2 1/2 hours in (not sure what to think)

[Randa]

There just really isn't much strategy other than. Stay nearby your teammates, pick the right weapon.

Yes, the general consensus is "yes, compared to AW, you give up the tactical strategy, but what you get in return is story and characters.". But I find myself asking: where's the story and characters?!

The game essentially treats characters as disposable units (despite offering the pretense that it doesn't). Your characters can die with one swing of the axe (just as many enemy units can). And you have to meatshield your characters.

This game has gotten dozens of positive reviews (not one mixed or negative review) and a 90+ score on Metacritic. I'm just baffled how not one of them (not one) have spotted the flaws that I have.

I really hope it gets better. Right now I just feel like I wasted $40.

Well in some instances the units aren't so disposable, but the developers hoped that you would care enough about the characters to want them to live or you're a perfectionist who hates letting characters die. But on the higher difficulties I find it is a slightly better game. But I would advise that you don't judge the series on this game alone. If you want more of a challenge from the game I would advise trying 11 or 12. Both can be run on emulators.(so don't spend $100 bucks for a copy in Japanese). If you want plot or characters who aren't generic anime characters try 4/5,7,8, or 9/10 each one has a better plot and 7 and 8 in particular have deeper characters if you can be bother to grind for supports.

[Magical Glace]

There just really isn't much strategy other than. Stay nearby your teammates, pick the right weapon.

Yes, the general consensus is "yes, compared to AW, you give up the tactical strategy, but what you get in return is story and characters.". But I find myself asking: where's the story and characters?!

The game essentially treats characters as disposable units (despite offering the pretense that it doesn't). Your characters can die with one swing of the axe (just as many enemy units can). And you have to meatshield your characters.

This game has gotten dozens of positive reviews (not one mixed or negative review) and a 90+ score on Metacritic. I'm just baffled how not one of them (not one) have spotted the flaws that I have.

I really hope it gets better. Right now I just feel like I wasted $40.

I am insulted. If you find units disposable, then I suggest you reset every time someone on your side dies.

And they haven't seen those flaws because they are so negligible it's trivial. The characters aren't that bad, this isn't FE11. And from a gameplay standpoint, this entry has so much content that it doesn't get old quickly. And because of nostalgia, I loved the opportunity to revisit using older heroes. I'm sorry the populace doesn't agree with you, heck, the general fandom and I are at odds over Ike, but you've got to deal with it.

[Caster]

FE13 has disposable characters...?

The game has one of the smaller casts in the series, I can't really say too many characters are easily replaced objectively, at least in my opinion.

[Randa]

I'm sorry the populace doesn't agree with you, heck, the general fandom and I are at odds over Ike, but you've got to deal with it.

Actually a fair sized portion of the fan base agrees with him. The game doesn't real hold a lot of actual difficulty, because Lunatic+ is the worst idea ever. And that cast is horribly underdeveloped. So actually a decent portion of the populace does agree with him.

[Vennobennu]

"Yes, compared to AW, you give up the tactical strategy." Have you played Lunatic? The Apotheosis Secret path? Lunatic+? Yeah, I don't think so. Tell me that you lose the tactical strategy after that.

Lunatic can be trivialized with a variety of simple methods. Apotheosis is paid DLC that you have to grind for. Lunatic+ is unfun, tedious and doesn't make the game any more interesting.

Awakening is perhaps the least strategic game in the series. Even somebody who 'sucks at strategy' can power through Lunatic by using basic game mechanics.

[Shadow Mir]

Awakening is perhaps the least strategic game in the series. Even somebody who 'sucks at strategy' can power through Lunatic by using basic game mechanics.

*points to FE4*

Seriously, that game gives you a unit who can easily solo the first half of the game and if that weren't enough, holy weapons just break the game into pieces.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Levant Fortner

[Caster]

*points to FE4*

Levant, how much of FE4 have you even played...?

[Shadow Mir]

Levant, how much of FE4 have you even played...?

Perhaps you haven't seen my edit. I don't need to play FE4 to know that it's not that conducive to strategy, given that you start with a unit that can solo the first half of the game, and that holy weapons (especially Balmung and Holsety) essentially put you head and shoulders above everyone else. And that's not even getting into the maps.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Levant Fortner

[Caster]

Perhaps you haven't seen my edit. I don't need to play FE4 to know that it's not that conducive to strategy, given that you start with a unit that can solo the first half of the game, and that holy weapons (especially Balmung and Holsety) essentially put you head and shoulders above everyone else. And that's not even getting into the maps.

I still want my question answered.

Sigurd is fairly overpowered, but he is far from invincible.

And the holy weapons, while very overpowered, you still aren't invincible with them.

