What were your Peak and Rock Bottom moments in each game? (SPOILERS)

[Jave]

We've all had them. Moments where we were truly glad we decided to buy and play this game, or moments where we just wanted to smash the controller/handheld against a wall. This thread is to discuss the absolute best and worst moments we've had with each FE game. It can be related to story, gameplay, music or whatever you want. Just remember, moments are exactly that: Moments. It can be a line of dialogue, a scene, or a whole chapter, but no stupid answers like "All of this game because this whole game's plot is shit".

FE4:

- Peak: The Battle of Barhara at the end of Gen 1. Still one of the best moments in the whole series, and it amazes me how well executed it is with just 16-bit graphics.

- Rock Bottom: Near the end of the game, Julius tells Manfroy to kill Julia since she is the only one that has the power to kill him. What does Manfroy do? Give Julia a weapon and sends her on her own to attack Seliph and co. I was at a loss of words the first time I saw this. They couldn't think of a better way for Julia to be rescued, so they pull an Austin Powers? Not only does this pretty much (literally) kill Manfroy as a competent villain, but it also puts a dent on Seliph's achievements since he only wins the war because Manfroy screwed up.

FE8:

- Peak: All the scenes with Orson during the midgame when Eirika and Ephraim go back to reconquer their homeland. These are really well written since Orson's insanity feels very believable, and you even sympathize with him a bit. The whole bits with him and his wife feel particularly creepy, but they're very well executed.

- Rock Bottom: I feel during the final stretch of maps prior to Endgame the game moves way too fast, like there should have been more chapters but they rushed the game in the end. I think this culminates with the cave map where you have to break all the eggs before they hatch, which was easily my least favorite map in the whole game.

FE10:

- Peak: 3-13 is the best map in this game and I love absolutely everything about it. The constant sense of danger, the grim atmosphere, the interactions between the DB and GM. Every time I play this game I get excited when I play this map. It's simply amazing.

- Rock Bottom: "Yo Ike, Zelgius is the Black Knight kthxbai". This was supposed to be a big reveal in the game and they completely botched it by revealing it in the most anti-climatic way possible. There were dozens of ways this could have worked but they went with the laziest way ever. No video cutscene, no voice overs, nothing. Just lines of text. Ugh.

FE14 (Birthright):

Peak: Elise's death scene. Now I really like Elise, and seeing her die here caught me off-guard, but I applaud the devs for actually making this scene work. It's easily one of the most emotional moments in the series (probably the only time in the series I shed legit manly tears).

Rock Bottom: Takumi is revealed as the traitor... and then a minute later it's forgotten and nothing comes out of it. Like... what was that all about? It's like the writers suddenly remembered they had that plot point to deal with and quickly disposed of it.

FE14 (Conquest):

Peak: Chapter 10. All of it. One of the best maps in the series and the way it's designed is just amazing. I'm a big fan of Defense maps, and this one was no exception. Playing through this map gave me excitement I hadn't feel with the series since FE10 3-13. Truly a great experience from beginning to end.

Rock Bottom: "Hey there's a girl wearing a black dress on stage doing this familiar dance. I wonder who she is." You know, I can accept that the writers were being intentionally silly with this, but come on. COME ON.

I'll post the rest of the games I've played later. What are your choices?

[Magical Glace]

FE6:

Peak: Chapter 22. I love everything about it.

Rock bottom: Not really a moment, but I hate the way Illia/Sacae is decided. For a actual moment... Chapter 24 is horribly designed as a map. Jahn's exposition dump is interesting and all, but it would be better if that information was spread throughout the game in the Gaidens.

FE7:

Peak: As annoying as the unlock requisites are, I like 19xx, both plot and gameplaywise. Really makes you pity poor Nergal.

Rock bottom: Yes Lyn, I know how to play Fire Emblem. (Also the return of level based route splits)

FE8:

Peak: Lyon's death scene was very touching. I had really come to like Lyon.

Rock Bottom: Ephraim's Stu moment in 5x.

FE9:

Peak: The scene at the end of the game where "To My Love" plays.

Rock Bottom: The Black Knight fight is luck based and stupid.

FE10:

Peak: I-E, victory for the Daeins is near, but the Occupation forces have one last stand. It's a really fun map imo.

Rock bottom: Ashera and her stupidly high Res and the fact you have to kill her with Gary Ike.

FE11:

Peak: The map where you get the Falchion. I forget what its called.

Rock bottom: When I discovered the removal of Falcoknights without the downloadable shop, like what.

FE13:

Peak: That DLC map with the spike to 1-HP thing. Est's.

Rock-bottom: I can't say almost everything... so I'll say the one scene I loathe more than any other: Grima resurrecting without the Fire Emblem. Like, what? That makes the majority of the plot to that point seem super pointless, since a lot of conflict in the first part of the game was Plegia wanting the Emblem to resurrect Grima. It makes no sense.

