In need of some opinions and the like

[Godlylegato]

Basically this, FE9 was my introduction to the series a couple years ago and I've been hooked ever since. What I'm curious about is of course the rest of the series. I'd just like some opinions on what order (if it even matters) to play the rest of the series in. Maybe from "best" to worst or something like that. I don't current own a DS and i'm not sure if its emulated or not (i'll look it up tonight) but I can probably get ahold of whatever I need to play the games. I'd just like to know what order to play them in. Thanks in advance :)

[Darros]

Well if you've only played FE9, FE10 might be a good next step.

[Godlylegato]

oh crap i'm sorry, I have 9 and 10 and they're the only two that i've played, sorry for not clarifying that.

[whase]

the FEs I've played:

FE 6(finished all modes),

7(finished all modes),

8(finished all modes),

9(finished easy and normal mode),

10(finished easy and normal mode, failed at hard mode),

11(can't remember what modes there were, pretty sure I haven't played H5 mode(or whatever it was called like))

IMO:

best story-wise (including character stories): 6, 9, 10, 7, 8, 11

best graphic-wise: 10, 9, 11, GBA (6, 7&8)

easiest (on easiest mode): 10, 8, 11, 7, 6, 9

hardest (on hardest mode): 9, 10, 7, 6, 11, 8

10 would seem most logical to do first after 9, use my opinion above to pick the next game you would play. look at whatever you find most important.

[VincentASM]

My opinion, from best to worst:

FE5 > (FE9) > FE7 > FE12 > FE4 > FE6 > FE11 > FE8 > FE3 > FE2 > FE1

DS can be emulated, as long as you've got a decent PC. I generally use NO$GBA, but DESUME also works fine, although it seems a bit more CPU intensive.

Edited February 1, 2011 by VincentASM

[Immaterial]

Gameplay-wise, most games in the series are very similar to each other, so you shouldn't have too much trouble getting into the other games in the series. As for the other games in the series (I'll only comment on the ones I actually know anything about, from newest to oldest), here's the basic rundown on them, mostly based on others' opinions, so you can try to decide for yourself:

FE11 (Shadow Dragon): a remake of the first game in the series for the DS (which you don't seem to have, but oh well). Most fans say they dislike the story, as it's mostly unchanged from the original, and there are once again no support conversations. The most notable gameplay change is probably the ability to reclass your units. In addition to this, there are more difficulty modes than usual, which might be fun to experiment with. Shadow Dragon isn't overly popular, though, to be honest.

FE8 (The Sacred Stones): for the GBA. People usually aren't too fond of the main story, but personally, I think FE8 has a lot of charming characters which makes up for it. It's one of the only games in the entire series (along with Gaiden, which I won't comment on as I don't know much about it) which actually has optional maps, which you can revisit as many times as you like. In other words, you can actually grind if you want to. One obvious problem is that it makes the game too easy. In fact, it's one of the easiest games in the series even without grinding. It's a bit shorter than most FE games, too, which is a bit of a shame.

FE7 (Blazing Sword): <- I recommend playing this after 10. Blazing Sword is one of the most popular games in the series as well as the first game to be released outside of Japan, and worth playing if for that reason alone. Once again, it's for the GBA, and a prequel to FE6. Gameplay-wise, it's a pretty straightforward Fire Emblem-game, but a bit of a step down from 9 (nothing too noticable, though, but you might miss the ability to use skills/shove units in the GBA games). It's a very well-liked and polished game. I'd definitely recommend it, but don't get too frustrated with the unskippable tutorial.

As for the Japan-only games:

FE6 (Sword of Seals): Play 7 before this, since Sword of Seals is essentially a sequel to it. Again, all GBA games are fairly similar to each other when it comes to the mechanics. Note that FE6's only map "goal" is seize, which is probably going to tire you after a while. The game is harder than most other games in the series too, so you might want to watch out for that. I haven't seen many people who really enjoy the story/characters in FE6, but to each their own, I suppose. Like the other GBA games, it has support conversations.

FE5 (Thracia 776): A midquel to FE4 for the SNES, so play 4 first. Most people find it (one of) the hardest games in the entire series. It's different from your usual FE game for various reasons, one of the more notable ones being the fatigue system - basically, characters earn fatigue as you use them, and after they become too fatigued, they'll have to sit out a chapter. Staves play a more important role in this game than in most others, too. (I'm no expert on FE5, tbh, might want to ask someone else.)

