#i know FE is not a traditional rpg but come on

[shreedle]

For the ask: 6, 14, 18, 23.

Oh boy, definitely going to be opening a can of worms here if I go with some of the more popular fandoms, so I'm only going with fandoms that I am heavily invested in: Mega Man and Fire Emblem.

6. Which ship fans are the most annoying?

I'm sorry to say that in FE, some of the most annoying shippers I've found are the Chrom shippers, especially Chrom/Robin (Male and Female), Chrom/Sumia, and Chrom/Olivia. And that's really saying something since I'm a Chrom/Olivia shipper.

(I just wanna emphasize I DO NOT MEAN YOU FRIEND! You are wonderful! Please continue talking to me about how FEH pushes Chrom/M!Robin! I'm talking about the people that tend to froth at the mouth when they see that someone else ships one of the other ones, and then, unprompted, start presenting "evidence" that their ship is way better and more canon and that anyone that thinks otherwise is dumb.)

Anyways, as stated above, I find those kind of people irritating. I rarely find this in the fanfiction community, which is wonderful, but I tend to find this more when people are discussing the games themselves or are drawing fanart with either of the ships or the potential kids that are part of it.

Just shut up, pick the one you like, and move on.

14. That one thing you see in fics all the time.

Oh, this was such an easy question for me. In the Mega Man X fandom, one of the things that I've been seeing lately that bothers me… is how Reploids are written as if they are not designed to be human-like and have the Three Laws in them (X may or may not be the exception depending on the person, and Zero often heavily emphasizes the first).

The part that gets me the most is that Robot Masters have been shown to have more of a free will than the Reploids in those fics. And Robot Masters are less advanced -- literally the entire point of X was that he was just like a human. Why make the species based off of him far less advanced than a Robot Master?

It's jarring enough to me that it takes me out of the fics, which is a shame because other than that, those fics are beautifully written with interesting plots most of the time.

18. It’s absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on…

Oh boy where do I even begin with this in the Mega Man fandom. Everyone expects me to talk about Quint and R-Shadow and the Dimensions, I know, and I always have a lot to say when it comes to people sleeping on them, but for once, I'm going to talk about something else.

The Command Mission bunch are some of them. The game was only ever released on the PS2 and GameCube, and a lot of "purists" turned their noses up on it because it was an RPG, not traditional side-scrolling Mega Man X, and it's canonity was considered questionable ("purists" consider the series to end at X6 and that X7+ is non-canon because "the lead-up to MMZ won't make sense!", which is really funny to me because Zero and ZX HAVE X7+ references but I digress).

It was a bit rough and unpolished, but the game really helped with fleshing out the world, and it's a damn shame that the fandom sleeps on the characters and concepts introduced by Command Mission.

23. Ship you’ve unwillingly come around to.

This one is difficult. Once I make up my mind about a ship, I rarely change my mind about it, so I had to think about this one for quite awhile.

In the end, I'm going to have to say Xander/Charlotte from FE Fates. I was firmly against this ship from the start, and preferred some of his other ships, not all of which were possible in-game. But I eventually noticed during my playthroughs that Xander just doesn't have many good ships possible in-game (IMO), and picking Charlotte as the wife (especially in Conquest, Revelation has one of my top two ships for him) is really just making the best of what you've got.

#ask game #fandom game #megaman x #fire emblem #I have woken up and chosen violence

[backbutton]

Hey

Psst, hey Fire Emblem Fandom

Do you like JRPGs? Do you like sweeping, continent wide conflicts? Do you like fighting against the tides of battles and the sorrows and heatbreak of war? Do you like noble opponents fighting against you because they believe they are right? Do you like burned down villages? Do you like dead dads? Do you like recruiting 100 random assholes with varying amounts of personality to your cause? Do you like gay subtext? Do you like themes of fate and destiny and the overwhelming truth that the only way forward as small insignificant humans in this cold world of violence and conflict is to come together in understanding for a brighter tomorrow? Do you like losing a player character permanently because you made a dumb decision? (It is not actually punishing I promise)

Suikoden I and II have just been announced as remastered for ps and switch. These are absolute classics of the genre, and while Suiko I can be a little clunky as a first installment (lotta mind control in that game..) Suiko II is pretty well known by Super JRP Enthusiast Elitests as one of The Best Games Ever Made.

They are traditional rpgs not strategy, so if you're looking to scratch a gameplay itch this isn't it, but if you like JRPGs in general or are looking for something with, I guess, a similar "mood" as FE, I can't recommend them enough. If you like them and want more, Suiko 3 and 4 i think are on psn though I don't know if that includes modern consoles, and Suiko 5 (the best one don't @ me) is not because we live a cold uncaring universe.

Also if they sell well maybe they'll make more games. I mean probably not, since Konami sucks, but hey there's a remaster. There's still hope!

Also also, Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes is a spiritual successor to Suikoden made by the same guy, so buy that too!

