Sequel Maybe?

[Raven]

I'm pretty sick of remakes. FE11 was as boring as watching paint dry and we're not even seeing an official release of FE12 outside Japan.

New world, or a sequel/prequel at the very least. No. More. Fucking. Remakes.

[Florete]

The reasons the Black Knight gives for Ike's victory over him in FE9 differ in the Japanese and English versions. If I remember correctly, the Japanese version basically goes along the lines of "You won alright, but that Warp Powder I was using malfunctioned. It rendered me weak, and I couldn't use my full strength because of it." While the English version goes along the lines of "You won alright, but only because I let you win. If really I was giving my all, the result would have been much different."

EDIT: Ninja'd, but I'd say the Warp Powder malfunction does make some sense as to why the Black Knight survived the castle crumbling rather than just appearing out of the blue in FE10 somehow alive. He was actually skeptical on using the stuff in FE9 because it sapped his strength. It pretty much makes the reason given in the english a dub-induced plot-hole if you think about it.

Okay, but I don't see a plot hole. Whatever the reason was for losing, he still lost, and I'm pretty sure in FE10 it's explained that he escaped by using the Warp Powder. Which, of course, would have been after the fight either way.

And wait, how would a Warp Powder malfunction that supposedly weakens him explain how he survives a castle falling on him? If anything the English version would make more sense since he didn't allude to having been weakened by Warp Powder already.

[Agility]

lol im just hoping for a pre-sequel at least. Greil = amazing. Prob wont happen but i can always hope :D

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

if you want a sequil that badly then make your own with rom hacking.

nintendo has clearly abandon us to our own desires.

[Blademaster!]

I wouldn't mind seeing another FE game take place in the same universe as FE9/FE10, so long as it takes place in a different land like FE2 was to FE1/3. Maybe Soren could show up as a Gotoh character or something. Who knows?

I imagine the next FE game would be on the WiiU though. The series still sells well, so they will probably make another game.

[pat726]

No current FE needs a sequel. I'm extremely tired of remakes. FE4/5 are already amazing how they are now, they don't need to be remade. The only game that needs remaking is gaiden, and I'd still prefer a completely new game.

[Balcerzak]

And wait, how would a Warp Powder malfunction that supposedly weakens him explain how he survives a castle falling on him? If anything the English version would make more sense since he didn't allude to having been weakened by Warp Powder already.

From Serenes Forest.

"[in the Japanese version, the Black Knight survived because of a malfunction of the warp powder. He stated that during the battle only his spirit was warped inside the castle, and not his body. Since his body is elsewhere, that means it can't be inside the castle to be buried. What a cheap get-away... The English version doesn't bother to go into any details other than he survived.]"

[Florete]

From Serenes Forest.

"[in the Japanese version, the Black Knight survived because of a malfunction of the warp powder. He stated that during the battle only his spirit was warped inside the castle, and not his body. Since his body is elsewhere, that means it can't be inside the castle to be buried. What a cheap get-away... The English version doesn't bother to go into any details other than he survived.]"

Oh.

Well I wouldn't say that was a good explanation in the first place. It doesn't explain the armor, either.

[Balcerzak]

I assume the spirit was controlling the armor, and the blessed armor was lost in the rubble. Hence you can now hammer time. Unless that wasn't your point.

Edit: I imagine it like Alphonse Elric, sort of.

Edited August 10, 2011 by Balcerzak

[Florete]

I assume the spirit was controlling the armor, and the blessed armor was lost in the rubble. Hence you can now hammer time. Unless that wasn't your point.

Edit: I imagine it like Alphonse Elric, sort of.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean, but my point was that they mention in RD that they searched the castle afterward and found nothing: no armor, no corpse.

[Celice]

It can be retrieved in the intermission between the collapse and allied parties searching out the ruins. It's not like it was an empty manse way out in the boons of a universe.

[Florete]

It can be retrieved in the intermission between the collapse and allied parties searching out the ruins. It's not like it was an empty manse way out in the boons of a universe.

There are plenty of things that can happen, including the armor getting up and walking out itself, but that doesn't make it an explanation.

[Paperblade]

Oh.

Well I wouldn't say that was a good explanation in the first place. It doesn't explain the armor, either.

You mean that it's pretty much BS.

