otaku2255

So far, I've played and finished (in order): Fire Emblem (The Blazing Blade) Shadow Dragon The Binding Blade The Sacred Stones Echoes: SoV And I'm currently about 1/3 of the way through New Mystery of the Emblem. I've thoroughly enjoyed each one for different reasons. I couldn't pick a favorite out of these, but Echoes: SoV is probably my least favorite. It wasn't a bad game by any stretch, but I felt it dragged on way too long because of the exploration. I picked up the series for strategy, and while I do love JRPGs, I don't feel the two were blended so well in this game. I enjoyed bits of it, but sometimes I just wanted it to end so I could go back to traditional Fire Emblem gameplay.

Never mind. I had to install Twilight Menu on my 3DS to be able to run it. It wouldn't work on the flashcart. Anyway, at least I have access to the game.

Does anyone have any idea why the Patch Beta 2 fails to load on my Flashcart, while the original patch runs without a hitch? I may be left having to use the outdated patch anyway if I can't find a solution to this. I've tried it with both a pre-patched file and by patching it myself. It ran perfectly on RetroArch but not on my 3DS. (I have the R4 SDHC - using YSMenu to eliminate the timebomb - and a 32 GB Sandisk Ultra MicroSD card running on my New 2DS XL if that means anything. I've never run into any issues playing any other games before.)

I'm nearing the end of my run of SoV and was planning a New Mystery playthrough next. My flashcart currently has a copy with the older patch applied. However, browsing this forum made me aware of the "updated" patch. However, it has not been completed and appears dead in the water. So, which of the two patches is preferred for a first-time playthrough? I'll probably play through the game again in the foreseeable future as well, so I wouldn't want my saves to be lost. In another way, I was considering just using the older patch since I already have it and it was at least completed. Is there any point to using the newer one? Thanks.

I'm no Fire Emblem expert, as I've only played four of the games (beat FE7 first, then Shadow Dragon, almost done with FE6 and halfway through FE8). Still, I've noticed a recurring theme in these games that always strikes me odd. The main lord(s) are always surprised when the topic of dragons gets brought up. Is it really that far of a stretch when there are Wyvern riders abound throughout these worlds? At least Roy distinguished the dragons he heard about from these Wyverns in his introductory conversation with Niime (just passed that chapter). I mean, still though, he was in utter disbelief about the possibility of dragons for most of the game, while he had already met several Wyvern riders and had Melady in his army.

Two things stuck out to me that I'm not sure how I feel about yet: the hexagonal grid and the turn order. After playing Fire Emblem almost exclusively for a few months, I've found that I much prefer the method of moving all of your troops and then the enemy moving all of theirs, instead of the usual speed ranking affecting the turn order. I mean, I grew up playing SRPG games that featured a speed-based turn order, so it's not a total deal breaker. What's your take on this? Berwick Saga seems to be a true diversion from FE, although it appears Kaga returned to his tried and true system for Vestaria Saga. Thanks for the welcome! I've got those two games and the SMT Devil Survivor games on my radar (as well as Pokemon Conquest as I was huge into Pokemon before). There are quite a few characters in the Project X Zone games that really interest me, but Ryo Hazuki has me amped. And no, I'd not like to try a round of Lucky Hit.

Which game? I'm a writer and teacher. Being in lockdown, I've spent all of my working time glued to a computer chair for these last 11 months. While my PC can run a ton of games, I'd rather play something where I can lay in bed or on the couch. It would be good to know which games are worth avoiding on the Switch, as I have one on my radar for RPGs/SRPGs (and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3). Though I'm moving to a new apartment soon and will probably find a way to connect my PC to a TV in my new home office. That will probably mitigate some of my PC gaming concerns. As mentioned, I've been eyeing the XCOM games. I'll probably buy them this week as they're on a crazy sale right now, even if I don't get to play them for a while. I saw some videos of Star Wars mods for 2 and could not be more excited to try that out. I just checked my 3DS and it seems I have the patched versions of D and J (and R with a menu patch), as well as the two English releases (and A that hasn't been patched). Would you recommend J as a good starting point, then? I don't have a PS4 on hand. If it's easier than FE, it could be a good game to play in between grueling FE chapters. I was using Stella Glow for that when I first began FE6. I got about 15 hours into it and plan on finishing it as well. I actually stumbled across this and TearRing Saga when I was doing my FE research. I've got them both downloaded and patched. TearRing Saga works on the 3DS. I played about an hour into Berwick Saga on my PC to make sure there were no game-breaking glitches (I know PS2 emulation is hit or miss). I really enjoyed what I saw. I'll get back into it when I finish a few more mainline-FE games. What in particular makes you say it has the best SRPG gameplay you've played?