[MCProductions]

FE1, 3B1, and 11: Peak: Tiki's reveal, SD was the 4th game in the series I played after Awakening, and to see my favorite character in the series first appearance was pretty sweet

Rock Bottom: What you need to kill Gharnef, and how FE1 and FE3B1 do a shitastic job of conveying that to the player

FE2: Peak: The first time you control both armies simultaneously, damnit, that's a concept that needs to return

Rock Bottom: Rudolf's lolwtf plan that somehow fucking works

FE3B2 and FE12: Peak: Marth's characterization in Book 2

RB: Kris' existance, he's great gameplay wise imo as a avatar, but he should not exist in the story

FE4: Peak: Arvis' character

RB: Having to kill Arvis

FE5: Peak: Finn's in this game

RB: Manster, ALL of it

FE6: Peak: My ideal lord stat wise is also an awesome character character wise

Rock Bottom: FUCKING CHAPTER 13, People bitch about Arcadia, but 13 is WAY worse imo

FE7: Peak: Technically the first FE I played, even if I owned and beat 13 first, I also love the 3 lords from a gameplay perspective and would like it back

RB: Night of Farewells

FE8: Peak: Lyon, he's awesome

RB: Ephraim, I really dislike him

FE9: Peak: Chapter 8

RB: Day Breaks

FE10: Peak: All of Part 2

RB: That fucking bridge

FE13: Peak: Tiki's S Support with Robin

RB: Chapter 23

FE14C: Peak: Chapter 10, aka where Conquest oh so subtly informs you it's not fucking around

RB: That fucking stairway map

FE14BR: Peak: Corrin and Oboro's supports

RB: Corrin's characterization compared to CQ

FE14REV: Peak: Endgame, it's my favorite endgame in the series by far

RB: How Azura reveals Anakos effectively making me hate her as a character

[NJ7009]

FE6

Peak - Seeing the characters from FE7 again.

Rock Bottom - I hated how, in order to get the best ending, you HAVE to get all the legendary weapons. This left a bitter taste with me after my first playthrough.

FE7

Peak - The Black Fang arc

Rock Bottom - Lyn's irrelevance to the plot

FE8

Peak - I really liked the flashback sections with Lyon. I felt pretty bad when I had to kill him.

Rock Bottom - Eirika being stupidly naive and giving Lyon the sacred stone.

FE9

Peak - Has my favourite story of the FE games I have played. The cast is also really likeable.

Rock Bottom - How Elincia is unavailable for the majority of the game.

FE10

Peak - Some amazing maps! Part 2 Endgame and 3-13 spring to mind.

Rock Bottom - the revelation that Zelgius was the black knight felt forced.

FE13

Peak - Many of the DLC maps are fun. Death's Embrace and Future Past were pretty amazing

Rock Bottom - Emmeryn. Just Emmeryn.

FE14

Peak - I really love the cast in this one. Also, the song Dark Fire is amazing.

Rock Bottom - Hated Corrin with a passion and how everyone is obsessed with them. The fact many maps were reused through the three routes was also a cheap move.

[Thane]

Blazing Sword

Peak: the actual dragons looked awesome and actually made me excited to fight them.

Rock bottom: a tie between Nino's laughably obvious subplot, Nergal's "I could win and kill you right now, but I won't" moments and Nergal ignoring the rules of the plot to summon the previously mentioned cool-looking dragons.

Sacred Stones

Peak: everything about Lyon, by far the best villain out of at least the localized game in the series. A specific moment that sums it up pretty well is when Lyon declares that he's finally going to beat Ephraim, who explains that Lyon could never do that, because he just doesn't have it in him. It's the one time where Ephraim's invincibility actually serves to enhance the plot, to my knowledge.

Rock bottom: Ephraim's sue moment(s); "pff, I can take this castle with my buddies no problem, because I never lose!" - just because you keep saying that doesn't mean I'll blindly accept it, buddy.

Path of Radiance

Peak: most scenes with Ranulf and Soren.

Rock bottom: Ashnard's conversation with Elincia and Ike before the final chapter, showing just how uninvolved he is in the plot.

Radiant Dawn

Peak: the character interactions in this game are marvelous, and when you switch teams and everyone is fighting without really knowing why, the game just oozes tension and atmosphere. I love it. Unfortunately...

Rock bottom: ...the Blood Pact is a thing, and the reason as to why they're all fighting.

Awakening

Peak: Future past. Character interactions on par with Radiant Dawn in intense, short and sweet chapters that lead to a satisfying ending if you play your cards right.

Rock bottom: "hey guys, look, a needlessly long subplot on the other side of the world!"

Birthright

Peak: the music playing at the final maps as Ryouma dodges everything.

Rock bottom: Flora and Xander's deaths - not because they are sad, but because they're so horribly written and poorly executed and require no small amount of mental gymnastics to understand.

Conquest

Peak: beating up the Hoshidan siblings, because it's the one time while playing the game that it lets you feel bad for joining the puppy kicking side. Lovely music and sad lines all around.

Rock bottom: chapter 15. You know why.

Revelation

Peak: breaking the game with all the siblings, Velouria and Ophelia.

Rock bottom: Azura revealing everything worth knowing about the plot in an info dump literally five minutes into the actual path.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Thane

[Alex95]

FE7

Peak: Every time Sain appears and Kent makes a fool of himself.

Rock: Defeating Lloyd and Linus. They would've been great additions to the team!

FE8

Peak: The chapter when Eirika and Ephraim reunite (the first time) and everyone's all happy!

Rock: My playthrough Orson.

FE9

Peak: The relation between Ike and Elinica. Or the game in it's entirety.

Rock: Chapter 11

FE13

Peak: Owain

Rock: Aversa

FE14B

Peak: Um... the graphics? Maybe My Castle?

Rock: ...Yeah, I really have nothing good to say about this game.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

FE4

+ Arvis

- killing him

FE5

+ Whenever I have captured an opponent with rare weapons, staves or even a skill.

