Is this game really that good?

[FrostyFireMage]

I've been browsing the internet and I've found quite a few people who dislike Awakening due to the generic maps, poor story and brokenness of Nosteratu, and I have to say I'm getting somewhat discouraged here. =/

[CinderSkye]

Yes. It's not perfect, but it really is amazing; I do not qualify as a Fire Emblem fan (though I have played other games in the series) prior to Awakening, it is really that good.

Awakening is on my short list of "greatest games I've played."

Edited February 22, 2013 by CinderSkye

[Fruity Insanity]

[spoiler=WARNING! Do *not* click this spoiler unless you want a *massive* page-stretch. I mean it.]

yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesye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esyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In other words, buy it. Just buy it. You won't regret it. (Probably, but it's not guaranteed.)

Here, read some reviews if you're not entirely sure. Hopefully, they'll convince you. (Assuming that you're not already convinced, that is~)

Edited February 22, 2013 by fireemblemfan4ever

[Redwall]

You don't have to use Nosferatu at all to beat the game, so there's that. The story is reasonably interesting. Some maps in the endgame can feel like kind of a drag, but on the whole I think Awakening is a decently good game. My opinion on it is not quite as rosy as that of some of the other users here, but I found the game fun.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Redwall

[Party Moth]

Story has some cracks when you start to delve into it, but on the whole it's a pretty damn good game. The game play is top notch and the difficulty levels work well for both newcomers and returning fans. It's worth a look, if anything.

[Florete]

Read reviews, both from players and critics (just be sure to notice which ones are actually smart and well-written). If you come to a Fire Emblem forum to ask, you'll probably find people who like the game.

The maps aren't enormously innovative but they're hardly "generic," the story is kind of bland for the most part...Nosferatu is broken?

[Integrity]

I've been browsing the internet and I've found quite a few people who dislike Awakening due to the generic maps, poor story and brokenness of Nosteratu, and I have to say I'm getting somewhat discouraged here. =/

there are literally people that exist to counter any opinion

that's why they're opinions

the best you can do is acknowledge the outliers as white noise and accept the conclusion: consensus indicates that the game is *probably* worth your time, no guarantees

[I.M. Gei]

In all fairness, the game can only be almost perfect.

[Ciaran]

The story is interesting enough for you to go from map to map to see how it develops and while a couple maps are pretty generic FE faire, there are a few gems in it as well, as with pretty much every game from this series. It's a great game and is absolutely up there with my favorite FE games and favorite general games list.

A few characters are kind of forgettable, sadly, but many are interesting enough for you to care about the backstory revealed in the support conversations they have.

As for Nosferatu...I can't remember a single FE game in which is appeared as a usable tome in which is wasn't pretty broken. Guaranteed healing for half the damage you deal is kind of powerful always, although I suppose vengeance makes it even "worse".

[Quick]

While I do think this game is overhyped, I think that will dwindle sometime. I think it's a good game. Lunatic mode is certainly fun (I'm currently on Chapter 13 and I'm having a lot of fun) and I think you will enjoy it. The story is bleh but it's tolerable. It's not my favorite Fire Emblem game but if you play it without high expectations you'll AT LEAST LOVE POSTGAME. (What you can do there is amazing) I might sound pessimistic but it's my opinion.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Quick

[Othin]

It's not perfect, but it's damn near as close as a game can get.

[Phoenix_Kensai]

I have yet to finish Awakening, and am currently on chapter 17, so my opinion on the game isn't quite as informed as others.

That said, I think Awakening is a pretty good game.

Not perfect by any means, of course - the maps generally seem smaller and less varied than other games in the series, the story is enjoyable but feels... rushed? and often familiar, and I'm not a fan of the new art style - but pretty darn good. Definitely one of the better Fire Emblem games, in my opinion, and one of the best games I have played in a while.

[Loki Laufeyson]

In terms of gameplay, this game will rock your smallclothes. Its pretty wonderful in that respect. Especially if you are like me, and love minmaxing and customizing your guys. The added stuff like Pair Up is awesome. I love Dual Strike/Guard. The pairing up of characters is enjoyable as fuck all too.

The maps arent exactly super interesting, but they are fun enough to keep playing. There is no seizing/defend/hold out for X turns type objectives. Its usually Kill the Main Commander or Rout Enemy. It doesnt make the maps boring though because theres often very cool things to find in the maps like villages and Event Tiles. Plus Green Unit defending. Its not exactly necessary or an objective, but you get cool stuff if you manage to save them.

Supports are awesome. Just yes. Plus your Avatar is cool to customize.

As for the story, well....

Ok ill just come right out and say it, im not terribly huge on the story. It isnt horrible or uninteresting, its just not as solid as some of the other games. The whole Timey Wimey thing looks like swiss cheese, theres so many plot holes in that. But on the upside, it adds some interesting character dynamics. The FMV portions are VERY well done. The voice acting in FE took a level in badass and those movie parts are very fluid and well acted. The English voice acting has some bigger names on it too. It is pretty cool that your self-insert has a huge pivotal role in the story. But theres a hunk of mid/later game that feels totally like filler.

