Fire emblem on the switch?

[Hardin]

Your argument, that Kusakihara played a large part in the revived popularity of the game, is equally unfounded. The game became popular for a myriad of reasons and those reasons are different for each fan. Ana didn't say he should be "punished" or anything nearly so dramatic. She merely stated that she didn't like his art direction and would like to see something different.

Your argument is absurd and attempts to silence people for wanting a new direction in the series.

If Kusakihara's direction didn't have any positive impact, they would not be selling premium figures based on his designs. If his art direction turned people off en masse, the games would not have been successful because the visuals are your first impression on a product. It is ridiculous to suggest that the games found success in spite of him, because his contributions are front and center in all of the promotional materials.

I don't care if people like or dislike his style. I object to the notion that because his style is not to a persons particular taste, he should be removed. That isn't fair to him as an employee, and we all know that.

[Dinar87]

If Kusakihara's direction didn't have any positive impact, they would not be selling premium figures based on his designs. If his art direction turned people off en masse, the games would not have been successful because the visuals are your first impression on a product. It is ridiculous to suggest that the games found success in spite of him, because his contributions are front and center in all of the promotional materials.

I don't care if people like or dislike his style. I object to the notion that because his style is not to a persons particular taste, he should be removed. That isn't fair to him as an employee, and we all know that.

I personally think that, while fan service (and sex in general) sells, I highly doubt it was the main reason why awakening and fates sold so well. I'd chalk that up to things like casual mode and the supports system over the mere art style of the two games as being the selling points.

But shouldn't the needs of the consumer be prioritized over the needs of the developers? I guess it's just a matter of opinions really. Some people think they should be allowed to do as they please and not get criticized for doing so...whilst others want him to change or leave because his style doesn't suit their tastes. Maybe it's better to have a balance and just provide as many options as possible?

I enjoy talking about things like this, despite what I've said in the past, and I'd be interested to know what you guys think of fates overall? :)

[Busterman64]

I personally think that, while fan service (and sex in general) sells, I highly doubt it was the main reason why awakening and fates sold so well. I'd chalk that up to things like casual mode and the supports system over the mere art style of the two games as being the selling points.

But shouldn't the needs of the consumer be prioritized over the needs of the developers? I guess it's just a matter of opinions really. Some people think they should be allowed to do as they please and not get criticized for doing so...whilst others want him to change or leave because his style doesn't suit their tastes. Maybe it's better to have a balance and just provide as many options as possible?

I enjoy talking about things like this, despite what I've said in the past, and I'd be interested to know what you guys think of fates overall? :)

My quick summary of my opinion of Fates...

Artstyle-wise, its good, but part of me prefers the style of the older games(Tellius especially).

For Fanservice: There is line when it comes to fanservice and Fates kinda went a bit too far. Especially considering when this series,minus the light hearted and sweet moments, takes itself a bit seriously. Armor likes Camillia's and Charlotte's would be life threatening in a normal battle.

For Story: 5 words. Had potential, but screwed up!

(Conquest especially.)

For Writting: It's great in some places, good in some, and pretty bad in others. Somme potentially good story moments and characters kinda suffer(*coughcamilliacough*).

For MyCastle: I'm...actually kinda 50/50 on MyCastle. On one hand, you have a base of operations that lets you buy items, view supports & extras, use the coloseum, and a lot of other stuff to do.

On the other hand, I can't help, but feel like it's a bit too much.

I honestly feel like The Bases from FE4 and the Tellius games were better and straight forward(not to ment had better stuff like better Blacksmiths/Forges). That's just me though.

I will say though, I may be a bit bias considering I kinda prefer the older game, but that doesn't mean I don't like the newer ones. I think they're pretty good too, but I have my issues.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Busterman64

[Dinar87]

I quick summary of my opinion of Fates...

Artstyle-wise, its good, but part of me prefers the style of the older games(Tellius especially).

For Fanservice: There is line when it comes to fanservice and Fates kinda went a bit too far. Especially considering when this series,minus the light hearted and sweet moments, takes itself a bit seriously. Armor likes Camillia's and Charlotte's would be life threatening in a normal battle.

For Story: 5 words. Had potential, but screwed up!

(Conquest especially.)

For Writting: It's great in some places, good in some, and pretty bad in others. The some potentially good story and characters kinda suffer(*coughcamilliacough*).

For MyCastle: I'm...actually kinda 50/50 on MyCastle. On one hand, you have a base of operations that lets you buy items, view supports & extras, use the coloseum, and a lot of other stuff to do.

