minervyx

not sure how or why. it makes sense that that's not the default.

Kellam was introduced as a forgettable character. And I forgot about him too. I do use Libra a lot- she's powerful. Gregor, idk, because I already have enough swordsmen. Gaius, rarely use him.

Please don't spoil too far ahead, I'm only on chapter 18. I chose a female avatar, and basically Chrom marries her. What happens if the avatar is a guy? I doubt the developers would make a gay-marriage thing, but who does Chrom marry?

Virion is sexist (not misogynist) and perverted. I feel he means well in his own deluded way though.

I don't really use the archer Virion. I try not to use more than 2 (indirect) mages per game. The pegasus characters are mobile, but also very vulnerable so I rarely use them. For some reason Lon'qu seems to not perform well, so I stopped using him. Poor Miriel - I probably haven't even used her once. As for who I use, Chrom and Frederick are obviously mainstays. I use Olivia and Lissa for support. Sully is a powerhouse, so I def use her. Of course, these decisions reflect my playthrough. Maybe for you, you've leveled up the Pegasus characters quite high and they're deadly, for example.

i hope you're joking.

Rosalina (Super Mario) -- confirmed Bowser Jr. (Super Mario) Crystal (Star Fox) Dark Samus (Metroid) Ridley (Metroid) Ghirahim (Legend of Zelda) Midna (Legend of Zelda) --- unlikely Isaac (Golden Sun) Hawke (Advance Wars) Chrom (Fire Emblem)

i made a thread earlier about how I was 2 1/2 hours into the game and skeptical on it. after giving it more time, it's starting to grow on me. i realize that the story, characters and strategic each individually aren't groundbreaking, but FE: Awakening really has a good way of bringing everything together. whether it's the inventory system, the flexibility on how you want to equip your characters, the pairing up and blocking mechanics to establish comraderie, it's a game that doesn't rest too much depth in a single aspect or mechanics but rather spreads it out amongst all of them. yeah, i can find a better game than FE Awakening in each individual aspect, but I'd be hard pressed to find a game that comes together as a whole as well as this one does. initially, i had to force myself to play this game and enjoy it. now i get a craving every day or two to pick up this game and play at least one round. it's not the kind of game i would want to play for over an hour at a time, but i usually play 1 or 2 matches per sitting. and i'm pretty much addicted to this game in small dosages :) moral of the story. give this game a chance before you knock it. Also, yes I know:

So. Weak characters. Weak story. Weak map and level design. Why haven't any of the critics (or many of the fans mentioned this?!?). This seemingly-perfect game is riddled with issues. I feel like Fire Emblem Awakening is Grand Theft Auto IV all over again. (Edit: I don't see a deletion or merging feature on the forum)

Reinforcement does tolerate grinding, which I don't find too bad. And I can't criticize a game for having learned patterns because aren't ALL games like that? It feels no different than re-playing the train level in Uncharted 2 and memorizing when the plane is about to strike you. Not a big problem in my eyes. For a character building game!?!?!? I know Mass Effect 2's plot was horrible, but it made up for it with excellent character building. Whereas FEA doesn't. HAHAHA!! LMAO!! So true!!!! "Why are the gameplay mechanics so imbalanced" "Well, it's a story-character game. It's not a tactical game like AW" "So, why is the story weak, and most of the characters one-notes" "No, I play it for the gameplay" So, FEA wants to be jack of both trades, but master of neither. --- Also It's worth nothing that I don't think the game is mediocre or bad. It's a GOOD game. Just not a great one. So, instead of it being like a 9 out of 10, it's more like a 6 or 7 (from the 3 hours I've played; assuming things don't change)

