To those who started/only played with Awakening...

[Thane]

I agree about Nergal never actually doing anything, but he being able to open the gate doesn't make the plot meaningless, he planned to open the gate, summon all dragons and to be able to control them, with Ninian's Dragonstone he was only able to summon three of them and couldn't even give them any sort of orders. And while this may be a case of "I don't care, it's still bad", the Morphs being devoid of personality is intended.

Different tastes i guess, althrough i could see an arguement that the entire plot builds up Hector as irresponsible and violent on purpose to give him development after his brother dies, as he for the first time in his life has to start being responsible.

Im fairly sure that never happens, like at all, it's never stated that the Lord views Lundgren as an ally.

Yeah, that was dumb.

But he was almost out of his precious quintessence and he had neither dragon sibling. It's poor writing not to make the requirements clear if he can just snap his fingers and change everything we know about the plot at the last second.

Hector is irresponsible and violent and no one seems to care. He's not the only stupid character though; there's seriously a guy who calls himself Raven and walks around with a grudge against Hector that's never really resolved, and given Hector's attitude towards the Black Hand, he wouldn't let the guy come anywhere near the party.

He states himself that he wishes to "avoid trouble with the coming marquess" in chapter six, right after Lundgren's men are slain, the ones who were just setting his castle on fire - https://youtu.be/WvqSV6LcSCE?list=PLC13395239479495C&t=1008

Edited January 14, 2016 by Thane

[OakTree]

But he was almost out of his precious quintessence and he had neither dragon sibling. It's poor writing not to make the requirements clear if he can just snap his fingers and change everything we know about the plot at the last second.

Hector is irresponsible and violent and no one seems to care. He's not the only stupid character though; there's seriously a guy who calls himself Raven and walks around with a grudge against Hector that's never really resolved, and given Hector's attitude towards the Black Hand, he wouldn't let the guy come anywhere near the party.

He states himself that he wishes to "avoid trouble with the coming marquess" in chapter six, right after Lundgren's men are slain after setting his castle on fire -

He used Ninian's Dragonstone, which also happened to conveniently have less power. Pretty Asspull-y, but not the level of making the plot meaningless.

No one except Lucius knows about Raven's grudge, and in some endings it does get resolved.

He only says that as an excuse, the scene after Lyn leaves shows that the whole thing was just him seeing if Lyn would cry or show weakness towards him. And that he would have helped her if she did.

Edited January 14, 2016 by OakTree

[Kirokan]

I'm glad to see a lot of people get interested in the older games even after playing and enjoying Awakening and Fates. It warms me to know that they can be enjoyable to newer fans of the series, even if older fans may have painted negative associations with the games and attitudes in other places (and vice-versa!).

I would plead Thane to play FE7 again if you cannot remember the specific details, maybe you would enjoy it more. Of course, it may just make it worse too if you are predisposed to taking it negatively, which is totally fine (Try it in Japanese if the writing is too stiff? Your level should be enough : ) ).

Though there are spoilers in this thread for those who may not have played FE7 yet, right? Considering it is a thread addressing those who played the newer games. Perhaps spoiler tags would be good?

Edited January 14, 2016 by Kirokan

[TheAstraWolf]

After Awakening I went back with the previous games. When I first played them (have barely played then before Awakening), I wasn't that fond of them but after have played Awakening and trying FE8 and FE7 again, I really loved them. Then I played FE11...ehhhhhhhhhhhh. Then I played FE6 and thought it was ok, tried FE1 and...ehhhhhhhh (altough that game has a charm to it unlike FE11). Went for Gaiden and really really liked it and Mystery of the Emblem book 1...not eh and certainly not bad, easily the best version of the original for me. All that is left is Jugdral, Tellius and Fates

[Together We Ride]

In hindsight, FE7's plot did have it's issues, though I don't think it's problems are enough to label it one of the worst stories at all. I feel the points regarding Araphen can be explained (was hoping to gain some sort of misogynistic power over Lyn, or not wanting to mess with the guy that nearly burned him to death...), and even the other minor plot holes aren't enough to distract me. The points about Nergal and Ephidel are very reasonable though. Either way, I suppose the reason I loved FE7 so much outside of it being the first one I played was do to how in depth the characters were explored. Thane, I know you said the cast was very uninteresting to you, but I really recommend you look into the supports more and play Hector Mode. I honestly think FE7's cast are some of the most developed and interesting in the series.