Edited August 10, 2011 by Paperkitty

[Anouleth]

I think it's a terrible explanation. It raised more questions than it answers, and it's very coincidental that his Warp Powder would malfunction just as he's about to fight Ike (when Warp has never been shown to malfunction before).

[BrightBow]

Since the dialog isn't on the page for localization changes may I guide you over to the topic where Vincent posted a translation of the dialog in the first post, in case you are interested?

http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=15866/html]

Also on the BK-topic:

If he had the powder with his armor he could have easily warped away since he probably can't be killed if he isn't in the armor. If the powder was with Zelgius he could have warped to where the armor was buried then warp to wherever he usually switches armors before anyone arrived. (When the BK fights Nasir mentions that he can't move his body. Maybe that was because his spirit returned to his body. After all he was rather unimpressed by Nasir's attack unless he realized that something was wrong with his body.)

Either way, I consider the localized version worse since if the Black Knight didn't want to fight Ike he could have simply warped away instead of [b]letting a freaking castle drop at him[/b].

And it's not that much of an asspull since BK mentioned to Ashnard that he doesn't like to use the powder unless he has too. He said it weakened him but it leaves room for different malfunctions especially since he might not want to tell Ashnard anything about his tools.

It's a bad explanation but unlike the localized one, it doesn't require me to believe that the hero of Begnion Zelgius is mentally handicapped.

Not to mention that when the BK fights Greil he has a demonic voice which Ike would have easily recognized when he meet Zelgius. If the armor was empty it would explain him having a inhuman voice.

And in Radiant Dawn he told Sothe that Ike [b]did[/b] defeat him that day, "[i]in a fashion[/i]". What stopped him from simply saying that he let Ike win so he could become stronger? Why would he lie just to humiliate himself?

Either way, after Radiant Dawn Telius just pisses me off so much that I don't want to see this continent again. I could spend pages just for rambling about the Blood Pact.

Edit: Fixed the link, which I messed up because I'm a clumsy idiot.

Edited August 10, 2011 by BrightBow

[Anouleth]

Either way, I consider the localized version worse since if the Black Knight didn't want to fight Ike he could have simply warped away instead of letting a freaking castle drop at him.

But he does want to fight Ike. In the localised version, the Black Knight defeats the laguz army in Chapter 26 and remains at Castle Nados in the knowledge that Ike will attack him. He fights Ike, but lets him live and throws the match because he wants to see Ike realise his true potential. When the castle collapses, he uses Warp Powder to vanish back to Begnion.

In the unlocalised version, it looks like the Black Knight's Warp Powder malfunctions when he travels to Castle Nados. He doesn't want to let Ike live, and is unconcerned with trying to let him realise his full potential. So why does he fight Ike then if he knows that he's not at full strength and might lose?

[grandjackal]

If he had the powder with his armor he could have easily warped away since he probably can't be killed if he isn't in the armor. If the powder was with Zelgius he could have warped to where the armor was buried then warp to wherever he usually switches armors before anyone arrived. (When the BK fights Nasir mentions that he can't move his body. Maybe that was because his spirit returned to his body. After all he was rather unimpressed by Nasir's attack unless he realized that something was wrong with his body.)

Either way, I consider the localized version worse since if the Black Knight didn't want to fight Ike he could have simply warped away instead of letting a freaking castle drop at him.

And it's not that much of an asspull since BK mentioned to Ashnard that he doesn't like to use the powder unless he has too. He said it weakened him but it leaves room for different malfunctions especially since he might not want to tell Ashnard anything about his tools.

It's a bad explanation but unlike the localized one, it doesn't require me to believe that the hero of Begnion Zelgius is mentally handicapped.

Not to mention that when the BK fights Greil he has a demonic voice which Ike would have easily recognized when he meet Zelgius. If the armor was empty it would explain him having a inhuman voice.

And in Radiant Dawn he told Sothe that Ike did defeat him that day, "in a fashion". What stopped him from simply saying that he let Ike win so he could become stronger? Why would he lie just to humiliate himself?

Either way, after Radiant Dawn Telius just pisses me off so much that I don't want to see this continent again. I could spend pages just for rambling about the Blood Pact.

