Interdimensional Observer

I'd approve of anything if the execution is nailed right. Be it in a bright traditional for FE high fantasy setting or a nitty gritty one, if it is executed well, I'm be okay with your idea. Don't give me 100% angst beef or darkly immoral just 'cause or just pure raging emotions that leads to pure stupid errors. That I will ask for.

Well I guess it's arguable which is worse/better of Eirika's and Ephraim's routes regarding plot. Let's compare them a little: Overall Journey: Eiri's: A little trip to Rausten is quickly derailed and turns into a rescue in Carcino. Afterwards, Eirika travels through some mountains with monsters en route to Jehanna, where she fails in Innes's mission. Upon reuniting with her brother, her naïveté gets Renais's Sacred Stone smashed, the result of the fact she really wants to save her dear friend, but struggles with the fact she can't. Eph's: A grand campaign to defeat the evil Grado Empire. Two victories are followed with a monster attack at sea, and then more battles with Grado. Along the way, Ephraim learns about why Grado invaded- the Dark Stone and Lyon. After defeating Grado, Ephraim rescues his sister and his brashness gets the Sacred Stone of Renais smashed. Everything Else: Eirika's route gives some world-building in Carcino and Caer Pelyn, and the Carcino rescue and Hamil Canyon battles are rather epic. Most of the PCs you recruit are rather well integrated into the story for a Fire Emblem game. On the Gemstone General front, you get Glen the nice guy, Valter the murderer, and Caellach the scumbag. Ismaire is as undeveloped as Vigarde (just to speak of her). Lyon is clearly possessed and suffering for it. Ephraim's route has Duessel's rescue, Selena Fluorspar, the Grado Keep battle, and a much better version of Scorched Sands with regards to epic fights (but it'd be even better if the bosses moved). The PCs are poorly integrated. Valter, Riev, and Caellach all appear briefly, but the real Gemstone General attention falls on Selena and Duessel (though I could understand if you thought Glen outweighs both of them). No real world building happens, other than the Grado has earthquakes thing. Gameplay-wise as a side note, Ephraim's is better, or at least harder. I mean Hamill Canyon and Revolt at Carcino offer a decent challenge, but as a whole, Eirika's is nowhere near as difficult. Though you may argue between the Bolting, the FoW Gargoyle flanking, and the status staffs that Ephraim's route is just cheaper.

Every FE has story arcs to some extent, albeit not so gigantic or radically disconnected as Awakening. PoR: everything up to Greil's death is one arc, the chapters thereafter are not so arc-ified, but when we land in Begnion, another arc begins which ends with Ike being promoted and the invasion of Daein. Once Nevassa is conquered the last arc, reclaiming Crimea, begins. Genealogy is basically two arcs, with Gen 1 possibly divisible into three sub-arcs. FE7 has the search for Elbert, figuring out what to do post-Elbert's death, the Bern and Fire Emblem arc, and then the time to kill Nergal final arc. Curiously, Kid Icarus: Uprising has a similar number of chapters to Awakening, but actually runs through 5 arcs. The difference is that Awakening takes itself seriously, KIU does not. The result: KIU is not lambasted for its arcs, Awakening is. And a personal critique of mine of the Valm arc falls on Yen'fay. With Gangrel at least we got to see him kill Basilio as a badass gameplay representation of his power. Yen'fay appears not whatsoever prior to his one battle and thus we have no appreciation for his strength or talent, ever, which means the player is not at emotionally hyped up/fearful when fighting him. The game could call him the Lord of All Creation at the start of his fight, and it wouldn't matter if we saw nothing of him beforehand.