[Shadow Mir]

I still want my question answered.

Sigurd is fairly overpowered, but he is far from invincible.

And the holy weapons, while very overpowered, you still aren't invincible with them.

Because all I'd do is ask "Why would you ask me a question you already know the answer to?", and you know as well as I do that it'd be a fitting answer (it could've just as easily been answered with a "You already know the answer to that", for the record).

I'd say it still doesn't sound conducive to strategy either way. Just look at Sacred Stones - Seth isn't invincible, but he still breaks the game in two.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Levant Fortner

[Tribute]

If you still don't like it after Ch 10 its probably not going to happen.

also you probably arent on a high enough difficulty

There just really isn't much strategy other than. Stay nearby your teammates, pick the right weapon.

Yes, the general consensus is "yes, compared to AW, you give up the tactical strategy, but what you get in return is story and characters.". But I find myself asking: where's the story and characters?!

The game essentially treats characters as disposable units (despite offering the pretense that it doesn't). Your characters can die with one swing of the axe (just as many enemy units can). And you have to meatshield your characters.

This game has gotten dozens of positive reviews (not one mixed or negative review) and a 90+ score on Metacritic. I'm just baffled how not one of them (not one) have spotted the flaws that I have.

I really hope it gets better. Right now I just feel like I wasted $40.

Okay, I'll bite.

Basically you're being a pretentious prick whos actively looking for things to not like with the mind set going into this you wont like it.

You seem to accept nothing less than the next to kill a mockingbird or something. Its not 999, its Fire Emblem. The story is an excuse for the game, not the other way around.(FWIW I consider awakening's above average for what it is and even outside of games character depth is way too overhyped). If you don't like the gameplay, its probably not for you, its just like anything else really. This isn't some indie steam game full of QTEs just to remind you its a game not a movie (cough heavy rain), you aren't playing it for the story you're playing it for the fire emblem game play.

As for your thing about expendabilty, I don't really know what to say.Outside of recruits and your new units the chapter you them [basically Ch 1-3] if your units are dying in one hit you probably aren't as good as you think. Stop sending mages and pegasus classes into axe bandits with luna idk.

TLDR; Congratulations you didn't want to like the game and you don't.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Tribute

[Loki Laufeyson]

There just really isn't much strategy other than. Stay nearby your teammates, pick the right weapon.

Yes, the general consensus is "yes, compared to AW, you give up the tactical strategy, but what you get in return is story and characters.". But I find myself asking: where's the story and characters?!

The game essentially treats characters as disposable units (despite offering the pretense that it doesn't). Your characters can die with one swing of the axe (just as many enemy units can). And you have to meatshield your characters.

This game has gotten dozens of positive reviews (not one mixed or negative review) and a 90+ score on Metacritic. I'm just baffled how not one of them (not one) have spotted the flaws that I have.

I really hope it gets better. Right now I just feel like I wasted $40.

You....I know you...*squints menacingly* Fancy meeting you here....

Seems to me, mate, you havent played FE before. FE has the fundamental idea that when your characters die, its for good. The end, good bye. Thats why this game is unique because Casual Mode exists. Casual Mode makes it so if a unit falls in battle, they will return by the end of the chapter. This is NOT standard to FE. This game also gives you skills in order to spruce up strategy. Normal mode is hella easy, but Hard Mode is better for more challenge. FE13 doesnt offer anything in the way of map objectives other than like, route enemy/kill boss. This puts a slight damper on various strategy options. Again, not exactly the full standard of FE. Lunatic Mode is a different can of beans though. Its just plain difficult!

Also, in my opinion, this is not a game you play for its plot. Its plot is relatively shallow, but the character interactions/supports are pretty interesting. Plus pairing up people and all the combinations therein along with the skill options/reclassing give this game massive replayability. The DLC is fun too because many goodies to be had in there. The game is getting high ratings because of how fun the mechanics are and the sheer amount of content. Main Campaign, Spotpass paralogues, second gen character paralogues, DLC, Spotpass teams, etc.

The game's mediocre plot does not really take away from the game's actual mechanics you know....

[Wander]

It's probably just not your cup of tea, because the majority of people really like Awakening, especially people that have never played Fire Emblem before. Not sure where you're getting the flat characters thing from, if you've been actively paying attention to support conversations. If not, then that's your problem, because those are what is used to develop the characters. I agree that the main story of Awakening is fairly weak. Path of Radiance (GameCube) and FE7 (GBA) both had stronger main storylines.