Of course, it's all opinion. I'm not trying to force anything down anyone's throats. Yeah, things do happen WAY too fast. For example, my character and Chrom get married in chapter 12 and it feels forced, and way too soon. "I just met you a few days ago, and this is crazy, but we won some battles together, so marry me maybe?" Yet 3 hours in should usually be enough time for me to gain interest into a game's world. And it wasn't here. I still have to understand that 3 hours isn't as much time for an RPG, than in other genres. So I'll give it more time. I should clarify. I'm not saying it's too easy or I'm too smart for it. I just feel that the mechanics are a bit imbalanced (though far from totally haywire). I should make this clear: I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE SERIES. I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT AWAKENING. Some people have been referencing other games, and I haven't played them, so I can't comment on them. Initially I played as a perfectionist, but having to repeat a mission 3 times because a character or two died just really became a drag after a while. I did reset upon death many times before (believe me, I'm not stupid lol). It hurts the fun and makes it feel artificial after a while. And by the way, I don't think this game suffers from any SERIOUS flaws. It moreso just doesn't have enough uniqueness or huge strengths in its favor to make me say this is more than just another good (but not great) game. Well, no, the game wants you to treat your characters like human. But the gameplay feels like it requires you to use them as meatshields. You need to move to pursue the enemy, and as you do, your characters are vulnerable. So, Frederic in the front, the warriors in the middle and the mages in the back. I spend $40 on it (and I rarely pay full price for a game). I wanted to LOVE it. Maybe I still can. Your argument feels similar to the Zelda story argument. If I say that the "rescue the princess and kill ganondorf" plot is getting really old and we should have an actual story, people automatically assume that I want the game to become littered with giant cutscenes like Metal Gear Solid 4. Rather than just make a story like Link's Awakening or Majora's Mask. Yes, I've known all about the series tradition of perma-death. Pairing up and blocking/guarding does feel rewarding, I'll give you that. As for the DLC, I'll pay for it if I beat it and love it, but I shouldn't have to buy DLC in order to love a game. You said it yourself. The plot is shallow and mediocre. I would easily trade the refined mechanics of Advanced Wars for a brilliant story with memorable characters. I just didn't get that here (or at least yet: I'm only 3 hours in. that's like what, 10% of the game?) Yes, FE is a grind-fest. I should've clarified that I'm not saying the game is too simplistic for my intellectual level at all. It has provided me with enough challenge. It's just whether the mechanics are deep and engaging. Call of Duty, for example; the online multiplayer is far from easy; I just don't find the mechanics to be that great. I do pay attention to the support conversations. They add a bit, but feel forced and contrived. They need extrinsic motivation to get you to do it.

There just really isn't much strategy other than. Stay nearby your teammates, pick the right weapon. Yes, the general consensus is "yes, compared to AW, you give up the tactical strategy, but what you get in return is story and characters.". But I find myself asking: where's the story and characters?! The game essentially treats characters as disposable units (despite offering the pretense that it doesn't). Your characters can die with one swing of the axe (just as many enemy units can). And you have to meatshield your characters. This game has gotten dozens of positive reviews (not one mixed or negative review) and a 90+ score on Metacritic. I'm just baffled how not one of them (not one) have spotted the flaws that I have. I really hope it gets better. Right now I just feel like I wasted $40.

But I love RPG's, I love character based games. But how could this be a character-based RPG when the characters are mostly unappealing or one-dimensional and the writing is full of cliches.

Oh, good.

I'm a huge Advance Wars fan, took a leap of faith and got FE:A. I'm 2.5 hours in and I think I'm on chapter 11. I'm not sure how much I like this game. I think I like it, but I just don't understand the huge rave about it. I'm guessing (and I hope) that it gets better. I really don't want to be that kinda guy who says "What the hell? this isn't advance wars!!" but it really just doesn't appeal to me the way Advance Wars did (at least yet). I'm totally alright with characters and story driving the game, but I'm not so sure how well it does either of these things yet. From the story side of things, I'm far from hooked. It seems like a cliche war of races, fueled by the death and suffering of women. Nothing, so far, has been done particularly exceptional in terms of the story. Some characters are interesting, but the majority are one-notes. Delicate girly girls and brooding warriors, for example. And then there's the mechanics that just feel odd. For a game based on permanance, attacks are far too lethal. The game's difficulty is either way too easy or insanely hard. Level designs either have too narrow chokepoints or plain open fields. Lack of properties, farming, resources, etc. make the game feel a little empty. Does this game get better and will there be enough changes to keep it exciting? Just how many more hours do I have to play until I get emotionally invested into the world?