Fire Emblem: Fates

[Vyk]

Another amazing strategy RPG I probably won't complete. The girlfriend and I just got ourselves each copy of the game, and she's put about 15 hours into each already. And I've put maybe 3 hours into Conquest, thanks to work, and sleep, and a need for internet time here and there, and kinda refusing to get too distracted from my FFXII playthrough

It reminds me though, I'm surprised Awakening didn't come up in The Best Written RPGs thread. I mean it's not completely top tier, but it's damn good. One thing Awakening and now Fates sure does well is their characters. They both sure know how to make you feel like the character you've created is loved and respected by a good portion of the cast. It's really quite endearing

And there's supposed to be a smattering of down time in these games, as opposed to Awakening, which was almost exclusively story and battle over and over. Though I guess you did have the little skits at camps and towns and stuff if you eavesdropped on the barracks. This one is set up similarly where you can invite people to hang out, and get like one or two lines, as their support grade goes up

But I'm not all that far. Super duper enjoying it while I can though. Just made it past where the story splits between the two games

One interesting thing to note is that if you decide to play both, the beginning for both is exactly the same until that choice which is where Chapter 6 begins. It only takes an hour or two to get there, and if the game detects you've played that much of the other game, it will let you skip right to that part of the game and not have to worry about the identical beginning part

Anyway. Is anyone else digging into one or both of the games?

[Skyblade]

Got the special edition. Loving it. Characters are fantastic. Map design and mechanics are vastly improved over Awakening. Can't wait to play more, so short post.

[Del Murder]

Trying to figure out which version to get. I like the challenge of Conquest, but I read you can't do side missions in that game so you really need to make sure you level your characters properly.

[Vyk]

Not sure what constitutes a side mission but I've heard the same thing. First hand from the girlfriend who made it twice as far in the same amount of time. Though I just did a paralogue and that was definitely optional. And a lot of experience

[Fynn]

And we don't even have a specific release date yet

Still, i want conquest. I expect we'll get the other half as DLC, like Japan, and then that other chapter too.

[Pumpkin]

I want this game but won't be able to afford it for a little bit. Glad you're enjoying it so far

[maybee]

I've never been so upset, frustrated and furious in my life. For starters Europe/ Aus & NZ HAVE NO RELEASE DATE YET FOR THIS GAME- Just '2016' ! It's like Nintendo could really give less of a smurf about us. Those who are saying that we are getting Bravery Default first though, it's different, totally different because America has a release date- it's ready to come in April.

Meanwhile I have been spoiled with this game so many times online. I just thought 'smurf it' yesterday and went into YouTube and watched the ending to Conquest, because Americans are going to spoil this thing anyways. Cheers Nintendo.

[Vyk]

Wow, didn't realize Nintendo in other regions was dropping the bal so badly. No risk of me spoiling the game. I'll probably never beat it. I'm playing conquest because there is limited distractions and makes it at last nite likely to best buy I'll probably still get burned out

I guess that explains why there was no talk of it. Half the fans are getting denied :-\

[Fynn]

If Awakening is anything to go by, we should get it around April

[Skyblade]

Trying to figure out which version to get. I like the challenge of Conquest, but I read you can't do side missions in that game so you really need to make sure you level your characters properly.

Not exactly.

You can do as many sidequests as you can unlock. Seriously, go nuts. Recruit all the side characters, whatever. They're fine.

However, you cannot do any of the random battles. Further, while DLC missions can be repeated indefinitely, you will gain zero experience from the DLC missions, with the sole exception of the "Boo Camp" DLC, which is a map designed specifically for EXP acquisition (similar to EXPonential Growth from Awakening). Other rewards, such as weapons or items, are dished out normally from DLC missions, but you will get no experience. "Boo Camp" (when it releases) is thus the only way to indefinitely grind for character Exp in Conquest.



Anyway, on to other stuff:

The new Pair Up mechanics are so much better than the old ones. Choosing between the offensive or defensive setup is a very, very important choice that adds a ton of tactical depth, instead of just "Pair Up to win".