#suikoden #fire emblem #eiyuden chronicle: hundred heroes

[audiogrizzly]

Time for another list. I usually start these with a bit of a personal update. Last year I was banging on about losing 60lbs and there being an ASDA Expressnear my flat. This year I’ve been able to maintain that weight loss (plus an extra 10lbs on top of it) and I’m moving into my own house! Means I will have to say goodbye to the ASDA Express, but at least there’s a full sized ASDA closer to me.

Anyway, games. I’ve bought 2 new systems this year, a PSVR 2 and a Quest 3, so it’s been a VR year. My living situation has meant that I’ve not been able to get too much into games in the last quarter of the year so it’s feeling a little light for my selections’ but I feel like I’ve got some good games on here. But more than any other year I have not been able to fit everything in.

Before we get into my list, I should say that I did give Balders Gate 3 a good shot, but I didn’t get too into it. Other games I was only able to scratch the surface of include Starfield, Like a Dragon Gaiden (which I’m playing right now), Pikmin 4, Asgards Wrath 2, A Highland Songand Resident Evil 4 remake. Nothing against any of those titles’ I just haven’t got round to playing them in full.

Let’s get into the list, starting as I have done before, with my game of the year selection, followed by 2 runners up and a list of honourable mentions before some special mentions. Enjoy

My game of 2023: Street Fighter 6

I always say that it’s hard for fighting games or racing games to win GOTY in any end of year multi genre list. But SF6 is the game I am selecting this year because it was the game I was most excited to play where I felt that my expectations were met. In future, I do want to avoid more games with micro transactions and seasonal content because I can’t keep up, I have too many games to play. I was still able to dedicate about 50 odd hours to the latest in Capcom classic fighting series though.

This time round, there’s no shortage of recognisable fighters in the base line up, all extra fighters look interesting and there’s less of a carrot dangling in your face when it comes to unlocking new ones. To me, I know that in order to get the added fighters, 8m going to have to pay for them, which I am cool with.

The new World Tour mode is a great addition, adding a daft story line to the game which was missing at the launch of the previous entry in the series, this time round it is not shy about how absurd it is while characters you have grown up with are struggling with modern technology like texting each other etc.

And it’s the first time in a while I have been able to get into online gaming in a fighting game, even won a few matches.

So SF6 is my game of the year, a tribute to my favourite game as a teenager (Street Fighter 2) and a legend that has truly lasted the years!

Runner up #1: Fire Emblem Engage

I didn’t get into the previous game, the one where you are a teacher in a school, with the 3 houses etc. This entry is more like a traditional FE, one which forgoes all of the social linking any that guff, just a straight up tactical RPG.

And I, a bit of a wuss, I never turn on the permanent death mode, I play on the easiest level too, because I just want to follow the story. And it was a blast, I really enjoyed this and didn’t mind the fact that it went on and on. Tried to experience as much of it as possible too, bought the dlc, played through the stories that enabled me to use each of the older characters. And that’s something else I love about it, there’s a lot of nostalgia if you have played older Fes, which I have. So this is right up my alley.

Runner up #2: Assassin’s Creed Mirage

This was a sort of a surprise, I loved the recent ACs because they were large open world games, but Mirage was meant to be closer to the old games, the ones which alienated me after part 4. But there’s still a lot of the mechanics in the recent titles like Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla which have made it over into the way this game controls. It’s just that Basim is not this out and out warrior like the protagonists in those games, but I do love me a bit of stealth.

Baghdad is a gorgeous location for the game too, the world was what I loved about Origins and this reminded me a lot of it. Short one too, but I still gave it 18 hours of my time!

Honourable mentions:

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

It’s not in my top 3, and its predecessor was only number 5 in my 2017 list but that doesn’t mean I don’t love these new Zelda games. It took me a while to get my head around the building mechanic and the resource collecting, plus all the merging you could do with items, the food cooking is always a weird one to get into too. But I loved the adventure.

Horizon Call of the Mountain

My intro may have given the impression I have had a bit of a VR year, but this is the only title that has made its way into the top end of my list. It’s a little derivative of all the climbing games you get on headsets, but you still get to experience the Horizon world and the appearance of a certain protagonist reminds you that you are playing in the canon of the main series. Shout out to the Burning Shores, the proper Forbidden West expansion, which was another top title this year.

Star Wars Jedi Survivor

A few performance issues made sure that I was not quite as into this game as I had hoped I would have been (the 60fps performance mode that eventually came out came a little too late) but this was still an enjoyable romp. I’m not even a bit Star Wars head but I do like a good sci fi action game and that’s just what this is.

Hogwarts Legacy

I’m not a bit Potter head, I was too old for the books and dismissive of the films but I do like an open world action game and Hogwarts Legacy is a very good one. Again, I had a few performance issues with the PC version of this, but I persevered and I might even try and play through it again one day. It’s perhaps the closest thing we have to a new Bully game here in 2023. In that it’s an open word game where you play as a school student, just a magical one.

Mortal Kombat 1

Unlike Street Fighter 6, the new Mortal Kombat doesn’t have to prove itself over its predecessor quite as much, but Mk1 doesn’t disappoint on all the things that have made the recent games in the series great. Could do with playing it a bit more but I haven’t had much of a chance to play it as of late. Looking forward to getting to grips with the DLC characters though.

