Are they any fire emblem games that you'd call a real master piece?

[Dinar87]

Sure they all have flaws but I was wondering if there's any titles you guys consider to be nearly flawless? I'm sure you guys can all guess what titles I'd say are masterpieces ;) but anyways, part of the reason I'm making this poll is to see if fire emblem was liked more in the past (in which case the older games would be commented the most) or vice versa for the modern games. As part of the poll's purpose, it'd be cool if anyone could say what their favorite fire emblem games are so I can see if people here truly prefer the old over the new ones.

[SnaggyDragon]

There is no single best Fire Emblem, it is based on what you like and not what others do.

[Dinar87]

Just now, SnaggyDragon said:

There is no single best Fire Emblem, it is based on what you like and not what others do.

Well I wanted to see how many people had the opinions of which is the best fire emblem. I didn't mean objectively which is the best because these sorts of things are very subjective.

[Ken Masters]

1 hour ago, Dinar87 said:

Well I wanted to see how many people had the opinions of which is the best fire emblem. I didn't mean objectively which is the best because these sorts of things are very subjective.

No, you wanted to know which titles we consider "Masterpieces", not wich one we considered the best.

For example, Ocarina of Time is widely regarded as a masterpiece, and I agree with that, yet to me Twilight Princess is a better game without being a "Masterpiece". I think you need to define what qualifies as a masterpiece first. A game being very good does not makes it a "Masterpiece".

 

But back to your question, FE games (at least the ones I've played) while very, very good, do not have the worldwide impact in the gaming culture than things like, say Ocarina of Time or Morrowind had, and it will probably never will unless they innovate on the strategy turn-based RPGs genre.

[Kyne]

Ocarina is far from being a masterpiece in my opinion. The combat is way too repetitive and at times it's like they didn't take the terrain into account when they throw enemies at you.

On topic though, the only Fire Emblem games I've ever played are the DS version of Shadow Dragon, Blazing Sword and Sacred Stones, but I'm also playing through Binding Blade atm. 

I don't consider any of these to be masterpieces but I do love them. They are all inherently flawed in some way or another. and from what I've seen from awakening and Fates in let's plays, those two are the worst games I've seen in the series so far. They do seem to be fun still, particularly in Conquest's gameplay but between rushed and poorly though-out stories and some weird gimmicks that are either useless or often annoying (like the floor spikes in whatever chapters in fates that was in) they appear to me to be worse than the GBA games. Maybe it's because I haven't played them though.

[maybe]

no but there are also no video games that I'd call a masterpiece for what it's worth

[Magical Glace]

My favorite is 6 and it's hardly perfect.

I'd say 7 probably comes the closest to being a "masterpiece", but it's not there either.  

[Brand_Of_The_Exalt]

From a pure gameplay standpoint, Conquest is a masterpiece.

That being said, I love Fire Emblem's universe, gameplay and spirit, so they're all very good to me. 

[MCProductions]

FE3 is my second favorite game of all time, so if I consider any FE a masterpiece, there she is.

Edited February 3, 2017 by MCProductions

[Ken Masters]

18 minutes ago, Kyne said:

Ocarina is far from being a masterpiece in my opinion.

See, that's what I mean. What is a "Masterpiece"? Should we establish a set of rules, or just follow opinions? That's why I said OoT is "widely" regarded as a masterpiece. because it happens. Not because I think it's okay

[Kyne]

Agreed. While I do believe that Ocarina had a MASSIVE impact in gaming, I'd say it's far from a Masterpiece and that most people have a serious case of nostalgia. I can, however, definitely see that most people regard it as such and I accept it. Most Fire Emblem games have never had that impact that Ocarina of time had. 

[Anacybele]

PoR is the closest thing to a masterpiece to me. It has a really good story and the best characters, imo. RD is really good too, and both games are my favorite, but I do admit its story is a bit more flawed. They still remain my two favorite games of all time though, along with Zelda: Skyward Sword and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. :3 (and Smash Wii U too, I suppose)

[Refa]

3 hours ago, Ken Masters said:

But back to your question, FE games (at least the ones I've played) while very, very good, do not have the worldwide impact in the gaming culture than things like, say Ocarina of Time or Morrowind had, and it will probably never will unless they innovate on the strategy turn-based RPGs genre.

FE1 basically invented the strategy RPG as we know it.  You can still see its influence in pretty much all games in the genre coming out of Japan.  The only other SRPG that even comes close to the influence that it had would be Tactics Ogre.

[Tuvy]

*cough* *cough* Fe7 *Cough*

[Fire Emblem Fan]

Yeah. 7 is the closest FE game to being a masterpiece.