You don't get Dual Strikes if you Pair Up, but you do get pretty significant stat bonuses, even at low Support levels, and the new mechanics for the Dual Guards system are great. The more actions the pair take together, the more the system charges up, and it maxes out, it will fully block the next hit you take. If you are Paired-Up, Dual Guards will also completely negate enemy Dual Strikes. Anyway, the system is a lot more reliable, and makes you think about how and where to use your pairs (don't worry, it doesn't take too long to charge up, so you don't have to worry about it too much).

There doesn't appear to be a dedicated Jeigan, but you get several characters that serve that role during various chapters, and using them right is actually important. They can still steal experience, so you don't want to over use them (seriously, in Chapter 5 the OP character you want to rely on was only getting 1 XP per kill). But, at the same time, you can't just use your weaker units, or you will lose units. After using units like Titania and Seth, who were good the entire game, or either over-relying on Frederick during early Lunatic, or not using him at all on the lower difficulties (except once I got him to good stats in the eternal grind), it's nice to have that archetype be characters that you have to use WELL again.

The new weapon mechanics are brilliant. I don't miss durability at all (Armsthrift was a skill I prized almost as much as Galeforce). But the new changes are so big, and yet so simple, overall. Ninja stars can debuff opponents, some weapons can't counter as well, etcetera. But they all list what they do very clearly. And the new weapon triangle is such a subtle, brilliant thing. Each weapon has a background now. A color, with a small colored stripe at the bottom. It shows what class the weapon is, and what it beats. So a weapon with a Blue background, and a Red stripe below it counts as a Blue weapon, and beats Red weapons. It's obvious when you want to know, but it doesn't stand out or get in the way at all.

Overall, I'm loving this game. I get the feeling that there is SO much more depth in the combat, and I can't wait to uncover more of it.

[Vyk]

Good lord that was a very in depth and informative breakdown. I didn't know or realize half that stuff. Thank you

I do want to point out though for people who are on the fence and possibly a little intimidated. I'm about ten hours in on Conquest and actually I think I'm on chapter ten as well. Not knowing or utilizing some of that stuff or utilizing it on accident hasn't held back my gameplay or enjoyment. Conquest is noticeably more straightforward and difficult but not by a huge margin. Just a noticeable margin. It's perfectly enjoyable. So don't think you have to be a Fire Emblem pro to get any fun out of it

[Del Murder]

Trying to figure out which version to get. I like the challenge of Conquest, but I read you can't do side missions in that game so you really need to make sure you level your characters properly.

Not exactly.

You can do as many sidequests as you can unlock. Seriously, go nuts. Recruit all the side characters, whatever. They're fine.

However, you cannot do any of the random battles. Further, while DLC missions can be repeated indefinitely, you will gain zero experience from the DLC missions, with the sole exception of the "Boo Camp" DLC, which is a map designed specifically for EXP acquisition (similar to EXPonential Growth from Awakening). Other rewards, such as weapons or items, are dished out normally from DLC missions, but you will get no experience. "Boo Camp" (when it releases) is thus the only way to indefinitely grind for character Exp in Conquest.

Ok, I get it now. The paralogues and other side missions are still there but the random encounters aren't. I loved the battle system in Awakening so much that I often did those encounters whenever they popped up on the map. And it was fun to build up the relationships, etc. Does this essentially mean Conquest has less content for those who like to keep battling?

[Pumpkin]

I'll probably get the Birthright one. Seems more up my alley

[Vyk]

My girlfriend informs me that the big difference is that in Birthright you get to scout previous areas and see if any enemies are back, and depending on the difficulty of the battle that comes, that determines how much it costs to scout that area, and then you get to fight another battle there. Good for an experience grind or to test out classes or build more relationships, but not essential. It doesn't sound like you really miss out on anything in Conquest, there's just that limiting option; from my understanding anyway

[Pumpkin]

I've heard Birthright is easier and is generally recommended as a starter for those who are bad at tactics games because it's a smaller learning curve. It also has slightly more characters that I'm interested in

Ugh I want this game now. Hurry up birthday!