But in any case, Kirokan is right; we should try to avoid spoilers in a topic like this. After all, this isn't an FE7 defense topic. I do really like the discussion that's going on though!

[Thane]

He used Ninian's Dragonstone, which also happened to conveniently have less power. Pretty Asspull-y, but not the level of making the plot meaningless.

No one except Lucius knows about Raven's grudge, and in some endings it does get resolved.

He only says that as an excuse, the scene after Lyn leaves shows that the whole thing was just him seeing if Lyn would cry or show weakness towards him. And that he would have helped her if she did.

It sounds like it; wouldn't he have been able to control dragons with a bunch of quintessence and her Dragonstone? See, this is what I mean, the end goal of the plot is just a bunch of speculation because of such a weak, vague conclusion. Worse, it's simply not interesting.

Resolved as in forgotten about? If his character is to have a grudge, then there should've been confrontation.

That also makes no sense. It would be in his best interest to support her, yet he doesn't, because he wanted Lyn to cry. There's no rhyme or reason to any of this.

I'm glad to see a lot of people get interested in the older games even after playing and enjoying Awakening and Fates. It warms me to know that they can be enjoyable to newer fans of the series, even if older fans may have painted negative associations with the games and attitudes in other places (and vice-versa!).

I would plead Thane to play FE7 again if you cannot remember the specific details, maybe you would enjoy it more. Of course, it may just make it worse too if you are predisposed to taking it negatively, which is totally fine (Try it in Japanese if the writing is too stiff? Your level should be enough : ) ).

Though there are spoilers in this thread for those who may not have played FE7 yet, right? Considering it is a thread addressing those who played the newer games. Perhaps spoiler tags would be good?

Is this what you call senpai noticing you?

I always feel bad when someone is so positive in face of my nerd rage...

I could read Fates okay in Japanese, so hopefully I could read FE7, too; there's a lot less text. Thanks for believing in me! Maybe I should give it a shot after all of my exams just to refresh my memory and practice Japanese while I'm at it.

Also, about painting other games in a bad light: I've pretty much only seen veterans hate on Awakening and Fates, not newer players hating on the older installments, even if I'm sure they exist; here they're a minority though.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Thane

[Energon]

I started with Awakening last summer. My mom got it for me because I got straight A's all year in 7th grade. I loved it, I'm currently on my third play through. I just recently got Sacred Stones for my WiiU, and I like it, but not as much as Awakening. Fates looks great, I have the SE preordered at Gamestop. It looks like it might be my favorite, because of all of the units, the choices, and amiibo support.

[OakTree]

It sounds like it; wouldn't he have been able to control dragons with a bunch of quintessence and her Dragonstone? See, this is what I mean, the end goal of the plot is just a bunch of speculation because of such a weak, vague conclusion. Worse, it's simply not interesting.

Resolved as in forgotten about? If his character is to have a grudge, then there should've been confrontation.

That also makes no sense. It would be in his best interest to support her, yet he doesn't, because he wanted Lyn to cry. There's no rhyme or reason to any of this.

Im pretty sure the quintessence was just there to open the gate while the twins (And later, the Dragonstone) were there to summon and control the dragons.

It's resolved in Lucius' ending from what i remember.

Because how else are you going to teach the kids a Racism Aesop?

Granted, i do think that FE7's plot is stupid, i just don't see it as legitimately bad, it's stupid, but at least the writers bothered to give explanations that make sense to some problems.

Edited January 14, 2016 by OakTree

[Irysa]

Also, about painting other games in a bad light: I've pretty much only seen veterans hate on Awakening and Fates, not newer players hating on the older installments, even if I'm sure they exist; here they're a minority though.

Well, people who didn't like Awakening and started with it don't really have a reason to get into the rest of the series...it's hardly surprising that only veterans would throw any negativity FE13's way.

I've seen a fair amount of people who liked Awakening critical of Fates though.

Im pretty sure the quintessence was just there to open the gate while the twins (And later, the Dragonstone) were there to summon and control the dragons.

Nergal:

The answer is simple. The Dragon’s Gate cannot be opened by humans. Why would humans be able to open a gate that was designed… for dragons?