1. I don't see why Zelgius would care that he's about to have a castle fall on him, since it's stated the only thing that can hurt him is something blessed by the goddess. Unless the castle was blessed by the goddess, he was perfectly fine. He didn't have to run in the first place. The only thing that weirded him out was that for some reason he couldn't move, which could just be explained by this warp powder malfunction he kept talking about. I'll get to the powder in a second. Only real question is "Why was the building collapsing?".

2. I don't see how "Letting Ike win" makes him handicapped when he states the reason he let him win was "Greil had crippled himself, so when I defeated him the victory over my former master was empty. I let you live to see you grow stronger so yo could match Greil. Only then will I feel fulfilled". If anything, this doesn't make him sound handicapped as much as insane, something that is a lot more believable. It also answers the question "Why doesn't he just warp in and kill Ike when he rallies Begnion?". Begnion was gonna mess up Daien anyways.

3. Funny you mention the demonic voice, because in the JP version he had a completely normal one. You know, the one where the story explains his body wasn't necessarily there? He actually would have been easier to recognize in the JP version.

4. Why would he care about what he tells Sothe? Who the hell is Sothe to him? That "in a fashion" was also "I let him win because I was unimpressed with his progress. Killing him would have robbed me of my last chance of truly defeating Greil's strength and ability", rather than "my warp powder derped".

5. It made Zelgius semi-interesting in that he had a motive for his actions now. In the JP version, he was basically just Sephiran's minion and nothing more.

6. He bitches about the warp powder, but he uses that shit all the time in FE10. In the localized version it's a bit more believable, because the last time it malfunctioned, he wasn't really in any danger even despite the fact he was fighting the only person who could actually put up a semblance of a fight against him. He woudln't really be worried if it did malfunction with how much he abuses it in FE10. In the JP version, it almost got him killed. It's even less of an excuse, considering in FE10, the blessing of his armor is gone so now he's far more mortal.

Yeah, Blood Pact was dumb. FE10 in general was dumb and was an awful follow-up.

As for a sequel, I'd like something new for a change where they just completely change up the system. Change up how magic works, fix speed a bit (I'm getting sick of how enemy speed is set so high the game becomes "If you don't have speed you automatically fail" ), fix up classes, perhaps throw out some new ones or put interesting spins on old ones, new world, all that jazz. Personally I like the idea of skills, but FE doesn't really vary them up enough. All skills really are pretty much relate down to "How much more ass does it help me kick?". There's Charisma and Elite, but that's pretty much it as far as good passives go. Gimme some monks who can do stuff like Michaiah's Sacrifice ability, give me stat reducing spells. If they make a new one, I hope they just go bonkers with it. I won't even care if there's major imba in it, long as there's just so much new stuff or major overhauls that it rattles my brain.

But if we're getting a sequel or a remake, I'm hoping for a remake of FE6 mainly because A. It needs one bad and was rushed, and B. We've yet to get the continuation of FE6 over here anyways. A sequel to FE8 would also be good, since they hinted greatly to one. However, I'm willing to bet that we're probably gonna get a remake of FE4. I'm honestly kinda dreading it. The issue with the game is that mounts are just stupid good and that the giant maps are big and empty. However, because of the whole "giant empty maps", mounts sort of have to be good because if they weren't, the game would move at a snail's pace (as if it didn't already). So bringing in more enemies while weakening cavs would, while making the game harder, would make it move way too damn slow. That whole game is just so wonky and boring that I have no interest in a remake. Who knows though, maybe they'll surprise us.

FE5 remake would be boss though. Promote Asvel immediately and blow up everything. Now in 3D for the 3DS.

[Aizenberg]

yeah make a sequel to one of the worst fire emblem games out there (fe10). What i would like to see is a prequel to fire emblem 7. Basically i wanna see more of the scouring.

[Florete]

Since the dialog isn't on the page for localization changes may I guide you over to the topic where Vincent posted a translation of the dialog in the first post, in case you are interested?

http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=27578&st=20

That links to this topic.

Either way, after Radiant Dawn Telius just pisses me off so much that I don't want to see this continent again. I could spend pages just for rambling about the Blood Pact.

Yeah, Blood Pact was dumb. FE10 in general was dumb and was an awful follow-up.

I'd like to hear about this since I've read the story twice and never had any problems with the Blood Pact or FE10's story in general.

Edited August 10, 2011 by Red Fox of Fire

[Lilmik11]

That links to this topic.

