Do you like where FE is heading...? /:

[Junkhead]

In short, it's becoming all fanservice-y and stuff. The moment I saw the first characters, I was pretty disappointed. FE13 did the same thing, and now this. Again, we are given another Waifu Simulator and stuff like this. It's making the fanbase even worse. This is all to appeal to casuals and turn our beloved series into...whatever this is? I'm not even going to talk about SMT x FE.

And at the risk of being "that guy" (that guy who you just can't please), let me tell you, I'm not. If anything, I'm always on the supporting end. I'm not saying I'll hate this game, it looks great. But that's just something I HAVE to voice my complaint over.

[Zasplach]

What is it the kids say? "Mo money mo problems". Seems like FE has made some money so there will be some more ties pulling them in differing directions. None of us have played the new game yet, so who's to say how good it will be.

The series has had several phases, I'll at least let everyone one play the game, tell me if it's worth it, and then give it a try.

[Junkhead]

Read the part where I say I think it looks great. ;3 I'm not complaining on that aspect, but on that whole fanservice BS......

[IceBrand]

I can't change your view on the subject, but I will comment on your complaints. By fanservice you mean more sexual correct? It's a different art style is all. Waifu Simulator? Supports have been around for years, Awakening just made it more casual and mainstream.

[Ambulz]

The best impartial response is simply that things change. There's been unprecedented amounts of newfound success in the new style they've taken on, and the series is more popular now than ever before. If you find yourself dissatisfied, it's not as though what has already been done has gone away.

I don't think Fire Emblem has lost its soul. It just made itself more colorful.

[Junkhead]

I can't change your view on the subject, but I will comment on your complaints. By fanservice you mean more sexual correct? It's a different art style is all. Waifu Simulator? Supports have been around for years, Awakening just made it more casual and mainstream.

A different art style doesn't make any less sexual or any less fanservice-y. That's not an excuse, and I see it but a poor way of drawing people in. Regarding my "waifu similator" coment: I'm referring to the whole, "self-insert" Avatar thing. It's not just like in FE7, where the Avatar plays a rather secondary role, this is adding in another Mary Sue character that can marry any playable character, and we all just know where that is heading regarding the fanbase...

It's a strange scenario. Awakening brought in a lot of fans into the series. A lot of people enjoyed the game for what it was.

Techinically, if more people are liking it, it means the series is headed down the right direction. However, through the new decisions they've made with waifus etc, they've changed a lot of things that make FE, FE, making some feel it was the wrong direction to go in (myself included, don't like FE13).

Appealing to the casuals, is exactly what IS had to do to survive. FE wasn't making it as it a niche series. Some people enjoy niche series (that's why SF exists), but if you want to make things as purchasable as possible, you're going to have to adapt.

FE13 did what it needed to do. Do I have to like it? No. Will it turn the series into something else? Remains to be seen. Overall, IS is going through some changes right now, and we'll see where it ends up.

And you do know that you ARE beating a dead horse here. Complaining about this topic over and over again isn't going to change anything.

Hopeful for FE:If as well.

I'm not hoping my complaints will change anything, I'm just letting out some steam. I actually loved FE13.

I feel FE creators are basically "selling their soul", and that's heading the wrong direction if you're a true fan of the series.

The best impartial response is simply that things change. There's been unprecedented amounts of newfound success in the new style they've taken on, and the series is more popular now than ever before. If you find yourself dissatisfied, it's not as though what has already been done has gone away.

I don't think Fire Emblem has lost its soul. It just made itself more colorful.

Remember, success doesn't necessarily equate better. Better quality in terms of what FE is and has always been. I'm not asking you guys your opinion on whether this has been/will be successful or not. The success is there, and it's undeniable. I'm asking you as fans who have known the series before Awakening. Edited April 5, 2015 by The Red Queen

[Zasplach]

Eh, capitalism is just fanservice in action. And I really never felt like the new game creators were that much of a fan of the old games, the styles seem so different.

