New Fire Emblem on 3DS Takes Shape as Two Separate Releases in Japan

This is really pushing it Nintendo, I thought you were learning to do DLC correctly and now this comes up. Guess we will just have to wait and see what happens when it is localised

Not sure how I feel about this. It's not something I'm thrilled about when so many games offer a similar dual campaign without charging for two releases. It would be a little easier to swallow if they're significantly different campaigns, but the trailer didn't present it too well, often showing the same scene with a screen wipe to go from the light side to the dark, where the exactly same thing was happening but re-skinned.

So...basically it's Oracle of Seasons/Ages, but with Fire Emblem.

That sounds absolutely terrible. Basically more than half the game is DLC...

I like it

I wouldn't mind 2 separate releases.
However, I don't think the same model will be adopted in the west. Fire Emblem is gaining popularity but it isn't as strong as Zelda or Pokemon to pull this off. I could be wrong though...

Yay, 1 game for the price of 2.

No thanks.

Wow. Really? The two paths were touted as a feature of the game in the Direct, not as additional DLC. This is a terrible idea.

Wasn't this supposed to be one game for the west?

People don't seem to realize that these are two whole games. The whole 1 game for the price of 2 stuff just isn't true. You're getting two Fire Emblem games with different stories for the price of two Fire Emblem games.

@drewb0203
Yeah I don't see the problem since what I've read from other sites, it'll be much bigger than Awakening for one path alone. Gives youa choice if you want to buy the expansion or not rather than selling you two separate games.

No no no, this is an awful idea. What's wrong with being able to choose the path in game? This is what we were lead to believe in the trailer the other day in Europe. You make decisions, and it alters your path. Not buy the game and pay extra for another path. I hope this is a Japan only deal, and I don't even play Fire Emblem or intend to play this one.

It's a low point in terms of DLC money grabbing, I'm afraid.

@TunnelSnacksRule
^
Ninja'd

Why is the 3DS bit in the picture on a black background like a new 3DS box?

It all depends how different both versions are,if it's just the same battles from both perspectives after chapter six it's a rip off but if it's completely different battles it's basically 2 new Fire emblem games released on the same day three if you count the third path.and you get one half price can't complain about that.

Jeez, I was looking forward to getting this, but I think I'll pass now. I don't want to pay $80 for the full game.

Why not in the same game?
http://i.imgur.com/T1bLC4n.jpg

Gotta admit I don't like this at all! I expected that it will be one COMPLETE game and you just have to choose which side to pick. Then you can change your decision during the 2nd run. That would make sense to me. I don't like the fact that they want to force people to buy one game two times...

Since I dissagree with that I won't support it. It might be a good game, but I don't want to support this... and help it to become standard. I did the same thing with "New" 3DS and it's exclusive games.

If you think this is a cool idea, just imagine you had to pay for every Chrono Trigger ending path as separate DLC.

Yeah, I thought so.

I love jumping to conclusions before I have all of the information, that's the way to live a successful and happy life!

So...you can only go one path, you can't choose which one in the game (like the direct made it look like), and if you wanna have the full experience, you need to cough up 80 bucks...great...

@IronMan28 Someone didn't read the article

My theory: this will be done as two separate releases in Japan and it will release in June.
The Western release in 2016 will be a version containing both 'sides of the story' which will come out in Japan as a 'Definitive edition' in 2016. See also: MH4/MH4 Ultimate, Bravely Default and Yokai Watch, and also various 'GOTY Editions' on other formats

I think everyone is overreacting, this is currently the japanese release... So no Nintendo has not lied to u. And it sounds like two different complete games, so if ur expecting to pay $40 for 2 complete games u r insane...

And no one complains this much about Pokemon doing this

Sounds like Pokemon style pricing. My guess is most of the maps will be reused, but there will be a few differences.

@Dipper723 Its 2 games for the price of 2...

Wow either way you put this,is pretty shady for the people who live at japan.Good thing this isn't happening here.

@Falchion That's not what it sounded like during the American direct to me.

I'll glady buy the two version but I would like for them to release a New3ds Fire Emblem if Edition

Dear Nintendo,

No.

Sincerely, Everyone.

OK now that I understand a bit better this doesn't sound good, why can't both options be one game and the third dlc.

@SkywardLink98 Yes u r correct but did u forget that this is about the japanese release? So until we get information about the NA release people are getting angry for no reason...

I'm fine with this, you choose a side before you even play the game, they seem to be massive and able to stand alone. They even said that the darker one is harder (so maybe it will sell less?) so the white side is better for beginners. Even then I feel there will be a discount for the side you didn't choose as DLC, so you can buy two games for the price of 1 and a half.

I REALLY hope they don't do this in America

I was really pumped for this game, but now I'm not as excited for it. I'll still end up getting some form of the game, but this is really disappointing news for me.

@ottospooky That's what I'm expecting. They seem to get away with this more in Japan, we may luck out and just get the definitive edition for a bit more.

It will be my first fire emblem game, so I'll buy one, I doubt I will like it enough to spend 80$ and then done DLC. Not to say it doesn't look great because it does look great.

@Falchion But by showing their anger, they're trying to show Nintendo that they don't support their decision before the game releases. There's plenty of reason to show what you think of this decision in the comment section of the article reporting on it.

@Falchion, Because you don't need to play both versions of Pokémon. You just need one version, and find a friend with another version and trade.

Yeah, no.

Yeah I'd also have to assume in the western countries well just get the "ultimate special edition" with all three paths for maybe $50-$60 bucks at most? Or at least the two main paths included for $40-$50 and then the third as DLC as that may actually be different enough. I can't imagine they'd want to risk that kind of a deal here in the west where the Fire Emblem franchise isn't quite as strong.

It'd suck if you had to make the choice on which side to join before even getting to know anyone in the game. That seemed like it was going to be one of the toughest/coolest decisions to make!

@Spleetal My assumption is that, in the states, we'll have both paths on cart for $40. American audiences don't normally take kindly to this sort of thing from my experience, and hopefully Nintendo knows that. Plus they've talked it up as a huge choice, so it looks like they won't be splitting the game up in the states.

I love FE, but no way am I paying twice as much as what I should just to be able to play a game the way it's supposed to play. This is sonething Microsoft or EA would do, Nintendo.

@SkywardLink98 I agree yet again but I think people are overreacting based on the info we have. First, we dont know the size of each of the individual games, if both of them are the size of Awakening than I am content. Also, we dont know how this game will be released in NA or EU. I am slightly dissapointed but i dont think Nintendo is gonna rip us off. If its not enough content for you, dont buy it, buy a different game.

@Meloetta Not really, not even basically. Oracle of Seasons/Ages are two completely different games. Different world, different characters, different enemies, different setting.

@Dipper723 I know many people who buy ruby and emerald or black and black 2 which are more similar than these fire emblem games seem to be

"Pokemon" does this with every game ("Pokemon Black" & "Pokemon White", "Pokemon HeartGold" & "Pokemon SoulSilver", and "Pokemion Ruby" and "Pokemon Sapphire") albeit without the DLC so why complain about this?

@bizcuthammer You probably wont have to, unless u live in Japan

Guess I'll have to mention more things here. Before you all jump to...nevermind. I'll tell you this much anyway:

1. The gameplay is actually different in both games. The white version is the "easier" path with more EXP to share and overall more streamlined and straightforward. The black version is the "harder" path with less EXP and a more difficult campaign overall.

2. Each version is said to have about as much content as FE: Awakening. Each version is therefore a complete game in itself.

Overall, I think this is a fair scheme. I don't mind paying $60ish for two games. Plus this is Japan only. The American Direct heavily hinted that it will be one game in the west, but we don't know the full details yet.