I'd like to hear about this since I've read the story and never had any problems with the Blood Pact or FE10's story in general.

I agree with Rfof, FE10 is my favorite game ever, it has that epic feeling and, even if it's not perfect, the plot is great. There's also the many units that are usable that make this game fun :)

[BrightBow]

That links to this topic.

Sorry, I fixed the link now. It's one of the pinned topics in the Radiant Dawn forum, just in case I messed this up again.

But he does want to fight Ike. In the localised version, the Black Knight defeats the laguz army in Chapter 26 and remains at Castle Nados in the knowledge that Ike will attack him. He fights Ike, but lets him live and throws the match because he wants to see Ike realise his true potential. When the castle collapses, he uses Warp Powder to vanish back to Begnion.

But he said he saw "immediately" that he wasn't his fathers equal. With him being so much stronger but him he probably didn't got his armor damaged by accident so he staged his defeat. Why did he risk his life like that instead of doing the simple thing and warping away?

In the unlocalised version, it looks like the Black Knight's Warp Powder malfunctions when he travels to Castle Nados. He doesn't want to let Ike live, and is unconcerned with trying to let him realise his full potential. So why does he fight Ike then if he knows that he's not at full strength and might lose?

He doesn't seem to have that much respect for Ike:

from PoR chapter 24:

"You're not as overly clumsy as I had feared. It is regrettable that your weapon is so poorly made."

And from Vincents translation of their confrontation in RD:

"Did you believe that you could kill me with that level of swordsmanship?"

What I want to say is that I think he thought he could take him anyway. And he wanted to duel him because while not much of a threat, he would still be more interesting to fight then all those other grunts. The Laguz Kings may be strong but they don't use swords so it probably isn't the same. In fact he might have thought now that he was handicapped the battle might actually be interesting and winning under those conditions might actually be worth it.

Not to mention that he might not even have noticed that he is weaker. Maybe not even after he messed up killing Ena with a clear cut like he promised.

[grandjackal]

I'd like to hear about this since I've read the story twice and never had any problems with the Blood Pact or FE10's story in general.

Well, first the Blood Pact was basically a needless catalyst to create drama in the story.

Namely how it was the only reason Daien would do...Anything in part 3, and that we're to believe that Pelleas is such a moron that he not only signed a random document of mystical qualities from a country that just tried to iron fist Daien in the first place, he trusted his oh so trustable confidante Izuka that it was a-ok. It should also be known he had no real reason to sign this in the first place. It's not like it was a peace treaty, because the scene shows he signed it in private. Like, super private. It was midnight and Lekain just warps in and is like "sign this and we're cool". I also refuse to believe that Pelleas just didn't read the damn thing either. He reads books, he's a mage who uses spells as a weapon, and had to find out how to be a spirit charmer SOMEHOW (since he doesn't mention anyone showing him how to do it), so it's not like he's illiterate.

Que wasted tension that could have easily been avoided, Pelleas getting stabbed in the face (which as it turned out amounted to nothing anyways, since you have to kill the one who holds the pact anyways, making the entire "kill me" scene from Pelleas entirely pointless), and finding out Naesala of all people signed one from the same guy as well to explain his actions (Greed was enough of a motivational character flaw for him. He didn't need to be stupid on top of it), and we have the needlessly drawn out Part 3 that hinges on me believing that Pelleas forgot how to read. Only reasonable explanation the Blood Pact gave to something was how Ashnard came to power, though in the end it made that situation less interesting, considering the story we were lead to believe up until then was that plague wiped out everyone in the royal family save for Ashnard who was too badass. It makes Begnion look sneaky to use Ashnard like that before anyone even thought he had a chance at the throne in order to take over Daien later, but I think trading that for some of Ashnard's awesomeness is just a no no, but that's just an opinion there.

As for the story itself...

Part 1 was just...Really bland, and frankly was too short considering how big a campaign retaking Daien should have been for this small band of freedom fighters. Also, none of the characters in Part 1 were all that interesting. Also, Leygeance's younger brother (the last boss of part 1, forget his name) is Snidely Whiplash sort of villainy.

Part 2 was completely pointless in the grand scheme of things. It was neat in how Crimea reacted after recovering from a huge war where they got their ass beat, but it was pointless to the overall story. I also don't believe too well that after all that, Crimea would be so apt to dethrone the person who went about to save their ass and rebuild Crimea in the first place. Part 2 was an interesting look on that situation though, no real complaints outside of the above.