Nergal needed the children to open the gate. We can infer through oher quotes that he can use their energy to open the gate instead of having them do it themselves though, which neccessitates the "won't hurt his children" thing.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Irysa

[Together We Ride]

Also, about painting other games in a bad light: I've pretty much only seen veterans hate on Awakening and Fates, not newer players hating on the older installments, even if I'm sure they exist; here they're a minority though.

This is actually the primary reason why I asked this question. I see a lot of veterans heavily criticize or even hate the 3DS era of Fire Emblem games. I would even include myself in this party (at least in regards to the heavy criticizing portion). But I never really seen newcomers to the series do the inverse, or even speak about the older titles. Part of me thinks this could be because how unfriendly series veterans can come off as, or how intimidating they make the older games sound in terms of difficulty. So, asking this has been very helpful for me to understand how those who entered the community by playing Awakening actually feel.

[Loki Laufeyson]

I started with Fire Emblem Awakening on a whim, just picking it up in a store because I had heard it was sort of good and I absolutely loved it; I'll be the first to admit it has a lot of serious problems, but I was hooked regardless.. Afterwards I looked up the older games and were shocked by how little I liked them. Before Fire Emblem Fates, I considered Fire Emblem seven to be one of the worst games I had ever played in terms of story (and it still is, but Fates just broke every single record by inconceivable margins), for instance. I am only familiar with the localized games, however.

And before people interject with some of the more common objections, I should point out that I generally prefer the older character (or at least armor) designs, and that I'm actually not a fan anime and I can't stand fan service. I just found the dialogue to be so stale, the plots so basic (just like Awakening, but at least the dialogue felt smoother) and I just couldn't find anything that really hooked me. Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn improved things considerably, but I still had a lot of plot related complaints, like the constant worshipping of Ike/Micaiah, the Blood Pact, Ashnard who's a complete tool, and so on. That said, if there's one thing I loved about Radiant Dawn, it's the "old badasses meet new badasses" as previous playable characters reunited.

From what I've heard, most people who started with Awakening and moved on to other games really like the older titles, so I don't know why I'm so grumpy. Oh well, it can't possibly get any worse than Fates, so the future looks bright.

Can i ask you just how you tolerated Awakening if you hated FE7 and got seriously annoyed with Tellius? Cuz honestly, as someone who made a lot of noise about some of the plot points in Radiant Dawn, Awakening made that game look like a bloody masterpiece.

[Kirokan]

It sounds like it; wouldn't he have been able to control dragons with a bunch of quintessence and her Dragonstone? See, this is what I mean, the end goal of the plot is just a bunch of speculation because of such a weak, vague conclusion. Worse, it's simply not interesting.

Resolved as in forgotten about? If his character is to have a grudge, then there should've been confrontation.

That also makes no sense. It would be in his best interest to support her, yet he doesn't, because he wanted Lyn to cry. There's no rhyme or reason to any of this.

Is this what you call senpai noticing you?

I always feel bad when someone is so positive in face of my nerd rage...

I could read Fates okay in Japanese, so hopefully I could read FE7, too; there's a lot less text. Thanks for believing in me! Maybe I should give it a shot after all of my exams just to refresh my memory and practice Japanese while I'm at it.

Also, about painting other games in a bad light: I've pretty much only seen veterans hate on Awakening and Fates, not newer players hating on the older installments, even if I'm sure they exist; here they're a minority though.

I'm always noticing you! (That sounds creepy, but it is not meant to be xD). I like to stay positive, as I feel it keeps the discussion positive and productive, too. : )

If you could read Fates, you should be okay with this. The only issue I can think of is how the pixel-kanji may be a little hard to read at first, but once you get used to it I think you'll be fine. As usual, let me know if any help is needed though.

I've seen both sides. The ones I saw who started with Awakening sometimes dislike the older ones simply because it riles up the older ones making fun of Awakening, or because they fail to see why people tell them to play it constantly and get their expectations up. It's a bit of a cruel cycle.

And thanks for adding spoiler tags, you all. : )

Edited January 15, 2016 by Kirokan

[angienessyo]

Yeah, there are a number of veterans that tend to scare us off. It took me a long time of lurking here and on the reddit before I finally jumped in. I think it's totally fine for people to dislike the newer games, I get it, change can turn people off. But there's definitely a certain minority of vets that take it a little too far to the point of being actually rude to new fans about their loving Awakening/Fates. Fortunately in my case I realized it was just a few very loud people I could ignore and not just a case of "all veterans are meanies". I've seen a few that hounded people about absolutely having to play the older games to be considered fans of Fire Emblem and that gate keeper mentality is never cool.

