The "Okay, fine. I'll get Fire Emblem, jeez" thread.

[Hong]

I got Awakening on release date.

I got Awakening before the release date.

Retailers messed up and Canada got it a few weeks early.

 

[Onichi]

I guess there are some people who are in the same boat as myself and got into Fire Emblem because of Melee. Hell makes sense because that was the first time American audiences even had heard of the series. But I had come across one of the SNES Fire emblems (I do even remember which one) right before Melee and tried to play the unsubbed emulated game. Needless to say when I finally cleared out the first chapter and was like "How the? How do I win this game?" not knowing A) the yellow square is the goal and B) What a Lord even was other than the guy who had a portrait, I got frustrated and quit. In 2001/2002 I hunted down FE6 on a GBA emulator and was enjoying the story of Roy through limited Wikis. Never beat it though. :/

 

[Reginleif]

I'm so glad many of you all are getting into such a fantastic game. You'll love Awakening, I'm sure of it.
Definitely try the GBA games when your done. They're both fantastic and hold a very special place in my heart. And then Ike's games!
Some of these games are pretty rare finds and can cost a lot tbh. I guess emulators are good alternatives.

 

[JaidynReiman]

I'm so glad many of you all are getting into such a fantastic game. You'll love Awakening, I'm sure of it.
Definitely try the GBA games when your done. They're both fantastic and hold a very special place in my heart. And then Ike's games!
Some of these games are pretty rare finds and can cost a lot tbh. I guess emulators are good alternatives.

Well, if the games are available on Wii U VC that'd probably be the best way to get them. Otherwise, emulator is the only real option until that happens.

 

[Reila]

I have only played and finished Sacred Stone, which I really like, but my lack of motivation kept me away from finishing other games in the series. Now with Robin confirmed, I will proceed to finish Awakening (as soon as my new 3DS XL arrives) and Radiant Dawn, which I am playing right now (I paused the game to see my notifications here in smashboards). Even though I have finished only one game, I can see why this series is regarded as one of the best Nintendo franchises.

 

[JaidynReiman]

I have only played and finished Sacred Stone, which I really like, but my lack of motivation kept me away from finishing other games in the series. Now with Robin confirmed, I will proceed to finish Awakening (as soon as my new 3DS XL arrives) and Radiant Dawn, which I am playing right now (I paused the game to see my notifications here in smashboards). Even though I have finished only one game, I can see why this series is regarded as one of the best Nintendo franchises.

I want to play Radiant Dawn again. No Wii or Wii U, though. I'll get one in a couple months...

EDIT: Even then, my disc is shot. It freezes whenever any Laguz are featured in battle.

 

[Bassoonist]

I got Awakening last summer, and I have the Ambassador's GBA FE title as well. However, I've barely touched the GBA one and I haven't beaten Awakening.

I really want to like Fire Emblem, but strategy games just really aren't for me. So I doubt I'll explore the series beyond Awakening, TBH, but I will always love the character designs. lol.

 

[Deleted member]

I'm so glad many of you all are getting into such a fantastic game. You'll love Awakening, I'm sure of it.
Definitely try the GBA games when your done. They're both fantastic and hold a very special place in my heart. And then Ike's games!
Some of these games are pretty rare finds and can cost a lot tbh. I guess emulators are good alternatives.

All of this. ^

I would highly recommend SS (Sacred Stones), Rekka no Ken (titled simply Fire Emblem in the US; known as FE7) and Radiant Dawn for newcomers to the series (these being my favorites of the series). Although if you are planning to play Radiant Dawn I would suggest playing Path of Radiance first as that is Ike's first game and gives you the whole story with him and the other characters that are a part of his Greil Mercenaries.

Personally Sacred Stones is my favorite of the series and my favorite game of all time, but as @ Reginleif said, these older games are quite rare and can be fairly expensive (hell even RD is probably getting there by now).

I promise you the experience of playing the game is well worth it though.

 

[dezeray112]

Marth and Roy's inclusion in Melee is the reason how I first got into the Fire Emblem series.

Fire Emblem 7 was my first game.

EDIT: If I have to pick which Fire Emblem series is my favorite, it would be Awakening. Anyways, I still hope there will be more exciting stuff coming for the FE series within the future.