Amelia obviously goes Ephraim's route- she is shoehorned into Erika 9. Cormag- I so want him to go Eph's because I like him fighting Grado directly with Duessel, but he definitely is better developed on Eri's. L'Arachel and her allies seem more suited to Ephy's for me, but without her, how will Eri 13 end? The Gerik Mercenaries are better suited for Eri no doubt about that. Tana, she is better on Eph's but she has a case for Eri's too. Seth, he could go either way, and I'd even let the player decide which way he goes (like every other pre-route character). It'd be nice if you could decide who goes where as you play. Meaning Tana starts by getting captured at Rigwald, but once rescued, Eph can send her to Eri. And Erika would be able to do the same with Gerik's group. Of course, splitting the pre-route group in half might result in the teams being a little too small. I mean Lute and Artur give two mages, Natasha and Moulder two healers, Vanessa plus soon to join Tana two fliers, Garcia and Ross two axers, and you have 4 cavs, but still, this seems too little. In a hypothetical remake of SS with route alternation (with the player being able to choose who of Eph and Eri is the star in the end) I'd add some additional characters to fill things out a bit. At the least I'd add someone who could advise the lord who doesn't get Seth. And I'll agree, Eri's route is the weaker one plot-wise.

Water-walk and mountaineering too are pretty useless for the player. The main use they have is for the enemy, where they creep, creep, creep over terrain that the player can't get to (sans fliers, which in almost every game pirates/brigands appear, use WTD lances), eventually reaching either a village to smash, or the player's forces, obviously ready to smash the brigand/pirate. If they could move faster at sea/on mountains, then things would be better.

I'm feeling a little burnt out paying attention to every update on what we know about this game at this point. To keep the magic alive, I think I'll outright quit looking on this board come April, particularly once the game is out in Japan. That way, by the time the game releases in May, it'll feel fresh and engaging. And until I beat the game (unless I get really really stuck) I'll stay off this board too, that way my one and only first impression will not be tainted by the opinions of others. Once I've beaten it and wait a day or two for everything to settle, then you'll see me do my usual long and overly analytical posts on this particular board again. Anyone feeling the same way?

Difficulty settings? Not bad, felt the original was too easy (though I've heard others say it was brutal- I think it all depends on how much you use that invisibility thing). Character treatment (interactions and development I assume) is nice, but what the heck does "timeline interpretation" mean? Also, if you can pick Sub-History either at the start of the game or the end, fighting might take a backseat in that mode. How could it be balanced for both your level 1 characters and your level 50 ones? I mean there is an Disgaea 1 Etna Mode thing wherein depending on how you access the mode determines enemy stats, so they'll be suitable either for a fresh team or jacked up for an endgame one. Or, they could copy SMT: DS2 RB and just make character stats in this mode separate from those in the normal one.

Curiously, PoR actually mentions this problem in a Base Conversation. It doesn't name it however.

How could I forget 5x, Renvall? The chapter is tedious in gameplay, but I do adore the thematics, Ephraim takes a guerrilla force (not just four guys) and manages to capture an entire castle. And then he miraculously escapes despite being ridiculously surrounded by a Gemstone General's forces, and presumably Orson's betrayal. (Which on reflection, could have been better executed, as what does his betrayal actually do for Grado? He fails to capture Ephraim despite having a great chance at doing so, and then Seth protects Erika as well.) 5x for some is proof that Ephraim is too perfect (to be fair all FE lords are either: perfect pretty boys, warriors at heart, female, or a combination of these). I on the other hand like it. In my Ideal Heroic pan-FE Headcanon Army, thanks to Renvall I assign Ephraim the highly mobile and prestigious position of Cavalry Commander (Ike gets the Special Forces, and Sigurd is Supreme Commander to name a few other positions).