I'd say you should step the difficulty up to hard since you seem to think normal's too easy, but if your units are dying in two hits, you're doing something wrong, and I'm not so sure you're actually ready for hard. If you're playing the game like an Advance Wars game, that might explain the difficulty you're having. As much as they may seem to be disposable, your units are most definitely not.

As someone who's played FE and Advance Wars, FE definitely still has tactical gameplay. It's a different sort-- more about keeping what units you have alive than it is gathering resources and creating more units-- but it's tactical gameplay nonetheless. Unfortunately, Awakening takes some of the more fascinating tactical parts of the game out of it with grinding for exp and gold being very easy. In most Fire Emblems, you have to manage which characters you use carefully, and in some cases even which characters you decide to bring to battle-- also being forced to choose from the small pool you've actually trained while you're at it.

[Czar_Yoshi]

Yes, the general consensus is "yes, compared to AW, you give up the tactical strategy, but what you get in return is story and characters.". But I find myself asking: where's the story and characters?!

Locked away in a DLC pack called The Future Past.

The game essentially treats characters as disposable units (despite offering the pretense that it doesn't). Your characters can die with one swing of the axe (just as many enemy units can). And you have to meatshield your characters.

Easily killed =/= disposable, in fact it's the opposite. And after cht.13, there are a ton of units who can only be recruited if certain other units are alive/were used.

This game has gotten dozens of positive reviews (not one mixed or negative review) and a 90+ score on Metacritic. I'm just baffled how not one of them (not one) have spotted the flaws that I have.

Look harder. http://www.gamefaqs.com/3ds/643003-fire-emblem-awakening/reviews/review-153477

I really hope it gets better. Right now I just feel like I wasted $40.

Well, if you keep such a closed mind, it won't. If you play it without actively disengaging yourself, you could have enjoyed it from the start.

I personally haven't played AW. I like FE13 because Sticker Star was rubbish (I'm a big Paper Mario fan) and Awakening had everything that SS was bad for lacking.

I think FE7's story was cliched too. And Lyon wasn't that great IMO.

The biggest cliches ever in any SRPG involve a giant empire attacking a small nation and that small nation fighting back as the crux of the plot, and in case you didn't notice, FE7 was the only FE in which that's completely absent.

What strategy? You mean pairing up some units, ending the player phase and then spamming start?

Then how come I beat awakening lunatic+ avatarless renownless grindless etc. in ~3 days and am struggling on FE12 hard 1?

Somehow, I don't buy that you paired up some units and just let them sit there while all of Lunatic+ laid down and begged for its life.

[bonesaw]

characters become more interesting by the time you reach A supports between a handful of them. well, most do. though i'd argue this game has a rather awkward, possibly even bland story, the characters themselves are rather interesting.

this game has some of the least interesting maps of any fire emblem game, honestly. play sacred stones or something if you want a bit more variation.

fueled by the death and suffering of women.

um elaborate on this if you wouldn't mind? because i honestly have no idea where you pulled that from.

Edited December 22, 2013 by bonesaw

[Shadow Mir]

this game has some of the least interesting maps of any fire emblem game, honestly. play sacred stones or something if you want a bit more variation.

That's a complaint I have trouble understanding, tbh. Partly because I think that bland maps are par for the course in FE.

[Potato123]

I can't tell if some of these people like or don't like awakening. A bunch of people seem to be saying "well the plot sucks, the characters suck, the gameplay sucks... and that's why I love it!"

[tuvarkz]

TBH, Awakening's overall plot is relatively not that good, yet the characters are quite well written via support conversations. Whereas the map lacks in chokepoints and strategic map control unlike other FEs, it does a well job of enforcing aggressive gameplay via Galeforce. And perhaps if you find Luna+ easy, try Apotheosis. It's no more than 2$, and comes with normal and secret difficulty. It's one big, long map.

[Skynstein]

I can't tell if some of these people like or don't like awakening. A bunch of people seem to be saying "well the plot sucks, the characters suck, the gameplay sucks... and that's why I love it!"

No one is saying that. We're only having reasonable opinions.

The plot is probably the least important part of the game, though. I've played my fair share of great games with mediocre plots. Heck, Pokémon itself, the plot is always the same cliched crap yet people like the games for their gameplay.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Malebolganone

[Tribute]

Honestly my only complaint besides NO NECROMANCERS :| ANGRY RAGE COME BACK EWAN is that so many reinforcements punish defensive play and make it so you need to be overleveled for it because of so many/frequentreinforcements. In a way its nice because generally being on the defensive IS harder, but its a little extreme sometimes focusing on making 1 god pair to boss rush before your other units die to reinforcements on turn 3... (ie walharts campaign levels), or this dwindling thing where I have to leave behind 10 units just to block reinforcement stairs (or be way OP to handle them).

