of Radiance as a good game to play, it's quite easy yet still engaging.
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Best: Xander Mobus as Arvis and Innes in heroes was spot on imo, exactly how I'd imagine them to sound. I also thought Claude, Sothis and Ingrid were excellent in three houses.
Worst: Mercedes, as mentioned before. Also not a fan of Julia, she sounds far too high pitched imo.
As for the Petra complaints, I think her VA wanted to give her an accent, but wasn't given permission to?
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2 hours ago, Vince777 said:
That's kind of have always been the case with Fire Emblem characters before. It was either this or they had no personality at all.
Honestly, I'd prefer no personality to an annoying one that's constantly shoved in your face. You can get attached to the characters through gameplay that way, like I did with many Thracia characters. Obviously neither are ideal, but of the two, I'd definitely pick a lack of personality.
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1 hour ago, Dinar87 said:
I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did! Yeah I really need to play persona 5 but I'm waiting for persona 5 the royal to come out as it seems to be the "ultimate version" of that game.
That's fine, we all like different things, and there's nothing wrong with that at all. I can remember when it was popular to hate on sonic adventure 1+2 because a few internet critics said they aged terribly, and then their fans started dog-pilling on anyone who dared to disagree with them that these games were bad. So I know what it's like to feel just kind of...alone? As in, nobody else seems to share your opinions in games and are also changing the games industry in a direction you don't like as well.
I do admit that play through the first 11 (iirc?) chapters before the route split is quite annoying on a new playthrough, but I love the war phase chapters to death personally just because of how much it contrasts part 1 of the game so much.
But really I still love Three Houses to death myself, and that's just how I feel.Yes, that's exactly how it feels. Everyone else is enjoying the game, and I just feel like a killjoy over here, haha. I even got a switch to play 3H, as it got hyped so much as the lovechild of Tellius and FE4.
Funnily enough I also like the adventure games, actually.
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Make Seliph and Sigurd fire mages. Because, why not.
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Haaaa.... Haaa...
Well, uh, it's my least favorite Fire Emblem. By far.
Since I definitely have the unpopular opinion and no one really wants to read a lengthy rant, I'll keep it brief
Gameplay: Maps are dull and overused to death. Monastery padding is extremely obnoxious, especially post timeskip. The "three route gimmick" is literally just playing the same game over and over with slight dialogue/story differences. Best comparison I'd say is Shadow the hedgehog, except if Westopolis is two thirds of the game.
Story: I have never seen so much potential evaporate so quickly. It's an inconsistent mess that doesn't even qualify for the "so bad it's good category". Characters are constantly shoving their one note personalities down your throat, too.
The graphics are pretty underwhelming, too. The game looks more like an early Wii U game than something for the Switch. The music is probably the only thing I like about the game, and that got repetitive fast, especially when you realise the same songs are used across all paths aside from endgame themes.
But yeah, that's just my opinion. Hope I didn't offend anyone, wasn't my intention.
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Shambhala is the best map in three houses. Don't get me wrong, I hate the idea of some sci fi dubstep city in fire emblem and it really ruins the aesthetic, but it's my favorite map simply because it isn't reused to death. It was the highlight of my SS/VW runs.
And honestly, I quite enjoy the dubstep. There's a sense of ironic enjoyment in it, kind of like when the Sonic series starts experimenting.
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I liked Felix because he felt like the voice of reason in Dimitri's path, and the main person calling him out on his actions. Other than that, I find his aggressiveness towards the other characters to be quite refreshing.
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26 minutes ago, Life said:
I was thinking Arvis as the major antagonist rather than Manfloy and comparing him to Edelgard. But yes, I see your point.
Arvis doesn't work as an antagonist on his own, because he was forced into his situation and presented as merely a victim of fate. Remove Manfroy and he has no motivation and wouldn't have done anything.
Edelgard, on the other hand, is in full control of her actions. She makes her own fate, if you will. She's not being blackmailed or manipulated at all, and could stand as a villain on her own.
And so, I do not think comparisons of these two really work. They're far too different. Edelgard to me is more similar Walhart than Arvis.
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37 minutes ago, Life said:
To be entirely fair, the Kaga approach was pretty solid in terms of "look, here is an evil sect trying to resurrect an evil god, go and kill them while they do so". Better than the later games that did this (I'm specifically thinking of FE7/8/10 on this).
There is a reason why Three Houses aped Geneology in both terms of a massively political holy war and a flawed villain with actual character traits.
I support a return to Kaga FE. But I also think that Genealogy's story and villains were far better than FE16's.
A flawed villain does not a good story make. Especially when they're not presented as a villain, and the character who is presented as the villain instead is far too weak willed and inconsistent to be a villain. Manfroy was a better than both of them combined by default, because he was a villain. Imo Three Houses would have benefitted greatly from a generic evil cult as the main villain and focus on a divided front of heroes fighting back, aka the three lords.
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5 hours ago, Alastor15243 said:
Sort of, but it leaves you in the dark about the time-sensitive consequences of some of them. But I'd be spoiling a story I seem to be in the minority for disliking if I told you more, so I'd just jump in and enjoy.
Hey, I'm not alone! I thought I was the only one who disliked the story.
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This is the wrong room.
Also, the game is ridiculously easy, trust me you don't need any tips or anything. Just jump straight in.
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Assassin Mercedes Is one of my favorites, she's really fast and deals good damage with the magic sword and bow.
Warlock Ferdinand Ok so I only did this because he looks like Arvis post timeskip, but it was lots of fun. He has a great spell list, too. Also did Warlock Edelgard, but idk how conventional that is.
Sniper Lysithea Again, magic bow. So I thought, why not.
Mortal Savant Ingrid was one of my MVPs in Church and BL, since she had good magic and strength, and could heal as well. Her spell list is decent too.
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Rhea: Oh wow was her characterisation a completely inconsistent mess. Act 1 tries to push her as an ominous figure, manipulating and grooming the students from behind the scenes, suggesting some darkness beneath the surface. It was an excellent setup. And then... Act 2. She's treated as the hero of the story, for some bizarre reason? She is far worse than Edelgard in terms of actions, and would have made for an excellent main villain. But alas, all that setup was thrown out of the top of the Tower of Guidance.
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4 hours ago, Mukmuk said:
*searches up Project Exile.
AHHHHHHH!!!
*Looks at when Project Exile hit the forums (May 31, 2019)
Fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk why didnt I learn of this sooner how did this escape my attention
Mr. / Mrs. Fire Brand, you have saved my life. I am forever indebted to you. I will sacrifice my children to you.
In all seriousness, thanks so much. You have no idea how much I appreciate you right nowlol.
No worries, happy to help! Hope you enjoy the game.
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On 9/16/2019 at 4:53 AM, Mukmuk said:
To be fair to all the people asking for FE4 remakes and the like (although I would prefer Thracia first because I never got to play an English version of it-or at best a poorly translated one that made life hell), it (in my humble opinion), is probably not going to happen in the next FE.
Two words. Project Exile.
Actually, four. Play Project Exile now.
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I think many in the fandom would like to see a Genealogy remake next.
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7 hours ago, Jotari said:
Those powers don't save him from Seliph driving a sword down his throat.
At that point Loptyr has been resurrected and he sees himself as invincible, I guess? Though honestly, his actions make zero sense in the final two chapters, and it's probably because the ending was rushed. Can't think of any reason he'd want to keep Julia alive.
Easiest route on maddening mode?
in Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Posted
Assume you can recruit as much as you like.