Height I agree should probably come back, it is realistic and contributes to map design. Maybe add a +1 range boost to bows (but not magic or 1-2 weapons) when aiming at lower terrain. That said, height did have its problems, the realistic but gigantic +/-50 hit bonus might have been slightly excessive. Making "high height" and "low height" with the former maintaining the +/-50 bonus and the latter to a smaller ~20 one might fix that though. Height did help weaken mounties a little, though not too much (the only map where it stopped them cold was 3-4). And it makes 3-5 and 3-13 so much easier, as height's large bonuses let you use weaker units like Rolf in the former or an untrained Fiona in the latter as chokers. Perhaps add ladders that you can destroy like snags or walls that enemies may try to set up. If they build one and the enemy gets to the top, the height advantage will be neutralized. Of course, for the player, as ridiculous as it might seem to carry one around all the time, including ladders as semiprecious consumable items might also help make height workable. If they choose to keep Dragon Vein-like terrain modifier actions, then there could be a map where you can trigger a landslide. It'd turn a sharp cliff face you have to climb into an easy slope you can walk up.

Will we finally get Seiken Dentetsu 3 stateside? Doubtful, but lets hope. Guess it was a bad idea to jump on the iOS version of SoM. Oh well, it's still enjoyable enough despite the controls issues

Hmm.... Blazing: Victory or Death, Kinship's Bond, Noble Lady of Caelin, Four Fanged Offensive Linus version are all decent maps, though I lack strong feelings for FE7's designs. Cog of Destiny HHM must also be noted. Sacred Stones: Scorched Sand is the best desert map in FE history. Turning Traitor and Hamil Canyon are also good. Last Hope does its job as a grandiose defense well enough. PoR: Visually, I do like the map of Despair and Hope, though it is too restrictive in gameplay. Blood Runs Red is a nice chapter thematically, but only if you know you can't recruit Jill and where the BK spawns in advance, and if you skip on sparing the vigilantes. Defending Talrega and Battle Reunion blend decent gameplay with good plot, so I'd call them favorites. And if it weren't for Ashy's damage immunity, I'd add Repatriation as well. Day Breaks was also rather unique. From RD: Part 1: Eh, if I had to name one, I'll say The Lost Heir or Daein Arise! Part 2: Elincia's Gambit is an obvious fan favorite I fell for, and On Drifting Clouds is also aesthetically pleasing being entirely in the sky. Geoffrey's Charge isn't bad either if you play with a casual BEXP orientation in mind. The rock in Part 2 is totally C1, that drags the whole thing down. Part 3: River Crossing is sooooo good! A glorious grandiose stratagem executed wonderfully! The General's Hand is meh in gameplay, but good in plot. Part 4: Honestly this Part is a bit weak in maps, but I'd say Final-3. A dragon fest done well for once. Awakening: Five Gemstones- the escape from Plegia- is good enough. Emmeryn too I guess. Fates: Obviously CQ10, but most of CQ, save perhaps the Ninja Den and Wind Tribe chapters, is pretty good. Shura's BR chapter isn't bad either, fairer than Cammy 2. Rev has no redeeming chapters whatsoever.

Not gonna shell out the money for this. But I eagerly await some here tearing up their artbook to upload the images. Just as I do the CD. Thank you for your financial sacrifice! It sounds like the Alm and Celica amiibos are just grinding dungeons- yay! The one-turn phantoms thing sounds balanced, but that they're AI controlled means no SS Summoner Phantom strats. It sounds like the other amiibos work the same, good. There are too many FEbos out there currently- to have them all as long-term playable units would be kinda broken.

For the first five seconds upon reading this, I was thinking "no way". But you have a point. And as long as we throw in some critical multiplier enhancer for Killer weapons or crit-heavy classes, I'd be fine. All too often all it takes a is a slight crit chance against a unit of mine for me to be dissuaded from attacking an enemy. Just tossing this out there- Jugdral crits are 2x Atk (not damage- meaning a 21 atk unit against a 20 def armor deals 22 damage instead of 3) and Berwick's appear to add a random 10-20 damage to an attack. I considered taking all these different ideas of criticals and labeling them Power Hits, Killer Hits, and Wonder Hits and then assigning to each class the ability to perform one of the three styles, but not the others (barring a weapon which expressly states it will only perform one type of critical). So basically Heroes do 2x Atk Power Hits and SMs 3x damage Killer hits, with Thieves dealing Wonder Hits. Then I concluded that was too convoluted.