Super Mario Wonder

This will be many other peoples GOTY, and rightfully so. For me, I played it a bit too recently and didn’t get to explore it to its full extent, just enough to finish its story. But I have not played a 2D platform that is this close to Super Mario World, and that’s why this is great, just like Street Fighter, it brings me back to my wonder years.

Quake 2 Call of the Machine

Another “call of the” game. This is merely an added campaign to a remaster of Quake 2. But that was always a special game and Machine Games didn’t muck this up a great addition to a classic, which itself is now available to more platforms.

And now some shout outs, other games I have played this year:

Forspoken

Hi-fi Rush

Dead Space

Metroid Prime Remaster

Dead Cells Return to Castlevania

Diablo IV

Cocoon

[kitsunebishake]

I WANTED TO DO THIS FOR SUCH A LONG TIME BECAUSE MY TWEETS JUST GET LOST ON TW IN THE SEA OF SHITPOSTING and im too stupid to make moments with my shitty drawings so

stupid and unnecesary explanation for each down

for the past 3???? 2????? months i’ve been drawing hríd (and alfonse)

1 and 2 are fake alts??? i guess??? something like that 1 is bunny hríd (i want an archer hríd so badly) and 2 is summer dancer hríd,,,,,,,,he’s a dagger and is supposed to throw daggers “chinese fantasy style” needless to say they’re both unfinished, i don’t usually finish my own stuff im sorry u u

3 and 4 are just,,,,,,,,,,,,me being horny 4 was more part of a headcanon though, where hríd has barely any scars, but kiran, bruno, and alfonse are almost completely scarred (now i’d say hríd would have some little scars as remnants from what happened in múspell??? but not as much as the others)

5 and 6 are from an “AU” where i just gave them different RPG classes hríd here goes from cleric to warlock (nifl feels heavily religious to me idk y’all) after going “FUCK YOUR PREDICTIONS I’M GOING THINGS MY WAY NOW” when the whole thing with múspell started happening no more gentle cleric hríd

the last one is from a very stupid self-indulgent AU where alfonse and he are closetted weeaboos, this is supposed to be like??? me explaining my friend what they like and such hríd is a top tier gay who loves reading soft BL and shoujo, they met bc hríd entered a yugioh tournament to win some collection stuff of magical girls for Fjorm and Ylgr (according to me, it was part of the prize)

#hríd #Fire Emblem #FEH #would y'all forgive my self-indulgence? #i love making AUs im sorry #AND DONT GET ME WRONG I LOVE CANON HRÍD but i feel like there are just far too little classes in heroes #theyre not even using most of them in the mainstory #like theres no dragon or dancer even #i know FE is not a traditional rpg but come on #enough ranting #my crap

[level99games]

Annual Team Retreat

This week, the Level 99 Games team is out of the office and spending our days at in Santa Fe at our annual company retreat!

This is a tradition that we started last year—spending a week outside of the office and gathering at a remote location to get to know one another outside of a work context.

We’ve found a lot of value in hosting these retreats, and this week, I’ll take a little time to share some of the benefits our team reaps from a week outside the office.

Relaxation

Taking a week off of work is a great opportunity to relax and enjoy each other’s company in a semi-work environment. At the office, we’re often facing deadlines, juggling tasks, putting out fires, or coordinating events. Creativity is tougher when you’re dealing with such stresses.

When you’re able to sit back with friends and have fun, that’s when some of the best inspirations come. Taking a break helps us to remember what we love about gaming. Some of the big ideas that we’ve discussed, about what make games really great, will surely filter into our work during the year to come.

Getting to Know One Another

A lot of our team members come from across the USA and even the world. It was a special treat to have Marco with us this year. He flew in from the Philippines to meet in person for the first time ever, after working together for over 5 years remotely. Other team members—Julian and Ferdinand—joined us from across the USA. 

Our day-to-day office life is a lot of fun, and it’s unfortunate that our remote team members don’t get to experience that. This is an opportunity to live that shared work-life that we would experience if we were all living here together in Albuquerque. During this retreat, we’ve spent time playing RPGs (including our own Power Play), cooking meals, playing fighting games and party games, and going out on walks. These are all things that we occasionally get together and do in Albuquerque, but here they come to the foreground.

Time to do Flex Work & Prototype

In an earlier blog, I talked about how we try to reserve 20% of our office time for Flex Work. This can be prototyping, playtesting, improvements to operations, and the like. Our retreats are essentially a full week of flex time, with team members working on what they are interested in and sharing that work with one another. We’re still ‘working’, but we’re doing work that we’ve chosen to do rather than chasing deadlines.

We’ve spent a large portion of this retreat playing future prototypes, refining our ideas around existing prototypes, and discussing the possibilities to explore for future games. With any luck, you might see some of the games we’ve playing this weekend as finished products in another year or two.