FE4 (Genealogy of the Holy War): SNES. Very popular with the fans who have actually played it, and often praised for it's story. Quite different from most FE games - for example, the game is divided into two parts, and certain things you do in the first part will affect which characters you'll use in the second (without spoiling anything). The maps are gigantic and generally take 3 or more hours to finish, but you can save at the start of every turn. An important game, I think.

tl;dr (because noone will read that :) ): play 7 before 6 and 4 before 5. Order won't matter much after that. Also, the ones most similar to 9 are probably the GBA games.

My personal "best to worst" ranking would be:

9 > 10 > 7 > 8 > 6 > 4

But my taste in games makes no sense, so feel free to ignore this.

Edited February 1, 2011 by Immaterial

[Swordsalmon]

Go for one of the GBA games. Sacred Stones is a great way to start after FE9, since both have a good diversity of classes and most characters are good. Blazing Sword (FE7), is the worst of the GBA games, but still pretty fun. The maps can get a bit grating and the story is a lot different than other games in the series. Sword of Seals is the most challenging of the three, but by far the most entertaining to play. You get a large cast of characters and is a bit more balanced than Blazing Sword. Play any of the two in any order, though Blazing Sword is a prequel to Sword of Seals.

If you don't mind how slow the game is, Mystery of the Emblem (Both Books), are pretty good, though the gameplay is outdated. A lot of stuff in the series wasn't made up yet, so it definitely is a different experience.

The other SNES Fire Emblem games are Geneology of the Holy War and Thracia 776. Holy War is a lot different than the rest of the series, because the maps are enormous (Each chapter is about the length of four chapters in other games), you can use all your characters, and there's two generations. So half the game you'll pair up your characters in order to create a stronger second generation. I personally don't like Holy War that much; the game can get slow and grinding, and the second generation's maps are fairly bland until near the end. The story is well-made, however. ^_^

Thracia 776 is amazing; it's easily the best Fire Emblem yet. It introduced a lot of game mechanics similar to the GBA games, but retains some of Holy War's quirks. However, it's also very challenging, and the story will be hard to understand unless you played Holy War. But definitely try out Thracia sometime.

If I was to rate the games I've played so far, it'd be:

Thracia 776>Sword of Seals>Path of Radiance>Sacred Stones>Holy War>Blazing Sword>Mystery of the Emblem>Rat Juggling>New Dark Dragon

[Ken Zomg]

Only played FE6, FE7, FE8, FE9, and FE11, but I can tell you that FE9 is my favorite; it's balanced enough, and I like the Paladin system of weapons.

[Celice]

If you want a similar experience to the games you played, try FE5 or FE3. I got really intense vibes of those two games when I first played FE9 (which was like a week after its Japanese release :P). The GBA games are considerably different in comparison. But they're all good anyways. FE4 is the most radically different, because it's executed in a larger, grand fashion.

[Ike-Mike]

I'd say you should play FE7 next. I can't exactly describe it but I think both FE7 and FE9 have the best execution at introducing FE to players outside of Japan.

If you liked FE9 more for its solid mechanics than anything you should go for FE11.

Of course there is also Radiant Dawn as its sequel but I personally think it's one of the worst sequels to anything ever and filled with lots of crap that make modern RPGs so tedious to play.

Btw, my ranking is FE4 > FE9 > FE12 > FE5 > FE7 > FE11 > FE8 > FE3 > FE6 > FE10.

Edited February 1, 2011 by Ike-Mike

[Grithalmur]

Personally, I'd go with Blazing Sword (FE7) or Sacred Stones. FE7's my current favorite, but I have to admit, on normal mode, which you're forced to play through at least twice to unlock the toughest difficulty, it is very easy. Much more so than 9 and 10. A step back in difficulty can be relaxing, but either way, I feel the story helps keep things going till the end. Also, the tutorial is forced the first time, and it can be annoying since you already know your way around the basics by now.

Sacred Stones is a good follow-up. The opportunity for grinding does lower the difficulty of the game, but on the whole, it's pretty fun, and the map allows you to train and experiment to your heart's content, as well as letting you do it after you beat the game, which can be nice. The support system is also present in full force in both GBA games, giving the characters some worthwhile development and backstory.