@TingLz But we don't know how much content will be reused. The Direct said that the characters would be the same, and we know that the first six chapters are the exact same. For all we know, it could be much more like Pokemon instead of the Oracle games.

@Lizuka Except Pokemon has two versions for no reason other than to sell the game twice. Here we have two unique versions of one game with significantly different content. I consider the Pokemon versions a worse cash-grab

@SkywardLink98 Which brings up my final point: it's too early to judge. Some of gamers just look at this from one narrow point-of-view before considering all the details.

@Falchion So? The point is you don't need to pay for both Pokémon games to get everything.

This however is just taking two parts of a game and separating them. Like what someone mentioned above, taking all the alternate ending of Chrono Trigger and releasing them as DLC. Also, having them as two different games gets rid of the "choice" element, thus making a linear game.

This is disappointing. From the direct, I assumed that it would be choices in game that determined the outcome.

@TingLz I never feel the need to buy Pokemon twice and really as long as you got a friend or someone to trade with you get pretty much everything you would buying two games. I can't see that being the case here which is why I really want to know just how much these games share of then characters.

As much as I love Fire Emblem, I usually hate having to rely on DLC for any main story content as sticking to just the physical package is what I prefer. If buying two separate versions to get the full experience out of everything then that is okay with me but buying both versions and having to deal with DLC that were purposely taken out, that doesn't roll with me.

If this is the path that Nintendo is doing with the Fire Emblem series now then I guess Awakening is the final Fire Emblem that I will ever play and own. Sorry Ninty I don't support DLC as a force contents for the main game. Awakening does it right, this game; however, is just ruining that. In fact I would had been much happier had Awakening never got DLC in the first place too.

@SkywardLink98 Yeah, I'm feeling like it will be a single release here, but if there is enough different it could still justify a slightly higher price point at around $50 or something.

@TingLz Ah, then I'm actually fine with this model whether it show up stateside or not. As long as I can have both paths available to me before I get to the decision. Like have them both be on one game, or at least allow me to buy one and then the DLC half off before I get to the decision. I don't want to choose one and have to play through it before playing through the other. I want to make that decision as it happens. Not beforehand.

Well since Fire Emblem is not as well-received here, it may just be released as one game (for probably $40-$50). Japan is going to eat this up either way.

@MrGawain Because 3ds boxes are all black in Japan.

So... it's like Pokemon's strategy except much, much worse.

@TingLz Yeah, that's what I'm expecting to happen. I could see them justifying a $50 price point if need be. Like I said though I just want to make the decision as it happens haha. I don't want to have to buy one and be forced to play that story before trying the other side. As long as I can make the decision as it happens and it's priced fairly I'm content!

My only problem with this way of releasing the game is, like other people pointed out, the Direct made it seem as if it was going to be a single game with different story paths. Nothing new to a video game, but a first for Fire Emblem. But it turns out they split the story paths into separate games for some reason, locking a story path out of the other game unless you pay extra for DLC, or buy the cartridge on its own. That sounds kind of... sketchy. It's definitely not the worst way I've seen a company try to split a game into as many little pieces one has to buy separately, but it's not something I expected from Nintendo.

Hopefully this is something to test the waters in Japan, or next year they release the Complete Version in the US and Japan. Who knows, let's wait and see what happens.

I'm alright this I can play through the game once and months later get a new game. Then months later get another sounds good have to wait for the details.

Do. Not. Do. This.

I am still confused: If I buy the "white" version, I can still choose the "black" path, but once I have done it, the "white" one it will be locked? Or can I only choose the white path anyway, meaning that I do not truly have an in-game choice?
It's too early to say if anything is overpriced, or if we truly get two complete, distinct games. But no matter what, the whole thing seems rather confusing at his moment.

When I first heard about this back on Wednesday I was a little worried. But then I heard that each game individually would have as much content as Awakening. Meaning that I can get about twice as much content as Awakening for about 55 dollars, that sounds like a great deal To me honestly. Not only that, I'll be getting basically two brand new Fire Emblem games at one time. I am very excited for 2016.

Holy cow, I can't believe the amount of salt in these comments. These are essentially two distinct and complete Fire Emblem games. The only thing I see wrong here is the phrasing of this sentence: "Once you have decided your path, the second path will be locked off to you, so that you will not be able to play it unless you are willing to pay for the DLC to unlock it."

This looks like it was worded purely to provoke controversy. You're leaving out some key information here:
1. Each version is confirmed to have at least as much content as Fire Emblem: Awakening.
2. The two versions are completely different after Chapter 6. If the pace of this game is comparable to awakening, that's just the first hour of gameplay out of about 50 hours of time it takes to complete the campaign (for me at least).
3. The downloadable version essentially gives players the option of which game they're going play at the diverging point between the two games. Considering the fact that Awakening alone was about 8,000 blocks, I think it's safe to say that you only download the path you've selected at Chapter 6, since downloading both and then locking one off would be an absurd waste of memory.
4. As reported by other sites, the hard copies will also allow you to download the other side of the story as DLC, and over 60% off, no less.

If Nintendo released a Pokemon generation where the two versions were the same up to the first gym, but then had totally different environments, storylines, and new pokemon, and both versions were as complete and content-filled as any expected standalone generation. People would be exploding from hype.

But here Nintendo makes two new Fire Emblem games, then tries to go the extra mile by letting you choose your version in-game and offering the other game at a discount. Commenters respond by flipping their lids with salt over Nintendo "locking off half the game" when in reality they're being offered to pay 40% of a game's full price for 90% of a full game's worth of content.

Im not really beaten up about this, il probably just get Nohr. But really peeps think about it this way, if they are putting double the work into this game shouldnt they get double the money? also would you rather just have one linear story? Try and think about it as two differnt games.

@CharleSketch Well the western Direct presented it as such, which makes me believe that it will be a single release here. I'm not sure how the Japanese Direct presented it though

@TingLz Maybe nintendo will think Americans wont know the difference and only give us one version.... (cough cough new 3ds)

As long as it's like Oracle of Ages/Seasons (two separate games with similar mechanics but different stories/characters) then I'm not too bothered by this. Those games were both very good and I'd trust Nintendo that they'd give us their money's worth. If it's like Pokemon with reskinned levels then I'll only buy one of them if I buy it at all.

@SanderEvers Weren't you listening to the recent Nintendo Direct? The world map and locations are the same. Seasons/Ages have their own separate worlds, Fire Emblem not. It's like saying Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess are basically the same game because they play in Hyrule, lol.

Really can't wait to hear more about the European version.
Western directs made sound like we will get a single game containing the path choice. Or they are already planning to release it here as a single "ultimate edition" or they were too afraid to mention it's a two versions thing and tried to raise some hype without getting caught in a dangerous backfire XD

Fire Emblem is hugely popular in Japan. It's a household name in Japan (if your household plays games!) Since the days of the NES. I think Nintendo can afford to be a bit more liberal with the sort of chance they can take.

@Spleetal I actually wouldn't mind paying $50. I beat Awakening 4 times and am now working on my fifth, so I could justify that. However, splitting one game into parts isn't something I'll go for.

@zip Actually you're incorrect, according to the Japanese media(since the game is so close to release there) the campaigns take place within the respective country.

They start off the same up to chapter 6 where they split apart and become two separate stories with different conclusions. Hoshido involves you protecting the country from the Nohr Invaders and has a world map. Nohr does not have a world map and revolves around solving infighting and disputes within Nohr with a more complex story than Hoshido.

They're essentially two parallel games within the same world/time frame.

This was looking to be an incredible succesor to awakening. UNTIL THIS! this is not how DLC should be done. In the western localisation this should come as 1 package, Nintendo should know better than to pull an EA.