What really makes the game really awesome is all the side content. DLC/Spotpass/Streetpass stuff. Its really fun to have that stuff unlock and you can play through it. Makes for one HELLA fun post-game.

The characters are actually rather memorable this time around.

Oh yeah....One thing this game has is one pretty damn amazing soundtrack. Probably the best one yet.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Virion

[Renall]

It totally sucks, that's why I only have 30+ hours logged in it so far.

In all seriousness, go read the worst possible reviews of the game that you can find and then ask yourself "Do these complaints sound credible? Do they make the game as bad as the reviewer is saying?" Personally I always go for the bad reviews because if something's got a 6/10 or something at worst, it can't be that bad. And if the 6/10 review is terrible and not very well-written, then it's probably actually fine.

[arvilino]

It's pretty fantastic, but it can never be perfect(nor is any other game).

Additionally check any later game in a long series and you'll see they're never immune to negative feedback especially in subjective area's like the story, Fire Emblem:Awakening gets far less of that than most games out there.

[BlueLeafeon]

I've been browsing the internet and I've found quite a few people who dislike Awakening due to the generic maps, poor story and brokenness of Nosteratu, and I have to say I'm getting somewhat discouraged here. =/

Those people are probably the people that can find big flaws in just about anything. And everything.

Poor story? Poor story?! SOME PEOPLE did not play all the way through the game. THE STORY IS AWESOME. Never before has a fire emblem game put me into so much suspense and give me such an incredible eagerness to get the maps over with so I can see what happens next.

I don't even understand what "generic maps" are, honestly. O_o In that sense, aren't ALL maps generic in some fashion? ESPECIALLY the earlier ones?

And if Nosferatu is broken? DON'T USE IT. That simple. :x

Honestly, for those people to completely ignore the other key aspects--the awesome music, wonderful graphics, the customization...the ridiculous amount of optional sidequests...voice actors that are 99% awesome (the only time I EVER heard a bad VA was when Lissa screamed NOOOOOO in chapter...9?) and the marriage/children system. Not only that, but there are ways to alter the story scripts, and...just so much replayability!

[Loki Laufeyson]

Poor story? Poor story?! SOME PEOPLE did not play all the way through the game. THE STORY IS AWESOME. Never before has a fire emblem game put me into so much suspense and give me such an incredible eagerness to get the maps over with so I can see what happens next.

Thats a bit of an overstatement, mate. There are some good parts like:

Just wtf is going on with Avatar and that one scene involving Basilio and Walhart.

Or the reveal about Lucina.

But overall, Path of Radiance makes the story in this game look pretty weak. However, the localization is really good and theres so many enjoyable dialogue moments.

[hinode]

Awakening is the Fire Emblem game that most resembles conventional SRPGs in terms of features, with random battles, infinite level-ups, reclassing for skill learning, a return of the marriage system and children, extensive amounts of spotpass and paid DLC content to extend gameplay, etc. If you approach Fire Emblem games like RPGs, you'll find that Awakening has far more content than any other game in the series and tons of room for character growth, both in terms of stats and personality via support conversations. There are also several upcoming DLC stages specifically designed to test even the most optimized teams, so there's more pupose to all the grinding that you can do than just seeing a bunch of shiny stat-capped numbers. Fans coming into the game with this perspective is where a lot of the "almost perfect", "best game in series", etc. hype comes from, I think. This is also the mindset of most professional reviewers, hence the strongly positive reactions that it's gotten from the video game press.

When approached as a pure strategy game, FE13 is much more of a mixed bag. An enormous amount of the RPG features and content mentioned above can utterly trivialize the game's challenge and render any need for serious strategy largely moot, so they have to be avoid to make things interesting. The huge variation in effectiveness of a heavily optimized team vs an average one made it impossible for the designers to create stages as intricate as some of FE12's could get on higher difficulties. Difficulty leven on Hard and Lunatic can spike and drop dramatically depending on what sort of team you're using, how many paralogues/skirmishes/etc. you've played, and what order you play things, which better designed FEs have avoided in the past precisely due to their linearity. Awakening still has quite a bit to offer when played this way, but you have to sift through a lot of cruft first and it probably won't feel as polished as some previous games in the series. A good section of the hardcore Fire Emblem fanbase mostly approaches the series from this type of pure strategy perspective, and I suspect that they will have legitimate grievances with the game.

Of course it's certainly possible to enjoy playing Fire Emblem games both as harder than average SRPGs and as a pure strategy game, which myself and quite a few of my friends do. These people will almost surely enjoy Awakening a lot, but I'll guess many of them find it more satisfying from the former perspective than the latter in the long run. I have a fair number of friends from other sites like this and they pretty much all rate FE13 highly, but most of them don't consider it the best game in the series.

Edited February 22, 2013 by hinode

[Constable Reggie]

The only issue I have with the game is that the maps aren't that fun or interesting in Fe terms (Fe5, 7, and 8 easily win in this regard), but everything else in this game is so great that it completely trumps that minor complaint. It's probably the best Fe game from a purely gameplay standpoint.