- chapter 8x; stupid design, Dagda's and Tanya's survival are just luckbased

FE6

+ When Rutger is recruited.

- chapter 7

FE8

+ When I start Ephraim's route. Very challenging and fun.

- When I start Eirika's route. So easy and boring.

FE9

+ Whenever

theme is played. It represents perfectly the best villain in the entire series.

- Ike's first conversation with Sanaki in Sienne.

FE10

+ Part 1 - I love the chapters of the DB the most because of its difficulty.

- That Ike has to finish this game and not Micaiah how it actually should be.

FE11

+ Roger's recruitment with Caeda

- almost everything else

FE13

+ Mustafa's death

- almost everything else

CQ

+ Ryoma's death

- Camilla's appearance

BR

+ Setsuna's marriage

- Xander's death

Edited August 11, 2016 by Ayama Wirdo

[Busterman64]

(Just to say this now, some of my reasons may not seem very good. That's probably because I forgot some stuff in some games like FE6 that I haven't played in a while, so...hopefully you'll forgive some of my choices...)

FE6

Peak:Sue,Geese,and Dieck...nuff said. ;3

I'm kiding(...somewhat). Fir & Noah's and Clarine & Rutger's supports.

RB:(this may not count, but...)The Hit rate system. I may dislike Arcadia, but that's ONE chapter! Its honestly the main thing that keeps me from liking the game as much because it's a good game! But...oh well...(I'm sorry, but...I want to like that game more then I do...)

FE7

Peak:Ninian's Death

Her death, the theme that plays, everything in that moment that REALLY hits the feels...*sniff*(maybe not SUPER strong, but the setup is good enough for it)

(Also, Lyn. Nuff said...)

RB: Chapter 26(all because of Jaffar. I understand the reasons for plot, but gamplay wise...good luck getting ch.26x in one go...)

FE8

Peak:Jehanna(honestly the whole time you're there, but specifically the Desert chapter)

One of my personal favorite Desert chapters that's pretty fun. Not to mention the two bosses(who I send specific people to fight for obvious reasons...) ;3

RB:......I can't remember clearly, but something to do with Ephraim...porbably a reason why I don't like(or play) his route as much...(probably a chapter I can't remember right now...

FE9

Peak:There is a specific Base conversation after the chapter where you fight Jill's father. Jill talks to a lady that knows her and she goes on how Crimea is to blame for the current crisis(the water flooding that Petrine forced Jill's father to do) and how they're invading Daein and so on and so on. Just...so much hate.

So why do I like it? Well, it always stuck with me from my very first playthrough. Crimea is the one that got Invaded and is currently in shambles, yet...they're the bad guys for trying to retake their Kingdom? It's surprising how the "Heroes" can be viewed as even though they were done wrong by another country's King(who started the whole war in the first place).

Also, I imagine Jill already feels like she's betraying them and THAT conversation didn't help her feel any better about it...

(Edit: Also, Ike and Soren's support. Really shows their character, especially Soren)! Best budds for life! ;3)

RB:The actual Black Knight Fight.

Now while I've personally never lost the fight(even on my first playthrough), but this fight comes down to luck(a.k.a. Aether) and if Ike has close to maxed out a few of his stats(because Eclipse hurts like heck and can probably kill you in one shot if one or two stats are too low...)!

The setup is awesome! The execution? Eh...could've been better, but it could've been worse.

FE10

Peak:Part 2. All of it.

It's surprising what hate and fear can make people do. Elincia has it pretty rough dealing a uprising (that exists because someone feels like they can do a better job at ruling when Elincia is already doing a great job as is) and even sheads some tears from a bit of a breakdown, but in the end she pulls through and becomes an even stronger Queen!

(Also, the secret base conversation between Ike and Soren in before the final boss Part 4 if you brought Soren and met certain conditions. Gotten only the Second playthrough and onward. Pretty much fills in some blanks for their past. Again, best budds for life! ;3)

RB:Micaiah, all of Part 4. She gets thrown to the back and almost has no purpose at that point which kinda sucks because despite some issues in Part 3(where her character isn't as good as part 1), I really like her Character. But she gets forgotten and overshadowed by Ike mostly(especially during the last moments of the final boss...something that you NEED Ike for to win...or you're screwed)!. And while I do really like Ike......this was Micaiah's game...Yune should've gained her own form instead of taking over Micaiah's body(it's pretty obvious that she can during her last convesation with Ike about her staying in Tellius, but...*sigh*...)

Although, a certain Zelguis Flashback(only viewable 2'nd playthroughs and onward after meeting certain conditions), comes in a VERY close second...

FE13

Peak: The chapter where Emmerny dies(I forget the name and number).

You would think with Marth's(Lucina) help from the future and Robin's tactics would bring victory? NOPE! Things take a 180 pretty darn fast and go south to the worse degree. But this does help in the long though...

RB:Valdiar dying...then suddenly he's back.

My memory may not be clear on this(haven't touched Awakening in a good while), but is no one gonna question how the heck he came back? Sure you could say Grima but,...it just doesn't make sense. He's one note during the first arc(Gangrel Arc), but TOTALLY important for the last one(Grima Arc)! I think it's SLIGHTLY mentioned in game(very slightly like, "haven't we meet before". Something to that degree), but that's it! Maybe it's not as bad as I say, but...jeez...what the heck...