I REALLY hope that America ends up getting all three, because the direct made it look like you could just choose which path you take, and NOT just one path with the others being add-ons. Seriously. I was really excited for this game, but this just pissed me off.

And like that you've lost me.

There's so little we know about the game right now, so I'm going to hold out on a conclusion. I'm certainly concerned for it. The biggest concern for me though is the actual quality of these games. Awakening was an overall disappointment/failure and even if both games have a comparable amount of content, if the content is just as lacking as it was in Awakening, or even more-so, then this game will be a true disaster. I would like to remind everyone that Awakening wasn't much better with it's DLC though. If you wanted all of the DLC in the game, you'd have to pay $53 at least, after playing $40 for the game, an overall cost of $93 for the actual full experience. The price to content ratio is the real issue though. Those 25 maps (many of which that are based heavily on previous game's maps) are more expensive than the game itself, which has 50 maps. I like what this game is doing by comparison. I don't like that we're being forced to buy one difficulty, nor that the big plot choice isn't really based on the story as much as it is what kind of game you want to play, but I guess this is the best option for the series. A large number of people were disappointed in Awakening, so it looks like they are splitting the series to try and appeal to both groups. I don't know to what degree the differences are, but if each game is designed to be a single, balanced, coherent experience, then I'm happy with this handling of the series.

This upsets people, yet they don't mind getting the shaft year after year with dual Pokémon games!
Still, this idea is pretty greedy. Nintendo really are trying to shake every dollar out of their fans lately. It wouldnt be so bad if 3DS games weren't as expensive as they are (which boggles my mind, 3DS games cost as much as a new PS4 game here in Australia )

Hmm, I dunno what to say about this. I'm pretty sure the western version will make the 2 paths into one game. (Hopefully)

@SkywardLink98 Yeah, I still doubt that they'll split it up in the west. We will see though! Like I said as long as I can get both versions and make the decision as it happens for a fair price I'm personally content haha. Though I know others of course won't be so I'm still hoping it's just in one package!

Fromm an article I read NA will release one version and the other side of the story you did not choose will be dlc.

annndddd..... the third path will be cancelled and the remaining two will be redone #oraclegamesfireemblemedition

@Dipper723 I understand where u r coming from? But answer this question for me, would u rather them just release one game without the choice, or two with the choice?

@SomeBitTripFan "A large number of people were disappointed in Awakening"
If I recall correctly, FE:A was critically acclaimed, so no, people were not disappointed.

to pay for one half and then another sucks give me the whole package or I'm not buying it

@MrGawain Mature Wii, DS and 3DS games have a black background while Wii U games have a darker blue background in Japan.

It's why the European Pandora's Tower box has it, just for the hell of it. XD

I'm gonna just wait for the game to be released and see just how much content is in one version. Maybe they couldn't fit all of the content onto one cart and this is their way of dealing with that? If one path has a small amount of content then I'll wait for the price to go way down on them before I throw any of my money down.

Y'all need to chill. This sounds fantastic! $40 for a full game and then ~$15 for a full game minus 6 chapters. Assuming that the full game is at least 12 chapters (which it will be) this is a savings. You don't NEED to play both versions of the story, like you don't need to play both ORAS. Definite buy for me, along with the DLC.

whoa, love this.

_{Watch the profanity -Lz}

I honestly hope they will keep the two separate retail games for the western release. I don't care about extra price in this case, it's Fire Emblem and I'm gonna want to have those two beauties in physical for sure. As far as I can tell they are two entirely different games from chapter 6 onward, so it's about a thousand times more reasonable than, say, buying both Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire.

Also, even though I'd be buying both at once, I'd be starting with Nohr for sure. More complex, and with a continent conquest theme to it rather than the usual ''fight for peace''. Sounds enthralling. I do like the character designs for the Hoshido path a tad more, but that won't sway me.

Personally, I'd like to experience both stories (it's hard enough to choose sides as it is). However, I don't think I'd be willing to spend around $80 for both (I'm a physical copy kind-of-person). If I ever ease up on buying downloads (as long as I can recover them), then perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.
I'll just be pretty honest and admit that I'd prefer they put it into one game, since I'm a consumer, and prefer whatever easy prices I can get. With that said, I'll just wait, see what they do with it in NA, and maybe I'll quit being so one-sided.

@Cainenghis: A large majority did enjoy it, but a good number of previous fans of the game seriously dislike it. I didn't say the majority, I said many, since there is a clearly present group of people sharing very similar opinions on the game. If you go to the Serenes Forest forums, Fire Emblem subreddit, or ask any group of Fire Emblem fans who did not start with Awakening, or at least play it before they had played many others, you'll probably find a few of such people.

@Falchion isn't the choice ur talking about, which version to buy. they sorta negated the whole branching adventure thing. it reminds me of capcom's on disc dlc only in this case it's downloaded already and locked permanently at a certain point.

@Ichiban With Pokemon games, the only different is legendary Pokemon and some Pokemon. But this is basically 2 games that should be in one package.

@ancientlii That's not a selling point for me, I mean they kinda took the choice away by saying one is beginner and one is more advanced. But ur right they did take that away, unless u buy digital. But it doesnt sound like they would waste space on ur system by locking the part u didnt choose. But i mean that remains to be seen

@TheRedCap30 But i think thats the point, there are smaller differences between the pokemon games, and they arent together and nobody cares. Yet this sounds like two related but different games in the same setting.

I understand that this frustrates people. But just because it is like this for japan, doesn't necessary dictates that it will be the same for the west. To be honest, I am just happy that it is coming to Europe. So I probably would by both if it would be released in 2 versions., I also hope that it will be released as 1 game and at a reasonable price. But as we don't have much information now, I am just going to be patient and wait for more information from Nintendo.

@Ninty4thewin i don't think they really intend anyone to own both versions of pokemon it was a means to force multiplayer way back when if u wanted to collect them all. and doesn't this really kill the choice making they advertised with their announcement? they made it out as a branching path adventure, something more for re-playability. it'll be funky talking about this game, with how it's divided.

even with pokemon the whole separate versions thing is just annoying at this point and i think we need to be done with it. down with separate versions!

Thanks I hate the persons who came up with the idea of DLC it was more like wow let the costumer buy half of the game for the full price and then let them pay even more for the rest of the game! But Oh do they want to have some cool extra's with it then they might as wel pay even more for the DLC ow darn now they have to pay 3 double of the price...Well what I'm I gonna do about it right... -,-

Though on another note, those covers are beautiful. If we do get both versions here in America, then I will probably be getting both physically for the covers alone. And then if we get the collectors edition, I'll be getting that as well. Man, my wallet will be seriously hurting if they release it this way in America.

This would be so much easier if we in the U.S. just got two games, or just both paths in the game. We don't need both as separate options to buy. Adding a lot to one game, and giving these options makes a game very expansive, and more of a flowing story.
I wouldn't even mind if they just got rid of the dlc option, and just had both options already in the game at a slightly higher starting price.

Just got my Japanese N3DS. Think I'll give the deluxe version a crack.

I'll probably go with a bundle, (assuming USA gets one, fingers crossed!). But if that is unavailable, the collectors side of me will prevail as usual, and force me to buy both. I still want to get the physical version of Awakening, because I loved it so much, and FE games tend to catch a pretty high collectors value.

As long as its not an "eshop exclusive" I'll be fine. I MUST own them physically. Not making the same mistake I made with Awakening.

I'm a huge fan of Fire Emblem, so I Know I sucked for this but I'll buy both versions if they came out to west just as I do with every Pokémon game.

@RainbowGazelle No, 3DS games with a C or higher CERO rating are packaged in black in Japan.

