Fire Emblem: Fates - More waifu, more husbando, more sales!

[Reddyne]

I would like to get this game at some point, but I have to ask...On a scale of 1 (awful) to 5 (great), how good would you guys say the writing and story are? I heard that the US version got shafted in localization, but someone else said that the JP version's writing wasn't as good either...So want to know: is it a universally good or bad thing, or is one region better than the other?

After about 10 hours of game time, I think it's just fine. Overall writing could use a kick in the pants but is on par with what you would expect from an average-not-great FE game. Early on you are shown sibling loyalty in Nohr and ideology in Hoshido, giving you your choices. A main villain is readily identified, first major plot twists kick in, etc. Some of it is a bit disjointed and there's some clear values issues flying around but it beats the stone wall of politics and forgettable names you might experience in these games otherwise. It does get a bit too TOTALLY ANIME for some but I was willing to roll with it. The pace is pretty solid and what you would expect for FE. It's not groundbreaking, but if you have had any fun with FE in the past, it'll do.

The dialogue of the localization feels similar to Awakening. There were a couple odd choices but by in large it's just fine. The bad stuff is mostly relegated to supports and odd name choices anyhow. Voice acting is solid-not-perfect and isn't without its nice surprises. If anything I think the whole thing could've benefited from an extra take for each line and a spot of proofreading, but its just fine. The whole skinship thing being cut wasn't much of a to-do for some because it was a bit creepy for many tastes anyhow.

Ultimately if you liked these for these games for their gameplay value, don't bother shying away from it. Presentation, mechanics, etc. haven't changed too much but there are some rebalancing and experimentation going on. It's not unwelcome.

As for the localization as a whole I think this is just another of those internet opinion fights where the localization team dances around every last thing really testy people on the internet might throw a giant hissy fit about. Then the purists get wind of the changes and they throw their own hissy fit about it instead. People should talk more about pairings because Kaze getting Rinkah all flustered about sweets is oh so precious.

Well, I actually watched the first half dozen chapters on youtube today for the first time and I thought the writing was really bad. Then again, I'm playing FE7 right now (the one with Eliwood). If you're looking for strong writing, definitely go play that.

Yes but every FE is inferior to 7 because 7 has Hector in it. It also dodges some of the foibles of other titles.

[commandercool]

Regarding the voice cast, I think it's impressively solid. At least the Nohr side is. I'm told I'm usually excessively harsh on voice acting but I think there are surprisingly few weak links and surprisingly many standout performances. Felicia in particular strikes me as really solid. The performance breathes a lot of life into what otherwise would have been a pretty lame character.

[Reddyne]

Regarding the voice cast, I think it's impressively solid. At least the Nohr side is. I'm told I'm usually excessively harsh on voice acting but I think there are surprisingly few weak links and surprisingly many standout performances. Felicia in particular strikes me as really solid. The performance breathes a lot of life into what otherwise would have been a pretty lame character.

I'm really anticipating the Nohr playthrough because my understanding is that long-time favorite and renowned deli owner Cam Clarke put so much ham into Arthur that it rivals his performance as Liquid Snake in MGS.

On the Hoshido side, I think dutiful, determined tomboy Hinoka is voiced by the rough powerpuff girl. I only remember so much of the series, but it suits her real well in terms of tone. It was an unexpected nostalgia rush.

Unfortunately I can only comment so much because I foolishly take my 3DS into public spots where things are so loud that it's difficult to hear the music/voices at times.

[commandercool]

Arthur's voice is amazing. Everything about Arthur is amazing. Not only is he my favorite character in this game, he's probably my favorite character in any Fire Emblem. Unfortunately he's not great, but he's usable with a lot of care and support. This game's mechanics and stat distribytions were not kind to Heroes.

Currently I'm trying to figure out who I'm going to make him marry. It was going to be Effie but then she died...

[Patorikku]

On the Hoshido side, I think dutiful, determined tomboy Hinoka is voiced by the rough powerpuff girl. I only remember so much of the series, but it suits her real well in terms of tone. It was an unexpected nostalgia rush.

I don't know how many times I had to hear her speaking before that clicked for me. It's been a while since I heard that voice...

Arthur pairing up with Effie was my go-to route, and it turned his child into one of my strongest physical units in my Conquest run. Stat-wise, the next best bet might be Beruka or Camilla, depending on what you're looking for out of his kid. That said, I doubt the validity of either such couple on an emotional level.

I don't know how much I should let myself splurge on couples or anything because OHMYGOSH Takumi and Oboro is a disgustingly cute and supportive pairing that has no right turning two of the more jerkish characters into the sweetest and kindest couple. I love it.

[Reddyne]

I don't know how much I should let myself splurge on couples or anything because OHMYGOSH Takumi and Oboro is a disgustingly cute and supportive pairing that has no right turning two of the more jerkish characters into the sweetest and kindest couple. I love it.