As for Shadow Dragon, the plot's at it's most basic level and the notorious gaiden requirements are a bit of a downer, but it's fun overall. However, its staying power only lasts in the multiple hard modes, reclassing, and Wifi-connection. In saving its character's potentials for New Mystery (I believe they planned that from the beginning,) these characters are extremely flat, and only the most story-relevant people who aren't already Marth have a chance at getting more than one scene where they talk. Still, they did do their work in the Prologue and Gaidens, and if you've never experienced the original or Mystery book 1, then you'll probably enjoy Marth's (first) simple little journey across the continent.

As I've never played the ones not released in the US, I can't say for sure on them.

(FE7 > FE8 > Shadow Dragon)

[RNG Princess]

my best to worst is

8>10>4>7>5>9>6>Shadow dragon

but they're all good except Shadow Dragon (: I'd say play FE7 next its more traditional.

[Godlylegato]

I'd really like to thank you all for the input, it made deciding a few things much easier (having to buy a DS just to play FE is kinda annoying its like how i bought my Wii, there just aren't many viable RPG's for the Wii but oh well...)

[Just call me AL]

Out of all the GBA games, I'd say that FE7 is easily the best one. While a little easy (but not Sacred Stones easy), it's pretty fun. It has a good story (I'd argue it being the series' second best) even though it focuses on a bit of a smaller scale than other FEs, and it stays good throughout the entire game. The characters are as developed as they are in FE9, so you can expect the characters to be pretty lively, and have interesting backstories. And possibly the most balanced FE to date. The only downsides are that extra stuff is given to you by playing inefficiently, no trial maps, you have to play through twice (once through Eliwood's story, and once through Hector's story) to get the hard modes, and the tutorial is rather forced. (And said tutorial can get a little annoying if you already know the basics, but I'm not one of those that find it annoying. I actually see it as rather "involving" you can say.) But I don't see why those matters should detract from enjoying the game. It's quite possibly the only international FE sans FE9 that delivers the FE experience the most I'd wager.

I consider FE6 as the middle man of the GBA games. It is good if you're more into gameplay than story. It can be pretty challenging (its normal mode, IIRC, was comparable to Hector Hard mode). The story is rather bland and doesn't pick up until late in the game, and there are few interesting characters. If you want to play this one, I'd recommend that you play FE7 first.

FE11 is a remake of the first FE, so you're not missing much by missing out on FE1 or FE3pt1 if you have this. The story is bland in this one, the characters have no personality whatsoever, and like Grithalmur said, only the most story relevant characters not named Marth have the highest chances to get more screentime in conversations. However, the prologue chapters are well done, and reclassing can be experimented with to get different results. And not to mention the multiple hard modes. Again, if you're more into gameplay rather than story, this game might be for you.

FE4 is different from other entries in the series. The game is split into two parts, and the chapers are as long as three or four chapters are in other FEs. The lover system lets you practically pair any guy with any girl. (It can be seen as the precursor of the support systems seen in FEs, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.) And the different possible pairs in pt1 do affect how most characters turn out in pt2. (There are subsitute characters available in pt2 should a playable female die in pt1 however.) You can use everyone, so you only have to worry about who to promote. (A character's level does not reset, and some are promoted already.) Among the japanese only FEs, its cast of characters are probably the most unique you'll see in Japan-only FEs. (At the very least, I'd compare the livelihood of characters in Pt1, and some in Pt2 to that in FEs 7 & 9.) The story, while containing the best writing in any FE does start to die down once pt2 starts however, but I don't think that should, by any means, detract from your enjoyment of the game. The maps are big to the extent that horse units are favored though. But, to each their own.

If I were to rate the games (out of those I played), it would be:

FE7 > FE4 > FE9 > FE6 > FE11 > FE8 > FE10

Edited February 4, 2011 by LittleAl

[Shin]

FE6 and 7 would be a good pair to play after, it doesn't matter too much which way around you play them. Although it was nice to see the improvements from 6 to 7, the variation in missions was nice. 3's not bad, although rather basic. 4 and 5 are my personal favourites, the skill system sounds similar to 9 and 10 (I haven't tried 9 or 10 though). 4's a little atypical but definitely worth playing. Thracia's pretty tough though, ballistae are truly evil. Characterisation's not great other than the few main characters. 3 and 5 have some characters with no dialogue at all. I went chronologically from 3 up to 7, trying 1 a little afterwards.

FE4 > FE5 >= FE7 > FE6 > FE3 >> FE1

[eclipse]

I've played every FE that's been released in here, in the order it's been released.