Milk that fanbase Nintendo. They were prepared to kill the series if the last game hadn't performed, now they're greedy and thinking consumers are stupid enough to buy two of the same thing for $$$. I think I'm done with Nintendo (again), it was fun for a bit but they're turned back into the nauseating monster they were in the Wii days.

@Captain_Gonru Yeah you're right about the hard copies, you buy the White kingdom hard copy and the white path is already chosen for you and the same for the Black kingdom. With the downloadable game you don't choose your path until the end of chapter six. You can then choose the Black or the White path.If you choose the White path they will lock off the Black path and you can't access it unless you pay for the extra DLC. Hope that makes sense.

So wait, is the "surprise third path" a dlc, or a seperate game?

I can only hope this is remedied into one game for a Western release, but dang those cover arts look great. I hope we get one as glorious.

They better not pull this kind of crap in the west! I like the idea of having multiple paths, but having to pay $40 more dollars to get the other two is ridiculous. The price of a full 3DS game should never succeed $50 dollars. I hope nintendo of America is smart enough to keep the prices affordable.

It would be better to market the overseas version as "two games in one" or something, and not have any of this crap. They still need to grow Fire Emblem's popularity in places other than Japan before they can exploit it. I was considering buying this game, but I'm not too interested in buying half of it. (Unless they make it $20, then I'm totally cool with it.)

"Let us know in the comment section below what you this of this Pokemon-style approach and the concepts as a whole."

Oh, you guys love your drama, don't cha? :3
Also, typo highlighted.

To answer the question; the practice of splitting game into two and charging full price for both is a terrible business practice and holds absolutely no benefit to the consumer. Pokémon manages to get away with it, as it does with other similar issues because its fans seem to always look the other way. It's one of the reasons I stopped playing that franchise.

If Nintendo decide to really split up this game and charge full price here, I might not buy it. I wont support bad business practices.

@FireEmblem: Hence why I linked the word to disappointment. I was very clearly indicating that was my opinion.

I don't mind the pricing structure of the game. I don't fully understand what differentiates the 2 versions other than "casual" and "advanced" but around 80$ for 3 campaigns, of a Fire Emblem game no less, doesn't sound bad. I've played the GBA title that came with the Ambassador status and loved it. I liked Awakening but didn't quite see what all the fuss was about. My main concern would be which version to pick up and hopefully Nintendo will clarify what they've streamlined and omitted from the white version and what the 3rd campaign will contain.

i'm not sure what's sadder, this news or the fact that i just realized i spent $32+ on awakening dlc alone. point being, it's awakening dlc all over again, but being more straight forward this time. it's shady but, i'll be a hypocrite and a liar if i flat out said i ain't doing it again so quickly. after all, i'm still not done with awakening yet.....

Also didn't Hyrule Warriors debut at the 80 mark in Japan? So there's no guarantee the west will be priced as such.

I guess that 2016 release window for other regions is not dependent on the localisation after all, but rather Nintendo figuring out how to release such a dual-structured game to appeal elsewhere!

Nintendo is god, so im down

@InterwebUser Fire Emblem: Awakening had 43 chapters and another 6 released absolutely free. 12 would be less than 1/3 of a full game assuming 43 is a full game.

im just happy that the West gets the game released even though I would rather have it sooner and not in 2016. im not gonna jump to conclusions before making my opinion on this separate release thing before having all the information, but "IF" i had to chose it would be Hoshido

Im happy to pay more money if they actually make a likable cast of people and actual level design instead of the shallow 'I have a character gimmick and thats all I am' Awakening cast with 'Open Fields and enemy spam is tactical right?' maps. Anyways I miss when they did this split path in Sacred Stones and it was free.

Man, so there will be 2 versions after all. Not to happy about that, but its not a real deal-breaker since you can still download the stuff you missed out on. You guys never complained about the Pokemon structure, and there you couldn't download the stuff you missed (but you could trade pokemon).

You guys (nintendolife staff) make it sound so difficult, but I understand: Buy one version, then download the other. But if you also download path number 3, it becomes quite a expensive affair.

Hmm, I would like the dark side. But that may be to difficult for me (maybe).

They will not use this model in the west. Actually this kind of thing isn't very rare in Japan.

From reading the comments above, everyone seems disappointed. I was disappointed with the last direct until I saw this article---from what I gather/hoping is that this is two different Fire Emblem games. I would love to have two different Fire Emblem games instead of just one, and I will be happy to pay to show my support and keep a great series going. In fact, I hope that Nintendo starts to double down on a lot of series like Advance Wars, etc. How often do we end up complaining about waiting for the sequel? This way we get two games, Nintendo can cut down on costs because the same people can easily design parts used by either, and everyone wins. I think this is a win, unless this DLC part is significantly watered down and essentially just a slight twist on what we already bought. I would argue this is essentially the same thing Nintendo did when they created Smash Bros (cut down on development time/costs by producing the 3ds and Wii U version together, except this time it is on the same system. Keep up the great work Nintendo.

With the same cast of characters between them I can't see this being too different between versions. It would be like paying for Hector's story after clearing Eliwood's.

DeNA's already whispering in your ear, eh Nintendo?

Box art is amazing though.

Personally, my mind blown away when I thought it was a single game with two paths to choose from. But since it's a separate releases in Japan - and I think it'll be the same here - my mind is less blown. Although, they promises each paths to offer as much content as Awakening (if I'm not mistaken), so if what they claimed is true, then I won't mind them.

Just think of it like you can get 2 full FE games at the price of 1.5 if you utillize the DLC, which is pretty awesome if it's true (I sincerely hope so). The third path is less detailed right now, so I'm not sure.

But again, to offer a different full-featured story as DLC is much-much better deal than the DLC situation on Fire Emblem Awakening IMO, I can't justify the price of each DLC that Awakening offered. It's true that Awakening DLC is optional, while this one is essential, but a complete story DLC > optional chapters DLC any day.

I'd love if Nintendo could manage to make these two releases so drastically different to make the price point seem reasonable, but my fear is it will be a Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire scenario: the villains and certain encounters will be unique both 80% of the game will be the same.

But I'm jumping the gun one way or another. All we can do is wait for more info.

I'd prefer the separate retail releases due to the fact that I'll want as many save files available to me per path as possible as I'd like to experience both paths. Plus, those covers look absolutely stunning. I essentially paid around $120 for Awakening (with DLC), so I don't see how this is any more of a rip-off. The Awakening DLC was underwhelming at best and both "if" games together will probably cost me around $90-$100 at launch (costing me LESS than Awakening + DLC but with what I assume will be considerably more content).

The end result is that I will be paying about the same amount as I did for Awakening plus its DLC, but now I'll be getting two retail packages and an additional DLC pack that can be used with BOTH games. If anything, this is a much better deal overall than Awakening and I welcome it.

This isn't really cool. The Direct reveal made it sound like you could make the decision of which path to follow within the game instead of being forced to either commit yourself to one path entirely and paying up for the rest. Also, doesn't this kinda eliminate any potential for a Take A Third Option path?

@Kaze_Memaryu: Aren't they offering a supposed 'third path' as DLC further down the line from that?

Back in my day (2010 lol) i bought Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep on PSP, which had 3 full campaigns! We had it so good back then!

@TingLz and @PeppersGhost are literally the only people with a lick of sense in this whole entire comment section, which is pretty sad honestly...

What I see this as is TWO SEPARATE GAMES with the same continuity. Buy one, and you get a discount on the other with other DLC coming soon.

Don't understand the complaints.

How is this any different then Pokémon duel releases?

@Gerbwmu This sounds like 2 completely different stories. Pokemon isn't!

"Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD continue to impress their Fire Emblem fans"
Highly debatable. I'm of the mind that the people who are most impressed by the latest FE, Awakening, are newbies.