Reinforcements to stall break is good. Sub turn 10 or so, ESPECIALLY turn 3-5, is just blatantly rushing you as opposed to keeping you on your toes

I guess the root of it is some levels feel like its completely intended you'll have to reset a bunch while you learn reinforcement patterns. Reinforcements being able to jump you before you can respond on turn 3 is kind of retarded. In a way I get it a little bit, its assumed by now you should be wary of a fort or stairs. But reinforcements randomly popping out of the side and killing you seems counterintuitive. IE Laurents level, which encourages exploring for the secrets, but then with no telegraph or hint you just get jumped by 5 berserkers, the hell is that lol

Edited December 22, 2013 by Tribute

[Loki Laufeyson]

the gameplay sucks

Wat. I think the consensus here is that Awakening's gameplay is what makes the game worth playing to begin with.

[Skynstein]

Honestly my only complaint besides NO NECROMANCERS :| ANGRY RAGE COME BACK EWAN is that so many reinforcements punish defensive play and make it so you need to be overleveled for it because of so many/frequentreinforcements. In a way its nice because generally being on the defensive IS harder, but its a little extreme sometimes focusing on making 1 god pair to boss rush before your other units die to reinforcements on turn 3... (ie walharts campaign levels), or this dwindling thing where I have to leave behind 10 units just to block reinforcement stairs (or be way OP to handle them).

Reinforcements to stall break is good. Sub turn 10 or so, ESPECIALLY turn 3-5, is just blatantly rushing you as opposed to keeping you on your toes

I guess the root of it is some levels feel like its completely intended you'll have to reset a bunch while you learn reinforcement patterns. Reinforcements being able to jump you before you can respond on turn 3 is kind of retarded. In a way I get it a little bit, its assumed by now you should be wary of a fort or stairs. But reinforcements randomly popping out of the side and killing you seems counterintuitive. IE Laurents level, which encourages exploring for the secrets, but then with no telegraph or hint you just get jumped by 5 berserkers, the hell is that lol

The thing about reinforcements I don't like is that on Hard and above they're ambush spawns more than anything. The fact they move on the same turn they spawn makes it very hard to protect weak units, especially when the spawned units are something with high mobility and no terrain disadvantage such as Pegasus Knights. Classic mode adds to the drama since you can't afford to have a unit killed.

Of course, the game warns you beforehand (not always!), but there's also the problem that it's difficult to measure the enemy range once they spawn unless you know the map like the back of your hand.

The gameplay does have its flaws and the game can be broken easily, but it's very fun to play and, to me, that's all that matters.

[Tribute]

The thing about reinforcements I don't like is that on Hard and above they're ambush spawns more than anything. The fact they move on the same turn they spawn makes it very hard to protect weak units, especially when the spawned units are something with high mobility and no terrain disadvantage such as Pegasus Knights. Classic mode adds to the drama since you can't afford to have a unit killed.

Of course, the game warns you beforehand (not always!), but there's also the problem that it's difficult to measure the enemy range once they spawn unless you know the map like the back of your hand.

The gameplay does have its flaws and the game can be broken easily, but it's very fun to play and, to me, that's all that matters.

I agree and I love fire emblem. But since its really my only gripe with the game i went into a bit more detail.

Personally I think it has a strong case for outright game of the year, but the untelegraphed reinforcements seem odd since it almost forces you to reset(or look it up online) to learn them or lose units.

I loved the laurent level, exploring the desert with the hint trail to the staff. But it took a few resets to learn reinforcements from waves of 3 zerkers/3 pegas or whatever it is randomly jumping out and massacring muriel.

They should be difficult, and put you on your heels, switch the momentum a bit, maybe make you have to reset (or lose a unit), but they shouldn't be able to move turn 1 from offscreen and not even give you a chance to try and run/prepare/fight back/etc

Edited December 22, 2013 by Tribute

[Czar_Yoshi]

Reinforcements, even ambushes, are fine with me (of course, I don't mind resetting) with two exceptions: Lunatic+ (where you can't scout for Counter in advance and must leave all your units unequipped when they show up, this is worse before you get lots of bows) and FP1, where goons with Mire will pop up and OHKO the children before you can do anything.

[Shadow Mir]

Reinforcements, even ambushes, are fine with me (of course, I don't mind resetting) with two exceptions: Lunatic+ (where you can't scout for Counter in advance and must leave all your units unequipped when they show up, this is worse before you get lots of bows) and FP1, where goons with Mire will pop up and OHKO the children before you can do anything.

Bold: That's a pretty big exaggeration, unless you didn't bother training the parents. Otherwise, I'd generally see them survive at least one hit of Mire.