FE14(CQ)

Peak: Chapter 10

Difficult, but fair. And it gave me Beruka, which I'm happy for because she's awesome(maybe not Jill or Harr levels, but she's pretty close up there for me)!

RB: The stairway chapter(I think that's chapter 21...)

BUMP. THAT. CHAPTER! Fighting hard hitting enemies(Faceless) that slowly respawn below you isn't too bad. It sucks when you have to worry about hard hitting enemies that can hit you about 4 or so spaces away and from above you!

(I took a month break from that game for that chapter alone......its a load of BULL!)

Edit: Corrin. Nuff said...

Edited August 11, 2016 by Busterman64

[The Draco Knight]

FE4:

Peak: The battle against Arvis in the second generation.

It felt really epic and It was very satisfying to defeat him with Seliph.

Rock Bottom: Probably the parts in the desert of Chapter 5 and 7.

It's probably the most boring part in the game and, in chapter 5, It kind of ruins the great atmosphere that the chapter has.

FE5:

Peak: All of Chapter 14.

I love everything of that chapter: the design of the map, the atmosphere, the music, etc...everything.

Rock Bottom: Chapter 16B.

It's basically a desert map, but with tree instead and, to make things even worse, there are some tiles of the map that your foot unit cannot traverse.

Easily the most boring part of the game for me.

FE6:

Peak: The Western Island arc.

I really love it gameplay-wise and even story-wise.

Bottom Rock: Chapter 20x.

I didn't really like the concept and I wasn't able to enjoy it. At All.

FE7:

Peak: Probably Ninian's death.

It's a scene I really like because of how well it is done.

Rock Bottom: Ninian's revival.

It is just way too random and It nullifies ninian's death.

FE8:

Peak: The flashbacks with Lyon and the final battle against him.

I know, I'm a bit predictable.

Rock Bottom: The Phantom Ship from Ephraim's path.

I don't dislike it, but I find it to be quite frustrating with the various flier in the fog.

FE9:

Peak: Stefan and Mordecai supports plus every lines of Soren.

Rock Bottom: Chapter 7.

Everytime I play that chapter, I swear. Boyd likes to die and keeps me to reset everytime

FE10:

Peak: the cutscene where Greil's Mercenaries arrives to save Lucia.

I screamed like a fangirl watching it.

Rock Bottom: Part 4 as a whole.

I don't know why, but It makes me really bored when playing it.

FE11/1/3B1:

Peak: The battle against Medeus, especially in SD.

Rock Bottom: The ridicolous requisite for unlocking the Gaiden's chapters

FE12/3B2:

Peak:Hardin's death.

It was the most touching moment in the game and I everytime I think about it.

Rock Bottom: Chapter 11(Anri's way)

FE13:

Peak: Owain and Inigo supports

Rock Bottom: The Walharc, especially on the map design

FE14BR:

Peak: Absolutely Leo's cutscene in Chapter 18

Rock Bottom: Flora's death.

FE14CQ:

Peak: Chapter 10 as a whole.

Rock Bottom: The Endgame.

FE14Rev:

Peak: I would say the Endgame.

Rock Bottom: Scarlet's...not fantastic moment(if you have played the game, you know to what scene I'm referring to)

[Etrurian emperor]

Shadow Dragon

Peak - The introductions of Hardin and Gaggles: I don't find Shadow dragon to have a lot in terms of personality. Then we get to see Hardin who is the one character with an obvious personality and a baddass one at that. With the introduction of gaggles it good just because how silly it all is. The nickname, the bandit giving the nickname and Marth saying word for word what the bandit said he would say. Both bring some much needed charm.

Bottom - Any moment that indicates IS really didn't do much to properly update the story for a new era.

FE 3/12

Peak - The final showdown with Hardin: Its more of Hardin and it suitably wraps up his character.

Bottom - the survival of those that should remain dead: The obvious example would be michalis who really didn't deserve a happy ending. He did all the evil he did out of his own free will. I buy some measure of redemption but he should remain dead or at least nowhere near a throne. I also think its out of character for the wolf guard to defect.

FE4:

Peak - the battle of Barhara: Of course. Its probably the defining point of the game and would have been even more impact if I didn't know about it beforehand. The battle sets up Sigurd as a tragic character, Alvis as a great villain and it leaves a lot of room for speculation. Some characters would obviously die but multiple options exist for characters like Azel.

Bottom - Manfroy taking the idiot ball: Its out of character for the great manipulator to suddenly start getting senile like that. It would much better if the cocky and far less experiences Jullius made such a mistake.

Blazing sword

Peak - Nergal's origin story and how it was handled: Nergal works just fine as muhahaha type of villain. He's as good a villain as he is because of how personal his relation with the heroes is. And its personal because of how evil Nergal acts towards them. But I do think his past adds a more tragic side to Nergal which makes him a deeper villain. I also appreciate that you don't need to know it at all.

Bottom - Zephiel's past: I don't think it works to have Zephiel be so beloved by everyone. No one in the world aside from his father seems to not like him so forsaking the human race for one person just makes him a giant drama lama. Once daddy is dead that problem should be solved.

Path of radiance.

Peak - the Laguz council: I just find it an awesome scene with the always awesome theme of the lion king.

Bottom: Nothing really. I can't think of anything Por is particularly bad with.

