@Undeadpool said:

Are the Fire Emblem games sequential or is it more like Dynasty Warriors where it's the same story with slight variations?

I used to think that it was more like the Zelda games, where it shared similar themes but there was no real distinct timeline. But then in this one everyone is referring to Marth, so I guess there is a real timeline somewhere.

@Olu said:

@golguin: I don't really get what you are saying, english is not my primary language, so maybe i'm missing something? I've never implied that. I've played a lot of tactic games, i'd even say tactics rpg is my favorite genre, so i don't get why you call my comment "naive"

My comment was not direct at you. It was for the person criticizing Patrick for restarting missions if someone dies.

@Bishna said:

@Undeadpool said:

Are the Fire Emblem games sequential or is it more like Dynasty Warriors where it's the same story with slight variations?

I used to think that it was more like the Zelda games, where it shared similar themes but there was no real distinct timeline. But then in this one everyone is referring to Marth, so I guess there is a real timeline somewhere.

It's more like Zelda in terms of "There is some sort of weird timeline, it's not very well connected, some games may be related and others not, etc." Like with Zelda, best just to not think about it so much.

But if you want to get crazy, Awakening may be/probably is the far future version of the Marth game worlds.

@Bishna said:

@Undeadpool said:

Are the Fire Emblem games sequential or is it more like Dynasty Warriors where it's the same story with slight variations?

I used to think that it was more like the Zelda games, where it shared similar themes but there was no real distinct timeline. But then in this one everyone is referring to Marth, so I guess there is a real timeline somewhere.

Isn't it more like Pokemon, with every game taking place in different regions of a huge planet? Their is speak of different continents for sure.

Looks fun but I'm not buying a 3DS to play it. Too bad they won't release it for the regular DS, because lets face it the 3D is a useless gimmick.

...What's with their freaky none feet? It's kind of unsettling.

@SlashDance said:

@Meepasaurus said:

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but is the thumbnail for this quicklook spoiling the fact that Marth is a girl?

It wasn't until you pointed it out so I guess thanks for that.

Same here I had no clue until I saw this comment. Smooth, Meepasaurus. But even then it was more "ok, cool" then "OH SHIT SPOILERS", like if Marth being a girl is the most interesting plot point in the game then I just should just save my money and watch Mulan again.

@Pudge said:

@Bishna said:

@Undeadpool said:

Are the Fire Emblem games sequential or is it more like Dynasty Warriors where it's the same story with slight variations?

I used to think that it was more like the Zelda games, where it shared similar themes but there was no real distinct timeline. But then in this one everyone is referring to Marth, so I guess there is a real timeline somewhere.

Isn't it more like Pokemon, with every game taking place in different regions of a huge planet? Their is speak of different continents for sure.

The real answer is: all of the above.

FE1, 3 and this one are part of the same time-line/continent like Zelda.

FE1-5 and this one all take place in the same world but on different continents, like Pokemon.

FE 6/7, 8 and 9/10 all take place in separate worlds in Final Fantasy style.

mêlée is pronounced "may lay" or "meh lay", not "mee lee". Geesh. Keep mispronouncing it and I'll start saying "pokey mon".

I'm playing Casual and Normal. Come at me elitists. Seriously don't get why people get hot and bothered by how others play.

@mutha3 said:

@Pudge said:

@Bishna said:

@Undeadpool said:

Are the Fire Emblem games sequential or is it more like Dynasty Warriors where it's the same story with slight variations?

I used to think that it was more like the Zelda games, where it shared similar themes but there was no real distinct timeline. But then in this one everyone is referring to Marth, so I guess there is a real timeline somewhere.

Isn't it more like Pokemon, with every game taking place in different regions of a huge planet? Their is speak of different continents for sure.

The real answer is: all of the above.

FE1, 3 and this one are part of the same time-line/continent like Zelda.

FE1-5 and this one all take place in the same world but on different continents, like Pokemon.

FE 6/7, 8 and 9/10 all take place in separate worlds in Final Fantasy style.

I guess I should've been more straight-ahead with my question: if I'm not looking to buy a 3DS anytime soon, but want to give this franchise a spin on a portable console (and already own a DS lite), what's a decent place to start?

@Undeadpool: The first GBA game includes a tutorial that's perfect for people who've never played it before, I'd suggest getting that one.

@Undeadpool:

Fire Emblem for the GBA. No subtitle since it was the first one brought over to the west. It has a pretty extensive tutorial and it does a great job easing you into the game.

Why don't they have feet?

@patrickklepek said:

@bombedyermom said:

Patrick Klepek, at level 10 Donnel turns into Gyarados.

I KNEW IT.