I also thought the whole Valm part could have been better handled. For instance, Yen'fay could have been greatly expanded on, instead of him having like 2 lines in the game. Or actually show Virion's struggle against Valm instead of him just explaining it.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Constable Reggie

[BlueLeafeon]

Thats a bit of an overstatement, mate. There are some good parts like:

Just wtf is going on with Avatar and that one scene involving Basilio and Walhart.

Or the reveal about Lucina.

But overall, Path of Radiance makes the story in this game look pretty weak. However, the localization is really good and theres so many enjoyable dialogue moments.

Okay, okay, I do admit this game's story lacks...something. I think in all honesty they stretched the story scenes too far between maps. They really could have removed a couple of those chapters, as they seemed...unneeded.

Path of Radiance DID have a good story, I agree. But this game had something about the plot that really drew me in--in a way former FE games somehow failed to do.

Though it could have just been the fact that making the avatar a self-insert really made the game more personal...

Edited February 22, 2013 by MagicLeafy

[Constable Reggie]

I never really got a sense (at all) of inserting myself into the game. Even with the same name, it felt like all I did was just customize a main character in the game. Maybe it was cause MU had wayyyy too important a role in the game (which made for some awesome moments, nonetheless), unlike Fe12.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Constable Reggie

[PuffPuff]

Gameplay has better elements than any other FE game. Storywise, it's almost a complete rip-off of Archanea and Judgral's tales. Hoping that the next game will have an all new story. Where's Gumpei Yokei and Shouzou Kaga when you need them? They are the ones who are making these games masterpieces anyhow. Other positive thing I can say about it is the Post Game in this game is better than any other as the DLC/Spotpass content are big hits.

So...

4.5/5

Edited February 22, 2013 by Katarina

[Loki Laufeyson]

I never really got a sense (at all) of inserting myself into the game. Even with the same name, it felt like all I did was just customize a main character in the game. Maybe it was cause MU had wayyyy too important a role in the game (which made for some awesome moments, nonetheless), unlike Fe12.

I got the impression that my self-insert felt like me on my first run. Mostly because of the adult female avatar build and voice. That and some of her lines were something i would say if i was planted into the FE universe. Plus some of her supports. I did get terribly attached to the bloke she married and the kid she had.

But...that does kind of fade on a second playthrough. I think the Avatar/player connection thing is only truly an experience on the first time you go through the game.

Or actually show Virion's struggle against Valm instead of him just explaining it.

Yes please. That would have been awesome.

Storywise, it's almost a complete rip-off of Archanea and Judgral's tales.

To be fair, the amount of western players who played those games, namely Judgral, are very very few. For the majority of western players, this particular storyline is rather new to them.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Virion

[Bearemy]

Gameplay-wise, it's probably one of the best FE titles out there for reasons already explained.

When it came to story, I believe FE13 has the most dramatic or emotional story in the series, though not the best overall, because the Valmese Arc weakens it.

The whole Valmese Arc felt typical and run-of-the-mill, kind of like Shadow Dragon or Sacred Stones. This probably could be remedied with more characterization of all of the Valmese characters (Yen'fay, Walmart, Tiki, Virion, etc.), instead of strictly Excellus of all people.

Even so, it's a really great game that should at least be tried.

It's just that the story around mid-game could be much better, I guess.

Edit: I was reminded that SS did have a compelling story. I haven't played it in a long time so my memory of it was shaky.

Edited February 23, 2013 by Chidokyo

[Lanko]

I actually loved the maps. They never feel repetitive, It was much better than those plains over and over. And the lack of tactical terrain in PoR/RD as well.

The story is pretty emotional , at least in the first arc, which is a very good arc. The beginning of the valmese arc is fine, but then doesn't stand out much because of some lack of charisma and characterization of the characters ( i didn't gave a crap about the whole Yen'fay and Say'ri thing ). Even Excellus, as we never learn what really was his deals with Plegia and what he wanted to accomplish.

The valmese arc was clearly rushed, but there were very good parts. I liked how you are cornered and need to fight for your life against a much stronger enemy, that could have been better explored.

Then the third arc when you return is actually pretty good.

Gameplay is awesome. You can play pretty much anyway you like with any character. I like how reclassing is restricted, the mindless reclassing from the DS games sucked. Good customization, skills, weapons, pairing up and supports.

After the lack of supports in RD and SD, and even in FE12 when the characters mostly supported the Avatar only, Intelligent Systems compensated for all of them. Father and siblings supports could be different for different characters tough...

Two complete different people, like Gaius and Kellam, say the same stuff to their kids. Sometimes there are slighty variations of the dialogue with Lucina's sibling but it's pretty much the same stuff.

But characters really gain a lot of depth if you put the time in them on supports.

However, DLC characters, at least Micaiah and Roy, sucks as they use the Avatar model. Even details like Ike's bandana and cape were not even considered... Marth uses the model from a character already ingame and Leif looks awesome, but that may also be the case for Trickster Avatar.

But the Lost Bloodlines map is awesome, can't expect the other ones.

Edited February 23, 2013 by Lanko