Is this game really that good?

[Constable Reggie]

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.

I never got that feeling, tbh. The closest it felt like I was actually the character were the yes/no choices, but there's only like 5 of them in the game, which is way too few.

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.

Err, Shadow Dragon?

The whole Valmese Arc felt typical and run-of-the-mill, kind of like Shadow Dragon or Sacred Stones.

You're not giving Sacred Stones enough credit. Sacred Stones had some really awesome enemies that were well fleshed out and were interesting (something Awakening skimps on), and the game gave you a compelling reason to invest in trekking on (your country gets taken over, you're not told why a friendly country would attack you for no reason), unlike Awakening's "They will take over the world!" typical adversity plot with no real frills. You're shown awesome moments in SS, like Valtar vs Glen, while in Awakening you're just told all the stuff (Yen'fay, Virion's country, Say'ri's allies)

Edited February 23, 2013 by Constable Reggie

[Bearemy]

You're not giving Sacred Stones enough credit. Sacred Stones had some really awesome enemies that were well fleshed out and were interesting (something Awakening skimps on), and the game gave you a compelling reason to invest in trekking on (your country gets taken over, you're not told why a friendly country would attack you for no reason), unlike Awakening's "They will take over the world!" typical adversity plot with no real frills.

Oh, I forgot about the the handful of sympathetic villains like Selena, Glen, and Lyon. Thanks for reminding me.

[darkkfan]

You're not giving Sacred Stones enough credit. Sacred Stones had some really awesome enemies that were well fleshed out and were interesting (something Awakening skimps on), and the game gave you a compelling reason to invest in trekking on (your country gets taken over, you're not told why a friendly country would attack you for no reason), unlike Awakening's "They will take over the world!" typical adversity plot with no real frills. You're shown awesome moments in SS, like Valtar vs Glen, while in Awakening you're just told all the stuff (Yen'fay, Virion's country, Say'ri's allies)

Good to know there's someone else out there who recognizes Sacred Stones for the masterpiece it was. I love the whole plot, especially the Orson part

But I'm a sucker for traitors

As for the topic, Awakening is a really good game and probably my second favorite out of all of them after Radiant Dawn. The advantages I'd give RD are its much longer story and its much better plot with more plot twists. The characters also seemed more balanced but IDK because FE13 has grinding. Plus I love how you get to fight your own guys, but most other people seem to hate that part.

Awakening does have some great features like the children system and the difficulty added a significant challenge compared to FE10 and FE 8 especially, so it gets points there. I'd say it had its share of awesome scenes

I loved the Basilio vs. Walhart fight, which is at least as good as Valter vs. Glen

Edited February 23, 2013 by Why so Sirius?

[bookofholsety]

Where's Gumpei Yokei and Shouzou Kaga when you need them?

...Gunpei Yokoi has been dead for nearly sixteen years, and even before then he was kind of on piss-poor terms with Nintendo after they fucked up the Virtual Boy.

Wondering why a dead man is not working on your favourite games? Really? For fuck's sake.

(also Kaga is retired and probably not on the best terms with Nintendo either)

[monkymeet]

Fire Emblem has never really had a "great story," except arguably FE4, in my opinion.

Nosferatu has always been pretty amazing. You can just buy it now. And Vengeance, I guess.

[Aisuko Lyrical]

YES it is LOVE the game it is fun interesting unlike FE7 it really worth it and you CARE you care about a lot of people

[Constable Reggie]

Boy I sure cared about Yen'fay when I found out he was actually a tragic villain. The game sure invested me in his character what with his 2 lines and all.

I know there's a spotpass map that probably reveals more about him, but really, how hard could it have been to just add more dialogue for him? It would have been awesome to learn more about his Valhart-esque headpiece, or actually see him succumb to Valm's tyranny, or even just see anything more than about him, rather than just absolutely nothing.

[Weebos]

I have played every FE since FE6, FE8 was my favorite. I think this game is the best Fire Emblem released by a fair margin.

[sunshineYON]

This game has the best presentation in the whole series. A lot of FE's greatest features and characters(literally) are all crammed into one pretty package with new features as well. Pretty darn good. I love the characters as well. I have gripes about the costume designs and the story however.