Every FE game is like that. I never use the strong character you get in the beginning to "carry" you because while he's good now he'll be really shitty when compared to a lower-level dude that you level up to his level- his stats will just be a lot lower. Dudes that start out weak have more levels to accumulate stats so they'll always end up being the most powerful dudes you can get in the game once leveled properly.

Why is everyone's feet just stumps?!

Marth has never looked better.

I guess after Vigil was using Joe Mad for character designs Nintendo went and hired Rob Liefeld for Fire Emblem character designs.

@Undeadpool said:

@mutha3 said:

@Pudge said:

@Bishna said:

@Undeadpool said:

Are the Fire Emblem games sequential or is it more like Dynasty Warriors where it's the same story with slight variations?

I used to think that it was more like the Zelda games, where it shared similar themes but there was no real distinct timeline. But then in this one everyone is referring to Marth, so I guess there is a real timeline somewhere.

Isn't it more like Pokemon, with every game taking place in different regions of a huge planet? Their is speak of different continents for sure.

The real answer is: all of the above.

FE1, 3 and this one are part of the same time-line/continent like Zelda.

FE1-5 and this one all take place in the same world but on different continents, like Pokemon.

FE 6/7, 8 and 9/10 all take place in separate worlds in Final Fantasy style.

I guess I should've been more straight-ahead with my question: if I'm not looking to buy a 3DS anytime soon, but want to give this franchise a spin on a portable console (and already own a DS lite), what's a decent place to start?

The only DS Fire Emblem that came to North America (Shadow Dragon) is a remake of the very first FE game that was on the Famicom. I'd say get that one or Sacred Stones (GBA).

@Janko256 said:

I wonder if Dave realizes you can speed up the battle sequences with A and outright skip them with the start button.

I was speeding them up most of the time. I left most of the default values because that's usually the best way to show off a game. Think I mentioned in there somewhere that there's an option menu to tailor it to how you like to play.

Dave misspelled his own handle. Dave is the best!

@AngelN7 said:

@paulunga said:

@AngelN7 said:

Wait Marth is a girl?

That's what I was wondering. Marth used to be a guy in the earlier Fire Emblems. But she's also wearing a mask, so maybe she's just pretending to be Marth. At least that's what my anime senses are telling me. XD

Maybe that other guy said "Wait you're not Marth! who are you!?" but I didn't listen Dave and Patrick were talking ... maybe Marth was never a guy who knows?

This game is hundreds of years after the previous Marth's story. The "Marth" in this game is a descendant.

The real Marth was available as DLC in Japan though.

DAVE!!!

Eneny kite xD

@DystopiaX: I don't think this is the case with later games. Titania was quite alright, and, as far as i know, Frederick is not that bad in the late game either.

But yeah, recrut-type characters usually turn into monsters after few promotions.

@MikkaQ said:

@SlashDance said:

@Meepasaurus said:

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but is the thumbnail for this quicklook spoiling the fact that Marth is a girl?

It wasn't until you pointed it out so I guess thanks for that.

Same here I had no clue until I saw this comment. Smooth, Meepasaurus. But even then it was more "ok, cool" then "OH SHIT SPOILERS", like if Marth being a girl is the most interesting plot point in the game then I just should just save my money and watch Mulan again.

It's pretty obvious that Marth has a lady voice and lady boobs before the mask comes off. At least it was to me. None of the characters seemed to notice though.

Know Your Eneny!

ENENY!

@Olu said:

@DystopiaX: I don't think this is the case with later games. Titania was quite alright, and, as far as i know, Frederick is not that bad in the late game either.

But yeah, recrut-type characters usually turn into monsters after few promotions.

They don't end up being terrible, but their stats end up being lower than that of other characters. I don't know about Frederick but if you leveled up all your horsey dudes Titania ended up being the weakest paladin at the end of that game. They're definitely still usable, but not as good.

the only game of this type (grid based team strategy role playing japanese made kind of thing :D) that I tried, and I failed spectacularly, to play was Disgaea 3 and it melted my mind. I always mean to try another and this one looks good. Or I'll stick to the usual games that I usually play! So many games so little time.

Should I buy a 3DS?

@Chicken008 said:

@Undeadpool said:

@mutha3 said:

@Pudge said:

@Bishna said:

@Undeadpool said:

Are the Fire Emblem games sequential or is it more like Dynasty Warriors where it's the same story with slight variations?

I used to think that it was more like the Zelda games, where it shared similar themes but there was no real distinct timeline. But then in this one everyone is referring to Marth, so I guess there is a real timeline somewhere.

Isn't it more like Pokemon, with every game taking place in different regions of a huge planet? Their is speak of different continents for sure.

The real answer is: all of the above.

FE1, 3 and this one are part of the same time-line/continent like Zelda.

FE1-5 and this one all take place in the same world but on different continents, like Pokemon.

FE 6/7, 8 and 9/10 all take place in separate worlds in Final Fantasy style.