[Thane]

Im pretty sure the quintessence was just there to open the gate while the twins (And later, the Dragonstone) were there to summon and control the dragons.

It's resolved in Lucius' ending from what i remember.

Because how else are you going to teach the kids a Racism Aesop?

Granted, i do think that FE7's plot is stupid, i just don't see it as legitimately bad, it's stupid, but at least the writers bothered to give explanations that make sense to some problems.

The key word here being "think", because we have no idea what the criteria were since it's all thrown into chaos at the last minute.

He forgives and forgets, making the entire subplot unnecessary. Personal growth is commendable, but giving up on his entire subplot because Lucius told him to chill out is not what I'd call development.

Uh-huh. I don't think Intelligent Systems have the writers for teaching anyone about much, something as heavy as racism even less so. Even with the slighly improved writing in FE9 and 10, it's pretty much "racism is bad" and then applause.

I can't force you to accept my point of view, nor would I even if I could, but I consider it atrocious in every sense of the word, and I don't understand how people can really like it and hate on Awakening's story at the same time, which is at least not offensively bad and is accompanied by better writing, at least.

Well, people who didn't like Awakening and started with it don't really have a reason to get into the rest of the series...it's hardly surprising that only veterans would throw any negativity FE13's way.

I've seen a fair amount of people who liked Awakening critical of Fates though.

I meant people who liked Awakening and then went on to play older games usually seem to like the older installments; I haven't seen anyone act superior like Fire Emblem veterans and insult people who enjoy the older installments.

I belong to that category; Fates is the worst game in terms of story I've ever played. It fails on every single level, bails on its promises, forsakes the premise, simplifies the plot far worse than any Fire Emblem game has ever come close to, and so on. But that's a topic for another subforum.

This is actually the primary reason why I asked this question. I see a lot of veterans heavily criticize or even hate the 3DS era of Fire Emblem games. I would even include myself in this party (at least in regards to the heavy criticizing portion). But I never really seen newcomers to the series do the inverse, or even speak about the older titles. Part of me thinks this could be because how unfriendly series veterans can come off as, or how intimidating they make the older games sound in terms of difficulty. So, asking this has been very helpful for me to understand how those who entered the community by playing Awakening actually feel.

I hesitated on joining this site due to the reputation of the Fire Emblem fanbase, if I'm being completely honest. Much like the Shin Megami Tensei fanbase, it's known for being elitist and full of people who tell others how to enjoy a game.

There are a lot of good parts of the community as well, obviously, but that's a reputation the fanbase has, and it's true in many regards.

Can i ask you just how you tolerated Awakening if you hated FE7 and got seriously annoyed with Tellius? Cuz honestly, as someone who made a lot of noise about some of the plot points in Radiant Dawn, Awakening made that game look like a bloody masterpiece.

Did you have a specific question in mind? I've talked about FE7 rather thoroughly now, so I assume you'd want me to talk about the Tellius series, then?

[MCProductions]

In hindsight, FE7's plot did have it's issues, though I don't think it's problems are enough to label it one of the worst stories at all. I feel the points regarding Araphen can be explained (was hoping to gain some sort of misogynistic power over Lyn, or not wanting to mess with the guy that nearly burned him to death...), and even the other minor plot holes aren't enough to distract me. The points about Nergal and Ephidel are very reasonable though. Either way, I suppose the reason I loved FE7 so much outside of it being the first one I played was do to how in depth the characters were explored. Thane, I know you said the cast was very uninteresting to you, but I really recommend you look into the supports more and play Hector Mode. I honestly think FE7's cast are some of the most developed and interesting in the series.

But in any case, Kirokan is right; we should try to avoid spoilers in a topic like this. After all, this isn't an FE7 defense topic. I do really like the discussion that's going on though!

I should probably make a thread for that later

The way I see it, starting with Awakening,

Gameplay wise: All but FE4 I enjoyed

Story:All but 7 I hated, even 7 has plot points I dislike. RD's story i really disliked

Characters: Generally like each games cast, barring FE4's and RD's.

Artstyle/Graphics: I enjoy both the GBA and 3DS artstyles

Overall:FE7/13 are my favorites, tho what I've seen of Fates makes it seem like it will be a solid contender for my personal favorite.