[Crimson Red]

It doesn't get much better than this. :|

Yes, the game has flaws, I absolutely love the game but I'm not so enamored that I can't see them--I could probably list more than the average player, tbh, just because I have no life and play video games too much... but no game is perfect or without flaws, and no game will please everyone. Everyone has their own play-styles and their own things they look for in their games, and some people are more critical than others, etc., there's too much individuality in this world for a game to ever be "perfect" and appeal to everyone, but in terms of doing about as good as a game can do, this game does it. The general ratings and reviews show that. I'm not saying to ignore the critique or complaints, I'm just saying that they come with any game, and this game definitely has less of it than other games, and a stronger positive than other games. XP

[darkkfan]

DD29N-A93DM-M8QY2-AH9KK-2N9NH

YES it is LOVE the game it is fun interesting unlike FE7 it really worth it and you CARE you care about a lot of people

Yeah this game does have pretty decent development at least for most of the playable characters, although some do seem pretty 1 dimensional. I think that FE7 is hugely overrated around here and sure it's the first NA game and all, but it is really the worst game in the series all around IMO (then again I have only played FE 6-13). Making you play it four times (not counting Lyn's story) just to unlock and beat all the stories when there is only a few chapters difference between each story was just painful, especially when the game had so little challenge even on the Hard mode stories. In FE8 sure there were two routes, but they had totally different maps and you didn't have to unlock them. At least with the newer games you only have to beat them twice max, once to unlock the highest difficulty and once to beat it.

Boy I sure cared about Yen'fay when I found out he was actually a tragic villain. The game sure invested me in his character what with his 2 lines and all.

I know there's a spotpass map that probably reveals more about him, but really, how hard could it have been to just add more dialogue for him? It would have been awesome to learn more about his Valhart-esque headpiece, or actually see him succumb to Valm's tyranny, or even just see anything more than about him, rather than just absolutely nothing.

^this

I thought Walhart was one of the few enemies for whom you could get a sense of their character from their dialogue (Excellus and Gangrel don't count because the extent of their dialogue's emotional effect was just making you want to cut their throat sooner). Yen'fay, on the other hand, seems he was supposed to be more developed but they just never got around to it; it's really weird that a character like Yen'fay would be half-baked.

[Masked_Hunter1825]

The game is the best game in terms of characters, gameplay and music. The story is alright but Valm kind of feels like filler. Still, I suggest getting the game if you don't have it already. Don't let people discourage you. Play it first and decide for yourself!

[Wander]

The story is really strange, in my opinion. It has all the makings of being great but just doesn't capitalize on them. Much of it felt strangely rushed, especially the Valm arc. However, even the arc with Plegia didn't feel all that strong. It's hard for me to pinpoint why it felt rushed, it just did. Strangely, I thought the final five chapters were probably the ones I enjoyed the most; usually I enjoy the first 10 more in FE, but ah well.

The gameplay is fantastic, the support system is the best yet, and most of the support conversations are great. A Lagdou Ruins-type thing from the Sacred Stones would be fantastic in Awakening's postgame, but I guess you can't have it all.

In any case, yes, I'd say it really is that good. Just try not to think too much about the story, else you'll find plenty of plot holes.

[Othin]

I think you can really get a feel for what went wrong with Yen'fay by comparing to FE10. There, you'd directly see what the villains were doing, but their words and how they were fucking you over. Meanwhile in FE13, particularly in Ch7 and Ch17, the characters are just "oh, we're fucked" without really seeing the enemies do stuff to prove it, while your own characters just keep routing them in every fight. The scene with Walhart at the start of 18 helped, but then you just fight Yen'fay and rout his troops and then Walhart gets driven back and you're ready to win.

[eclipse]

The story's interesting, but don't expect something really drawn-out. The gameplay is where this game shines - customize your units, figure out how to deal with the AI, and occasionally find a random skirmish that makes you cry. It looks like those that aren't content with the story can flesh it out further with DLC, but eh. I'm perfectly happy with breaking the game using what's available~!

[PuffPuff]

1. ...Gunpei Yokoi has been dead for nearly sixteen years, and even before then he was kind of on piss-poor terms with Nintendo after they fucked up the Virtual Boy.

Wondering why a dead man is not working on your favourite games? Really? For fuck's sake.

2. (also Kaga is retired and probably not on the best terms with Nintendo either)

1. Gumpei not only made the Virtual Boy, but he did make Super Metroid too.

2. lol

Especially after creating Tear Ring Saga.

Fire Emblem has never really had a "great story," except arguably FE4, in my opinion.

It's more in depth than any other game in the series. Just like Marth's tales are more historical than any other.