Reorient & Improve

The retreat is also a time to reflect on our past year and improve our operations. We can talk frankly to one another about what went right and what went wrong, and how we might refine our operations further. While we regularly have such checkups in the office, it’s good to do them outside of our work hours, in a stress-free environment, a sort of safe-space to examine our habits and activities.

During this retreat, we’ve talked a great deal about future changes to our marketing and sales strategies, and about how we can improve the experience of playing and owning Level 99 Games for our fans. We look forward to putting some of these plans into motion when we return!

All in all, the retreats are a great way for us to increase collaboration and cooperation among our team members. It’s a tradition that I plan to continue in the years to come. If you’d like to meet the team that’s here on our current retreat, watch the latest Level With You Livecast, where we introduce the whole team!

About the Author

D. Brad Talton Jr. is the President of Level 99 Games, as well as the designer of BattleCON, Millennium Blades, Pixel Tactics, Exceed, and many more games. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his wife Lynda and daughter Kathryn. 

#Retreat #Santa Fe

[holdbeast]

Sequel hooks set up at the end of Persona 5:

We know from P4 that when someone dies in the cognitive realm, their body reappears IRL.  We also know from Ryuji that getting caught in a Palace collapse won’t kill you.  And Akechi is still “missing”.  HMMM.

Shadowy government agents are following Akira around, which may or may not be the real reason why he’s decided to leave Tokyo for a year.  Which I guess means that the government is afraid of him?  As well they should be.

Morgana needs to find his human form ( which will obviously come out looking like Akira’s little brother because oh my god, even the other Phantom Thieves called it, any being that lives in an alley for a month to preserve the aesthetics of his goodbye speech is clearly Akira’s spiritual relation).

The Phansite is still operating with 50% approval rating, and Mishima is making a documentary to keep the Phantom Thieves in the public consciousness.

During the Phantom Thieves roadtrip, they seem to be taking a request from the Phansite, even if they’ll have to resort to more traditional thievery to help someone out.

I don’t expect a full RPG sequel or even an expansion like FES, but come on Altus, spare us all some grief and announce the spin-off already.  I’m holding out hope for a proper stealth game.

#persona 5 #persona 5 spoilers #akira kurusu #morgana #goro akechi

[burgermiester]

dancerladyaqua  I really liked P4. P3 was pretty good but I never finished it. I'm super looking forward to P5 when I get home. I'd say try it out if you can. From what I gather, P5 is more like P4 than P3, so maybe P4 would be a good starting point? (I didn't know you liked SMTxFE! I loved the gameplay a bunch.)

I will freely admit that the main thing stopping me from really enjoying this series is the cultural divide.  I like traditional rpg gameplay but its never enough on its own for me to want to play something, I need to like the rest of the game’s presentation too.  I know there is a big crossover between “fire emblem fans” and “japanese pop-culture enthusiasts” but I am not in that crossover group.  The idea of exploring a high fantasy world with swordsmen and dragons and mages like in Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy is instantly appealing to me.  The idea of exploring modern japan with schoolchildren is very much a barrier to entry for me.  And it goes beyond just the setting.  Every aspect of a game that's, for lack of a better term “very Japanese” feels off to me.  And there are specific things that I can point out in media like this, like nosebleeds indicating sexual arousal, or the name endings (if post-localization a game is still dropping “sans” “chans” and “kuns” then I am almost certainly done with it) that just leave me scratching my head, but more importantly its things that characters consistently do or say that just dont make sense to me (or just as often, things characters DONT do or say even though it seems to me like they would want to.)  And I am just left feeling, I dont know, cognitive dissonance?  Im sitting there constantly thinking “this isnt how people talk!! this isnt what people would do in this situation!!!” while I watch or play, even though logically I know it all feels perfectly natural in Japanese or to someone who lives in or knows a lot about Japan.  I cant think of the right word, but its like games like that are square pegs and my brain has a round hole: I know it fits right to some people but for me its all wrong. 

But! Despite all that I still liked Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE, easily the most overwhelmingly Japanese thing I have ever consumed.  And It was primarily because right off the bat I enjoyed most of the characters, and that is more than enough to get me over the hump of the cultural dissonance and get into a game.  And so to finally bring this back to Persona 3/4/5, its basically just a flip of a coin whether I will like it or not.  I have absolutely no way to know if the writing for the characters (or the localization, I never know who to blame or thank for my disliking or liking of characters) will be to my liking until I actually invest in it.  So I flipped the coin with P3 years ago and it landed on tails. Same with SMTIV.  I flipped again for TMS and it landed heads.  Do I flip again with P4 for, what is it, $20 these days?  Do I flip again with P5 for $60?  (yes, my roommate has it and I could borrow it from her, but not until shes done, which wont be for a couple of months, and I am mainly looking for things to occupy me until Echoes comes out, so thats too late) and if I do pay, how many hours do I give it to start liking some characters if I dont like it right off the bat?

Thats the long and short of what I’m thinking about these games.  Thanks for letting me ramble about something this evening. 