I think the new designers kind of hate that "hardcore" fans pine for the days of Kaga. Maybe they feel we deserve the big middle finger (slight sarcasm).

[IceBrand]

Good looking things have always attracted people. Nothing new. Sex sells, and IS wanted to attract a wide audience for their soon to be last game. I don't know about you but people having been pairing Mary sue characters with canon characters in game for years before Awakening. Awakening if anything just made it more accessible, and less cringworthy.

Lastly, basement otaku/nerds/neckbeards all ways find something to waifu in any series. Look at series like MLP for example. Ever fanbase has those mouthbreathers.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Advance Gamer

[Thor Odinson]

Really most previous FEs still have plenty of female designs for me to get annoyed about (namely, female mounted units not wearing pants) and yeah Camilla's design is pretty bad and would make a lot more sense on a class that isn't a tank (if she was a mage or berserker I prolly would care a lot less tbh, like, I don't think I was really bothered until a friend pointed out to me she used an axe and on closer examination of her outfit I found a great deal of resemblance to FE13 Wyvern Lord and then the mapsprite confirmed it) so I'm just continuing to be annoyed at the lack of pants on female mounts regardless

However if one token specifically fanservice character gets me gender unlocked fighter/barb and peg knight/troub I will consider that a net win

I think, however, Kozaki could really dial back on how much stuff he shoves into designs because like a lot of his designs are good this time around and a lot more noteworthy than Awakenings as actually eye-drawing but on the other hand there's a lot of other designs (again, Camilla) that are simply too cluttery. Sometimes, less is more, dial it back a bit, bruh. Solid shapes first, then pimp the shit out of it later etc

I mean I understand because I went through that phase back in '12 but hell, I'm glad I don't design like that anymore

Edited April 5, 2015 by Thor Odinson

[Junkhead]

Eh, capitalism is just fanservice in action. And I really never felt like the new game creators were that much of a fan of the old games, the styles seem so different.

I think the new designers kind of hate that "hardcore" fans pine for the days of Kaga. Maybe they feel we deserve the big middle finger (slight sarcasm).

Isn't it the other way around? lawl

I don't know much about the designers/artists/directors, but I'll just tell you that they have done an excellent job with the art from FE6 - FE10. FE11 & 12 also had great art, but I prefer the others.

Good looking things have always attracted people. Nothing new. Sex sells, and IS wanted to attract a wide audience for their soon to be last game. I don't know about you but people having been pairing Mary sue characters with canon characters in game for years before Awakening. Awakening if anything just made it more accessible, and less cringworthy.

Lastly, basement otaku/nerds/neckbeards all ways find something to waifu in any series. Look at series like MLP for example. Ever fanbase has those mouthbreathers.

But that doesn't mean it's justifiable for FE to take this route. Now we know they're just in it for the success, fame and money, I get it. Like I said, I'm trying to get your opinion as fans.

Yeah, well, that doesn't mean it can't get worse........and it has...

[Integrity]

i liked fe13 more than the ones before it

if looks pretty cool from what little i've seen

hell, i'll reserve judgment until the game's actually out but i'm optimistic, op

[Ambulz]

Well, as a fan, I like the new direction. I got my start at a young age with Blazing Sword and have since played over half the games in the series. In the end, it all comes to down to personal taste. Outsiders (and even a number of people in this forum) have criticized Awakening for its "dating sim elements" and waifuism and casual appeal and etc, etc. The fact that the series gained a surge of popularity following Awakening's success means that the amount of opinions has increased proportionally. They have every right to their opinion, just as people have the right to like those very same things. I like these things. Let me enjoy my new Fire Emblem unabashedly, dammit.