EDIT2: FE games that I got so far:

- Fire Emblem 6 (Japanese)
- Fire Emblem 7
- Fire Emblem Sacred Stones (Japanese)
- Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn
- Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
- Fire Emblem Awakening

 

[Reila]

Ops, my bad, I am playing Path of Radiance. I always mix up the names of these two games.

Looking at @ Bassoonist ;'s avatar, it reminds me I should also finish Golden Sun someday. Perhaps when and if Isaac is confirmed for Smash...

 

[Stompu]

I used to play Brawl just super casually and never knew that Marth/Ike were from Fire Emblem haha

Then my friend started raving about FE:A and how much I should get it, and since then I've been super into brawl, playing a heap of Marth. With that new smash trailer I think I'll definitely pick up FE:A sometime in the near future

 

[JaidynReiman]

All of this. ^

I would highly recommend SS (Sacred Stones), Rekka no Ken (titled simply Fire Emblem in the US; known as FE7) and Radiant Dawn for newcomers to the series (these being my favorites of the series). Although if you are planning to play Radiant Dawn I would suggest playing Path of Radiance first as that is Ike's first game and gives you the whole story with him and the other characters that are a part of his Greil Mercenaries.

Personally Sacred Stones is my favorite of the series and my favorite game of all time, but as @ Reginleif said, these older games are quite rare and can be fairly expensive (hell even RD is probably getting there by now).

I promise you the experience of playing the game is well worth it though.

Lol, I would NOT recommend Radiant Dawn for a first-timer, one of the hardest games in the series even on Easy. At least play Path of Radiance first.

 

[Deleted member]

Lol, I would NOT recommend Radiant Dawn for a first-timer, one of the hardest games in the series even on Easy. At least play Path of Radiance first.

All of this. ^

I would highly recommend SS (Sacred Stones), Rekka no Ken (titled simply Fire Emblem in the US; known as FE7) and Radiant Dawn for newcomers to the series (these being my favorites of the series). Although if you are planning to play Radiant Dawn I would suggest playing Path of Radiance first as that is Ike's first game and gives you the whole story with him and the other characters that are a part of his Greil Mercenaries.

Got you covered.

 

[JaidynReiman]

Got you covered.

It was the way you worded it.

"I'd recommend Sacred Stones, Rekka no Ken (Fire Emblem), and Radiant Dawn for newcomers." I think you probably should've said "Path of Radiance" instead of Radiant Dawn, and added a note after the fact "and after you play Path of Radiance, move right onto Radiant Dawn, which is one of my favorites in the series." Or something like that. I dunno.


Personally my favorite to date is Radiant Dawn, although I also loved Sacred Stones and Geneology of the Holy War. Path of Radiance and Rekka no Ken are also great, too...

 

[Sayjin]

I got Awakening before the release date.

Retailers messed up and Canada got it a few weeks early.

Same, but not in Canada. Some stores were breaking the street date because Canada broke theirs.

 

[Smallgenie549]

Lol, I would NOT recommend Radiant Dawn for a first-timer, one of the hardest games in the series even on Easy. At least play Path of Radiance first.

The main difference between Radiant Dawn and Path of Radiance is the Battle Save (which is a lifesaver on difficult levels). I remember the one level in PoR where you recruit Ilyana and you have to defend the fort...my god, that was a hard one. I would have killed for a battle save on that chapter.

 

[MAtgSy]

I've had FE:A since Jan. Admittedly a whole year after it came out but at least I can say I played on its own terms & not because of SSB. Although it was just only yesterday that I finally got to S-support level with Lucina, so maybe I need to speed it up & finish the game already.

 

[Steelia]

Tried out one of the Wii FE games a year or so after SSBB's release... Didn't like it at all. However, I tried out the demo for Awakening (admittedly, due to hearing Roy was DLC) and enjoyed what I played. But couldn't go through with actually buying it due to my past experience with the series.

Finally, my sweetheart and I decided to do solo-simultaneous playthroughs of games, starting off with Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi... and we can't put it down! We're almost halfway through the game and having a blast, largely doing a blind play and discovering things as they come. Guess third time's the charm.