Anyway, this news annoys me a bit, but I do understand what they're doing and why they feel like experimenting with this kind of model. It's still annoying since Fire Emblem fans have already experienced multiple story lines IN THE SAME game. Anyway, I won't complain as long as these games each have as much content as Radiant Dawn. They've said that they're each about the amount of content as Awakening, but I feel like that's not much considering most of the game is just side story and DLC. I'll still go for the $90 LE bundle if that makes it stateside.

So I'm assuming that there won't be multiple save files?
Because if there were, then couldn't you just choose one path in one save file and then another path in the other?

Well I only read half of the comments so I don't know if anything that I'm about to say has already been said but...

Since the games are coming out a year later for the US and Europe we can assume that Nintendo is going to release these games as 1 game in the west (for most likely $45-50) to appeal to Western audiences. If you guys remember from when Fire Emblem Awakening came out 2 years ago, it was revealed that that game was supposed to be the last fire emblem game ever but since the game did so well in the West the Fire Emblem team decided that they would rekindle the fire emblem series. That being said I doubt that nintendo is going to alienate all of the Fire Emblem EU/NA fans when the series just got kick started.

Also for those who fear they are only going to be able to choose one path even in the combined games: Remember that there were 3 save files available in Fire emblem awakening and I believe that is the norm for most fire emblem games (Although I'm not sure since I've only ever played Awakening and Sacred Stones and they both had 3 save files each) so I believe that this is going to be the same for the new games so you get to experience both stories or all three if you choose to buy DLC.

From what I know about the game so far it sounds like the DLC is like getting a third game in itself so everyone complaining about this whole game being a cash grab should shut up and understand that you cant have 3 games for the price of 1.

Think about this:
Two games interconnected by chapters 1-6. Each path is as big as Awakening. Since they are interconnected you get to pay the other path for half the price if you go the DLC route.

SO EXCITED!!!

Nintendo pulling an EA here. Definitely don't like this price point.

I like the concept. And being a big Fire Emblem fan I'm going to have to experience both paths. I just wish we were getting both physical versions like Japan.
I hope they do a limited edition New 3DS for this, that would make my day.

@Ichiban For real? Damn must be hard to be an australian 3DS owner. Over here in Canada the price of a 3DS game is 1/2 of what you pay for a PS4 game. Ridiculous.

As for the topic, I really don't know how to feel about this. Some of you guys up there are jumping (hating/defending) way too quickly. We really need to wait for reviews to see if the extra price is really worth it.

@Geonjaha Well I guess it's a good thing they're not charging full price for both. You can download the other campaign for less than half the price.

Also, again folks, this is for Japan. They have said nothing about what they'll do in the western release.

So this will be similar to what Pokemon does, with 2 different versions that are practically the same but with minor differences?

@Ichiban

3 campaigns of what length and how different? Just because there is 3 doesn't mean there's actually more content than say a game with just 1. Just saying there was 3 campaigns doesn't mean anything...

@GH05T From the direct the 2 different paths leads to totally diferent story line and atmosphere. But we'll need to see if this is worth the 16 dollars.

I think even after release, there will be a bundle where both versions would show up. Kinda like how Puzzles and Dragons and Super Mario Bros edition came bundled for the west.

Basically I guess it's somewhere between an Oracle of Ages/Seasons where they're two totally different games, or a Pokémon where the differences are small enough to where you only need one of them.

I don't know enough about the differences yet to come to any conclusions... but regardless, this is the Japanese release. Since in the American Direct it sounded like it'd be all in one game, that might be how it will be in the U.S.

Anyway, I wonder if it'll be called "Fire Emblem: If" in the U.S. That's an interesting title...

Wait is this new 3DS exclusive?

Already knew about the 2 games thing seems weird to me...

We're probably going to get a version of the game with both oaths on one cart, Nintendo knows Fire Emblem doesn't do gangbusters like Pokemon does.

I just hope the characters have feet this time!

@Uberchu It's not exclusive to the New 3DS.

Why can't they just charge 60 and include both or something... 80 is pushing it this game better be amazing >.>

This better not happen with western release. Western people just won't put up with such rediculous milking of money. Similiar things happen in Japan all the time when western usually get's the full final thing (like Monster Hunter series with those better ultimate editions), hopefully this will be the same and Europe and US will get a complete game. I just don't know how japanese people can put up with such money milking, I think Nintendo is misusing the trust and enthusiasm of their native country men and women.

Third 'path' should be free for those that bought the first 2. I'm not a fan of the whole 'pay to see alternate endings/cutscene/characters', though.

I'm not a fan of my Fire Emblem series becoming Pokemon with 2 game releases. Not only that but all this DLC is annoying... they are really going to milk us.

@crzysortagamer Hear, hear

@Captain_Gonru The DLC path choice is just for the digital download.If you like physical copies and you want to play both paths, you'll have to buy both physical copies(The Black kingdom and the White kingdom)But this might only happen in Japan.

@thedillon23 The problem is that only people following the game closely would understand why it's $60. It has to be reasonably priced in order for a newcomer to the series to pick it up.

If they HAVE to charge $60 total for both campaigns it makes more sense for there to be two separate versions for $30 because:

1. People who want both versions will buy both and have several options on how to do so.(You could buy one game 1 month, then buy the other at a later date, you could buy both at the same time,etc.)
2. People who only want one of them won't have to pay more to get both at once.
3. People who are just browsing a shop or shopping site and come across the game would be put off by a $60 price tag.

Both together in one package at a higher price is only suitable for a special edition in my opinion. And if it was the regular 3DS price with both games I think it'd pretty likely the game(s) would be full to the brim with DLC(even more than Awakening) to make off the losses of selling 2 games for 1.

If they do this over here I think it might just end up destroying fire emblem's new found popularity which would be a terrible thing

Personally I don't mind cause I adore fire emblem so will be getting it all anyway.

But after the direct I assumed this would be similar to sacred stones where after 10 chapters you choose either Eirika's or Ephraim's side, hell even in the first GBA fire emblem after you completed it once you could choose between Eliwood's and Hector's story. At the end of the day though it depends how big these 2 individual games are I think.

I think this is an awful idea and would really ruin the idea of being able to choose a path within the game. I guess we'll just have to wait to see if this pricing model will be the same in the West.

@Dezzy - So this is a better deal then?

Seriously this is awesome, if it is 2 or 3 full and different games, then as a FE fan why would you be mad? I think we are basing our judgement on an old GBA title and at this point it is too early to make that kind of comparison.

@Great_Gonzalez

Those were only 6 chapters each route(in Sacred Stones) before converging and a couple of Hector Mode only chapters in FE7. I'm not that big of a fan of the series current route splits as it's always just a handful of chapters while most of the game remains the same regardless of your choice.

This appears to be the reverse, the first 6 chapters are the same and then the route splits rest of the game(s) are separate full campaigns. Provided each path is a full length Fire Emblem think this game's approach has a lot of merit. It could be the first substantial route split in the entire series especially if there are even more choices within each game.

Obviously the splitting of the campaigns into separate games is a point of contention for some. However I feel that if this is what they had to do to produce route split on a scale they've never done in the past it could be justified. I think that the games produced could potentially be better than if they had to squish it all into one game to sell at a regular price.

it is worth noting that neither the EU or US direct mentioned this, it is possible when it comes out over here it'll be just the one release

I don't think this is the right way to go for nintendo. Businesswise it makes sense, obviously but its not really customer-friendly, no matter if its bigger than awakening or not.