AGH I was trying to avoid some of the more powerful characters so Takumi was ruled out. I tentatively paired her up with Silas HOPING she'd get over her hatred of Nohr and she made quite the face during their C support. Really not sure here but oh well some experimenting has to be done.

[PX]

Cheesing maps in hard mode is fun

[Raikaria]

EU release date is May 20th.

[Phasm]

It REALLY sucks we here in Europe are only going to get Fates in May 20 NOT counting Revelations which is going to be on June 9....

I was left speechless i saw the release date for Europe, also it doesn't help that the game will be more expensive here ( i think i read this somewhere ).... i mean, why, just why?  :ohdear:  :ohdear:  :ohdear:

I mean Nintendo, your making Europeans wait 2 more months and 12 days JUST for Conquest and Birthright which by that point pratically everyone will already have beaten Revelations in America ( doesn't it come out this month ) and we will have to wait even more days to get Revelations  :ohdear:  :ohdear:  :ohdear:

[PX]

It REALLY sucks we here in Europe are only going to get Fates in May 20 NOT counting Revelations which is going to be on June 9....

I was left speechless i saw the release date for Europe, also it doesn't help that the game will be more expensive here ( i think i read this somewhere ).... i mean, why, just why?  :ohdear:  :ohdear:  :ohdear:

I mean Nintendo, your making Europeans wait 2 more months and 12 days JUST for Conquest and Birthright which by that point pratically everyone will already have beaten Revelations in America ( doesn't it come out this month ) and we will have to wait even more days to get Revelations  :ohdear:  :ohdear:  :ohdear:

I mean, it could be worse. You guys still don't have Youkai Watch

[Phasm]

I mean, it could be worse. You guys still don't have Youkai Watch

I logged on to the eshop a few days ago and ONLY now do we have the DEMO, the DEMO.....     

Though as you said, it could be worse, i mean imagine Nintendo doing this with Pokemon Sun and Moon  :ohdear:  :ohdear:  :ohdear:

[Hikarin]

Speaking of Revelation, it comes out tomorrow out here in the US.

[commandercool]

Good to know it'll be there when I'm ready, but I expect to still be playing Conquest for at least another week. I'm on chapter 23, I don't know how many there are total but the going's getting slow.

Can anybody comment as to whether it's worth my time to play Birthright? Is there actually story stuff I need in there or is it basically the same story from a different POV?

[MewMewHeart]

Good to know it'll be there when I'm ready, but I expect to still be playing Conquest for at least another week. I'm on chapter 23, I don't know how many there are total but the going's getting slow.

Can anybody comment as to whether it's worth my time to play Birthright? Is there actually story stuff I need in there or is it basically the same story from a different POV?

Birthright story is WAY different from a POV and plus it's a bit light hearted mix with dark.

Also for those asking how many chapters there are in each route it's 27.

[commandercool]

So that's a vote in favor then?

Honestly when I think about it it's kind of a dunb question. Regardless of what I get out of it I'm obligated to play both so I can give an informed opinion on the game and the weird distribution model as a whole. I guess I have to buy it and leave it up to the game to convince me it was worth it retroactively.

[The Greatest Dog]

I bought Conquest before I looked at Nintendo's "which version should you buy?" flowchart

But I like puppy kisses. ._.

I'm on chapter 9 Hard. Everybody is still alive, Mozu got fed a bunch of levels. Everybody else is on the 9-10 level range which I assume is acceptable for this point in the game?

What should I be putting money towards? I got the full reward from chapter 8 thanks to

Spoiler:

using Niles to clear a path through the mages for Elise to go through, while Corrin cut the enemy pursuit by melting the lake

It had just the right amount of difficulty, optional goals, and Arthur almost getting someone killed that I am slightly "uncomfortable" but not stressed.

[commandercool]

God I keep getting killed by archers with Counter on chapter 23. When I see an archer my natural reflex is TURN DRAGON GO FOR THE THROAT and I keep doing that without thinking about it and then I'm like OH SHIT I'M DEAD NOW. That's what I get for playing Fire Emblem like a handheld game I guess. I get halfway through a level, put my DS away for eight hours, and then when I pick it back up I've forgotten what I was doing.

[Patorikku]

So after playing through the majority of Birthright and completing Conquest, I can safely say

Spoiler:

Corrin is WAY more cutthroat in Birthright. Like holy crap, in Conquest, they're going out of their way to avoid as much bloodshed as physically possible, and throws a fit - justified enough - every time someone ends up dying for whatever reason. But Birthright, OH MAN, practically every time Iago or Hans shows up, and a few other times here and there I think, they're just like "I WILL CUT YOU YOU SHIT," and the fight with Xander shows that Corrin is a lot more determined to get what they need done, even if it means killing people that are close to them.

Revelations comes out tomorrow, right? I don't intend on playing it RIGHT away, because this game has already eaten up WAY too many of my hours. That said, I'm really curious as to what new couple options open up, and I'm also really hoping

Spoiler:

to get a decent explanation of what the hell is actually going on, namely with stuff like Azura's pendant, Anankos, etc., etc.