#personal #dancerladyaqua

[reduxroyal]

What are you thoughts on fire emblem heroes so far? And who's on your team?

lol okay buckle the fuckle in kids this is gonna be a ride

(also thank you for this ask and I’m sorry you’re about to get way more info than you probably wanted)

We’ll start with the short answer, so people who aren’t really here for a fucking Fire Emblem history lesson can dip:

Heroes is a fun little game that is honestly a good test to see if you’d like proper titles because the mechanics are identical. They use smaller versions of the original maps, and even pull a lot of the classic music. It’s fun, it works, and there are some nice nods to the older games. My team is Lazlow, Tiki, Niles, and Frederick, all four star or below because the gotcha gods hate me.

Here’s the long answer. Like, really long answer.

Fire Emblem is, historically, not what we’d call a raging success in the US. The first six titles were Japan-exclusive. So from 1990 until 2003, nobody in the US really knew or cared about Fire Emblem because there were no fuckin games for them to play. So what happened to change that?

Melee. Melee happened.

Marth and Roy (for whatever fucking reason I still don’t know why) were on the roster of the 2001 fighter Super Smash Bros. Melee and boy howdy were they popular. You may remember that all of their voice lines were in Japanese, and that’s because they literally didn’t have English voice actors, because there were no English Fire Emblem titles. To be fair FE didn’t use cutscenes at that point so there were probably no voice actors period but like whatever.

So Roy and Marth become like, overnight sensations, and that coupled with the success of Intelligent System’s other tactical RPG, Advance Wars, prods Nintendo to give it a shot and release Blazing Blade internationally for the GBA in 2003. Blazing Blade is the story of Eliwood, Roy’s father, as well as Lyn and Hector, two other big names in FE lore.

But Blazing Blade only sells so-so. In fact, over the next eleven years, Fire Emblem hits a slump, both in Japan and abroad. Titles like Sacred Stones (the first video game I ever played) Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn (why would you put a tactical RPG on anything other than a handheld literally why why why it makes no sense omfg) and Shadow Dragon (which is a rehash of the first game, Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light) all do pretty mediocre.

So now the year is like 2010-ish and FE’s not picking up it’s lost revenue or interest, so Intelligent Systems starts planning what is essentially going to be the franchise’s finale, and that’s Fire Emblem Awakening. Intelligent Systems pulls out all the fuckin stops to make the best game they possibly can so it will be a proper last hurrah. If Awakening didn’t sell well, Fire Emblem was going to be shelved forever.

Awakening, of course, due to many things like good advertising, the right platform, a really fucking solid game with cool new mechanics, likeable characters, a decent plot, and fucking gorgeous cutscenes, becomes the best-selling game in Fire Emblem’s twenty-three year history. Which leads to the somewhat awkward question of what the fuck do you do when the thing that was supposed to be your franchise’s finale becomes the most popular installment of the whole goddamn series?

Well, if you’re Nintendo, you try to recreate it.

That’s what Fates is: a recreation. They (understandably) want to make that magic happen again. So they put together the same artists, a lot of the same voice actors, and everyone’s favorite marriage-to-child mechanic (that just does not make sense in Fates okay I’m sorry I love it and I’m here for it but we all need to agree that it just doesn’t make sense) and Fates does pretty well. Fire Emblem’s back in business.

But you’re left in this curious situation where more than half of your fanbase is only familiar with two out of fourteen titles, so it’s hard to decide where to go. Awakening and Fates are not traditional Fire Emblem games. They are so very, very different in so many ways. The pace of the games, the length of the games, the unit-recruiting process, roster size, the way Support works, even the buying and selling and acquisition of weapons like…there’s just this huge gap. How do you bridge it?

A…mobile game, I guess?

Which like don’t get me wrong, Heroes’ shortcomings have nothing to do with its platform. Like I said before: it’s cute and it’s competent. My issue lies more in the marketing of the game.

I’m sure we all remember the polls that went on to decide which Fire Emblem greats were going to be playable characters in the game, right? And you could pick anyone. Literally anyone. It didn’t matter if they were only apart of your roster for a map and a half. It didn’t matter if they were an enemy unit. It didn’t matter if they were some like, random archer you got in the third chapter so you could learn about ranged attacks. You could vote for any character from any Fire Emblem game, period.

Except, that means it’s essentially boiling down to a popularity contest between twelve practically unknown or rarely known Fire Emblem titles and the two newest, best-selling, fan favorites. Which isn’t upsetting so much as it is, like, dumb? Like of course the majority of people are gonna vote for Chrom and Camilla, that’s what they know. One of the best Fire Emblem characters (in my opinion) is Prince Innes, from Sacred Stones. He has a hilariously arrogant attitude, is bold and brash, and a sick fucking sniper who constantly insists he should be on the front lines and not in the back of the party with the rest of the ranged attackers.

Innes, of course, didn’t make the list. Because ten out of the chosen twenty male heroes were from Awakening or Fates (that ratio is 13:20 for the ladies if you were curious) So this game that was intended to like, I don’t even know, revive interest in old games or at least make them relevant, ends up not really doing that at all. Especially because out of the first eight chapters (that’s as far as I’ve gotten) four of ‘em explore the worlds of Awakening and Fates.

