The DanMan

Or something strange like somebody is able to find the correct encryption key against all odds and dump everything right before release? I'm going to spoil everything. I've tried, and I am no good at avoiding spoilers. The one time I tried going dark lasted less than 24 hours.

I honestly think I'm going to go Silas/Elise, if that's possible. I haven't really thought much about much on the Nohr side. And yes, when I get to Hoshido, Takumi/Oboro. If the 3rd path has a mix, then I think it will be interesting to do something with the two royal families.

Yeah; I've heard bits and pieces about the "stop having fun your way, use these units" kind of guys. (I used the Halo example because that's a personal one that resulted in me giving up on the fandom due to a massive split.) Also, an interesting note: 250,000 (the barrier Awakening needed to break) was roughly the total sales number of Shadow Dragon, with NME selling simliarly (despite being Japan only). And yes, I knew about Casual mode and FE12; it's just that Awakening had it and was localized, which results in it being represented by it more (it kinda helps that it has sold 1.8 million). I've actually tried to engage in thought experiments were the series maintained just enough sales and relevance to stay in it's "popular niche game" spot that it was in before (most had at least heard of it before). Really, the series has changed, but it's too early to pass full judgement. As annoyed as most of us are at the waifu crap that gets tossed around, FE14 undeniably has a lot of improvements and changes to distance itself from Awakening.

I'm really surprised more people didn't make a deal of this sooner. Looking back through Kirokan's translation, it may not have been the Famitsu interview, but it was certainly in Famitsu. And do you seriously think the community will escape the "elitist" label anytime soon? It reminds me of the Halo fanbase. There are a lot of people whining about how the 343 games aren't like the Bungie games (different weapon sandbox, more darker and lore-focused story, etc.). Yes, quite a few of them are jerks about it. But most of those who calmly express their opinion and provide evidence for it are shouted out and lumped in with the others. It's arguably worse here, as Awakening was the majority of the existing fan's first experience with it, and it "saved the series" (I'd argue two things called "casual mode" and "advertising" did). Alot of them seem to take personal offense at criticism of Awakening, and thus spread the "elitist stereotype". Of course it, like all stereotypes, holds a drop of truth in it, but really, how many full-out elitists are there here? Not that many. Sure, they're their, but they're a very small part of the fanbase. And the fact that people go out and cite reddit and 4chan makes it look like they just want a reason to hate those who disagree with them.

...I'm laughing way too much at the people who are wondering what happened to Retro's project and why "it wasn't at E3". FYI, it was at E3. It's being made alongside Keiji Inafune's company Comcept. And it's an Xbox One game.

...Why does Kamui seem like so much less of a naive idiot in the Hoshido route?

I'm a slave to defaults (especially after the Robin situation). ...That is, Kamui. Though I don't seem to dislike Corrin like everybody else, it makes no sense considering his lineage.

...You may be on to something. *Reminder that first cousins weren't off limits during the Middle Ages IRL*

Dear IS, ...What's the point? Really, what's the point, IntSys? You just inflate the unit roster with blatant clones of the popular characters from Awakening to cheap out/make it look larger than it really is. And please, if you're so intent on doing that, then why do veterans have to simply be satisfied that they're getting a game that resembles an SRPG? If there were a few expies from throughout the series, then okay. But now that we have half a dozen Awakening clones sitting around, it's crossed the line. I just don't get it. Sure, you miiiight get slightly increased sales out of it. But really, why do you keep the marriage mechanic around? And why in Naga's name is the 2nd generation even a thing in this game? If they're of any sort of importance to the plot, then your serious story gets hijacked and everything goes downhill. And if they're just a side feature, then it's just blatant pandering to try and get back every single person who bought Awakening. Notice how I only name-dropped Awakening? I'm seriously starting think you have forgotten any other game in the series exists (except your cash cow Akaenia games, of course). Fire Emblem has changed. The core idea is reportedly, and I quote from the Famitsu interview, "making an anime you can live in." ...But then again, you're still balancing and expanding upon the broken mechanics you introduced in Awakening. Dear IS, Could you make up your mind? Do you want to make an SRPG, or do you want to make an interactive anime and go in a completely different direction? You're trying to appeal to both casual and long-time fans, but both sides are somewhat hindered by you trying to appeal to the other. Why even bother? Surely if money is only what you cared about, then you'd just say "screw you" to the veterans because obviously your series didn't sell well enough with their support. Dear IS, You're confusing me.