I'm the minority that really likes SD. The reclass system allows for some really wacky possibilities, which means I rarely get the same run twice. I don't care if the characters are (relatively) bland; with only a death quote, I've managed to piece together personalities for the majority of the cast. It also means I can be more flexible with my writing. . .but I'm rambling.

Blazing Sword was my introduction to the series, and due to the way it is, it's kinda hard to mess up to the point where it's impossible to go on (at least on the easier modes). The characters have a good amount of personality, and the story's pretty interesting.

I didn't much care for the cast of Sacred Stones, and the story didn't catch me like Blazing Sword did.

Tellius will always have a special place in my heart. Always.

[13th]

I'm part of the Minority.

Personal list: FE8=FE11>FE7>FE9=FE10>FE2>FE6>FE3>FE4>FE5>>>>>>>>>>>FE1

FE8 is special to me, and that is because of the trainees, my favorite part of the game. The vast amount of promotions means they aren't the same twice.

FE11 is just as special, plus its the one I like most, as it seems.

FE7 is the "best" FE game. The story is good, the gameplay tends to be repetitive. And of course, LNM sucks bigtime.

FE9 and FE10 are equal because I don't like Tellius. But they were better than...

...FE2. The most underrated FE of them all. Its got some traits I like. Its also a terrible game.

FE6. The worst of the GBA games. I didn't like the story. The difficulty was a little on the low end of the scale, then you reach the end, and its jacked super high.

FE3-5, they just are terrible. I didn't enjoy them.

FE1 is at the bottom not for gameplay, just for super outdated mechanics and such. That and I think mine was super-buggy.

Edited February 4, 2011 by 13thshadow

[Geriba]

I think LittleAl's descriptions are pretty solid, and I generally agree with his ranking, so let me expand on some things...

Fire Emblem 7 is, in my mind, the best game of all time, let alone the series. It's got the special distinction of being the hands-down best balanced game in the series, both on an efficiency playthrough (where a vast majority of the cast are helpful or at least usable) and a ranked playthrough (which, unlike Genealogy/Thracia/SoS, is actually both balanced and challenging). It's extremely polished. The length is great, as there are four main-mode difficulties and rankings for each, as well as numerous gaiden chapters and branching paths. The character development is excellent, and is only really rivaled by FE9; the cast simply oozes with personality and variety. The story is more local than most, but it's better as a result, as each of the antagonists receives a surprising amount of depth and the central conflict is adequately explored. Map design is fantastic, especially on harder difficulties, and there's a good variety of mission objectives. It also introduces the Assassin and Archsage classes, which, while minor for most, was a big deal for yours truly. Just look at my user name!

Fire Emblem 4 is fucking great. Best music, best art direction, best story; it kicks all kinds of ass. However, whether you love it or hate it depends entirely upon your patience and penchant for huge maps. Second-best in my mind.

Fire Emblem 5 has the best gameplay engine, without question. Be warned: it's ruthless as all hell. Seriously, "difficult game" doesn't begin to describe how it laughs at the player as he desperately tries to struggle through the game with more than half of his army left. Even Elite Mode is a challenge.

Fire Emblem 6, despite taking advantage of the same engine as FE7, is noticeably weaker. There are more playable characters, but unit/weapon balance is completely out of whack. Every map is a Seize-objective, and map design is pretty lackluster. FE6HM is notoriously (and unfairly) difficult, with enemies spawning and attacking at the end of the Player Phase. The story is of a grander scale than usual, but it's also empty and poorly developed- a shell of what it could have been. Better post-game content compared to its successor, but that's all I can say for it.

Fire Emblem 8 is the only game I'd likely pass on. It's simply a lackluster FE6/7, though if you enjoy the GBA engine, it might be worth a shot.

[Smiley Jim]

Out of the games I played, I can say:

FE7=FE4>FE10=FE9>FE5=FE6>FE12>FE8>FE11

Also note that Shadow Dragon's covering for DDatSL and NMotE is covering for MotE, as FEDS is basically a carbon copy of FE1 and FE3DS.

Personally, I'd start with Blazing Sword. Why? A step back on the difficulty meter is pretty nice, though there are still a few difficult parts(BbD and CoD). Also, the characters have interesting backstories(Renault, I'm looking at you.) The one problem I have with this game is that, in order to play on Hector Hard, you have to first play through Eliwood's normal mode THEN play through Hector's normal mode. Though I like Genealogy batter, as the maps are huge and the game takes longer to complete than any normal FE as you have to play through two generations. Also, some of the text in FE4 I found really amusing. Eh, moving on.

