vanguard333

Ocarina of Time didn't need that much updated compared to something like SoV though and they still updated it in most of the areas where it did need updating; mainly in graphics, but also in things like marking where the water level rooms are in the water temple, making the iron boots equipable without needing to go into the menu, making the Dark Link fight more intuitive, etc., but if that isn't enough, then fine; ignore that example then. I still had another example. I suppose. Still, the story could've at least made some effort to compensate for the limitations inherent in the map, and they could've updated the map in a couple places (such as maybe having some stuff between taking control of the Deliverance and retaking the castle, such as a mission that's designed to explain how the heroes actually manage to get into the capital and actually lets us see Alm actually think it through). True; it was mainly in the beginning. Still, it was a huge effort that I'm glad they did (even though I never lost a single unit in any of my playthroughs, so I didn't find out about it until I saw the game script for the early chapters).

True, though I will just say that Path of Radiance made a huge effort to account for character deaths in its script.

Yes, but gameplay & story segregation is generally considered something to be avoided, and gameplay & story integration is generally considered something to be appreciated. Also, regarding your example, it would be hard for him to save either Rudolf or Berkut since both are very intent on impaling themselves on his sword for different reasons. I suppose, and had SoV gone full retro like Shadow Dragon, I probably wouldn't have noticed too much, similarly to how I didn't care too much about Shadow Dragon's plot still being barebones. The problem comes from the fact that the SoV's schizophrenic on whether it wants to be retro or an update; I personally think that it should've gone for the full update route like Final Fantasy 7 Remake without the weird anti-time-travel reapers, but that's beside the point. As it is, there are FE games with world maps that have come along and given a much better since of struggle. As much as I love describing Awakening's plot as mediocre and generic, and as much as I like saying Chrom's a good representation of that, he still clearly struggles. He has an entire chapter where he and his forces are fleeing Plegia after his sister's death, and there's also, well, his sister's death. Also, as for the Dracozombie thing, was there a line of dialogue that explained it but got removed? I ask because because, on my first and only playthrough, I noticed the dracozombie thing, realized, "Oh; the game's telling me I have to finish the Celica stuff before I can proceed further", but I couldn't find any dialogue or anything that explained what was going on. I could've sworn that I went over the dialogue wondering, "Where's the explanation for the respawning dracozombies?"

Exactly. To add to that: even then, other lords who were raised up in environments of having to take command could still be argued to struggle: as barebones as the plot of Shadow Dragon is, it does place a fair bit of emphasis on how Marth has to step up to the plate as heir to Altea and the Falchion, and how it is a struggle for him to do so. Alm just steamrolling through everything is not something I've seen much of in Fire Emblem, even in games where it would be a bit more excusable.

I see. I honestly don't; I just see "struggle" as the character trying to overcome something. It could be a character flaw, but it doesn't have to be one, and thinking that it has to be a character flaw has actually led to the problem of writers running out of established character flaws for their characters to overcome and having to either reintroduce prior flaws or make up new ones that the characters didn't exhibit before. For another example, in The Hobbit, Bilbo's struggle doesn't come from a character flaw, but instead comes from him being way out of his comfort-zone; he's never left The Shire before and he's certainly never burgled before, let alone stolen back a treasure hoard from a dragon, and the journey and loss of the comforts of home weigh on him immensely. You are right in that there doesn't necessarily need to be struggle for a protagonist to be compelling, but in writing, unlike in math, counterexamples do not inherently disprove the rule (since writing rules are more akin to guidelines). I was just trying to say that it is one major ingredient for making a compelling character.

Who said anything about flaws? I was just talking about struggle; as in struggling to overcome something (it could be a character flaw, but it doesn't have to be). For the Ike example, I didn't once bring up a character flaw except for his recklessness in chapter 2, and even that I phrased within the wider context of him struggling as a rookie mercenary. This part I agree with, and is pretty much my exact point only worded slightly better.

I would say that Alm's the main problem. Main characters ideally need to be compelling, and a big part of being compelling is struggle. But I never got the sense that anything was actually hard for Alm. Celica at least was grappling with moral and character dilemma, while I never got the sense that any of the obstacles in Alm's path were that much of obstacles. For just one example, he is handed control of a resistance movement that lost control of Zofia's capital and then immediately retakes it. My favourite FE protagonist is Ike, and one thing that is made clear when comparing Ike and Alm is that Ike is very clearly struggling. He starts off as a complete newbie who gets in trouble in the second chapter, his mercenary company spends the first third of the game (after Daein declares war) on the run from Daein, where another day in which the princess is safe with them is another small victory. He loses his father and mentor in chapter 9 and he has to come to grips with stepping into a leadership role far sooner than anyone expected that he would have to (creating a strong parallel with Elincia's journey), and it is all very much a struggle. By the time he comes to grips with leading a small company, he then is immediately thrust into the position of leading an army in a war, he is not ready for it, and the game reflects that. Ike struggles a lot. Don't get me wrong, Alm gets a lot thrown at him, but if none of it seems to actually weigh him down, then what's the point?

Ah. Thanks for the clarification.