@BigDaddysPizza How is this much worse? I'd consider it better considering we're getting actual differences between the games unlike in Pokemon where Gamefreak puts about 5 different Pokemon in the game, a different mascot and calls it a day. But the Nintendo fans are quick to collect every single game in the franchise and complain about this because they lack logic

Well, the releases do seem to differ from one another a lot more than the Pokémon games, but they probably should have been one game. When looking at Starcraft 2 for comparison, that at least had three highly distinctive campaigns and really did justify it being split in three, this one... doesn't.

I personally am going to wait for Nintendo to make a comment on the details for the western release of this game before I start jumping to conclusions, but from what it sounds like to me, you will get a full Fire Emblem experience even if they go through with this Pokémon style format. I will admit that I'd rather have all paths available to me on one cartridge though. This makes me interested in seeing Nintendo's reasoning for doing it this way, and if will be done the same way in North America.

@NicolausCamp - so you've played this new Fire Emblem already? How was it? Ohhhhh, you haven't? Then how do you know it doesnt have enough on each campaign to justify several releases?

All we know is Nintendo is releasing 2 versions.....lets wait and see what they are like before we conclude if multiple releases are needed or not.

@SuperLink When they announced the branching storyline, that immediately popped into my mind. If the game has more than one save file, you could easily do one storyline on one save file and do the other storyline on another save file. There's no way I am paying for "on disc" DLC that's locked away like that.

@Dr_Lugae I'll be more than happy if each route in this game is a full game worth of chapters it will mean we have double the fire emblem

My only concern even if it is, is that a lot of people won't know and will feel ripped off it'll only be the fans who follow the news and are well informed so I just hope it won't reflect negatively on fire emblem's success.

OH C'MON! I thought this was going to be a multiple choice type of adventure but now it's basically two versions of Pokemon that I want? This needs fixed, now.

I honestly don't mind either way. Fire Emblem: Awakening is my favorite game on the 3DS so far. If there's 2 versions, then my wife will get one, and I'll get the other and we'll just swap. That said, those of you who want physical copies, could just swap with friends, if you want both play throughs. That of course depends on if you have friends nearby.

We don't know enough yet in terms of what they're doing for other territories. It could be one package, or it may not. There may in fact be a big enough story here to warrant 2 cartridges. Has anyone thought of the fact that it may have been necessary to put it on two cartridges? If that's the case can you blame Nintendo for charging more than we're used to? We just don't know enough yet. That said, no one is going to make you buy the second part if you think, eh it was good, but I don't need to play more.

Either way, I'm so excited for this, no matter how they do it.

@Zadaris I'm not sure what they mean with the DLC that was mentioned, so I can't tell whether that's the case, but simply buying a third campaign instead of putting hard work into finding a path that involves helping both sides equally is much more exciting than being so restricted.

@Gerbwmu I haven't played them, no, I said that they"seem to differ from one another a lot more than the Pokémon games". I did say that this one didn't justify two releases, and that wasn't really thought through, sorry 'bout that.
From what I've gathered, the beginning of these two Fire Emblems are the exact same game before branching off. I don't know how big a part of the game we're talking about here. Either way, I hope that when it launches outside of Japan, we will get the complete package with all three stories on one cart. I don't really think Fire Emblem is established enough outside of Japan to really warrant this kind of experimentation, and it might end up alienating potential buyers, as has already been seen on most game forums around the net.

I wonder how tough that third route is.

The real question is: How much data will be used by the two main campaigns, plus the third conclusion campaign?

As an example, the team behind Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity was able to use technical sorcery to cram both the entire first base game (which originally released on it's own full dual layer UMD disc) AND an entire second campaign, complete with many additions and reworking, all on one tiny (dual layered) UMD disc. One had to convert the files into a digital format to run off of the Memory Stick Pro Duo for maximum performance, but the entirety of the base game and it's fully fledged expansion title could be played through just one UMD. (Of which had only 1.8 GB available for dual layer disc versions)

3DS cards can hold more data than a UMD disc, (between 1 GB and 8 GB for 3DS cards) and don't need to worry about data offsetting measures to improve performance. Fire Emblem also typically separates the more detailed battle screens and cutscenes from the main UI board, which is where the meat of the gameplay happens. Whereas a game like PSP2i is always using 3d models in it's main UI sections, except for dialogue scenes.

Is it really impossible to compress all currently unused files on call when they're not in use, to cram at least the two main campaigns onto one 3DS card? Is it really impossible to cram the two main campaigns onto one higher capacity card, or is this just a shortcut to avoid the work needed for such technical sorcery? Or perhaps... even to justify splitting the game onto two cards? Nintendo has done some amazing technical hardware work for individual game data handling in the past, so I don't doubt that they are up to the task for Fire Emblem.

And no, this is not a situation akin to Oracle of Seasons and Ages. Nintendo is not restricted by data space anymore, as they were during the GB/GBC days.

@SomeBitTripFan

"Awakening was an overall disappointment/failure and even if both games have a comparable amount of content, if the content is just as lacking as it was in Awakening, or even more-so, then this game will be a true disaster."

No offense, but I find this part of your comment slightly strange.

Even if Awakening is reviled by the hardcore fans of the series, to say that it was a disappointment/failure is rather inaccurate. The game was a hail-mary, and saved the series from being retired. The fact that these games exist and are coming next year is quite an accomplishment for an IP that was nearly cancelled indefinitely, at least for outside of Japan. I'm not sure if Japan was going to keep these games going.

But still, Awakening was entirely necessary to keep the series afloat, and it accomplished that goal. The relationships you could create in Awakening got my wife hooked on the series, and she wasn't overly fond of FE before. Now she's very excited for this new game. Whether or not people want to hate on it is up to them, but they should consider my point, that without it, FE wouldn't exist anymore.

"I would like to remind everyone that Awakening wasn't much better with it's DLC though. If you wanted all of the DLC in the game, you'd have to pay $53 at least, after playing $40 for the game, an overall cost of $93 for the actual full experience."

Also your DLC comment is true, but who in their right mind would spend that much on the game. There were a lot of options, but some of us know where to cut-off the extra transactions. I bought one DLC pack, and it was plenty for me to feel it was complete. They weren't necessary to complete the game, but were there to help you along if you wanted it. Some of these simply sped up the process to complete the game faster. That said, the prices were a little steep, so I'll give you that.

I should have known Nintendo (at least of Japan) would try to profit off the whole two paths thing. Nintendo should know, however, that this is just gonna push away potential new FE players.

Um, let's see. The two sides are basically 2 different games (minus first 6 chapters) yet it's only $16 extra for the second path? That's a steal! Even if you bought physical, you could get the super pack with the third path included for the price of both games.

I hope this is how they do it in NA cause I really want to have both releases. And as good a deal as $16 is digitally, I'd really rather just pay for 2 separate titles tbh and get the third included.

I'm totally ok with this. I used to pay full price for two nearly identical pokemon games. Paying a bit extra for a new campaign (starting at chapter 6) in one of my favorite game series is no big deal.

$80 for the three paths? It would've been much better if you could choose the paths in-game. I hope Nintendo is just profiting on the amount of Fire Emblem fans in Japan and it won't be like this here in America.

And to think I thought this might've actually been my first Fire Emblem game.

@MoonKnight7
Actually I think they tweeted (or did something via social media) that the west will get the alternate path via DLC only. All of this information was made available the day of the direct. I don't know why people are acting so surprised all of a sudden.

And as we know, Fire Emblem Awakening had $50 in DLC. All of it was independent maps separate from the next and had nothing to do with the storyline. So I guess THAT'S ok, but actually offering an entirely separate game for $16 is pushing the envelope lol... Go figure.

I think they wanted to go back to the franchise's roots and create a tough-as-nails game, but wanted to continue appealing to more casual players at the same time. And this was a perfect solution. Now those of us who like traditional FE can play both paths while noobs can play just the one standard path. I like it.