I guess I should've been more straight-ahead with my question: if I'm not looking to buy a 3DS anytime soon, but want to give this franchise a spin on a portable console (and already own a DS lite), what's a decent place to start?

The only DS Fire Emblem that came to North America (Shadow Dragon) is a remake of the very first FE game that was on the Famicom. I'd say get that one or Sacred Stones (GBA).

Took a look and woof, it's tough to find, but I'll keep up the search! And thanks all!

I've only briefly tried one of the other Fire Emblem games but I'm definetly getting this at some point.

...still waiting for the copy I pre-ordered a month ago.

Here's hoping Nintendo handles the release of Animal Crossing better. This one was a total cock up, made somewhat negligible by it being available on the e-shop.

What's with their feet? :S

I love strategy games but permanent death in a party based game really screws with me. I feel that most people in these sorts of games (X-COM included) generally end up quick loading if they lose one of their main characters. While I played X-COM pretty pure, I'll admit that there were a few instances where I loaded a previous save because I lost a guy.

@Patman99: In Fire Emblem there aren't any quick saves, so you just have to completely restart the mission, which I feel is an appropriate penalty.

I've been getting some mixed messages about character permadeath in this game. Some have said, like Drew, that you get enough characters over the course of the game that losing few isn't catastrophic, and is even part of the experience, while others have said that permadeath is an incentive to replay every chapter until you can beat it flawlessly without losing anyone. Anybody with some experience with the seires care to weigh in?

@Travan said:

I've been getting some mixed messages about character permadeath in this game. Some have said, like Drew, that you get enough characters over the course of the game that losing few isn't catastrophic, and is even part of the experience, while others have said that permadeath is an incentive to replay every chapter until you can beat it flawlessly without losing anyone. Anybody with some experience with the seires care to weigh in?

It's sort of an X-Com vs Demon's Souls philosophy thing. Both ways of playing have their attraction. I personally play in the "try and try again until I perfect it" way, since I like to see the character interactions, but I can see why you would play the other way.

More quicklooks need a dose of @snide ! That is all.

I've been getting some mixed messages about character permadeath in this game. Some have said, like Drew, that you get enough characters over the course of the game that losing few isn't catastrophic, and is even part of the experience, while others have said that permadeath is an incentive to replay every chapter until you can beat it flawlessly without losing anyone. Anybody with some experience with the seires care to weigh in?

@patrickklepek said:

@bombedyermom said:

Patrick Klepek, at level 10 Donnel turns into Gyarados.

I KNEW IT.

LMFAO

@patrickklepek On Donnel, you might have noticed that he comes with a skill called aptitude. It increases his growth rates by 20% across the board, meaning he will almost always gain 6-8 stat points per level up, instead of the usual 3-5 on even the best characters like your avatar. That's what's so special about him.

@snide Advice on how to use Donnel, pair him with Frederick. As the support unit, Frederick gives who ever he is paired with something like 4 strength and 3 defense, which makes landing finishing blows with Donnel far easier.

Woah, good job on the cutscenes! They look great. Wish I could get Sacred Stones (I think it was) on my 3DS but I'm not a part of the ambassador program. I'd rather play that first to understand certain parts but I guess if Patrick was able to jump in should be fiiiine

@Orange_Pork said:

@mutha3 said:

@Orange_Pork said:

Wait a sec. Is the 'Marth' character in each Fire Emblem game actually a different guy named Marth? I always thought there was a continuity where they just constantly go back and revisit his life or something. Is he more like Link, where he's a different person in each game?

Because I know this dude wasn't a girl in the last couple Fire Emblems.

Nah, Marth's a dude and he only shows up in the NES Fire Emblem and their remakes.

He's in this game too. He's in the Quick Look. Except He's a She.

It's a descendant pretending to be Marth,

@cwJoe said:

@Benny said:

@Morningstar said:

Why in the seven hells is this not coming out in Europe until late April????

Try and get a hold of Persona 4 Arena.

Atlus don't give a fuck about Europe though, so that's to be expected. This though, is published by Nintendo. What the hell, Nintendo?

It's not like Nintendo necessarily has a superb track record with EU releases, I think their stuff is generally a couple months late. Rhythm Heaven Fever was February in NA and July in EU. I remember SSBB being like that as well. At least we get the best stuff like NSMB and Mario Party in time.

I'm on the brink of buying the 3DS bundle, but it's an older 3DS model. Probably for the best though...

@Lukeweizer said:

I'm on the brink of buying the 3DS bundle, but it's an older 3DS model. Probably for the best though...

The most obvious solution is to buy both.

Jk, I have an XL and I feel you.

Love this game. Now its about time for another FF Tactics.

Its funny how Marth looks so girly that when a girl pretends to be him no one bats an eye.