Part 3...Where do I even begin? Do I start with how Begnion and beast tribes just suddenly erupt into war in a split second? Ranulf just suddenly shows up at Ike's door and is like "Yup, we're at war, get in here". Do I start with Daien being pulled into this on a very stupid reason? Begnion being comically evil/suddenly incompetent? The fact that this whole dark god thing that was the entire tension point of FE9 was a conspiracy to cover up...Why DID Deghinsea and co/ have to cover up what had happened anyways? In fact, that cover up is what caused a shitton of problems in the first place.

Part 4 was basically the result of part 3.

[BrightBow]

1. I don't see why Zelgius would care that he's about to have a castle fall on him, since it's stated the only thing that can hurt him is something blessed by the goddess. Unless the castle was blessed by the goddess, he was perfectly fine. He didn't have to run in the first place. The only thing that weirded him out was that for some reason he couldn't move, which could just be explained by this warp powder malfunction he kept talking about. I'll get to the powder in a second. Only real question is "Why was the building collapsing?".

About the building:

If you loose Nasir shows up and attacks the Black Knight. I can see how an angry adult dragon might bring a building to collapse.

If you win a soldier shows up and shouts this: "Th-the Black Knight's fallen! How can this be? D-don't... Don't think you're going to walk out of here, though!

Now! Activate the traps now!"

Not that I would claim that this is a good explanation...

As for Zelgius, I was merely saying that if he didn't want to fight Ike anymore like the localized version says he could have simply run off instead of "letting him win" which apparently included getting himself a horrible injury which caused the soldiers such a freak out that they blew up the whole castle somehow. He also got his armor damaged while undoing it's blessing as a result. Even if he wasn't buried he unnecessary risked his life. If we simply go by the version which included the malfunctions I at last don't need to wonder about such a stunt, silly as it may be.

2. I don't see how "Letting Ike win" makes him handicapped when he states the reason he let him win was "Greil had crippled himself, so when I defeated him the victory over my former master was empty. I let you live to see you grow stronger so yo could match Greil. Only then will I feel fulfilled". If anything, this doesn't make him sound handicapped as much as insane, something that is a lot more believable. It also answers the question "Why doesn't he just warp in and kill Ike when he rallies Begnion?". Begnion was gonna mess up Daien anyways.

This was referring to me thinking that he needlessly risked his life staging his defeat instead of warping.

3. Funny you mention the demonic voice, because in the JP version he had a completely normal one. You know, the one where the story explains his body wasn't necessarily there? He actually would have been easier to recognize in the JP version.

Well then I guess I can't use stuff that's only in the NoA version to show how the jpn version makes more sense.

Still I would say if he had a voice that doesn't stand out so much he would be harder to recognize then his NoA counterpart. A normal voice is harder to memorice but a Darth Vader voice is probably rarer.

And there is no reason why he would have a Darth Vader voice unless it is Zelgius' own voice. Especially since Greil recognized him by his voice despite not seeing him for decades.

4. Why would he care about what he tells Sothe? Who the hell is Sothe to him? That "in a fashion" was also "I let him win because I was unimpressed with his progress. Killing him would have robbed me of my last chance of truly defeating Greil's strength and ability", rather than "my warp powder derped".

Sure, Sothe is nothing to him. He is dirt on his heavy general boots. But that's just more the reason not to lie to him. Why bother? It's easier to speak the truth then to lie, especially when the truth doesn't need to be keep secret and the lie is less flattering anyway.

Btw, here is the full quote:

"You are correct, Sothe. Ike did defeat me in that battle, in a fashion. But as you can see, I managed to escape."

He specifically says he is right and honors him by addressing him directly. If he looks down at him so that he doesn't honor him with the truth I would expect more something like : "Whatever you think, boy."

But he apparently just decided to lie to him just because.

6. He bitches about the warp powder, but he uses that shit all the time in FE10. In the localized version it's a bit more believable, because the last time it malfunctioned, he wasn't really in any danger even despite the fact he was fighting the only person who could actually put up a semblance of a fight against him. He woudln't really be worried if it did malfunction with how much he abuses it in FE10. In the JP version, it almost got him killed. It's even less of an excuse, considering in FE10, the blessing of his armor is gone so now he's far more mortal.