On the other hand, I can't help, but feel like it's a bit too much.

I honestly feel like The Bases from FE4 and the Tellius games were better and straight forward(not to ment had better stuff like better Blacksmiths/Forges). That's just me though.

I will say though, I may be a bit bias considering I kinda prefer the older game, but that doesn't mean I don't like the newer ones. I think they're pretty good too, but I have my issues.

That's kind of how I feel about them as well based on what I've seen of them. It's still ok but as you said, I feel some things crossed the line a bit. Tbh I'd just love a totally serious game again that doesn't have things like having knights' arses exposed y'know? Sure SOME of it's optional but little things, like corrin's thighs being exposed if female while being covered if male, bug me a tiny bit. Not that it's objectively bad, I just don't like it.

[Anacybele]

Your argument, that Kusakihara played a large part in the revived popularity of the game, is equally unfounded. The game became popular for a myriad of reasons and those reasons are different for each fan. Ana didn't say he should be "punished" or anything nearly so dramatic. She merely stated that she didn't like his art direction and would like to see something different.

Your argument is absurd and attempts to silence people for wanting a new direction in the series.

This 100%.

I personally think that, while fan service (and sex in general) sells, I highly doubt it was the main reason why awakening and fates sold so well.

Actually, studies lately show that sex really doesn't sell. I saw a couple articles on the subject and both say the same thing, that sex isn't really a selling point. I think they can still be found through Google, but I'm not sure.

Awakening and Fates sold well because of better marketing, the addition of casual mode, and probably also the fact that the 3DS sold really well and had a variety of players using it. The Wii had sold really well too, but another problem was a lack of an audience for the type of game RD is. The Wii didn't really have any other big RPG games like that, so it was really more for casual crowds. Wiis ended up being put in nursing homes for god's sake.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Anacybele

[NekoKnight]

I disagree that stuff like swimsuits and hot springs devalues the characters. If anything, it humanizes them, because we actually see the characters doing regular, slice-of-life stuff outside of battle. It's the reason why I like My Castle in general, because it makes it easier for me to bond and sympathize with the characters. It also makes me wish My Castle would have been around earlier (I remember a recent interview revealed it was planned as early as FE9), since I would have ended up liking the casts from the earlier games a lot more. I really hope the feature stays, and hopefully expanded upon.

There is a difference between doing regular, everyday activities and being made into objects of lust. Let's look at some examples.

[spoiler=Artwork 1]

[spoiler=Artwork 2]

In the first artwork, we can see two characters interacting. One is flirty, physically affectionate and likes wine . The other character is single-minded, serious and caries a weapon with her, even outside of battle. Artwork like this is to humanize them and to show us another view of their lives. The second artwork? Tits and ass. You can choose to appeal to peoples' base desires but that removes the depth of appreciation one has for a character.

Some of the MyCastle stuff is fine. Characters casually interacting with each other brings us closer to them. "Inviting" characters to your private quarters so you can rub their bodies is dehumanizing.

If Kusakihara's direction didn't have any positive impact, they would not be selling premium figures based on his designs. If his art direction turned people off en masse, the games would not have been successful because the visuals are your first impression on a product. It is ridiculous to suggest that the games found success in spite of him, because his contributions are front and center in all of the promotional materials.

I don't care if people like or dislike his style. I object to the notion that because his style is not to a persons particular taste, he should be removed. That isn't fair to him as an employee, and we all know that.

But you're saying that because the 3DS games are financially successful, fans can not desire a change of staff, as though those positions were owed to people who worked on the game. What's "fair to him as an employee" is that he is paid for his work, not that he is forever in charge of the art direction.

[Jave]

There is a difference between doing regular, everyday activities and being made into objects of lust. Let's look at some examples.

[spoiler=Artwork 1]

[spoiler=Artwork 2]

In the first artwork, we can see two characters interacting. One is flirty, physically affectionate and likes wine . The other character is single-minded, serious and caries a weapon with her, even outside of battle. Artwork like this is to humanize them and to show us another view of their lives. The second artwork? Tits and ass. You can choose to appeal to peoples' base desires but that removes the depth of appreciation one has for a character.

Some of the MyCastle stuff is fine. Characters casually interacting with each other brings us closer to them. "Inviting" characters to your private quarters so you can rub their bodies is dehumanizing.