I forget who I used in SS, so pass. In SD I always used Abel as my main cavalier; my secondary cavalier would change in each playthrough, but Abel was the constant (plus he's badass in the manga). However, in Awakening I tend to use Sully more, simply because Stahl has a bad habit of getting early-game RNG-screwed. In general, however, I like the green cavalier designs more.

Okay; I disagree with that attitude. Because they're using an easier mode, therefore they deserve to be insulted? I was under the impression most of the fandom had gotten over this. A real argument would be: "I don't see much reason to play Casual Mode; without worrying about the welfare of your units, most of the strategy goes out the window." (Though I do find it odd that the devs keep saying they encourage classic mode, but add nothing to entice people to try it.)

I feel like an idiot for not knowing this, but is it confirmed that Attack Stance gives 1/3 of the XP to the second unit (like Awakening)?

Has it been confirmed if battlesaves are still locked to casual mode? As unlikely as it is to change, I really hope that it isn't.

*Ding!**Ding!* What's this? Your conversation is devolving! Anyway, here's how I think of it: there's less then a week until the Japanese version releases. I'll just listen to the people who import the game and see whether or not it's the same crap as Awakening, If it's actually a good SRPG with a few stupid features tacked on, then okay.

I'm just going to wait on the impressions of those importing. If it's actually an enjoyable game with a good story and just a few stupid little side mechanics, then alright. If it's the same BS that was in Awakening, then I start emulating.

I sincerely hope ambush-spawning reinforcements are gone, period. But since this was on easy Normal mode... . And as for OP Corrin: debug mode god Corrin. Straight from DBZ!

I mean the numbers. Is the 147,045 initial sales and 247,248 the lifetime sales?

Could you explain to me what 147.045 / 247.248 means? This. Oh so much.

...Was Kazahana that hard to pronounce? Ditto with Tsubaki. Heck, there's a character from BlazBlue that had the localization change her name to Tsubaki. Aqua=Azura is whatever.

To quote and expand upon what somebody else said, it seems like IS had a change of plans for this game: they started out wanting to make something big and different, but as time went on, they started to trying to play it safe, to try and grab back every single person who bought Awakening. First was the 2nd generation expies, then marriage, before they decided to just go whole hog with it and bring back the 2nd generation. And here's the thing: nobody's 100% happy about it. This is including those who liked the mechanics in Awakening. Heck, apparently the guys on 2chan are having discussions/debates mirroring the ones on here. It's probably not going to positively effect the game's sales; they're certainly catching flak about it on both sides of the pacific and fandom.

Oh really? The only numbers we have peg NME at 270,000 and SD's overall worldwide sales at 250,000.

Leon >>>>> Leo. That's all. We don't even have the Lyon justification anymore, as we've got the (perfectly fine) Harold changed to Arthur. I've warmed up to Corrin quite a bit. Probably because the first character I think of that shares that name was a boy treated as a slave by his adoptive "father", but was actually the prince of a foreign country.

Agreed. ...But again, they might as well just scream "shameless pandering". It definitely seems like few are 100% happy with this announcement, even those who liked the marriage and child mechanics.

The biggest thing I can say: the two things that made Awakening sell well were Casual Mode and Nintendo actually advertising it. I swear, virtually any other Fire Emblem game would have met with similiar success if it had Casual Mode and a marketing push. Also, as for the FE4 second gen, to my knowledge... can't you screw it up? If you're just playing the game/don't know what you're doing, you can get some non-optimal pairings and as a result, mediocre units. While in Awakening, due to the way inheritance works, the kids will always be at least slightly better than their parents.

*in a row