 

[FalKoopa]

Finally, my sweetheart and I decided to do solo-simultaneous playthroughs of games, starting off with Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi... and we can't put it down! We're almost halfway through the game and having a blast, largely doing a blind play and discovering things as they come. Guess third time's the charm.

Good luck then, it is quite hard compared to other FEs, but you'll like it.

Do give the other GBA games a try as well, particularly Rekka no Ken (FE7).

 

[False Sense]

Lol, I would NOT recommend Radiant Dawn for a first-timer, one of the hardest games in the series even on Easy. At least play Path of Radiance first.

Radiant Dawn was my first Fire Emblem game.

Whoops.

 

[ToothiestAura]

Radiant Dawn was my first Fire Emblem game.

Whoops.

Mine too, but I think FE4 is the more difficult game. If I had started there, I likely would have given up on the series. Radiant Dawn was a fine starting point, and I only lost 1-3 units my first playthrough.

 

[ORVO5]

I'm wondering if anyone else, after playing Smash since Melee and seeing the trailer for Lucina and Robin, is in a similar boat with me:

I just purchased my first Fire Emblem game.​

I've never bothered with the series. Never cared about it. Never played as Marth/Roy/Ike much. My little brother has begged me to try playing it. I even have a copy of some GBA FE game on my 3DS from being an ambassador, but I've never tried it. Yet for some reason, seeing the trailer and the reaction from fans and finding out that Awakening actually had a customizable player character and that not everyone in the game is a swordsman, I just... got excited. For some reason. And now I should have Fire Emblem: Awakening in my possession by next week.

So now I'm wondering if anyone else is in the same situation. Will you be getting your first FE game because of Smash 4? Have you been wondering why there never seem to be any casual FE fans-- they either really, really love the series, or they've never played it? Are you actually considering maining a FE character now?

Let's figure out why this series is so damn important together.

I'm on the same boat. The day after I saw Robin, I ended up borrowing my friend's copy of Awakening. I knew about it and how good it was, I knew that the series had a big following, but never cared. Marth, Ike, and Roy didn't really spark an interest for me. But after seeing Robin and getting a taste of FEA, I'm definitely buying a copy for myself. They did a great job with marketing because hey - it worked!

 

[GunGunW]

I have the one on the Game Boy Advance; my brother got it a long, long time ago.

 

[Reila]

So... that part with

Spoiler: Path of Radiance spoilers

Ike's father fighting against the Black Knight dude was kinda badass. Dat cutscene. Poor Ike lost his father, though

I should have played this game way before.

 

[MrOzzyboy]

I got Awakening just a few days ago after watching the monday reveal trailer. I've obviously heard of Fire Emblem before and even considered picking up Awakening as well (although I did only get my 3DS a few months ago, so I didn't really have the opportunity yet), but I might not have gotten it if Robin and Lucina weren't announced for Smash 4, which would have been a shame, since so far I'm really loving Awakening. Though to be honest, if I would have started with any other game I would probably not have gotten into it since I really don't the idea of permadeath (unless I'm wrong and Awakening isn't the first game to introduce a casual mode).

 

[Raider 88]

Playing through my first Fire Emblem game (Awakening) right now...and this is way past due. I've always loved games like FF Tactics and Vandal Hearts on PS1, but never played FE for whatever reason. Well, the epic smash trailer made me finally buy Awakening, and I'm loving it ^_^ Totally making me excited for Robin and Lucia in Smash 4!

 

[Skyblade12]

Playing through my first Fire Emblem game (Awakening) right now...and this is way past due. I've always loved games like FF Tactics and Vandal Hearts on PS1, but never played FE for whatever reason. Well, the epic smash trailer made me finally buy Awakening, and I'm loving it ^_^ Totally making me excited for Robin and Lucia in Smash 4!

Lucina. Lucia is a different character from a different Fire Emblem game.

 

[Raider 88]

Lucina. Lucia is a different character from a different Fire Emblem game.

Haha I knew that, must've been autocorrect on my phone...since I have no idea who Lucia is lolololol. Thanks though

 

[Sayjin]

I got Awakening just a few days ago after watching the monday reveal trailer. I've obviously heard of Fire Emblem before and even considered picking up Awakening as well (although I did only get my 3DS a few months ago, so I didn't really have the opportunity yet), but I might not have gotten it if Robin and Lucina weren't announced for Smash 4, which would have been a shame, since so far I'm really loving Awakening. Though to be honest, if I would have started with any other game I would probably not have gotten into it since I really don't the idea of permadeath (unless I'm wrong and Awakening isn't the first game to introduce a casual mode).