Radient Dawn

Peak - The Crimea arc: It does a lot to set up the previously somewhat helpless Elincia to be a heroine in her own right and expands on her character. It also shows that things need not be happily ever after when a kind but soft ruler takes the throne.

Bottom: The black knight of course but lets go with something more original. Tormod and the LEA being completely absent in part 3: Its out of character for Tormod not to jump on the Laguz freeing bandwagon. Things could be explained a bit if his relation with Sanaki was shown. He could be conflicted about fighting her or recognize she's been imprisoned and try to do something about it. Maybe Sothe being on the other side kept him out of things. Instead he just appears in part 4 and doesn't mention why he wasn't there at all.

Awakening

Peak - Future past: I think the ending to the whole ordeal was a very big ''D'aaaaaww'' moment for the second gen. We get to see them all cheer Lucina on as she lands the final blow and all get a happy ending once Grima is gone.

Bottom - Yenfrey: Yenfrey is hyped up, appears once and then dies. The chapter after that we get Walhard compliment him. That's just sad.

Fates

Peak - dunno: And not in the sense that I think Fates story sucks balls. I'm more charitable to it then most. Nothing just comes to mind at this time.

Botton: Garon! The story just goes out of its way to not use Garon properly and with all that potential that's really disappointing.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Etrurian emperor

[Quintessence]

Fe4

Peak: The Yied Massacre and the Battle of Barhara. Man, I think it was the most touching moment I've had in all FE.

Rock Bottom: Manfroy and Julia's stuff, it was worth facepalming.

Fe6

Peak: The Western Isles Arc and the chapter where you recruit Klein and Tate, and the map music!! I love it.

Rock Bottom: Roy promoting like 3 chapters before endgame.

Fe7

Peak: Both times you visit the Dragon's Gate. The first one where Elbert dies and the other one where you rushed to the Final part. I felt empowered.

Rock Bottom: Ephidel's death

Fe8

Peak: The twins' promotions.

Rock Bottom: Orson's betrayal :(

Fe9

Peak: Moments like Chapter 8 and 18 where you pump your units of BEXP and feel OP.

Rock Bottom: Ashnard vs Elincia, lmao. So anti climactic.

Fe10

Peak: Man, pretty much every endgame of the parts, they're so awesome, the music, the ambient, everything feels so tense and exciting. 3-12 and 3-13 are also great.

Rock Bottom: Zelgius's moment, it was like 'oh ok' when it had to be more bombastic and relevant.

Fe11

Peak: Starlight animation HELL YEAH

Rock Bottom: Elice being recruitable by end game. Like, one of the only units with nice growths and you get her by the end :/.

Fe12

Peak: Palla and Nostank Linde owning stuff.

Bottom: My favorite Bishops joining at endgame.

Fe13:

Peak: Emmeryn's death. Chapter 10. Chapter 13. Lucina's reveal. Destiny Ablaze and Don't Speak Her Name.

Rock Bottom: Valm Arc. It felt unnecessary.

Fe14

Peak: Chapter 10 CQ.

Rock Bottom: Elise's death. How dare they.

[NinjaMonkey]

PoR: High - Killing Ashnard and finally finishing this exercise in tedium.

Low - Having to redo the entirety of Chapter 27, because IS didn't put a save point in between the main part of the chapter, and the fight with the Black Knight (and getting worse level-us in the process).

RD: High - The Greil Mercenaries chapters (4-4 especially).

Low - Micaiah sucking throughout the entire game.

SD: High - Rage-quitting the game halfway through Chapter 7, ejecting the game from my DS, and vowing never to play the game again.

Low - Everything else about this game.

Awakening: High - Chrom getting punched by Sumia.

Low - The slog that is levelling Olivia up to level 10, so that I finally put her into a decent class, instead of lolDancer.

Edited August 13, 2016 by NinjaMonkey

[Blaze The Great]

FE6:

Peak: Chapter 13. Very fun chapter as far as game play goes, and an important turning point with lots of intrigue for the story.

Bottom: Ilia Chapter 19. What happened here...oh, right. Nothing.

FE7:

Peak: The whole Bern arc. Great storytelling going on here, good game play as well. Very enjoyable as a whole.

Bottom:Leila tells the group that Elbert was the second lord in all of Lycia to answer Darin's call to rebellion, and then the game never gives us any more info on that subject.

FE8:

Peak: Last Hope. A Fire Emblem defense mission that effectively conveys desperation like it should. Very well-designed, difficult but fun map. Also, Lyon's death. He was a great character, and his death scene was very well done. Poor guy...

Bottom: Two Faces of Evil, Eirika Route. This is why we need brain doctors in FE. Because Eirika obviously needs one.

FE10:

Peak:...Gotta be honest, this isn't a popular opinion. But I loved part 3 as a whole. Not 3-8 though. That chapter sucks.

Bottom: 4-5. We really didn't need Oliver to make a return. So why did he? Also, very tedious chapter gameplay-wise.

FE11:

Peak: The last several chapters were cool, I guess.

Bottom: Most of this game is boring. So...most of this game.

FE13:

Peak: The first half of the scene where Lucina attempts to kill Robin (before Chrome arrives).

Bottom: Chapter 23. Today's lesson is on proper storytelling and not randomly cobbling stuff together so that it will fit the narrative. Seriously, Awakening.

FE14Conquest:

Peak: Chapter 25. Difficult, good story. Etc.