[The Greatest Dog]

Ha. Chapter 10 Conquest on Hard.

You're funny.

I was on turn 10 until Effie died by 2 HP. A defense tonic, HP tonic, even a vulnerary would have saved her but herp I don't know what to expect.

[commandercool]

God. Dammit. TWO HOURS into chapter 23 and I just died to a random Counter that the game decided to stick on a random fucking enemy type that hadn't ever had Counter up to that point. The enemy could only do four damage to me, but I only had four HP left after, you know, trying to do something. Guess I should've planned on taking three hours instead of two hours and meticulously combed over every ability of every enemy every turn. So then I could die to a miss with a 99% accurate attack followed by a miss with a 95% accurate attack or some shit instead (which also happened during this run, although it didn't actually matter since it was while whittling down a lone enemy to feed it at the time).

 :colonveeplusalpha:

[Hikarin]

Random story of Chapter 10 (I beat it, BTW): So there are two units fighting each other:

1 Health	24 (Full) Health
8 Damage	12 Damage
55% Hit Rate	100% Hit Rate
4% Crit Rate	3% Crit Rate

Obviously, the second unit has an advantage.
Interestingly, the first unit won that fight.
Now, let me put names on these two units:

Oni Berserker	Selena
1 Health	24 (Full) Health
8 Damage	12 Damage
55% Hit Rate	100% Hit Rate
4% Crit Rate	3% Crit Rate

 :V :V :V :V :V :V :V :V :V :V :V :V

[Monarda]

How my head is right now:

I could buy it... but if EU doesn't have it how will we have it ? And it seems that going no-deaths will be painful... but pain goes away, i just have to make some great tactical moves.... but then RNG is the thing.... *puff*

[Hikarin]

RNG sucks.

[The Greatest Dog]

I just beat Chapter 10 now, and here are my notes

1) Tonics. Use them.
2) A captured Archer will do wonders. Give them a strength tonic and a bronze bow and watch them OHKO Sky Knights.
3) Top right ballista sucks but you can't let enemy archers get to it either.
4)

Spoiler:

Selena and Beruka can handle the left side for 3 turns. After that, it's probably best to let Camila +Nyx/Odin handle it as Camila's magic beats everything there in one round with their pair up.
It's probably safest to get Nyx/Odin out of harm's way like that anyways.

5) Rescue and Freeze are your friend.
6) Debuffs suck. Use ballista on Defense sealers if it means Corrin can kill them in one round, for example.

[commandercool]

Freeze is just like the best thing ever in general. I've burned through so many of those things. Goid thing the enemy tends to be dumb about using then so it's largely one-sided too. I wish I could get ahold of Entrap staves more easily, but they also appear only very rarely on opposing teams so I guess I'll happily take that tradeoff.

[MewMewHeart]

HAAAAAAAAATE CHAPTER 23 OF BIRTHRIGHT

Spoiler:

CAMILLA HAS THREE DRAGON VEINS NEXT TO HER THAT CAN 360 NO SCOPE ANYONE AND MESS UP YOUR FORMATION UGH SERIOUSLY WHHHHHHHY.

[commandercool]

HAAAAAAAAATE CHAPTER 23 OF BIRTHRIGHT

Spoiler:

CAMILLA HAS THREE DRAGON VEINS NEXT TO HER THAT CAN 360 NO SCOPE ANYONE AND MESS UP YOUR FORMATION UGH SERIOUSLY WHHHHHHHY.

Spoiler:

Camilla is best waifu sister so I think you should just let her kill you and lose the game. I mean, how could you stand to kill her? Let her win.

[Hikarin]

HAAAAAAAAATE CHAPTER 23 OF BIRTHRIGHT

Spoiler:

CAMILLA HAS THREE DRAGON VEINS NEXT TO HER THAT CAN 360 NO SCOPE ANYONE AND MESS UP YOUR FORMATION UGH SERIOUSLY WHHHHHHHY.

What I did was shove Ryoma and the MU into the

Spoiler:

dividers between the channels,

and then slowly advance horizontally through the map.

a.k.a I don't have a formation in Birthright.

[MewMewHeart]

Spoiler:

Camilla is best waifu sister so I think you should just let her kill you and lose the game. I mean, how could you stand to kill her? Let her win.

Spoiler:

Oi I like her too, but not when she's gone full yandere... -shot- that's why I'm spamming Boo camp and getting more of the children of Birthright route.

@Hikari

Spoiler:

I might do that too, but I wanna see the bonus conversations with Elise retainers when you talk to them.

 

[The Greatest Dog]

Chapter 18.
Strategist Elise had so much Resistance that she completely no-selled the boss's Nosferatu.

Not too bad.

Chapter 19... Just judging by the name, this is going to be hell, huh?