[Thor Odinson]

FE6 Lance is not excellent job for one I'll tell you that much

I think a lot of the issue is just 13-14's designs tend to use more complex shapes, which is not necessarily a bad thing, like, when used right, you get stuff like Peg armor in 13 which, boobplate aside is honestly pretty nice, and I thought tactician was also pretty good as another example, but then you also get some awkward-ass shit like wyvern lord and general

Earlier FEs used simpler shapes. When done well, it makes the designs look clean, however there's also designs that are too simple and was simply unremarkable and leads to fairly forgettable characters by design. I think there could be a balance struck somewhere, but IS didn't hire me to do this Lumi4CharacterDesignerFE15plsthxk

Although, tank classes should look tanky. A good thing about earlier FEs is that each class gave you a fairly accurate visual of what each class is supposed to do and be good at and I would like that to be consistently represented in future class designs.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Thor Odinson

[Junkhead]

hell, i'll reserve judgment until the game's actually out but i'm optimistic, op

Liking the game =/= Disliking it's fanservice

I thought the same thing about FE13, didn't think I'd hate it. Guess what? I loved it. Same goes here, except I actually have alright expectations for it, it looks great. I'm complaining about annoying fanservice making this into another Soul Calibur/DoA series (both, which are pretty good).

Edited April 5, 2015 by The Red Queen

[Irysa]

For how awfully designed Camilla is, I am a complete sucker for the aesthetic the Hoshido faction has going on. Like most Fire Emblem games, I'm going to take the punches and roll with them.

That being said, I do believe it damages the integrity of the series to debase itself with some of the ridiculous designs in recent games. SMTxFE I will not comment on seeing as Atlus is primarily handling it however, not IS. Whilst I'm fully aware that my own subjective viewpoint of what is tasteful or not with regards to sexualisation is not some universal standard, my complaint is more rooted in the contrast within these designs. I've said this before, but I am not bothered by the Dark Mage class in FE13, because both their attire is somewhat thematically appropriate given their desert nation status, and it is equal to both genders. I do object to examples like F-Kamui having her armor just dissapear around the groin area, whilst she is armored elswhere. Many female mounted units in FE13 suffer this problem as well, and I feel that it looks ugly because of how it is so dreadfully jarring compared to the rest of the design.

Skirts, leggings, some exposed shoulders, zettai ryouiki, etc, they all have a history in this series. I'm comfortable with them and consider them more tasteful, but flounted cleavage and panties...no.

[IceBrand]

Liking the game =/= Disliking it's fanservice

I thought the same thing about FE13, didn't think I'd hate it. Guess what? I loved it. Same goes here, except I actually have alright expectations for it, it looks great. I'm complaining about annoying fanservice making this into another Soul Calibur/DoA series (both, which are pretty good).

Out of curiosity, what happened to those two series?

[Junkhead]

I see nothing wrong with skirts and leggings (which should include zettai ryouki, to an extent). But freaking panties are visible now...

Out of curiosity, what happened to those two series?

What do you mean? Edited April 5, 2015 by The Red Queen

[Thor Odinson]

Honestly I think ZR is an overused design element in general and not just specific to FE and would like it to be used in more moderation

like I'm not arguing for its total removal, sometimes it fits the class or character, sure put one in, but really it's just so overdone it's getting really fucking boring like, it doesn't work for every character and it's literally everywhere, can't you do something new for a change

there's a world of design possibilities out there and like slapping ZR without consideration to the character in question pretty much everywhere is just lazy IMO

Edited April 5, 2015 by Thor Odinson

[IceBrand]

I see nothing wrong with skirts and leggings (which should include zettai ryouki, to an extent). But freaking panties are visible now...

What do you mean?

You said you don't want annoying fanservice making this into another Soul Calibur/DoA series. How bad was the fanservice in those games?