Bottom: "Well, I just so happen to have this orb which just so happens to have the power to reveal the true self of your father, who just so happens to be a literal sludge demon in disguise. And it just so happens that this can only be viewed by someone with immense magical power, but I just so happen to have immense magical power." Storytelling!

FE14Birthright:

Peak:Probably Elise's death. Legitimately emotional in a series that struggles with emotion.

Bottom: Xander's reaction to aforementioned death. Can't have a villain follow the obviously rational choice of action, compounded by the fact that is his sister's dying wish for him to change sides. Nope, he's a villain!

Edited August 11, 2016 by Blaze The Great

[blah the Prussian]

FE1:

Peak: Marth pushing away his tears to be strong for his people. A great moment of character growth that makes Marth one of the best Lords in the series.

RB: The game doesn't really have a sense of geography. Case in point: the party goes to attack Macedon, fair enough. But then, despite Dohlr being right next to it, they don't reoccupying the country. The enemy in the game generally never DOES anything. It's the opposite problem that FE4 has: while in FE4 gen 1 the villains and only the villains drive the plot forwards, here the heroes just win and win and win without the villains ever changing their strategy.

FE3:

Peak: Garnef is a splendid manipulator here, unlike in the last game, and he manages to maintain a sense of threat even near the end, which is good.

RB: How many maps were recycled. It's dissapointing.

FE4:

Peak: Trabant's motivations, and his namesake being a crappy East German car.

RB: How badly Levin wants you to think Trabant is evil. Also, Eldigan, giving Xander a run for his money as worst Camus.

FE6:

Peak: Zephiel is the first FE villain who is actually working together with the evil God instead of just being manipulated. It's a welcome change.

RB: Zephiel's Freudian Excuse.

FE7:

Peak: I quite like Pent and Louise. It's r fleshing to have actual adults in an FE game, and I like how Pent is basically a gentleman scientist.

RB: No, game, I'm not going to feel sympathy for a bunch of professional killers. The Black Fang were assholes before Nergal by virtue of their job.

FE8:

Peak: As many have said, Lyon, but for different reasons. He's a scared teenager who was just handed a country to run, AND he finds out that half of it is about to sink into the sea. He has a very human motivation for using dark forces, and I can't say I would have done anything different had I been in his position.

RB: Lyon in Eirika's route. Take everything subtle, interesting, and sympathetic about Lyon, and throw it away in favor of a cliche idiot.

FE9:

Peak: Ashnard isn't the bitch of any dark cults or evil dragons. He's on a mission to make the world bend the knee to his social Darwinian dream, and no one will get in his way. I like him as a good depiction of an ideologue.

RB: Hey, why focus on your interesting villain when you can have a villain sue with no character called the Black Knight go around instead? The Black Knight does nothing that Ashnard couldn't do better, and he distracts from the main villain. Add the blatant amount of favoritism the writers gave him, and you have a recipe for a terrible antagonist.

FE10:

Peak: God I fucking love Sanaki. Although she's hit or miss in POR, here she's at the top of her game, bitchslapping traitorous Senators in the name of Monarchy like a boss. She's arguably the character who suffers the most in the game, from being dethroned and imprisoned, to having to fight for her country, to finding out that her father figure was manipulating her to destroy all life, and she takes it like a champ. Massive props.

RB: Well, the Black Knight is back, and they tried to make him sympathetic after he threatened to torture a child in the first game. Christ.

FE13:

Peak: I like Robin. Strategic geniuses as characters have always appealed to me, and I like the game at least acknowledging my brilliance.

RB: Whose bright idea was it to give Plegia 5 chapters? Also, Gangrel invades Ylisse, captures Emmeryn, and then leaves. He doesn't occupy the country, he doesn't destroy the Yllisean army, he just... leaves. And then he loses his army because Emmeryn killed herself. Lovely.

Conquest:

Peak: The atmosphere of Chapter 25. It really felt like the last stand of a nation like no chapter of its type before.

RB: Azura deciding to show the crystal to Corrin only and not, you know, the Nohrian army.

Birthright:

Peak: Sans Xander, the Nohrian royals actually help you. It was nice to see SOMEONE acting like a real person.

RB: Flora.

[Topaz Light]

Hmm, alright!

[spoiler=Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light]Peak: When I found out that it was possible, and in fact very easy, to get Wrys and Lena up to level 20 in Chapter 3.

Rock Bottom: When I found out about Kaga's bizarre bias against Axes only after I had already become somewhat invested in using Barst (who is no less beastly in this game than in Shadow Dragon).

[spoiler=Gaiden]Peak: The oddball mechanics like how Magic works are actually really fun, and I love how the game handles the world map. It feels much more active and alive than it does in any subsequent games that had it.

Rock Bottom: That weird difficulty spike near the end of each character's part of Chapter 3.

[spoiler=Genealogy of the Holy War]Peak: The huge maps are absolutely gorgeous, and are generally a really neat idea that I'd love to see return with some refinements.

Rock Bottom: How easy the saving system makes it to accidentally save yourself into an unwinnable situation.

[spoiler=Binding Blade]Peak: I actually really liked the Frontier arc, actually, or at least the chapters in it; especially Chapter 11A, which was always a really tense and challenging chapter. It was really cool recruiting a Brigand and a female Hero, too.

Rock Bottom: Chapter 11A is also a really big roadblock for me, probably due to my insistence on 100%ing it.