What about Path of Radiance? What about Sacred Stones? What about literally anything besides the last two games in the franchise because it’s not that I don’t like those games, it’s that you promised me a game that embraced all of Fire Emblem, and this ain’t it. Also you went to the trouble of giving Eirika official art and she’s not even a character you can draw what the actual fuck is she in this game or nah

BASICALLY (we’re almost done you almost made it) I think it will be interesting to see how Fire Emblem: Echoes plays out. Echoes is a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, a 1992 Japan-only exclusive that I, personally, know nothing about, but can tell you with relative confidence that it’s not like Awakening or Fates because nothing in FE is like Awakening or Fates. It’s coming out in May of this year and like…I’m really curious to see how the “newer” (and by the way newer does not mean in any way that you’re like less of a fan. I don’t care if the only Fire Emblem game you’ve played is Awakening, I’m just fucking glad you’re playing Fire Emblem, let’s be friends) fans will like it. The official description for it is: “Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia recreates classic Fire Emblem gameplay with a modern twist, mixing in exploration of dungeons crawling with enemies.”

I have never played a FE title that had a dungeon of any kind, unless you count the Tower of Valni from Sacred Stones. I don’t even know what that means in the terms of a tactical RPG but like, I guess we’ll see. 

tl;dr I like Fire Emblem a whole lot and will always be bitter over Eirika’s bullshit outfit in Awakening’s DLC

Thanks for reading!

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE

Hi! I’m back again! And at this point lots of things have changed in regards to this post! Most notably: Heroes has added lots of older Fire Emblem characters to the game (including Innes which makes my earlier complaint look really dumb) and Echoes came out and it’s genuinely one of the best games I’ve ever played, and easily one of the best games in FE’s franchise.

Here’s the thing that past me writing this post didn’t get: newer fans are just as invested as old fans, they just don’t have as much to be invested in yet. I can prattle on and on about Sacred Stones and Binding Blade and Shadow Dragon and all the titles I’ve played, but newer players (under-fucking-standably) aren’t going to go back and play games with bad graphics from the late 90′s and early 00′s, so they just hang out with the titles they have played, which for some people, is just Awakening, or just Fates.

Echoes was universally adored by the fanbase. There were a couple times I saw comments like “well, where’s the avatar unit?” or “why can’t I marry other units and have kids?” and like, I wanted to be mad, because those aren’t staples of Fire Emblem, but if anything it’s Nintendo’s fault for making two games back-to-back that promoted the hell out of those features. How could someone who only played Awakening and Fates (which is the majority of this game’s base) know any differently?

And Heroes has really done well with bringing in more characters from other games. Every single game in the franchise (even fucking Tharcia 776) is represented by at least two characters, and they’re always adding more. I think they’re genuinely doing the best they can to please everyone, and the only people throwing a fit are "older” fans who think they deserve more because, what? They’ve put more time in? They’ve somehow “earned” it?

Nintendo is a business, and businesses rely on popularity to fucking succeed. That’s just how it works. Like it or not, the realistic faces of this franchise are characters like Lucina, Ryoma, Corrin, Camilla, and Robin. That’s just how it works. Characters like Math and Lyn will always endue because they’ve been built up as legends, but now there’s so many new characters, and so many new fans, so of course things have to change and the attention has to shift.

And new fans are picking up the old characters just as much!! Characters that haven’t gotten fanart in a fuckin decade are suddenly getting a bunch of attention, because a new fan pulled them in Heroes, didn’t know who they were but liked their design, and went to town.

tl;dr - you aren’t more important just because you’ve “been a fan” longer, it makes complete sense that Nintendo would shift the focus to games like Awakening and Fates, and if you’re waiting for a certain character to show up in Heroes give it some time.

That’s all for real this time.

Also my new team (if anyone cares) is Innes, Leo, Azura, and Raven. I don’t want to talk about how much money I spent trying to gotcha twelve year-old video game characters.

I, uh, I just really like Fire Emblem.

also for all the Path of Raidance and Radiant Dawn fans who sent me asks saying those games were the highest-selling games for their consoles: you’re wrong, and here are the fucking receipts

#ask duchess #anon #fire emblem #oh boy #this got deep real quick #fire emblem heroes #fire emblem awakening #fire emblem fates #basically a history lesson in fire emblem okay

[xenoblade]

2016 in gaming

So I saw Mom Steph do this and hek, I thought it'd be a nice way to start off the new year! 

(of course bless Backloggery for keeping track of all my beaten games because otherwise GOOD FUCKING BYE)

Tales of Zestiria

lol funny how this one is the first game I finished last year? Anyway I can't deny I *DID* like Zestiria but I also have a lot of mixed feelings about it :/ Characters were okay and the OST was great (THOSE GO SHIINA TRACKS, BOI), but I had a lot of framerate issues so my overall experience was... meh. Here's hoping Berseria turns out better?