I think people are jumping the gun on assuming that the other countries will get the same deal as Japan is getting when I am fairly confident that we will have one complete package, though it may be higher priced at 50 bucks rather than 40. Fire Emblem sells better in Japan so it makes sense business wise for them to release two versions of the game a la Pokemon. I don't think they will do that for us westerners though. Everyone needs to stop making assumptions when they don't know the facts.

As various other users have stated, including @TingLz, @FireEmblem, and I believe @Falchion, there is various information not given in this article, as it doesn't directly pertain to the above article. It would appear the games are essentially completely different, each with a different target audience [Fans of the older games and fans of Awakening]. While the world and time might be the same, the story lines would appear to be completely different after chapter 6.
Now, I cannot say that I'm ecstatic, or even remotely pleased with the removal of what was appearing to be toted as the biggest or first choice in-game that was setting it apart from Awakening and previous games, where, for the most part/in most of the games [from what I can tell] your choices didn't really impact the story, to retail. However, personally I hope that we in the U.S. [and the rest of the Americas/NA] and Europe may get at least both versions on one game card, in lieu of the two different versions, and at the standard, or slightly above standard price [so I'm hoping for something in the $39.99-49.99 range], which would still leave them the 3rd path for DLC.
Now, I might be misreading the situation/responses, but I feel the allusions to this being compared to Pokemon is off. I feel that the differences between the versions are vastly different then what Pokemon offers us. However, this appears to be what is causing some anger. To be honest, I don't understand this. It appears that we are getting just about two fully fleshed out games, with vastly different story lines. A parallel is, it would appear the units we can recruit will differ between versions [I'm assuming, if that is true,some will be recruit able in both versions]
It would appear that the Hoshido version is for the fans whom loved Awakening, while the Nohr version is for the fans whom felt Awakening was to easy, or preferred previous installments to Awakening. I'd say this is them trying their best to not anger fans. Now, however, it would appear to be evident that both versions are capable of fitting upon a single game card, by the special edition version. However, could it be possible that the special edition version somehow contains more space, and is more expensive to produce? If that is the case, I'd be more accepting of this move-especially since it would appear to be platform specific/do to the limitations of the game cards for a specific system, which I'd have to say would be unlikely to occur in the future-making this a one time occurrence.
There are various sources which state information better than I am, and people in this comment section. I shall try to add sources for further reading and such, and to amend this post so it makes more sense [from a reading perspective, as I know some of my sentences might make little sense, and I apologize for any awkard wording, and incompetent arguments I may have made]

@IAmNotWill dear user, Yes.

Signed,

Uberchu

I'm okay with this. It's like Starcraft 2 for me.... except, it's not trilogy

@JaxonH Fire Emblem games are usually very long games. However, if Nintendo can indeed find a way to cram the two main campaigns into a higher capity 3DS card (remember, they can hold up to 8GB), then it calls into question whether Nintendo may be cutting tech corners to ask for more money than they have to. Even if the entire game would take up more than 8 GB, it calls into question why they could not just put two cards into one box, and raise the base price of the game by 10$ or so.

There's absolutely no reason to separate them like this for a Fire Emblem title. It's appropriate for a Pokemon title, because of it's inherent communication and trading aspects. Fire Emblem does not share that core game design. Nintendo is also not restricted by data space anymore, as they were in the past with titles like the Oracles of Seasons & Ages.

I doubt they will split it out like with japan. Fire Emblem isn't big enough in the west to cash in on that. What I hope will happen is still separate boxes/versions with the the dlc code for the opposite story packed in. I like the two box arts...or worse case one version with reversible art. since there are about four versions of this game going to Japan I think that is possible as well. If this game is as big as they are claiming Zelda just got put on the back burner for me. And as a HUGE Zelda and console fan...that is saying something.

@Plasma_3 No, I don't buy that "the tone of the different paths are different, so we're going to segregate our products" line. Fire Emblem has always had a harsh tone. Fire Emblem has not shied away from dirty stuff in the past. I actually think it would be insulting for two different versions to be offered, simply based on the tone of each path. They're both going to be messy.

Also, there are other games such as Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity where the entire first game, Phantasy Star Portable 2, (which originally took up an entire dual-layer UMD Disc, with 1.8 GB) was included and crammed in with a whole second campaign expansion pack, all in the same format, one dual-layer UMD Disc on the PSP. That is some technical wizardry right there.

Nintendo has demonstrated in the past that they too, are capable of such technical wizardry. I'm skeptical whether Nintendo really is unable to pull off such a feat. It's also a bit disconcerting that the true ending of the game, which can only be achieved through the third path/campaign, would be locked away behind a paywall. No other Fire Emblem game has done that, and it reeks of modernized methods of segregating episodic content; which may make sense for other games, but does not make sense for Fire Emblem.

This is going to Axe-Murder its replayability. Nintendo, we all thought you were learning how to properly do DLC

I will reserve judgement until I see details on how the campaigns differ. If it is just a matter of having a different back story to the same battles then I will be disappointed. On the other hand, if they do a Shining Force III and give us two completely different campaigns that intersect with each other then I will absolutely buy the game and the DLC. Shining Force III was three different games that could each be played on their own, but you only got the full enjoyment when you completed all three campaigns. Sega charged full price for each of the 3 parts because they were all full games with their own story and unique battles. They just happened to share the same overarching story. It worked very well and was very popular. If Nintendo is doing the same thing (for much less) then I will applaud that.

I'm getting a bit worried now that Fire Emblem If might be a New 3DS release, if storage space combined with processing power is really an issue here...

@RatKing64 The difference now compared to back then is data storage. Saturn discs were restricted to CD-ROM data storage capacities, so it was literally impossible to cram all three Shining Force III campaigns into one disc. The Shining Force III team also for some reason did not have access to the multi-disc switching methodology used for games like Panzer Dragoon Saga, which was 4 discs in the same package.

3DS cards, on the other hand, can hold up to 8 GB, which is what Xenoblade was compressed to fit into. It was only available for the New 3DS because either Nintendo or Monolith Soft wanted to take advantage of the extra processing power. Storage space itself was not an issue after some compression magic.

Why is everybody reacting like: "OMG WE GET TWO VERSIONS OF THE SAME GAME?! WHYYYYY???!?!?!!??!?"

People, you DO realize this is basically like Oracle of Ages/Seasons, where you get 2 different games for the price of 2? Come on! Pokemon has been doing this as well, but even worse! Nobody complaining there. Yet if Fire Emblem releases two versions everybody starts raging.
I really don't see the problem. In the direct they said the two versions would have different features, battles and story. I don't see why everyone's saying that this is "1 game for the price of 2".

@CuteBoos No, this is not a situation akin to Oracle of Seasons and Ages. Nintendo is not restricted by data space anymore, as they were during the GB/GBC days. That was a valid excuse for releasing and linking together two different games into one experience back then. (We even needed to play them on a GBA to unlock the data requirement for an extra item shop!) There was also originally planned to be a third Oracle game, Mystical Seed of Courage. It was canned so that there would only be two; three would have been one too many.

Fire Emblem If, on the other hand, is just one big game, it's not two different games. It would make sense, if the story and features were really expansive enough, to charge for a future expansion pack or sequel; there is nothing like that in question here, though. It makes me wonder if both main campaigns really could not fit into an 8GB card.

It makes sense to separate Pokemon versions because of how the games are designed around community and trading aspects. Fire Emblem doesn't share those traits.

Plenty of past RPG's had different features, battles, and story all in one game for the price of one. Fire Emblem is a series more akin to those games, not to episodic content styled games.

@Kaze_Memaryu: That's certainly true.