He couldn't avoid using because he had to travel all over the place all the time. Especially with him being Zelgius and all and I can't remember him using it again after he enters a scene. Also since he said the powder weakens him, maybe he can tell this way if he in danger of traveling without his body. Also it was the localized version where he almost died because he was actually in the armor. In the JP version, I doubt that he would have died no matter how much damage his armor took since there was nothing in the armor that could be damaged.

FE5 remake would be boss though. Promote Asvel immediately and blow up everything. Now in 3D for the 3DS.

I would so love that. Give Thracia 776 the ability to change the units starting position and give me a bigger storage and I might have a new favorite Fire Emblem.

Edit:

Namely how it was the only reason Daien would do...Anything in part 3, and that we're to believe that Pelleas is such a moron that he not only signed a random document of mystical qualities from a country that just tried to iron fist Daien in the first place, he trusted his oh so trustable confidante Izuka that it was a-ok. It should also be known he had no real reason to sign this in the first place. It's not like it was a peace treaty, because the scene shows he signed it in private. Like, super private. It was midnight and Lekain just warps in and is like "sign this and we're cool". I also refuse to believe that Pelleas just didn't read the damn thing either. He reads books, he's a mage who uses spells as a weapon, and had to find out how to be a spirit charmer SOMEHOW (since he doesn't mention anyone showing him how to do it), so it's not like he's illiterate.

A few problems here. First, he trusted Izuka, foolish as this may be he just happens to be very naive and Izuka helped him a lot. Second, we didn't see him sign the contract, it happened off screen and not in the scene where Lekain warped into the building. Also I do think Pellas is dumb enough to sign a contract if he is tired, stressed and overworked and a trusted advisor says it's all fine.

What is a problem, however is that Lekain specifically said that the contract needs to be written with blood. That is suspicious and no amount of trusted advisors can change that.

Que wasted tension that could have easily been avoided, Pelleas getting stabbed in the face (which as it turned out amounted to nothing anyways, since you have to kill the one who holds the pact anyways, making the entire "kill me" scene from Pelleas entirely pointless), and finding out Naesala of all people signed one from the same guy as well to explain his actions (Greed was enough of a motivational character flaw for him. He didn't need to be stupid on top of it), and we have the needlessly drawn out Part 3 that hinges on me believing that Pelleas forgot how to read. Only reasonable explanation the Blood Pact gave to something was how Ashnard came to power, though in the end it made that situation less interesting, considering the story we were lead to believe up until then was that plague wiped out everyone in the royal family save for Ashnard who was too badass. It makes Begnion look sneaky to use Ashnard like that before anyone even thought he had a chance at the throne in order to take over Daien later, but I think trading that for some of Ashnard's awesomeness is just a no no, but that's just an opinion there.

It doesn't say anywhere that Naesala was the one signing the pact. It was probably a previous king but like with Pellas, the kings dead didn't end it.

As I said the Blood Pact is a big reason why I don't like the game but writing that up would take some time and I'm very slow and too tired for this night.

Edited August 10, 2011 by BrightBow

[Agro]

Part 1 was just...Really bland, and frankly was too short considering how big a campaign retaking Daien should have been for this small band of freedom fighters. Also, none of the characters in Part 1 were all that interesting. Also, Leygeance's younger brother (the last boss of part 1, forget his name) is Snidely Whiplash sort of villainy.

You have to remember that the Dawn Brigade weren't the only ones fighting; they were just leading the campaign. Also, they were only fighting Begnion's occupying forces, not their main army. Given that Begnion wouldn't want to use too many resources on operating a shithole like Daein, it's perfectly understandable that taking over the place wasn't that hard.

[Florete]

he trusted his oh so trustable confidante Izuka that it was a-ok.

Izuka is the one who (apparently) found him an re-united him with his mother. It's made very clear in part 1 that he trusts Izuka. This is obviously a mistake on his part, but as far as story-writing goes there's nothing inherently wrong with it.

It should also be known he had no real reason to sign this in the first place. It's not like it was a peace treaty, because the scene shows he signed it in private. Like, super private. It was midnight and Lekain just warps in and is like "sign this and we're cool". I also refuse to believe that Pelleas just didn't read the damn thing either. He reads books, he's a mage who uses spells as a weapon, and had to find out how to be a spirit charmer SOMEHOW (since he doesn't mention anyone showing him how to do it), so it's not like he's illiterate.