I will say this has got to be the least welcoming fanbase I've ever joined. I've seen so many "Awakening killed the series" comments, and "Fates is trash because it looks like Awakening" comments, it borders on insanity. I feel the majority of SF are significantly tamer, and it's why I spend the majority of my forum time here instead of other places. Something I legitimately wonder tho, most people I've seen say Awakening killed the series say it did because, and I quote, "It's newcomers are all filthy casuals who care only about their waifu", yet despite seeing these complaints, I've never seen any Awakening fans like this. I know I'm not like that. Am I just looking in the wrong place?

Edited January 15, 2016 by MCProductions

[Loki Laufeyson]

I've seen both sides. The ones I saw who started with Awakening sometimes dislike the older ones simply because it riles up the older ones making fun of Awakening, or because they fail to see why people tell them to play it constantly and get their expectations up. It's a bit of a cruel cycle.

And thanks for adding spoiler tags, you all. : )

Ive really only seen that kind of thing happen like once, and it was a troll. I havent really seen any newblet fans decry the older games to be honest.

Did you have a specific question in mind? I've talked about FE7 rather thoroughly now, so I assume you'd want me to talk about the Tellius series, then?

Well it was more like, you really fell in love with Awakening. And i know you are really a stickler for narrative. My question was like, what was it about Awakening that made you love it, but Tellius (with all its pretty consistent lore) fell flat for you. Narrative wise, Awakening is the weakest game in the series in my opinion. (i havent played Fates yet)

I also do echo the others about playing FE7 again in Hector mode. There are narrative goodies to be found there. Just to see the whole thing and see why so many of us tend to defend that title so rigorously.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Loki Laufeyson

[Kirokan]

Yeah, there are a number of veterans that tend to scare us off. It took me a long time of lurking here and on the reddit before I finally jumped in. I think it's totally fine for people to dislike the newer games, I get it, change can turn people off. But there's definitely a certain minority of vets that take it a little too far to the point of being actually rude to new fans about their loving Awakening/Fates. Fortunately in my case I realized it was just a few very loud people I could ignore and not just a case of "all veterans are meanies". I've seen a few that hounded people about absolutely having to play the older games to be considered fans of Fire Emblem and that gate keeper mentality is never cool.

Know that me and many others will always welcome you and others with open arms and hear you out. We may express our opinions but not impose our opinions. xD

I should probably make a thread for that later

The way I see it, starting with Awakening,

Gameplay wise: All but FE4 I enjoyed

Story:All but 7 I hated, even 7 has plot points I dislike. RD's story i really disliked

Characters: Generally like each games cast, barring FE4's and RD's.

Artstyle/Graphics: I enjoy both the GBA and 3DS artstyles

Overall:FE7/13 are my favorites, tho what I've seen of Fates makes it seem like it will be a solid contender for my personal favorite.

I look forward to hearing how Fates goes for you : )

Ive really only seen that kind of thing happen like once, and it was a troll. I havent really seen any newblet fans decry the older games to be honest.

Well it was more like, you really fell in love with Awakening. And i know you are really a stickler for narrative. My question was like, what was it about Awakening that made you love it, but Tellius (with all its pretty consistent lore) fell flat for you. Narrative wise, Awakening is the weakest game in the series in my opinion. (i havent played Fates yet)

I also do echo the others about playing FE7 again in Hector mode. There are narrative goodies to be found there. Just to see the whole thing and see why so many of us tend to defend that title so rigorously.

Yes, I think it is just an anecdotal thing. Meaning it probably isn't a majority issue on either side, as pointed out by others in the thread. : )

I second playing Hector's story. The few extra tidbits made it so much deeper, and it goes missed unfortunately as it requires someone to play through it again after Eliwood's story. xD

Edited January 15, 2016 by Kirokan

[Irysa]

I meant people who liked Awakening and then went on to play older games usually seem to like the older installments;

Actually most of my non-FE vet friends just couldn't get into the older games because they thought they were either too hard or lacked the features they liked about Awakening (lots of shipping, marriage, children, etc). Also lack of voice acting, thats a very common excuse given to me.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Irysa

[Thane]

Ive really only seen that kind of thing happen like once, and it was a troll. I havent really seen any newblet fans decry the older games to be honest.