[Book Bro]

It's a bit early to say FE has sold out or is headed down the wrong path IMO. This new game seems to be trying to do its own thing as opposed to just being Awakening 2. The art style is just the latest in a series of different ones, so even for those of us who aren't huge fans it's not like this is forever. The same could be said for gameplay, they've always tried new things, some stick around and others don't last long, there's no reason to think everything from Awakening will become the norm just because the game was successful. We can see that they're trying to refine stuff from Awakening like Pair Up, bringing things back like interactive maps, etc. To me it seems like they're doing what they've always done, which is fine tuning and innovating the gameplay, while acknowledging that they have to try to keep things that brought in so many new players.

Now, if this game turns out to focus on waifus and grinding despite initial impressions, then I'll be disappointed. Not only because I dislike those things in FE, but it would probably impact the story and gameplay in negative ways, since a big part of the story is family and a big part of half the campaign is limited levelling (which would clash with Awakening-style skill/class system). It'd feel like they're compromising just to satisfy new fans. I admit it's a little disheartening that they felt they had to keep one campaign with a world map and free grinding. It kind of shows they're not confident enough to be totally free in how they design the game for fear that the new fans will get turned off. But, I chalk it up to them wanting to ease new players into the series.

[Irysa]

You said you don't want annoying fanservice making this into another Soul Calibur/DoA series. How bad was the fanservice in those games?

Go see for yourself on google dude.

Honestly I think ZR is an overused design element in general and not just specific to FE and would like it to be used in more moderation

Part of the reason it's overused is because it's a cheap way to slightly add some spice to a design. People often can't complain about it either. I agree that it's somewhat overdone, but if the choice is overdone ZR vs TNA everywhere in a series that is trying to maintain a serious suspension of disbelief I know what I'm siding with. I actually don't really give a shit about how "fanservicey" many games are if their entire premise is effectively rooted in it, (hi Compile Heart) even if I don't find it appealing. The contrast in FE is the problem. Trying to mesh seriousness with absurdity incessantly is something I've never been comfortable with in games, and designs are an important part of that.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Irysa

[Thor Odinson]

Part of the reason it's overused is because it's a cheap way to slightly add some spice to a design. People often can't complain about it either. I agree that it's somewhat overdone, but if the choice is overdone ZR vs TNA everywhere in a series that is trying to maintain a serious suspension of disbelief I know what I'm siding with. I actually don't really give a shit about how "fanservicey" many games are if their entire premise is effectively rooted in it, (hi Compile Heart) even if I don't find it appealing. The contrast in FE is the problem. Trying to mesh seriousness with absurdity incessantly is something I've never been comfortable with in games, and designs are an important part of that.

Like, I see why they do it, but as a character designer myself nevertheless I just find it lazy these days to throw it on everyone. Maybe it's just professionalism or something, I dunno. I don't mind fanservice if it's truly equal opportunity, either. Unfortunately, if I play female MU as a Wyvern Lord I get a face-full of her ass at endgame and if I play male MU in the same class I don't. That's where it really annoys me.

I feel like a key component to good design is to make it stand out, but when everyone has that same element when you can easily change one up because, idk, her character doesn't actually work with ZR for whatever reason or another and make a design that 1) makes more sense for her class 2) fits the character better 3) still looks pretty damn good, if not better due to 1 and 2 and 4) is different and more likely to be more memorable, it just annoys me that a lot of designers choose to take the lazy way out anyway.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Thor Odinson

[Levy]

Honestly I'm more disappointed over the direction the gameplay is taking.In my opinion,the gba while not perfect offer some the mechanics(whether they originated there or not) in the series and barely any have returned since then.

As far as design goes for the most part I agree it's pushing the boundaries what the series is used to(but no in good way).

[shadowofchaos]

There is a bunch of fanservice Awakening and FE:if is guilty of (aka Nono/Now I and Tharja)... but damn, I'm getting the vibe that the OP seems to be saying the series before this was "pure".

[Ϲharlie]

Again, we are given another Waifu Simulator and stuff like this.

This is pretty hilarious coming from the guy who used to act like Sanaki was his girlfriend.