Unfortunately I don't remember that scene so I can't comment.

Que wasted tension that could have easily been avoided,

Where would you have gone instead? As far as gameplay goes, they needed some way of getting Daein involved in the war. The entirety of part 1 is about them falling into Begnion's trap, so even if the particular scene where Pelleas signs the pact is a little off it still works well as a way to force them into the battle. Plus, them just liberating their country without a hitch and being gone for the rest of the game would not have been interesting at all.

Pelleas getting stabbed in the face (which as it turned out amounted to nothing anyways, since you have to kill the one who holds the pact anyways, making the entire "kill me" scene from Pelleas entirely pointless),

This goes without saying, but whoop-dee-do, Pelleas either got bad information or made another mistake. Even the game notes that his death was pointless.

and finding out Naesala of all people signed one from the same guy as well to explain his actions (Greed was enough of a motivational character flaw for him. He didn't need to be stupid on top of it),

We don't know the details surrounding Naesala's signing of the blood pact so it's quite unfair to call him stupid.

and we have the needlessly drawn out Part 3 that hinges on me believing that Pelleas forgot how to read.

What? Part 3 for a while doesn't even involve Daein. It's only, like, 3-6, 3-7, and then from 3-11 to the end, if I remember correctly.

Only reasonable explanation the Blood Pact gave to something was how Ashnard came to power, though in the end it made that situation less interesting, considering the story we were lead to believe up until then was that plague wiped out everyone in the royal family save for Ashnard who was too badass. It makes Begnion look sneaky to use Ashnard like that before anyone even thought he had a chance at the throne in order to take over Daien later, but I think trading that for some of Ashnard's awesomeness is just a no no, but that's just an opinion there.

I'll take a legitimate explanation over "yeah everyone got sick and died except this one crazy dude," thank you.

Part 1 was just...Really bland, and frankly was too short considering how big a campaign retaking Daien should have been for this small band of freedom fighters. Also, none of the characters in Part 1 were all that interesting. Also, Leygeance's younger brother (the last boss of part 1, forget his name) is Snidely Whiplash sort of villainy.

You don't mention any legitimate story issues here so there's not much for me to say. Part 1 is not my favorite part, either, but I like for what it is; an intro to the rest of the game and story.

Part 2 was completely pointless in the grand scheme of things. It was neat in how Crimea reacted after recovering from a huge war where they got their ass beat, but it was pointless to the overall story. I also don't believe too well that after all that, Crimea would be so apt to dethrone the person who went about to save their ass and rebuild Crimea in the first place. Part 2 was an interesting look on that situation though, no real complaints outside of the above.

This I agree with. Part 2 had no connection to the rest of the story except for giving the Greil Mercenaries a big entrance, but what they do after that has absolutely nothing to do with Crimea. I don't think part 2 should have been omitted since it's nice to see for the reasons you explained, I just think they could have tied it in a bit better.

As for the rebellion, it's reasonable to think that plenty of Crimeans would not see Elincia as a capable ruler with how she was raised, how young she is, and also for the fact that most of the continent didn't even know of her existence for so long.

Part 3...Where do I even begin? Do I start with how Begnion and beast tribes just suddenly erupt into war in a split second?

Yeah, start with it, since it's clearly explained that Rafiel showing up in Gallia and revealing the truth behind the Serenes massacre is the reason for the war.

Do I start with Daien being pulled into this on a very stupid reason?

Yes, because choosing between death for the entire country and a chance of survival is not the easiest situation to be in. I can imagine the signing of the pact being a moment of stupidity on Pelleas' part, but he was never supposed to be some political genius.

Begnion being comically evil/suddenly incompetent?

What?

The fact that this whole dark god thing that was the entire tension point of FE9 was a conspiracy to cover up...Why DID Deghinsea and co/ have to cover up what had happened anyways? In fact, that cover up is what caused a shitton of problems in the first place.

Are you serious? If Ashera had been awakened by the flames of war, she would have destroyed all of Tellius. Of course Dheginsea would want to prevent that in any way possible. It's not the cover up that caused problems, it was simply beorc and laguz not being able to get along with each other and continuing to fight.