[Dandee Leone]

I'd say that either Genealogy or Blazing Blade are the closest masterpieces we have. The others excel in certain aspects, but have flaws in other aspects that prevent them from being "masterpieces"

[Anacybele]

I disagree, FE7 is nowhere near a masterpiece at all. The story, characters, and gameplay are all pretty boring. Tellius introduces a much better cast, things like the base, base conversations, skills, ledge mechanics, and more. Hell, its music is the best in the series too, if you ask me!

Edited February 3, 2017 by Anacybele

[MCProductions]

This thread can be summed up nicely with one of my rules to live by, "Opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one, and they all stink"

Now to contribute as to why I feel FE3 is the closest FE has to masterpiece/make me look like a hypocrite for spreading an opinion after explaining why opinions hurt this thread, FE3 was FE's SMW, and it set most if not all of the standards followed by modern FE today.

[Locke087]

No FE game is quite a huge landmark for video game development but I don't think that is what qualifies something to be a masterpiece for me. FE 7 is my second favorite game of all time so it goes without saying that I think very highly of the game. Like all things in life it is flawed but those flaws don't stand out to me, it's characters and gameplay just really appeal to me. I also think its story is the best in the FE franchise, it's not one best stories in video games (in fact it's probably one of the lowest ones on the totem pole in this regard, for my top 10 games) but one of the best Fire Emblem has to offer imo. Frankly a lot like Mass Effect 2 I think it's excellent characters make up any and all story flaws.

Edited February 3, 2017 by Locke087

[Azz]

To me Gaiden is a masterpiece. A shitty one with horrible maps, lack of character or story and horribly unbalanced gameplay, but a masterpiece to me none the less.

But I do agree with what some of the above have said is that something being a masterpiece is subjective as regardless of the amount of people who consider it a game so ala OoT, there will always be those other people who would say MM is better. And those people are right JS. So realistically, you should be asking what is in your opinion the best FE game or define what a masterpiece is in this context, because easily every FE could be considered a masterpiece to some extent.

 

[Baldrick]

What qualities does a masterpiece have? For me, it would be based on the purpose of a work; what the creator was trying to convey, how they designed it, and the response of the viewer.

Fire Emblem is described by its creator as a "roleplaying simulation". IMO, a FE masterpiece would have a strong, interesting character arc for every unit, and a strong interaction between the gameplay and the plot; you would have plenty of options in the gameplay which affect the narrative in subtle ways.

Out of all the games in the series, I think Thracia is the closest to that ideal game. The latter aspect is where it shines; the usual FE plot is complemented by gameplay mechanics like capture and escape. Like many other games there are NPCs you can either save or abandon (mostly kids, due to the child hunting subplot). When you encounter the parents/guardians of those kids in villages later on, their reaction is a real gut-punch, especially when you're aware of their other reaction. It had more gravity to it than just failing a sidequest in a video game.

I believe Fates had the potential to surpass Thracia. Especially in the way it was advertised. Since it had a similar story, it could refine their formula and have a real impact on the narrative of that game (you could play either side) as well as bringing modern creature comforts and customisation to make it more fun to replay. Needless to say, it didn't work out that way.

Edited February 4, 2017 by Baldrick

[Butterstroke]

Fire Emblem Heroes is a masterpiece! The bugs make it that much better!

As long as I enjoy the game, its a masterpiece in my eyes. Totally not an over hyped fan of Fire Emblem. What are you talking about?

[Radiant head]

radiant dawn comes really close.  unfortunately the blood pact alone rules it out. 

 

 

[NekoKnight]

If I were to define a masterpiece, I would describe it as a work of art that has an immense impact on culture or manages to accomplish at least one thing to a masterful degree and have everything else at least be average. These are steep qualifications to meet so there are few things I'd call a masterpiece. Berserk is a masterpiece for its character development, story-telling and art. Shadow of the Colossus is a masterpiece for creating a beautiful world, music and minimalist story-telling. Fire Emblem? While there are many games that have had an impact on my life, I can't really say they were so revolutionary in either game-play, story or presentation that they warrant such a prestigious title. 

OP needs to write better poll options. He needs to define what criteria a masterpiece has.

@Zelda discussion, I think Twlight Princess is overall a more polished experience than Ocarina but I have respect for the impact the latter had.

Edited February 4, 2017 by NekoKnight

[Cornguy]

I'd say yes, but I've always been biased towards FE. I'm loose in my definition of masterpiece though. Do I consider it art? Yes. Do I love it, or am particularly moved by it? Masterpiece.

Not to bag on your poll or anything, but this is more or less asking what our definitions of masterpieces are. I mean, I would hope anyone with an account on this site loves at least one FE game. 

If you were to ask me which game in particular is a masterpiece, I'd say 4, 5 and 9 in particular stand out to me.