Well it was more like, you really fell in love with Awakening. And i know you are really a stickler for narrative. My question was like, what was it about Awakening that made you love it, but Tellius (with all its pretty consistent lore) fell for you. Narrative wise, Awakening is the weakest game in the series in my opinion. (i havent played Fates yet)

Well, you can rest assured that Awakening will only be second last on your list after you're done.

Like I said on this very thread, I've got my fair share of troubles with Awakening as well, from Validar being a snoozefest to the entire second arc feeling like another game entirely. Plenty of supports make no sense and are written poorly and the worldbuilding is just not there - they could've really worked on that in the supports. And of course, some characters just take up space, but that's always been the case and I'd almost argue it's unavoidable in a game with a cast as big as this. I want to reiterate that I don't love Awakening's story, I merely find it far better than people give it credit for in a series with subpar writing.

Yet Awakening is the only game in the series with real charm; whether that came from the developers being pressured or not I don't know, but it felt like they really wanted to cram as much as they could into the game, and it shows. I enjoy plenty of the silly supports and having the kids coming back in time. It's a really nice way to tie the two stories together, and even though it's usually not my cup of tea, I liked the family interactions. Chrom, while lacking on the development side like all Fire Emblem protagonists, works well playing the straight man to a lot of the crazier shit that's going on, and neither he nor Robin are goodie two-shoes, which is a refreshing change (neither was Ike, but I'll get to that). I also like that the game has the balls to say that you've essentially already failed in another world, and that doesn't get magically fixed by defeating Grima here and now, and the kids acknowledge and reflect over not fitting in in the world they traveled to, something that gets expanded upon in the DLC story.

As for Tellius, I'll say flat out that it has the best worldbuilding in the series. I wouldn't necessarily call it good when compared to games with better writing, but it's still leagues better than Awakening and particularly Fates. There are also several things I like about it, like how the old cast meets the new cast on different sides in Radiant Dawn. Then again, this can only really be done in a sequel so it's not like other games have had the opportunity to do this, but it's still sweet as hell. It also constantly makes it feel like the characters are the ones who're progressing the plot, and that they're actively participating in a conflict, something that's not as apparent in Awakening and removed completely from Fates.

However, aside from just finding the dialogue and pacing sluggish and the overall plot uninteresting, there are several elements which I just find either dull or poorly executed. As I mentioned previously, Intelligent Systems don't have the writers to pull off dealing with heavy themes like racism, yet it tries in both games here, and it usually amounts to "racism is bad" and then an applause. Both Ike and Micaiah suffer from being loved far too easily and for the wrong reasons all the time: Ike pretty much says what's on his mind and he doesn't like nobles and is praised for it, and Micaiahs surplus of traits is borderline unbearable.

As for villains, I'll never understand why people like Ashnard; sure, he believes in survival of the fittest and so on, I get that, I really do, but...he's an idiot. He consistently makes such bad calls that he comes across as an incompetent brute and nothing more, actively going against his ideology by being weak and impossible to take seriously. Ashera falls for the same thing I mentioned earlier with Intelligent Systems not being able to deal with heavy topics seriously, and comes across as a cliché "but humanity is evil and must be destroyed" villain, which is almost worse than the bad guys who are evil for the sake of being evil. What's more, she's the reason for why the sloppy yet inevitable "let's band together and defeat the big bad" happens, something Awakening was mercifully spared from.

Then of course there's the Blood Pact, which has been beaten to death, but I'll just briefly mention that I just find it stupid like everyone else.

These are the brief points that stick out; once again, haven't played the game in a while.

Actually most of my non-FE vet friends just couldn't get into the older games because they thought they were either too hard or lacked the features they liked about Awakening (lots of shipping, marriage, children, etc). Also lack of voice acting, thats a very common excuse given to me.

Well, I played them and just flat out didn't enjoy them as much for the reasons I've already given. But really, lack of voice acting? I can find that nice sometimes, like in Ace Attorney where more voice acting could ruin the sillier moments.

I'm always noticing you! (That sounds creepy, but it is not meant to be xD). I like to stay positive, as I feel it keeps the discussion positive and productive, too. : )

If you could read Fates, you should be okay with this. The only issue I can think of is how the pixel-kanji may be a little hard to read at first, but once you get used to it I think you'll be fine. As usual, let me know if any help is needed though.