Shadow Dragon (aka FE11 aka FE for the DS) had casual mode as well, I believe.

 

[Skyblade12]

Shadow Dragon (aka FE11 aka FE for the DS) had casual mode as well, I believe.

Yeah, but Shadow Dragon was horrible. *shudder*

 

[mimgrim]

Shadow Dragon (aka FE11 aka FE for the DS) had casual mode as well, I believe.

No it didn't.

Shadow Dragon implement a new Normal mode from the original game which added like 3 or 4 prologues to the beginning and allows you to get 2 character you can't get in the hard modes. Permadeath is still there.

The first Fire Emblem game to introduce Casual Mode was FE12 (Heroes of Light and Shadow/New Mystery of the Emblem) the remade sequel to Shadow Dragon that never released outside of Japan.

 

[Neoleo21]

Awakening's definitely the best for newcomers, though having played FE12, that game is WAY better than shadow dragon, and if you can emulate it. Path of Radiance is solid for a second game, If you really want something old school FE4 is great (one of my wanted remakes), though bit annoyingly large maps and lots of small flaws abound here. FE7 is great as well though personally, FE6 is slightly better. Radiant Dawn is actually my least favorite (cause I couldn't beat the final boss, hate her), but its actually rather fun and the map designs are rather nice.

My personal thoughts on awakening was that it was completely designed to be the most accessible fire emblem possible( maps are a bit bare bones, though based on how classes work, lots of replay value here), this detail in development along with the marketing saved the franchise.

 

[Azureo]

The first game I played was Fire Emblem, Sacred Stones. Then FE7. When Melee came out though, I had no idea who Marth was, or Roy for that matter. I did play PoR before Brawl, and was really happy to see a FE character of a game I played in Brawl, mained him ever since. Never got around to RD, but Awakening was the first game for my 3DS. It was a bit different, but likeable still. Even a popular entry, and that's new for FE. I think FE will be a lot more popular now that Awakening has gotten this newfound popularity for FE, with SSB boosting it.

EDIT: Forgot about Shadow Dragon, I...didn't like it, no idea why really. It just didn't feel right.

 

[ToothiestAura]

EDIT: Forgot about Shadow Dragon, I...didn't like it, no idea why really. It just didn't feel right.

Was it the remake? Because the art choices were... questionable at best. That game was sort of hideous, honestly.

 

[Skyblade12]

Was it the remake? Because the art choices were... questionable at best. That game was sort of hideous, honestly.

"Sort of"?

Why everyone criticized Path of Radiance for ditching the awesome sprites of the GBA games, but no one even mentioned how bad Shadow Dragon looked is utterly beyond me.

 

[Hong]

Was it the remake? Because the art choices were... questionable at best. That game was sort of hideous, honestly.

Basically.

Hideous art direction, weak animations and sub-par audio. I'd rather have had the original soundtrack then that choice of instrumentation.

"Sort of"?

Why everyone criticized Path of Radiance for ditching the awesome sprites of the GBA games, but no one even mentioned how bad Shadow Dragon looked is utterly beyond me.

Oh, there is much more of the latter.

 

[ToothiestAura]

"Sort of"?

Why everyone criticized Path of Radiance for ditching the awesome sprites of the GBA games, but no one even mentioned how bad Shadow Dragon looked is utterly beyond me.

PoR at least looked nice, but yeah. "Sort of" is being too nice. At least Awakening had some sprites.

 

[mimgrim]

Am I the only person who thinks Shadow Dragon's art-style has a charm to it? >_>

 

[Skyblade12]

Am I the only person who thinks Shadow Dragon's art-style has a charm to it? >_>

Yes. The GBA games. Those hard charm. Shadow Dragon was just...

 

[Hong]

Am I the only person who thinks Shadow Dragon's art-style has a charm to it? >_>

No offence but I wouldn't let Masamune Shirow touch Fire Emblem if he were the last artist on Earth.