[spoiler=Blazing Sword]Peak: Chapter 19E/20H was always a really cool part for me. When I was playing the game as a child, it was always The Big Hurdle for me to get past, and it represents what was to me a really cool climax in the plot. Also, Darin's death quote is still my favorite in the entire series.

Rock Bottom: The first few chapters of Lyn's story. Ugh. Boring. And they're even worse on Normal mode.

[spoiler=Sacred Stones]Peak: I actually really love Chapter 15. What can I say? I love mid-game arc culmination chapters.

Rock Bottom: I hate that one Ephraim boat chapter. I could probably beat it easily now that I'm older and better at Fire Emblem, but I still have so much residual hatred for it from my childhood that I still hate it even now.

[spoiler=Path of Radiance]Peak: I dunno, I really like the early-game arc when the Greil Mercenaries are on the run from Daein for some reason.

Rock Bottom: I don't really care for Chapter 17 at all, honestly. Story-wise, it's fine, but the maps were always where I got stuck as a kid so I sorta still have that negative association with them.

[spoiler=Shadow Dragon]Peak: Chapters 10, 14, and 15 were always really cool to me. Chapter 12x was also kind of a neat chapter, but I resent what you have to do to actually unlock it.

Rock Bottom: Having to kill off around 75% of all the recruitable units in the game just to get four mediocre to decent characters.

[spoiler=New Mystery of the Emblem ~Heroes of Light and Shadow~]Peak: Playing through the game on Hard Mode was one of the most fun Fire Emblem experiences I've had. Also, I still think that this game handled customizing your Avatar's character build the best out of all the games with Avatars.

Rock Bottom: Kris' effect on the story.

[spoiler=Awakening]Peak: The first arc was actually not bad. Also, The Future Past was fantastic.

Rock Bottom: The same cannot be said of the rest of the story.

[spoiler=Fates]Peak: I really, really love what the game did with Knives. It also did a fantastic job of balancing out Pair Up.

Rock Bottom: When I realized that the writing was not going to get better and I pretty much gave up on the game entirely. Also, trying to keep Kaze and Rinkah's weapons from Chapters 4 and 5 for the rest of the game and finding out that the developers set the game to remove them from the Avatar's inventory in Chapter 6 because they hate fun apparently.

This ended up being more "Best Feature" and "Worst Feature" for some of these but eh.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Topaz Light

[ping]

Binding Blade:

• Peak: Chapter 21. It just gets the feeling of an epic battle across, even moreso than chapter 22. Fighting through the hordes of wyverns feels pretty damn good. It's just a shame that Murdock gets more or less trivialized by an Armorslayer.
• Bottom: The final chapter just drags on forever... I actually don't mind Idoun being super weak (she wasn't created to be a fighter, after all), but the legendary weapons make Jahn's chapter a long, looooooong cakewalk.

Blazing Sword:

• Peak: Nergal's backstory. I like the idea of dark magic corrupting its users until they forget why excactly they sought its might.
• Bottom: How hard it is (without guide) to actually unlock the whole of this backstory. Because without it, Nergal is kind of a boring, cackling villain.

Sacred Stones:

• Peak: The differences in Lyons/DKs behaviour between Eirika's and Ephraim's route. I think I prefer Ephraim's Lyon, but I really love how the game tells the same story with two different twists.
• Bottom: Some of the maps on Eirika's route. Storywise, I'm OK with my protagonists to be bloody stupid once in a while. ;)

Path of Radiance:

• Peak: Nothing in particular, even though I really love this game. But that is more because the game is very enjoyable (though easy) during the whole playthrough.
• Bottom: When I discovered that I can't fully disable combat animations.

Radiant Dawn:

• Peak: The Story of Part 2. I don't really like the gameplay of that part (with the exception of 2-E), but I like how Crimea's development after PoR is not just a big Happily Ever After.
• Bottom: Did they really have to bring the Blood Pacts into play to make a fight between Micaiah and Ike possible? I mean, Pelleas is stupid an gullible enough to get coerced into the conflict by Izuka and the senat without this. "We shall grant Daein full sovereignty if you just help us with a little problem..."

Shadow Dragon:

• Peak: I haven't played this enough to say something here because...
• Bottom: ...I really, really hate that you need to kill off characters to get access to all the gaidens. I still reset for every character death when I played this (because that's just the right way to do things ;) ), but I couldn't stand knowing that this would deny me not only new characters, but whole chapters.

New Mystery:

• Peak: I like the gaidens in this game, in terms of gameplay at least. They feel like little puzzles and I enjoy bumping my head against these.
• Bottom: That map where you have to go the looooong way to recruit Matthis. I guess I could just kil him without losing anything valuable, but again - it's not a victory unless everyone is recruited and everyone is alive (and all items are collected, although I'm not quite as anal about this)

I haven't played the 3DS games or any of the pre-GBA games, so that's that.

[Luchi]

FE6:

Peak:

To be quite honest, I can't even remember this game anymore. >< But realising that half the cast are kids from FE7's crew is pretty neat, I guess ( since I played 7 before 6 ).

Rock Bottom:

It's a pretty difficult game and I really couldn't get into any of the characters. I'm also one of those unusual players that doesn't hate on characters because of lolstats.

FE7:

Peak:

When Elbert dies in Eliwood's arms. The saddest daddy death in the series.

Rock Bottom:

Ninian's revival and Lyn's plot irrelevance to the main story. I guess she's just there for fan-service.