As far as the Tellius series goes, it's my favorite in terms of story. Also, I like the advanced skill system in those two games(though the lack of FE10 bosses with skillz upset me.) Also, Radiant Dawn has some challenge to it(you need to play through NM once to unlock HM, btw). And even in NM, some maps are difficult. Path of Radiance is a joke compared to Radiant Dawn(its Hard Mode is equal to RD's Normal mode), but is still a good game.

I put Sealed Sword and Thracia 776 as equals mostly due to their gameplay, not their storyline. The reason they aren't any higher is that they are not for the faint of heart(and no, lightening the difficulty by arena abusing Dieck and Bors in C7 is not the right way to play.) All I can tell you is that FE5 is hard as shit, and it's not because of the enemies(they suck for the most part), it's because of all the other shit the game throws at you(one guy in C22 gives +30 hit/avoid to every enemy on the map, for example.) And the RNG ranging from 1-99 does not help, especially when it's a 1 RN system and weapons have shit for accuracy.

Haven't played NMotE yet, but from what BigKlingy said, the game is a huge improvement over Shadow Dragon.

The one complaint that I get about Sacred Stones is that the game is too easy. Well, that's what happens when they put a ridiculous pre-promote paladin with tier one-esque growths, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAMN GAME. Also, the Tower of Level Grinding can turn even the most miserable fucks into absolute monsters(like, there is no way Amelia is seeing the light of day without tower abuse, but once given the abuse, she actually becomes good, assuming she goes knight->general.)

Now, Shadow Dragon gets a shit-dripping trophy for being the worst American released FE game. Why? BigKlingy said in a video that IS made a remake of Book 1 just for the shits and giggles. Like, as an example, hit/avoid formulas were nerfed to hell and back(a problem also in FE12), ranged staves are as broken as FE5 staves, and the absolutely retarded gaiden requirements(I mean, who the hell wants to kill off 20 guys just to get into a chapter where all they'll get is another shitty character, and some items as compensation. Granted, some characters in FEDS are quite bad and are worth killing off. I mean people like Jagen, Bantu, Boah... the list goes on.). Also, the reclassing system, while good in theory, actually takes away the unique aspects of a character(like, who gives a shit about armor knights when you can just make Wolf into a general and be done with it.)and is insanely unbalanced(again, Wolf has like 120 strength growth as a warrior, and Zagaro has 110 def growth as a general.) Did I forget to mention that swordmasters were heavily nerfed in Shadow Dragon(a 10 bonus to HIT? Your shitting me... Granted, Nabarl is still an excellent unit... when he's a cavalier/paladin.)

That is all I have to say.

[Anouleth]

Wolf has like 120 strength growth as a warrior, and Zagaro has 110 def growth as a general.

That sounds more like Wolf and Sedgar being ridiculously overpowered rather than a problem inherent in the reclassing system.

[Ike-Mike]

FEDS is basically a carbon copy of FE1

This is not true at all, as anyone who has actually played FE1 will be able to confirm this.

[Paperblade]

I would suggest 7, 4, 5, and 12 when it's released in the US. 12 is a remake of 3, so yeah.

8 and 11 suck, 1 is incredibly outdated, 2 is... 2.

And I can't recommend 6 to anyone in good conscience. Weapon hit is awful for no good reason.

Edited February 4, 2011 by Paperblade

[Celice]

Actually, I like FE6 because it feels like it doesn't hand you wins all the time. It seems a tad bit more fun where every battle doesn't feel like it's absurdly one-sided. Unless you're using Lugh. Then for some reason it's back to win-win all the time D:

[Former Guest]

It seems you don't know what you're talking about, esp. since it's generally agreed Lugh is made of lose and can even insta-die to a hand axe. In a forest. Having accurate weaponry just isn't enough to make you a good long- or even short-term unit in Sword of Seals' hardest mode.

(Paperblade: swords have a lot of hit FWIW. I mean fuck, armorslayer facing WTDA makes hammer look cheesy.)

Edited February 5, 2011 by Former Guest

[Swordsalmon]

And I can't recommend 6 to anyone in good conscience. Weapon hit is awful for no good reason.

That's one of the best aspects of FE6. It makes Skill an actually useful stat. ;)