I've seen both sides. The ones I saw who started with Awakening sometimes dislike the older ones simply because it riles up the older ones making fun of Awakening, or because they fail to see why people tell them to play it constantly and get their expectations up. It's a bit of a cruel cycle.

And thanks for adding spoiler tags, you all. : )

I'll try to be a bit more positive from now on, then, but I AM rather harsh when it comes to stories, and it seems to have provoked a debate as well! As long as I respect everyone's opinions, I hope people won't find me too bothersome.

Thank you as always! Like I said, I might give it a try after my exams...oh dear, I should be studying.

[Jedi]

While Awakening did tons right with the gameplay, and well the Gangrel arc at least. It just feels lacking in pretty much every other area to me.

Which is why I fear if they want to try to revamp some of the older games such as Jugdral it would lose pretty much all its darker themes and unique mechanics for the sake of being akin to Awakening.

We've reached basically what is the FF7 of Fire Emblem, where suddenly an explosion of new fans, with an ever changing style will make nothing but trouble, and this isn't the fault of anyone, its just how things work. Since Awakening was such a success, IS wants to capitalize on it, but maybe they did too much capitalizing for Fates, however I haven't played it yet, and what I hear of the gameplay at least (the thing I care about most in FE other than character interactions, which part of why I like every game in the series). It sounds pretty good.

But from what I've heard from the narrative, it sounds like alot of cool ideas were gimped because the developers wanted to cash in on things that made Awakening popular in the first place. Some of the things which started in New Mystery as well.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Jedi

[angienessyo]

Know that me and many others will always welcome you and others with open arms and hear you out. We may express our opinions but not impose our opinions. xD

I look forward to hearing how Fates goes for you : )

Yes, I think it is just an anecdotal thing. Meaning it probably isn't a majority issue on either side, as pointed out by others in the thread. : )

I second playing Hector's story. The few extra tidbits made it so much deeper, and it goes missed unfortunately as it requires someone to play through it again after Eliwood's story. xD

Thank you! :D My experiences with the fandom have been largely positive. People that dislike Awakening are totally fine with me as long as they're not mean to me for liking it. Fortunately it's pretty rare that I've had any run ins with people in the fandom over Awakening. I think my only negative experiences were from homophobic people yelling at me in threads calling for more LGBT representation in the series. But I'm sadly used to that in gaming communities.

[Mackc2]

I started with awakening.
Since then I've played all English releases except PoR and RD due to still being unable to find a copy of either game.

I enjoy every game except Shadow dragon DS but I usually get sidetracked and have yet to actually finish any fire emblem besides awakening.

[Loki Laufeyson]

snip

Hmmm i see. I do agree that Awakening's localization script is charming as hell. (i just wish they applied that to the world and narrative) My issues with Tellius' narrative are relatively small compared to that list. The issues i have are the how the big plot bomb reveals are handled. On closer inspection, Micaiah isnt that bad of a character. (and reminds me of a bit watered down version of Daenerys Targaryen) Radiant Dawn is also another game where you can jump through a lot of weird gameplay hoops and get narrative goodies out of. (although i only recommend doing that stuff on second playthrough, where you actually get the whole story, and on easier modes)

and what I hear of the gameplay at least (the thing I care about most in FE other than character interactions). It sounds pretty good.

Yeah thats where im at, Jedi.

[Tryhard]

I fucking loathe all of you awakening casuals

In all honesty, I do think that it's a shame that a lot of people come to forums like these with no intention of playing the older titles and solely to talk about Awakening (and likely Fates), but it's expected. I would like them to at least attempt to play them, and if they don't like them, then it don't matter.

[MCProductions]

I fucking loathe all of you awakening casuals

In all honesty, I do think that it's a shame that a lot of people come to forums like these with no intention of playing the older titles and solely to talk about Awakening (and likely Fates), but it's expected. I would like them to at least attempt to play them, and if they don't like them, then it don't matter.

Keep in mind, there are people who may want to play the older games, but simply can't. Say the only system an Awakening player owns is a 3DS, and they don't want to emulate or simply don't know that's an option. I highly doubt anyone would go buy a console for one or two games, and I remember my physical copy of Shadow Dragon being a pain in the neck to find. Combined with the fact some know they won't enjoy they older titles because they don't like having to reset every time someone dies, heck, I'm not sure why I still play classic when given the option now, I doubt they feel the older games are bad, just not suitable for their playstyle in this case.