- For Yggdra Union, I assume the PSP version is better than the GBA version? I can emulate the PSP on my PC or the GBA on my 3DS. I've considered getting a Vita as well, as there seems to be a plethora of SRPGs for PSP/Vita. I wouldn't mind playing through the enhanced ports of FFT and Tactics Ogre as well. - Codename: S.T.E.A.M. seems interesting as it's also developed by IS. I'll give it a whirl even though it seems more run-n-gun than tactics. It looks like an evolution of the Battalion Wars system. - I love the look of the Banner Saga games. I can play them on my PC but I'd probably hold off until I got my hands on a Switch. - SRW... man, that looks more daunting to get into than FE did. Which games in particular would you recommend? Not all of them have proper English translations and/or patches. The one for the 3DS (UX) seems to garner a lot of praise, but there hasn't been a proper patch for it. I also see that a new patch has been released for a PS2 title (which is a remake of the GBA games, if I understood correctly). It looks to me like Fire Emblem + Gundam. Is that a fair accessment? Anything like the Front Mission games, then (besides the anime crossover element)? - Any opinions on the Langrisser and Shining Force series'? I've been eyeing those as FE-likes to run through in between mainline FE games. I might hold off on Langrisser to play the updated port of the first two on the Switch, but I could play most of the SF series now. One of the benefits to taking a nearly decade-long break to gaming is that a lot of what is considered "old" or "outdated" to modern gamers is still new and exciting for me. The last time I was serious about gaming was midway into the 360/PS3 era. I had a 360 and played through a ton of those titles, then I bought a Wii and got much more casual, then I completely fell out of favor with gaming as I realized that the industry moved away from turn-based games. Glad they've had a resurgence of sorts.

Thank you all for the kind welcomes! Can't wait to try out Three Houses, but I'm still having a blast with the older games. Honestly, I love the tactical elements. It feels like every movement carries weight and mistakes will seriously cost you. I played and loved Final Fantasy Tactics when I was younger, and while it wasn't the easiest ride, I didn't feel it to be as punishing to mistakes as the FE series is. I think this adds a ton to FE's playability. I've been looking at playing the XCOM games, so it's not necessarily about the setting. I'd actually LOVE to see a historically accurate game with some of FE's gameplay elements. Being as I have been studying Middle Eastern/Balkan history while in Turkey, a game that plays like Fire Emblem but deals with the conquest of Constantinople/Istanbul would be a dream come true for me. Most of the historical games I've played are RTS. I have loved the Civilization series in the past as well. Something that combined FE/Advance Wars/Civilization would probably be the only thing I played if it became a reality.

Now I feel stupid. Thank you for that wise response.

I'm looking for a save that has only the DLC unlocked. The save I found has all the other unlockables finished as well. I'm not too keen on using that one, as I enjoy unlocking stuff on my own. Thanks.