Totally new artwork (looks fine), what appears to be at least one new, possibly playable character. I played through the original, and it is possibly the best of the original DS RPGs. The gameplay is simple turn-based, but good enough (though some character rebalances and new additions would always be welcomed). The game looked nice, sticking to 2D was better than going to DS 3D graphics. The soundtrack, though I'll agree with the common criticism it was small, but is of fine Yoko Shimomura quality. Forever Proud (the Granorg theme) is particularly worth noting because it suits the city equally well upon first visit when Protea's misrule is underway, and upon your last visit, when Eruca after much bloodshed has finally taken her throne. The time-dimensional aspect was handled well, though a few more sidequests that cleverly use the mechanic would be nice. I did like the contrast between the two storylines. The characters could be a little flat- Dias and his partner (I forget his name) could have used a little more development; Raynie and Marco were also weak. The Ernst backstory made a bit too much of this prince as well. The bad endings, though predictable which choices would lead to them most of the time, were nonetheless sort of entertaining (some of them I wish were playable). Will I get the new version (remake or enhanced port- not sure what to call it)? Let's see how much they add first.

Whatever you call the opening to the ballet Spartacus. Those drums are so intoxicating! Spartacus as a whole is good, but the opening from the music to the dancing and the stage presentation itself hooked me from the get go. (Seeing manly Roman soldier doing leaps in leotards was also funny.) Also, as cliched as it is, Chopin's Revolution is magnificent, so dire, so perilous- such is revolution! His Raindrops is also beautiful, if even more melancholic. (Thank you Eternal Sonata.) I really need to listen to more Classical music, I plan to see a livestream of Swan Lake produced by Bolshoi later this month. Thank you video games for getting me to like this stuff!

Certain affinities only. Mounties or footies only. Mages only.

That was just me joking about the Omega Yato. I questioned whether I should have said sword or not, but I opted to keep the minor joke.

Points for trying to make us laugh. Fan psychological theories are as overdone as anything with games perhaps (Majora's Mask), but this was good. IS in all calmness, sadly would deny that this was what they were going for. Yet you left one looming question of vital importance unanswered: Are Camilla's based on reality, or wholly reflective of an unconscious desire in Corrin? That was a joke.

How about we make it a musical! I'm joking! (I don't actually like musicals.) But I saw somebody pondered turning Fates into one on GFAQs. Somebody wrote a piece even: Something like this playing in the CGI scene where they're on the battlefield would be nice. And can't forget all the choreography done by the generic soldiers in the hack ground as it happens.

I'm feeling its going to be not modern enough to draw in the less hardcore fans. I won't mind, but I feel the sea change is just going to turn off too many used to things as they are in Awakening/Fates. The supposed "game hate cycle" is a cycle of human memory in general. Nowadays we look back on the Middle Ages of Europe with such nostalgia when they, to put it in vulgar terms, sucked. 1950s America is another example- they were great... if you ignored the fears of nuclear annihilation, McCarthyism, and if you were a straight white male of politically "moderate" views. Heck the Bush 2 administration is starting to become a source of nostalgia even. But no politics!

Archers/Snipers aren't that good in PoR with the effective bonus being trimmed from 3x might to 2x. Though unfortunately it appears FE has had even worse. T776 gives you Tanya (okayish) and the proto-Outlaw Ronan. And then we have Awakening and Virion. Oh the queasiness he gives me! Did IS learn NOTHING about what made early Archers in many of the games prior to FE13 so garbage?! Takumi and Niles remedied that concern, though BR!Setsuna worries me that they haven't learned enough. My long-held resentment toward Virion has at last been released. On the RolfxMarcia thing, I didn't mean it in all due seriousness. Their support is cute, and the idea of pairing such a sweet innocent boy with a nice and perky young woman is entertaining. In seriousness, Marcia probably sees Rolf as a little brother in their support conversations. Also, a number of Rolf's supports are built around his innocence and how he basically is too young to fight/has to mature due because he is fighting. Dunno if that features in any of FE6's young characters' supports. And on that note, Rolf's Tauroneo support gives some good Home Alone vibes for some reason.