I think that FE7 is hugely overrated around here and sure it's the first NA game and all, but it is really the worst game in the series all around IMO (then again I have only played FE 6-13). Making you play it four times (not counting Lyn's story) just to unlock and beat all the stories when there is only a few chapters difference between each story was just painful, especially when the game had so little challenge even on the Hard mode stories.

I wouldn't say that about HHM. The others along with EHM are all are completely easy though. The enemies all have pitiful speed.

[Faye]

My only two wishes with this game are Father and Morgan supports weren't so generic, there's no point in unlocking any more than the first ones you get. :/ My other wish is that DLC characters actually got unique models, it's a bloody rip-off that the "special" character you pay money for, you can just make yourself, for free. Except for Marth, obviously, but then again he's just disguise!Lucina without the mask. Bah.

It's an excellent game overall, I love the My Unit creation and marriage system, the soundtrack is stellar, and I enjoyed the story despite it's lack-ness. Just don't expect too much from the DLC. The Golden Gaffe and EXPonential Growth are pretty much worthless, it's hard to keep up with foes who will just flee the map. They should just sit there and be my money/experience pinatas. "OTL

[GeekyDad]

I think one thing that really shouldn't be underestimated about Awakening is its presentation. Aside from Shadow Dragon, it's the first thing we've seen of the series outside Japan since Radiant Dawn, and the contrast in production values is stark. To a mainstream audience, it makes a big difference in its acceptance. Awakening, if nothing else, is a statement by Nintendo they take this series seriously (either that, or IS had secret cashes of money lying around ). And it's not just the cutscenes, in-game graphics and amazing musical scores either. The game was given time and love. The story coulda used some more baking time, but in the end, this game delivers in spades. It's a great re-introduction to the franchise, I think. We could nitpick all sorts of things, but ultimately, it's a very strong SRPG, not to mention a AAA Fire Emblem game.

[PuffPuff]

I think one thing that really shouldn't be underestimated about Awakening is its presentation. Aside from Shadow Dragon, it's the first thing we've seen of the series outside Japan since Radiant Dawn, and the contrast in production values is stark. To a mainstream audience, it makes a big difference in its acceptance. Awakening, if nothing else, is a statement by Nintendo they take this series seriously (either that, or IS had secret cashes of money lying around ). And it's not just the cutscenes, in-game graphics and amazing musical scores either. The game was given time and love. The story coulda used some more baking time, but in the end, this game delivers in spades. It's a great re-introduction to the franchise, I think. We could nitpick all sorts of things, but ultimately, it's a very strong SRPG, not to mention a AAA Fire Emblem game.

It was given time to love. Especially, since it got retconned from us for over 12 years which is the reason it isn't and probably will never be as popular as another RPG, Pokemon.

Edited February 23, 2013 by Katarina

[Othin]

that is not what "retcon" means

[Slyfox]

that is not what "retcon" means

And then doesn't explain what it actually means...

"Retroactive continuity (retcon for short) is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work.^{" - Wikipedia}

[NoNameAtAll]

that is not what "retcon" means

Off topic: When in doubt, ignore Ayanami.

On topic: This game's amazing. Sure, the story isn't the greatest, it's more typical Fire Emblem than others. But the characters are great.

[PuffPuff]

"Retroactive continuity (retcon for short) is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work.^{" - Wikipedia}

Which were not told, or unaware of.

-----

@NoName

Off Topic

Retcon is something your unaware that happened.

Whatever.

Retcon>Unaware.

They both mean the same thing.

In doubt, a metaphor.

On Topic

The game shines a 4.5 for being the only game to have actual voicing.

Edited February 24, 2013 by Katarina

[IkeandMia]

I'll be completely honest, hearing someone say FE7 is the worst FE game from the 6-13 span is legitimately one of the worst opinions I have ever heard about anything, ever.

[Dai]

I'll be completely honest, hearing someone say FE7 is the worst FE game from the 6-13 span is legitimately one of the worst opinions I have ever heard about anything, ever.

I have to admit, reading that kind of hurt me, too. I know it's far from perfect, and maybe it's just my nostalgia glasses, but this was one of my favorite Fire Emblem games. I had a lot of fun with it, and I'd like to go back to it again. Hell, I kind of wish they would remake it(not that it really NEEDS it) with some of the better features from later games(like Pair Up). It might be a stupid and terrible desire, but hey! I just really love this game, for a lot of reasons.