Exactly. Are you adding to my point or trying to disagree with me? I ask because your point is pretty much mine, but you open with, "Which is pretty much the issue".

Yeah; I'm late to this specific conversation and don't have all the context for who is arguing what, but I can point out that that's a case of telling rather than showing, and what's being told to the player contradicting what's being shown; something that Shadows of Valentia is quite guilty of in a number of places. The problem is that the player is shown Alm always being perfect and Celica's actions being in the wrong as she ultimately makes things worse by agreeing to Jedah's deal. The game is supposed to be about balance, working together and bonds overcoming conflicting ideologies but it breaks that lesson by basically having the story favour Alm. That's the problem.

Wow; that one's my personal favourite Zelda game, though I am more than willing to admit it is rather flawed: the flute easily being my least favourite part of the game. That said, I thought it was pretty clear from the intro of the game (and the fact that Nico is the one narrating it) that Link, Zelda, and her pirates found a new land to settle and named it New Hyrule. For me, it's easily Link & Spirit Zelda that carry the game: their dynamic is fantastic, Spirit Zelds is probably the most useful companion Link has ever had, and the twist on the classic formula in that the villain's just needed Zelda's body and Zelda herself is never actually damselled was a neat variation.

Ah, yes; the games industry. Let's all laugh at an industry, that never learns anything; tee hee hee. (If you don't know the reference, it's a little tune that plays when Zero Punctuation makes a video criticizing a part of the games industry) It's not just consumer-unfriendly practices, but the people who make the games are often also exploited through practices like crunch. @XRay Just want to point out that a lot of the issues with cable companies are hardly unique to the US: Canada has to suffer the misery of Rogers and Bell. If it makes you feel better, a number of cities in the States have been implementing their own local internet and cable, though they've been fought heavily by the companies.

Ah, I had almost forgotten how much use of martial arts there was in part 1 of Naruto. I think you'll like this video:

The thing is, Medieval naval warfare wasn't much. A lo of the time, it largely amounted to people on ships throwing fletched javelins at people on other ships. Ships in Northern Europe were mainly for transporting troops rather than direct combat; it's the Byzantine Empire that used naval combat the most, and a lot of it was carried over from the Late Roman Empire as far as I know.

I agree that they have a lot of parallels; another example of FE borrowing from Path of Radiance on the surface-level for something in Three Houses. That said, while I haven't played Blue Lions yet so my opinion may change, I do think Tauroneo is the more compelling character, and one reason for that is that Tauroneo's mistake was the very thing that tore him from his family, while Gilbert trying to atone for a prior mistake led to him making another one in deserting his family and it's hard to tell which he's more concerned about: his family or his atonement. The problem with that is that is that Echoes was almost schizophrenic in whether it wanted to rigidly adhere to Gaiden's story like Shadow Dragon, or update and expand upon the narrative.

Technically, it's older Purah if we're talking about physical age rather than chronology.

Thanks for the input. I think Shadow Dragon would be best out of all the games because Marth's story is so barebones in the first game (it was really New Mystery that added a lot of worldbuilding and such, and that stuff can't really be put into Shadow Dragon because they were big reveals in New Mystery), which would give a good outline upon which I could expand and explore the stuff that's plot-relevant and leave out a lot of stuff that isn't. Stuff like the Pyrathi chapter could be completely removed without harming the film or upsetting fans too much. I do think Fire Emblem is far better suited to TV shows than movies, and if I could make a show, it would easily be an almost 1:1 adaptation of Path of Radiance, but this thread is asking about a movie, so I said what I would do if asked to make a movie. Who says it has to be a wig? A small studio whose name I can't remember is making a short film based on events in that recent fantasy novel Chronicles of Everfall: Shadow of the Conqueror, the protagonist in that book has blue hair, and they say in their videos about the short film's production that they've found a dye/tint that would have the effect without it looking silly.

That's the reason why I said my Shadow Dragon three-part film would have the first part have Marth vs Jiol (the king of Gra who betrayed Marth's dad) as the climax, with the addition that Jiol claims he was threatened into betraying Altea by Gharnef, and the battle would make it sink into Marth that the war is a lot more than, "Defeat Dohlr and reclaim Altea". Do you think that would be a satisfying enough end if done well? That is true, and I'm also tired of elves and dwarves, which is one reason I promised to myself that I wouldn't use elves and dwarves in any of my own fantasy stories that I'm writing; I would use faeries (the Celtic Folklore kind of faeries, not the butterfly-winged kind) and stuff like that that doesn't see as much use.

