Kaze

I was thinking that Kliff did give off the aloofness that Haar and Setsuna had. They're there, but they don't really put too much worry into things.

Believe me I'm well aware of everything you've mentioned (including the crossed out stuff). I've been one of few vocal people on tumblr defending the localization of Fates. I remember I got attacked on there for trying to come up with reasons for the name changes. Especially when it came to Joker to Jakob and Zero to Niles. So many people attacked me for trying to explain those changes. I even made the argument that if they didn't like the changes made to Fates during the localization process then they should learn Japanese and import a Japanese 3DS and Japanese copy of the game. That got a lot of them yelling/complaining that they couldn't afford to do that. My response was, "Then just don't play the game if you're that upset over it and/or can't afford to import it." Sadly, even when you bring up that these kind of localization changes have been made in previous games, it's like talking to a wall. The "purist" newcomer fans will never be satisfied with the localization changes. Neither will the "old school" veterans who are used to the gameplay of pre-Awakening titles. Like I said in the past, regardless of what's done, you won't ever satisfy everyone. There will be those that refuse to accept the game whether it's because they're anti-Gaiden or they're unwilling to try out a game that's basically a polar opposite of Awakening and Fates. However, there will be a few of us (ideally the majority of us) who enjoy Echoes - Shadows of Valentia for what it is.

This is something that confuses me as well. Part of me thinks it's mostly because of how some aspects of Fates were handled (i.e. the My Room, Soleil's support (blown out of proportion by Kotaku and tumblr), the way some supports were rewritten (Saizo and Beruka's being ...), and just overall writing. A lot of people seem to feel that Fates was poorly written. (It's not the best in terms of writing, but certainly not the worst either)

Yeah. I've managed to find a few FE dedicated blogs on there that aren't too extreme one way or the other.

You'll find a lot of those people who would rather see Fire Emblem die on tumblr, too. It's one reason I avoid the Fire Emblem tags on there. Also, I have one friend that was one of my few close Fire Emblem friends that wishes Fire Emblem had ended with Awakening or before Awakening.

Heh. Yeah, I use the same name on tumblr (and just about everything online) and it was a struggle to handle all the negativity that Fates faced because it was all the same thing. People complaining about the name changes, voice actors, etc. I was just glad when it slowed down and people stopped being as negative. I still don't go on the Fire Emblem tags on tumblr regardless, though.

Yeah. I can definitely see that. Then again, these were maps from 25 years ago. Hopefully the maps in Echoes will vastly improve on this. (Note: I haven't paid too close attention to the map design/layout in the clips we've seen in Echoes)

The two extremes of the Fire Emblem fandom are why I tend to avoid most Fire Emblem discussions recently. Another reason I tend to disappear when a new Fire Emblem game comes out is that regardless, you see nitpickers that would only be happy if we got a direct translation from the Japanese version even if the context of some things is lost. As someone who hasn't played Gaiden, could you explain to me what the primary complaint about Gaiden's map design is? I actually have a friend who is a newcomer to Fire Emblem that wishes Awakening and Fates didn't have the My Unit/Avatar or marriage. I'll be happy if Echoes doesn't have a my unit/avatar.

Sadly, as with anything, regardless of the entry that gets remade, it won't satisfy everyone. There will always be at least one point of complaint in the series.

Heck, I'll take the mechanics of Gaiden with a face lift if it means I'll get the chance to legitimately play the Gaiden story. I was happy getting to play Shadow Dragon despite how frustrating that game could be at times. In the end, I'm just glad we're getting more Fire Emblem games.

One of my closest friends who got into the series with Awakening in 2015 said she wants to play the game primarily because she really likes Hidari's artstyle and that it's refreshing to her. She just isn't able to get it on launch due to not being able to afford it.

For me, the one thing I hope from Echoes - Shadows of Valentia is that it provides some character development to the characters. Compared to other entries in the series, it doesn't have a giant cast of characters, so character development, or at least some fleshing out of the characters, would make Echoes more enjoyable. I've never been a fan of flat/one dimensional characters.

Hard to say since Gaiden is either well liked or hated by the fanbase. Echoes might change that, but I'm not sure if those who dislike Gaiden will give Echoes a chance. While Shadow Dragon is my least favorite game in the series, I don't hate it. It was honestly the first game that I got close to finishing (until Awakening) when I was younger. My biggest dislike with Shadow Dragon was the "you have to kill off so many characters to get these other characters" mechanic.

To be fair, 75% of the original designs were pretty generic and the same, so it's nice to see the new designs give variety and provide a visual personality to the characters.

Pretty much seems to be the popular consensus. With it being titles "Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia"/"Fire Emblem Echoes - Shadows of Valentia," it causes one to believe that Echoes could lead to there being a side-series of Fire Emblem games that are the remakes of Gaiden, Genealogy of the Holy War, Thracia 776, Binding Blade, and perhaps Blazing Blade and The Sacred Stones. Just depends on how well Shadows of Valentia does and if there's demand for remakes of the other games.

Valbar being Kyle Hebert would explain why he sounds so familiar.

Not to mention that dresses in medieval times were a bit ridiculous. Even in other eras, a lot of dresses were big and poofy with really weird design choices. Practicality didn't seem to be a forethought for women's clothing.

Leon being an ancestor of Virion would explain why he resembles Virion a bit. Especially with the hair color.

That's usually how I try to go about any game in general. I'm naturally a pessimistic person, but I try to be cautiously optimistic about games.

Could be the case. He does remind me a bit of Yen'fey and Say'ri.

I'm waiting on a potential special edition as well. Did that with Fates. Though, I have the game pre-ordered just in case we don't get the special edition.

Sales numbers do affect whether we get more entries in the titles/those titles getting localized. Of course, I'm not counting the already announced and confirmed for localization titles like Fire Emblem Warriors and Fire Emblem Switch. It'll probably mostly determine if we get more entries into the Echoes side-series (what I'm referring to the possible remakes as) There are those in the Fire Emblem fandom that hate how successful that the series has become. Don't ask me why that is, but that's the case sadly. I want this game to do well since it might lead to more Fire Emblem remakes. I'm just trying to be cautiously optimistic with my sales prediction being slightly under a million units in North America. Perhaps just over a million units worldwide.

Pre-ordered the game via Amazon. Also have the Alm and Celica amiibo pre-ordered.

Honestly, at most I see their expected sales to be maybe a million units. It depends on how confident they are about the game.

This is very true. I highly doubt they're expecting a few million units sold. Also, is that expected sales worldwide, in Japan, in North America, in Europe?