Ys: Memories of Celceta

AW YIS MEMORIES OF CELCETA! I got a Vita just to play Ys and it was a great ride and I 100% recommend it! I don't have much to say about this also because everything Celceta does, Lacrimosa of Dana (more on this soon) does better so... GET BOTH

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Boy. BOY. I started this game over a year ago and I already have a lot of nostalgia over it?? Some of the best 300 hours I ever spent went in there. It's not Xenoblade (Chronicles), but I managed to find a lot to love here

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter

Rarely I enjoyed sequels more than their originals... UNTIL SECOND CHAPTER. Holy moly FC was GOOD but SC has all the plot twists and a faster-paced story that I found it impossible not to love it? FC builds up the story like a traditional coming-of-age RPG tale so that when SC comes along, it pulls out the big guns. YEAH

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD

I loved TP for a number of reasons (apparently I'm a minority? lmao) and I didn't think it could get any better seeing it all in HD

Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright

I'm glad I managed to beat at least Birthright before I ran out of fuel and drive to play all of Fates? Game was great, the OST had some pretty great stuff, I really liked some of the characters, but I just couldn't get past Corrin as a whole ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Plot was also okay (for FE standards at least), but apparently Conquest and Revelation have it even worse which is why it will be a looooong time before I beat either one

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

THERE IT IS, ONE OF MY GAMES OF THE YEAR! I completely, utterly and totally fell in love with this game! The cast is GREAT and I love how the plot starts easy and progressively gets all political and complicated, what with terrorists, nobles, different agendas and all that. I'm not too much of a fan of school settings, but it fits this one and I love how the game takes its time so it can tell you a grand story of an empire. PLAY THIS GAME

The Witcher

It took me a year to finish this game because of technical issues (lol I had to start it 3 times) but I'm GLAD I made it at last. Dialogue here is GREAT, Geralt is great and so were some parts of the story (the investigation). This regularly goes on sale on Steam for $4 (together with Witcher 2), so yeah, you have no reason to not play it.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

THERE IT IS. MY ULTIMATE GOTY OF THE YEAR. I JUST CANNOT STRESS HOW GREAT THIS GAME IS. It looks great, it plays great, characters are great! This game is a joy to look at and play so if you enjoyed Celceta, you will LOVE this one! Also I know it sounds like obvious from a Falcom game, BUT THE OST IS ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS! I can't wait for it to come to US/EU because EVERYONE needs to appreciate this game!

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

In time for this list, this is yet another game I LOVED. I have a PS2 copy somewhere, but I could never get into it because of clunky controls and the difficulty. Thankfully I got this as a birthday present and boy. BOY. I loved EVERYTHING about this game. Aside how great it plays and how good it looks, I found myself falling in love with the characters and the plot: I loved every single character (INGWAAAAAAAAAAY) and the story was so old-school and reminded me of an epic play that. aaaaaaaa. BOY I'M IN LOVE (also yes I cried at the end)

#games #2016 #woop hopefully i'll remember to do this next year?? idk

[entergamingxp]

DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Allisa’s Top 10

December 29, 2019 2:00 PM EST

My top 10 for 2019 include some obvious choices, such as Fire Emblem: Three Houses and the Ace Attorney trilogy, and a few surprises.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

2019 for me is a year filled with surprises. Although the majority of games on this list were ones that I expected to love, a few of these titles truly threw me for a loop with how much I enjoyed playing them. And for me, that’s the most rewarding part about gaming — finding those hidden gems that reignite your passion for your hobby while challenging your notion of what makes a good game in the first place.

So with that said, here are my top 10 games for 2019.

10. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

Ace Attorney is one of my favorite franchises of all time, and this collection of the first three in the series–particularly the Switch version–is by far the best way to play it. Not to mention that so many years later the characters, writing, and gameplay still holds up incredibly well.

The writing really is the standout in this series with plenty of heartwarming and hilarious moments conveyed through near flawless story presentation and pacing. With the remastered sprite art, updated translations, and remastered music of the trilogy this already fantastic series has been elevated even more.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Ace Attorney Trilogy.

9. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

After being so badly burned on the lackluster Fire Emblem Fates, all I could hope for the next entry in the main series was something decent. Instead I got my favorite Fire Emblem game in the franchise. The characters are well-written, fleshed out, and with fully realized character arcs.

The gameplay not only polishes the classic tactical formula we all know and love, but also added in bold new mechanics such as the School system. Instead of worrying about future babies, we get by far the most class depth and customization in any FE title. It’s an absolutely solid tactical RPG that continued to blow me away until the very end.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

8. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered

Being able to play Final Fantasy VIII, my favorite entry in the franchise, on my Switch was an experience filled not only with nostalgia but with reminders as to why I loved this entry so much in the first place. Though it seriously misstepped with its romance plot (I’m in favor of removing it all together), this is a game of innovation and risk.

It discarded the hugely popular Materia system from FFVII and instead created one that emphasized on character customization without the need for strict class systems. It introduced summons that have an actual impact on both gameplay and story outside of “doing tons of damage.” And the narrative itself was incredibly subtle and thought-provoking, letting players interpret key plot points without spoonfeeding them story beats. It’s an incredible game that still holds up today, and most importantly, the updated graphics finally let Squall be the most handsome guy in the room.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Final Fantasy VIII Remastered.