If it has to be live-action, I would probably adapt Shadow Dragon into a three-part movie series like The Lord of the RIngs. A) Part 1 would cover the prologue up to beating Jiol (which would be changed to happen earlier), then part 2 would end with retaking Altea, and part 3 would be Marth defeating Grust, Macedon, Gharnef and Medeus. I would use the movie format as an opportunity to expand upon the main characters using the outline that's already there in Shadow Dragon and Mystery of the Emblem. For some examples: Since the game had Jiol (and by extension Gra) betray Altea out of cowardice, Part 1 would have the climactic siege involve a duel between Jiol and Marth where Jiol reveals that he was threatened into betraying Marth's father by Gharnef (who would be mentioned in passing a few times, but this would be the moment that reveals his involvement in the war). Jiol still refuses to surrender, however, believing that he's doomed unless he kills Marth. He is ultimately killed, but Marth doesn't feel any relief from the traitor's death like he thought he would; instead he just silently weeps. A big part of Marth's arc in part 1 would be that he only sees the war in terms of reclaiming Altea and defeating Dohlr, and realizing that he needs to grow out of that mindset and see the larger picture of what's going on. This moment is the moment where that really sinks in. I would give Medeus and Gharnef a greater presence in the story, even without them necessarily having to be on-screen. Gharnef would be popping in and out every now and then to try to manipulate things in his favour, and Medeus would be confined to Dohlr Keep (as leaving it would kill him due to him not being fully revived, which is the reason Gharnef intends to use the Aum Staff and a captured princess to accelerate his revival), but he would still have a few scenes before his big battle. One scene I had in mind was that we see him personally punish Camus for freeing Nyna, scoffing at Camus' reasons, and then convincing him to be loyal to his kingdom. This scene would be used to give insight into Medeus since we don't really get his backstory until Mystery of the Emblem, and here he would reveal to Camus, "I once picked my heart over my kingdom (when he became a manakete and helped Naga seal away the maddened earth dragons), and it led to my kin being sealed away and my people being trampled on by you humans." It would also expand upon Camus' "were my heart my master I would side with you, but I must think of my kingdom" reasoning for not siding with Marth and Nyna. Speaking of Medeus, every scene with him in Dohlr Keep would have him and/or Gharnef noting, "Only three years left until the seal is broken" as a sequel hook for New Mystery of the Emblem, with Medeus at one point saying, "Why couldn't you just choose to become manaketes? Why then, of all times, did you let your pride cloud your jusgements?" This is to hint that Medeus and Gharnef both want to unleash the Earth Dragons upon humanity with them believing Medeus will be able to control or at least guide them. Perhaps, if a film of New Mystery were made, I would have Gharnef taunt Gotoh by screaming, "The seal is broken! [...] From the first day you taught me, Gotoh, I knew you were a dragon that lost your stone! How does it feel to know that everything you and Naga sacrificed was for nothing! Tell me, teacher! How does it feel?!" B) I would probably try to cast a lot of newcomers for the younger roles and more experienced actors for older characters like Jiol, Gharnef, and Medeus. I can't think of anyone specific that I would cast. C) For one thing, since it's a Fire Emblem film, there would be a lot of heavy emphasis on the war. And, unlike Lord of the Rings where they're fighting Always Chaotic Evil Orcs, it is made abundantly clear that the heroes are fighting people; people who may not be opposing them by choice. Also, even if it's live-action, I would still want to maintain the aesthetic of the games as much as possible. For example, if possible to do so without it looking silly, I would give the characters their different hair colours. What do you guys think? Seriously; I would appreciate feedback since I'm currently writing my own fantasy war novel.

Subliminal Messaging/10 I can't remember if I've posted this one already or not; if I have, please let me know and I'll change it to something else:

I got Mario 3D All-Stars. I'm starting with 64, and I'll 100% it before moving on to quickly going through Sunshine (though not all of it), then Galaxy. 64 surprisingly holds up well. Graphics were always going to age, but the gameplay and level design is pretty good. Each of the 3D Mario games seem to be especially good at something in particular, and I would consider 64 the jack-of-all-trades. That said, the camera is bad. Most of the time, it's fine, but the limited angles it can turn and Lakitu's tendency to get stuck and prevent you from seeing at certain angles can really hinder the game. There's a good reason why Sunshine is much less polished: it and Wind Waker were both rushed out the door due to lackluster initial sales of the GameCube.

I expected it; I thought it was pretty much inevitable.

Well, I suppose Steve's inclusion was inevitable. I'm not excited for it, but I was also never really that interested in Minecraft.

I buy games that interest me, and I play games that I buy, so I don't normally have very low expectations of a game. I enjoy games, and I'm surprised when they're even better than I was thinking they would be, but I wouldn't say I was surprisingly pleased with them as I expected to be pleased with them. There is one exception: Xenoblade Chronicles X. I had never played a Xenoblade game before, and while I thought the trailer for X was cool, I didn't really have any intention of getting it. My family got it for me as a gift because the guy at the EB Games recommended it over the game I was interested in getting (Hyrule Warriors), and honestly, that guy at the store knew what he was talking about. I absolutely loved Xenoblade X, mainly because of the exploration, but I also really liked the characters and I thought the story was alright. The combat was a cooldown-based system one might see in an MMO and I wasn't a fan of that, but I did like the customization and switching between a ranged weapon and a melee weapon. Piloting skells was also very fun if a bit awkward at first. That's good to hear; I've been meaning to get that game for over a year now as the trailers for it caught my eye (never played a Ys game before) but I've been busy with other games and not having much free time.

Well, if it had to be a Fire Emblem 3D All Stars, it would have to be Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, and Awakening, as those are the oldest 3D Fire Emblem games.