Hey all. I've been browsing this forum for months now (even made a few posts), but I figured I should jump in here to say hello. After taking some time to travel the world, and having started a family along the way, my passion in gaming waned over the years. Not to sound snobbish, but I compared the time spent on games with either intellectual pursuits or income-yielding endeavors, with those later two taking the forefront. I'm a writer, so self-motivating myself to write or edit can conflict with addicting hobbies. Anyway, aside from the Fire Pro Wrestling series (which is the only other forums I have visited over the years, aside from Reddit), I hadn't touched a game in years before a few months ago. I currently reside in Istanbul, Turkey (where I chair an English department), and the lockdown in a foreign country (and being stuck inside with two toddlers) began doing away at my mental health. I was thinking about buying a Switch because I was a massive RPG gamer in my younger years, but games are ridiculously overpriced in Turkey compared to the price of other goods (all electronics and cars are, actually). I decided to pick up a New 2DS XL instead, as it has a massive quality RPG haul, especially when combining the DS library and the modding capabilities opening up all consoles up to PS1. I quickly finished SMT 4 and Radiant Historia, both of which I greatly enjoyed, then replayed Chrono Trigger. I had been hearing about and thinking about playing Fire Emblem for years. But I know with my addictive personality, it would begin a nearly never-ending loop. So I was debating whether to try Bravely Default or one of the FE games. After much research about where to jump into the series, I decided to try out FE7 and absolutely fell in love. It took me a little longer to finish then most other games, but I was playing blind and learning the mechanics and whatnot as I was going along. I then went into FE6 and FE8 at the same time, alternating between them (while also trying out Stella Glow on the native 3DS). I got about halfway into both before deciding to finish Shadow Dragon DS first, feeling I had a decent understanding of the series and wanting to experience the series from its first incarnation (albeit a remake). I finished it a few days ago and have gotten back into FE6 now. I plan on finishing FE8 next, then Echoes: SoV, New Mystery, and then Awakening. This modded 3DS is a brilliant device, having access to nearly all the FE games on one machine (I even got TearRing Saga to work on the PS1 emulator). I got a decent computer, so I can even play FE9 and 10 there. I just gotta get a Switch now to have all games accessible to me (maybe in a few months). I appreciate this community for its love of the series that is quickly becoming my favorite video game series. The mods/hacks/translations, discussion, tier lists (which I try to avoid until I beat a game), etc are brilliant ways to enhance the replay value of the games as well (not like it's impossible to drop 150+ hours on a vanilla FE game anyway). I also don't feel as if I'm "wasting time" when playing Fire Emblem, as the strategy is akin to chess in many ways, making me think many moves ahead (at least for the harder games/difficulties). Anyway, look forward to engaging with you all whenever I have something to offer. TL; DR: Began playing FE7 over lockdown on my modded 3DS. Fell in love with the series. Can't imagine playing anything else but Tactics RPGs for the foreseeable future.

I just finished Shadow Dragon (with the full content patch) and was going to move on to Echoes: SoV and then play FE12. If I begin playing using the Beta 2 patch, will my save be applicable to the Beta 3/Final version of this patch?

Appreciate the response. You took a load off my mind. This will be the first time I've let a character go for good, but I'm glad I don't have to sweat it too much. I haven't found the difficulty spike to be as high as I expected based on my reading, minus the ridiculously low hit rates and lower growths. The few times I nearly gave up on the game were in Ch 8 and 8x, where I surrounded the bosses with my best (and most relevant) characters, to have my attacks dodged 99% of the time. But beyond that, I feel the map design is a bit better the FE7. It allows for more planning and strategizing, whereas in 7, I mostly just rushed head on through most maps and made out okay (except for the final chapter of boss redux and the dragon). I do miss being able to adjust the formations before battle, though.

Hey, so I recently began my Fire Emblem journey, having finished Blazing Blade a few days ago, which I absolutely loved. As a lapsed gamer who was previously obsessed with tactical games and RPGs, the series has hit all of the right notes for me so far. I bought a modded New 2DS XL, so I'm hyped that I can play all of the FE games on one device, minus the last three console releases. Anyway, I've been in the habit of resetting every time one of my characters die or a village gets ransacked. On my current run of Ch 9, while setting up a formation on the island between the north and west sections, Fir came down the bridge and attacked a Lv 14 Dieck, who dodged her attack and one-shot countered her. I know the boss mentioned something about her sword being valuable... so I was considering restarting the chapter. But... most of the solid characters have had excellent level ups so far. Is Fir (or the sword she has, as I'd likely bench her anyway) worth the effort of potentially losing amazing upgrades to some of my planned running mates? Should I just bury her and move on?