7. Pokemon Sword and Shield

I love Pokemon. So, I knew that I would enjoy Sword and Shield regardless of fan controversies, especially with the quality of life changes, brand new Dynamaxing mechanic, fine-tuned battle system, a truly, uniquely designed region, the introduction of the huge Wild Area, and the best 3D graphics this series has seen to date. But what I didn’t expect was to fall in love with the characters so much. The Gym Leaders alone have so much flare and personality, but then we have Champion Leon who’s kind, human, charismatic, and extensively involved in his region.

And of course Hop, the best developed rival character in Pokemon history. His character arc is not only incredibly relatable (living under the shadow of his successful and older sibling) but the way that development is conveyed in the story and gameplay. His animations change to match Leon’s because Hop thinks imitating him is right way of things. He swaps out his first and most treasured Pokemon at one point because a crushing defeat and harsh words damaged his self esteem, and his eventual career choice in the end that’s wholly himself. Hop takes an already fun game and adds tons of heart and that’s what really cemented this game in my heart as one of my favorites of 2019.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Pokemon Sword and Shield.

6. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

My second favorite entry in the Final Fantasy mainline franchise, its inclusive was also a no brainer. I really, really love Final Fantasy XII. It has a richly detailed and extensive world that’s breathtaking to explore, the characters are interesting and well-acted, and its politically-focused plot is a welcome breath of fresh air that never fails to deliver on its intrigue.

The gameplay is also absolutely phenomenal, as it takes the character customization systems of Final Fantasy VIII and X and combines them together while polishing them to a near-perfect sheen. And most importantly, Vaan’s abs have finally been fixed. If I ever had to recommend a single title in the franchise, this one would be right up there with Tactics.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.

5. Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition

The Professor Layton series is one that I’ve always enjoyed because of its excellent soundtracks, fun and satisfying puzzles, the charming characters and graphics. The latest entry in the series, Mystery Journey, is no slouch, as it still manages to deliver on all these points even as it changes direction with a brand new protagonist and different style of story progression through solving cases.

It also managed to accomplish something I didn’t realize I craved: returning the Layton series back to its more focused and simpler roots of the first game, Professor Layton and the Curious Village.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition.

4. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux

I played this game last year and then replayed it again in 2019. Strange Journey was always one of my favorite entries in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise even, on the DS. It hits my love for sci-fi, so that’s an automatic point in its favor and the endlessly intriguing and dark story starring nothing but adults doing adult things just speaks to me on every level. Not to mention how refreshing it is to play a game that researches and implements its mythological inspirations with a razor sharp accuracy that’s unparalleled in JRPGs.

Redux takes this game and revamps it with some of the best quality of life updates I’ve ever seen in a remake or port. Even then, it also adds on a brand new dungeon, new characters, a new final boss, and three new endings. I can’t sing enough praises for Redux.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux.

3. Octopath Traveler

When I first tried the demo for Octopath Traveler, I knew I was onto something truly special. Not only was the turn-based gameplay fast and strategic, but the story itself has no qualms about submerging its proverbial hands in the grime and muck of its plot, without losing sight of its characters’ motivations and humanity.

Then when the full game released, I fell in love all over again. The plotlines of the eight protagonists are all so varied yet equally compelling, the graphics beyond breathtaking, the battle system even more polished and rewarding while maintaining its strategic depth, and the character customization is rich. This is easily one of the best JRPGs I’ve ever played and it absolutely had to be on my top list for 2019.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Octopath Traveler.

2. Cadence of Hyrule

Despite how awful I am at rhythm games, I find myself addicted to polishing my skills and learning the ins and outs of this game’s battle mechanics. Based off the original Crypt of the NecroDancer, Cadence is set in The Legend of Zelda‘s Hyrule as you dance your way through hordes of foes to save the land either as Link or Zelda.

The 16-bit graphics are richly detailed and colorful while the combat system, although based in rhythm game mechanics, never feels tacked on or out of place. It’s amazing how much I feel like I’m playing a traditional Zelda title.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Cadence of Hyrule.

1. VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

Imagine a world where corporations reign supreme, all human life is infected with nanomachines designed to oppress them, and the terrifying White Knights ensure that everyone obeys the laws. This sounds like the setup for an epic tale of rebellion against an oppressive capitalistic society right? But that’s not it. You play as a bartender who serves her customers whatever drinks they desire while listening to them pour their hearts out. It’s a simple premise that’s executed perfectly.

Between the graphics straight out of a PC-98 Japanese adventure visual novel, killer retro soundtrack, endlessly intriguing and raunchy dialogue, and incredibly unique gameplay centered around making good drinks, VA-11 HALL-A is a real standout title.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor  December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager // Kris Cornelisse, Staff Writer December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

December 29, 2019 2:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-allisas-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-allisas-top-10