The actual Fire Emblem. It's been: a gloried lockpick (Of destiny!), nonexistent, shield that seals, a family crest that amounts to nothing, a seal on a sword of seals, a succession item, a stone of light containing darkness, a medallion holding chaos, a chainsaw of destiny, and even an opera. This is the question I ask- how much of a role should the Fire Emblem play in the plot? Most games, even the very first Fire Emblem, generally relegate it to a minor role despite being titular. I'd personally say that Tellius does the Fire Emblem best, Lehran's Medallion has substantial importance from the beginning to the end of PoR. It remains important in Part 3 of RD, and while the Medallion itself is no longer that important in Part 4, the Covenant it symbolized and Yune- that which gave its fiery glow (you could call Yune herself the Fire Emblem) are extremely important. Plus, Ike as Hero of the Blue Flames (with that blue flame aura) connects the Fire Emblem and the main character together better stylistically than Marth/Chrom with the Fire Emblem being used as a shield. Fates shoehorns in the Fire Emblem it seems. Awakening's use of it, though okay in principle, I feel could have been better executed. Perhaps if we dumped Valm and reworked the gemstone collecting thing. If you treat all five Sacred Stones as Fire Emblems, Magvel did decently. FE7's Bern arc did well with the Fire Emblem, but was just an episode in the whole of things. I guess FE6 was okay if you consider the Binding Blade an extension of the Fire Emblem. Jugdral I like because it's proof IS can write good plots without centering things on the Fire Emblem.

Seems to me that T776 had a bunch of interesting ideas, just not the best execution. Fatigue, Capturing, and Fog of War all are ideas that can potentially work, they just didn't have the time/resources to get them to in T776. Stuff like healing staffs missing and random warp tiles into an inescapable room of pure death were just plain bad though. As for weapon durability in Fates. I kind of like that it doesn't exist. Mostly because I'm such a rare resource hoarder, hoarding pre-purchasable Silvers and Killers, Braves, Legendaries, Effectives, and Stat Boosters because I fear for "emergency situations" where I will just HAVE to use them. Said emergency situations never actually happen, and instead the stuff just rots away in my inventory. Fates freed me to actually use them all for once without fear of misuse. I don't forge in Fates, but overall, I don't think the absence of durability, and the introduction of drawbacks to compensate, made anything way too good or bad (outside of Rajinfried obviously). Nostanking was nerfed, but still viable. Silvers were player phase only, but okay. Killers probably should have not gained that 4x multiplier. Effective weapons perhaps need another flaw, as you'll only bring them out against units they destroy. Braves were perhaps slightly too inaccurate, but otherwise fine player phase tools (Serpent Spirit is redundant with Lighting though and one of them shouldn't have existed). Duals- give them an AS loss or something I'd think they'd be balanced. Venges were okay (as were the Spies) but they just come so late, at so high a rank, and don't have 1-2 range. Javelins and the like were balanced as well. Hagakure and Waterwheel were interesting in that they're Legendaries that focus on defense instead offense, and the rest save maybe Aurgelmir were good player phase only weapons restrained by the difficulty of getting to S rank.

The problem with the whole "creation of a new Valla thing" is that it is made of both Nohr and Hoshidan lands. But the thing between them is the Bottomless Canyon, not suitable for human existence. And if Corrin got the canyon plus a large swath of actually livable land on both sides of the canyon, we'd basically have two totally different culturally and possibly economically territories divided by a great burdensome nullity. Basically a Pakistan and Bangladesh scenario, only better in the sense we don't have an India between them. Or perhaps the Habsburg Empire is a better point of comparison. Either way, with Corrin the Naive as its ruler, I doubt said kingdom would be all that stable or prosperous in the long term.