I guess you and I have different views on the matter, because I don't really view any of those as "dehumanizing" (which I think is a VERY strong word to use simply against characters wearing swimsuits). I also think it's a bit unfair to bring the Camilla bikini artwork into this discussion, since that is locked behind a paywall and you have to beat relatively difficult map in order to see it (And people on this board are pretty quick to counter with "DLC doesn't count" when people mention the character development in the Future Past FE13 DLC).

Bear in mind that I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else of anything here, but instead just offering my own point of view, since I am a person who is very open about fanservice in video games. I've played plenty of visual novels with quite gratuitous fanservice (one of my Top 10 video games of all time is an eroge VN) and even games like Conception 2 or Senran Kagura where the fanservice is kind of a big part of it, so when a game like Fire Emblem does it, it barely even phazes me. Heck, it barely even phazed me when Hyrule Warriors did it, and I always thought that game was far more blatant with its fanservice than Fates was.

My point is, I generally don't mind fanservice in games, because it can either help appreciate the characters or certain aspects of the game better, or I can enjoy the game despite it existence.

[Lightchao42]

This is late and mostly irrelevant, but...

This. I'm absolutely fine with the hot springs because it's actually realistic as well as an optional side thing. Even during war, soldiers had to relax between battles and get cleaned up after likely getting blood and guts all over themselves. It probably also soothed their wounds just as it seems to for the Fates characters. Also, hot bathing springs was actually a thing in places like ancient Greece and Rome.

Hot springs are not designed for cleaning; the Romans and Japanese have other baths dedicated to that. In fact, people were supposed to wash themselves before they entered the hot spring, since they didn't want to get the bath water dirty. Hot springs are actually intended for relaxation and socialization among the bathers, which I suppose makes sense in regards to your argument. If anything, the next game should have more ways for characters to interact with each other.

In regard to the actual topic, though, it depends on how well the Switch sells and how well the 3DS continues to sell. The next FE game is most likely in the planning stages at this point, and IS is considering the options it has. If the Switch doesn't sell as well as IS would prefer, then the next game will probably stick to the 3DS and its successors.

Edited November 3, 2016 by Lightchao42

[Hardin]

I personally think that, while fan service (and sex in general) sells, I highly doubt it was the main reason why awakening and fates sold so well. I'd chalk that up to things like casual mode and the supports system over the mere art style of the two games as being the selling points.

But shouldn't the needs of the consumer be prioritized over the needs of the developers? I guess it's just a matter of opinions really. Some people think they should be allowed to do as they please and not get criticized for doing so...whilst others want him to change or leave because his style doesn't suit their tastes. Maybe it's better to have a balance and just provide as many options as possible?

New Mystery of the Emblem featured Casual Mode as one of its main selling points, yet that game didn't even manage to sell more copies than Shadow Dragon domestically.

I don't mind companies bending to the will of the consumer, but that seems like a very odd stance for you take. If anything it seems like keeping him around is doing exactly what the consumer wants. If most people rejected his vision, why haven't the games been shunned like Code Name S.T.E.A.M. was?

But you're saying that because the 3DS games are financially successful, fans can not desire a change of staff, as though those positions were owed to people who worked on the game. What's "fair to him as an employee" is that he is paid for his work, not that he is forever in charge of the art direction.

So what is your realistic solution then? Kusakihara isn't a contract artist like Kozaki or Kita, he's an actual full time staff member at IS. Should he be fired? Should he be moved to prototype purgatory? How do you even remove someone on a whim without harming company morale?

[KoimanZX]

I would actually like to see armor designs based more off of historical suits of armor and perhaps some tabards to denote the country of some of the characters' origin. Granted, that would probably not too profitable as most people like the really stupid and overly-flashy armor designs found in most modern RPGs. Intelligent Systems also needs character designs that make for good, overpriced figurines made of one of the cheapest materials available (PVC) that the otaku love so much.

Anyway... enough of my passive-aggressive kvetching. On to more productive complaining. I personally am not too big on the knight and general designs as of late as they look a bit--off. The designs in Fates are much better than the travesties that were the Awakening ones, sure, but they still look weird. The fact that the breastplates conform to the shape of the torso (especially on females) and the standard hood "helmets" generic knights wear look pretty dumb. having the armor designs be based more off of real-life armor would alleviate that problem.

[KoimanZX]

Some better sword designs (and weapon designs in general) would be nice as many of them are too bulky and look like paddles with needlessly bulky hilt guards and bad grips.

Edited November 3, 2016 by KoimanZX