FE8:

Peak:

Lyon for being a villian you can actually sympathize with ( depending on the route ) and his leitmotif. He also has a personal connection with the twins which makes him more compelling than say, Ashnard.

Rock Bottom:

Ephriam's blatant Stu-ness.

FE9:

Peak:

Elincia's reunion scene with Lucia at the end of Chapter 23. In that scene alone it establishes just how close they are. Imho, they have a better bond than Ike/Soren.

Rock Bottom:

The Black Knight's existence and the game glossing over Ike's supposed 'flaws'.

FE10:

Peak:

Part II. Save for the snorefest that is 2-1, the general narrative is tightly structured and never drags. Elincia goes from being 'meh' in FE9 to a strong, competant and independant Queen who has clearly gotten over her foolish crush over Ike. She literally tells him in the Japanese script that Lucia is her other half. Heh. And for that, I love her.

Rock Bottom:

The return of the Greil Mercenaries and 4-4. I hated that chapter so much I used a cheat code to make my weapons unbreakable so I could clear the damn level. Also, Ike going God-Mode Stu and being singled out (again) as the one to defeat Ashera.

[joshcja]

Wynaut, mine are mostly gameplay based because FE plots are FE plots.

FE4

Peak: CASTLES

RB: FUCK YOU MAP

FE5

Peak: Lemme axe you summut.

RB: Oh god all my good units are sleeping, send help

FE6

I have no strong opinion one way or the other.

FE7

Peak: Pent > Desert

RB: JK Ninians alive

FE8

Peak: Tana pours some sugar on Cormag

RB: IT WAS I DIO, jk I'm really a nice guy oh god please kill me (Me irl: ???????)

FE9

Actually prussian nailed this one on the head.

FE10

Peak: Mage lord!!!

RB: FUCK OFF IKE

FE11

Peak: The plot aged really damn well

RB: No supports makes shipping hard

FE12

Peak: The gameplay, all of it and most of the plot...minus...

RB: MU, the gaidens were nifty but just fuck off Kris

FE13

Peak: "Don't speak her name" is my favorite map theme in the series, and you get it by killing off a terrible character. win/win

RB: Why will you not let me kill Robin game, I've already self-insert dicked my waifu, now let me kill this thing.

FE14

Peak: Conquest gameplay in general, dear god almighty

RB: I played revelations and regretted every moment

Edited August 12, 2016 by joshcja

[DragonFlames]

Okay, here goes (only the ones I've played, obvs):

Sword of Seals

Peak: Idoun's backstory was really moving. The first and only time I felt genuinely sorry for a Final Boss in Fire Emblem.

Rock Bottom: The overall difficulty due to BS growth rates and the late promotion time for Roy.

Binding Blade

Peak: There were more than one. Let me list them:

1. Black Fang arc (the maps were godly)
2. Nino's backstory (the feels, man. the feels)
3. Ninian (Yes, I like Ninian. Sue me). Her death scene felt especially powerful and moved me to tears (almost)
4. Three likeable lord characters
5. The final fight against the dragon was epic

Rock Bottom: Lloyd's and Linus' deaths. Why couldn't they join me? I want my badass Hero and Swordmaster!!!

Sacred Stones

Peak: The backstory they provided for Lyon. Also, Eirika herself.

Rock Bottom: That seemingly every male character in this game wants to get in Eirika's panties.

Path of Radiance

Peak: The story. All of it.

Rock Bottom: The things you have to do to make Shinon rejoin you.

Radiant Dawn

Peak: Two, actually. First is, again, the story. Second is Mia's reappearance at the start of Part 3. Can you be any more badass than this? She even casually scolds Soren for letting his guard down in the middle of a battle where the Greil Mercenaries are vastly outnumbered.

Rock Bottom: No paired ending for Ike/Mia or Ike/Sanaki. <- this one is really minor and doesn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the game. I love Radiant Dawn to death.

Shadow Dragon

Peak: Finally finding out what Fire Emblem started on.

Rock Bottom: Underdeveloped characters.

New Mystery of the Emblem

Peak: The music.

Rock Bottom: Realizing you missed a sphere for the Shield of Seals and can't complete the game.

Awakening

Peak: The humour and the characters.

Rock Bottom: Kjelle. Just Kjelle.

Fates - Overall

Peak: The music and improved game mechanics. And Hana.

Rock Bottom: The fact that you have to marry a Corrinsexual or a child character to get all of the children if you play as a male. The lazy paired endings. Oh, and Takumi exists.

Fates - Conquest

Peak: The gameplay and the characters (mostly).

Rock Bottom: The story. Azura's stupidity. The bullshit skill combinations on higher difficulty.

Fates - Birthright

Peak: The story. Elise's death was the first death scene in FE were I legitimately cried...

Rock Bottom: ... and then they immediately ruined it by making Xander seem like a cowardly sack of shit with little to no intelligence or will of his own. Killing him in one hit felt EXTREMELY satisfying, as you can probably imagine (it was a Dragon Fang crit. The brutality of said attack made it all the more satisfying. Now, if only Xander's guts were splattered on the ground afterwards...).

Fates - Revelation

Peak: Anankos' intro scene.

Rock Bottom: The last few chapters after entering Valla felt incredibly rushed. No backstory was given whatsoever, it wasn't revealed that Anankos was in fact Corrin's father and Lillith his actual sister.

Edited August 12, 2016 by DragonFlames