@PlywoodStick I wasn't attempting to refer to the tone, if I came across as such, I apologize.
I've only played Awakening, and have only just started to go back and play previous Fire Emblem titles, so I have little to no knowledge on this subject. However, I was attempting to refer to the style of gameplay, and the difficulty, rather than the type of story. If you were interpreting the splitting of the game being for different age ranges when I said target audience, I apologize again. I was trying to refer to the players experience with Fire Emblem, not age.
On the off chance that you were interpreting the story lines themselves, again, I cannot comment. However, it would admittedly appear to be shallow reasoning, if they split the games entirely to separate the tone.
Edit:Ok, here is a translation [not done by me, I'll link to the site] that supposedly comes from the official Japanese Site, followed by the authors interpretation. "Fire Emblem if Hoshido

A story focusing on protecting your Hoshidan birthplace and royal relatives from the Nohrian invasion. Outside the main story, you can earn experience and funds and freely develop your characters.

Fire Emblem if Nohr

In this story, you work with the Nohrian royal family to battle the internal conflicts within Nohr itself. Compared to Hoshido, the difficulty is higher, with limited opportunities to earn experience and funds.

Interestingly, Nintendo wasn’t lying when they said the Nohr path would be harder. It seems as if there will be a world map or some other facility in the Hoshido path that lets you level up characters outside of the story like in Awakening, The Sacred Stones and Gaiden. But not in the Nohr path."
Site: http://serenesforest.net/2015/04/01/fire-emblem-official-site-snippets/
I'm unsure about how reliable this site is, and I cannot read Japanese, so I apologize if it happens to be inaccurate.
Official Japanese Site: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/bfwj/index.html
I'm also unsure if the third campaign is a true ending, from what I'm aware, the current guesses [or possibly facts, I cannot tell] have it as being more like a third hidden option where you choose neither side. However, I do see how it could actually be referring to an event in the future, after the main campaign has been completed. It is rather vague though, so I personally haven't attempted to give it much interpretation.
Edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me-9kWzxKoo . Again, I don't know the accuracy, as this is a fan sub, but according to it, the third DLC has you siding with neither country. Also, it does say, according to it, that the two games have tackle different story lines, to some extent, with the Hoshida repelling an invasion by Nohir, and the Nohir focusing on internal conflict?
And somehow, it appears they are completing some variant of your response to JaxonH, admittedly with one massive difference-the price.

@PlywoodStick When I made that Oracle comparison, I wasn't talking about space restrictions; I was talking about how you get two games for the price of two games.
Again, Fire Emblem If's versions has different chapters, difficulty and story. How does that make it one big game? That's like saying FE6 and FE7 are one big game.

@thedillon23 I've heard on another website that they are releasing a version in Japan with just the 2 paths for about $60. Chances are this will be the version we get in the US/UK

@Rekiotsu Well the games are coming out a year later in the west so most likely we will get the full thing

@Plasma_3 Oooh, okay, that tone issue is definitely different from what I thought you were referring to at first. Thanks for the clarification! It's true that experience makes a difference; Fire Emblem GBA (7) history started off with an interspecies racist war with some dragons, while Fire Emblem 4 on the Super Famicom started off by telling you that an empire predating the present kingdoms brutally wiped out 100,000's of people to get their way. The Jugdral continent Fire Emblem titles were probably more dire in tone than the others, enough so to give Game of Thrones a run for it's money. The earlier titles indeed had less exposure, so not everyone knows about them.

Serenes Forest isn't always updated on the main pages, but the forums are usually filled with people who are prompt with their information collection. As far as fan site information is concerned, it's good, even if incomplete. (I don't think there are any English sites with complete FE information, though)

Traditionally, "the third path" in RPG's shows an outsider's perspective of two sides in a major conflict. Usually, this "other perspective" gives great insights into what is really going on in the world; sometimes even to illuminate truths that can bring certain characters in the opposing sides together. I wouldn't be surprised if this takes place in the third path of Fire Emblem If, though I know not how it would be done or if it would be possible.

In the past, multi-disc games were often the same price as single disc games; yes, it is more expensive to produce a potentially two card game instead of a one card game, but I would think $10-15 should be enough to offset that.

I think the difference in difficulty between campaigns mirrors past Fire Emblem titles' character situations and themes. For example, in Gaiden, assuming no grinding is done on Normal difficulty, the sections featuring Alm are more difficult than those featuring Celica. Alm has more of a pragmatic warlord mentality, rushing straight at the opposing Empire's armies when enough raw strength and intelligence is gathered; meanwhile, Celica has a more idealistic liberator mentality, choosing instead to investigate and go after the hidden dark forces who are corrupting the land and controlling the conflict. This difference in character and overall difficulty can similarly be seen between the Eirika (easier, liberator) and Ephraim (harder, warlord) paths in The Sacred Stones.

@CuteBoos FE7 was a direct sequel/prequel to FE6, yes, but it was not a concurrent accompaniment released at the same time; it was a title able to stand as a whole experience on it's own. I'm wondering if FE If really is two completely different games, or just one big game, which is why I mentioned the data space requirements. Many past Fire Emblem titles featured varying difficulty and stories depending on who the player controlled, so I don't think it would be out of the question for FE If to continue that legacy.

@elric257 Oh right, okay. I thought it was all of them.

If it is eighty dollars worth of game, I will pay eighty dollars. Nothing really to say about this approach until we know the value of the content.

I'm withholding my opinion until more is announced. At this point I'm just excited that there is more FE coming!

I think the true crime here is the comment system of this web page. All the new comments are on the bottom and no one bothers to read them and listen to logic before broadcasting their misinformed opinion of the game whether for or against it. We're unable to have a real discussion

@pokegod912 For me, that's what the End key is for.

Two games with two different storylines being sold as separate games (Or a 3 for 2 deal). Yeah Nintendo is really screwing us on this one. Honestly Nintendo gives the player the option of two different stories and all everyone does is whine about not getting the additional story free. (And I'll bet if they had made the game have 2 shorter stories to fit it on one cartridge they would be whining about that too)

So many crybabies...

With Awakening I got like 80 hours out of the game. I bought it with a Shin Megami offer: buy both, get 30 bucks in return. So it cost me around 25 dollars. It was a steal for the amount of content.

If each of these releases amount to the same or more , er, amount, of content, then I won't mind at all.

@m50092
Well put.

@Adam
Exactly.

"Two in one" isnt the same as "two for the price of one"

Am I the only one that noticed what appears like two different logo's at the very end of the trailer, which have some similar traits to the Japanese ones.

I think it is both in one out of Japan was the word. If it is two though, it is two and Nohr and hopefully Lunatic+ Classic challenge is on.

Oh please, this isn't going to be the case when it releases everywhere elsewhere. Nintendo says this is how it is going to be in Japan, but hasn't said anything else. Why would they only announce this for Japan and not just say this is how it is for everyone? Any way, the game is going to be great no matter what. If it does happen to be two separate games, buy the game that your character sides with (that's the main focus of the game) and if you enjoyed the game a whole bunch buy the other one, if not move on. You're still getting a solid game.

I don't know how true it is because I'm going off of this article, but it says that once you pick a path the other is locked out. That means the content is all part of the original game, so it should be considered one game; then, you have to pay a DLC fee to unlock the other path? It's really a turn off for me at that point. I'd rather have two separate releases with completely different stories and casts, not pay for the same game twice to play from another perspective.

Why can't we just get both games on one? There's no way this will flop due to Awakening success. Or-if we must-maybe do the 2-in-one package like they did with Pokemon ORAS?

I still want to see my potential husbandos.

:U Can everyone in the comment section just wait until June when Japanese YouTube LPer's upload gameplay of each version. Then render a verdict then.

Also y'all are complaining so much my shockwave Flash has crashed several times now just trying to get to the bottom of the freaking article!!!

@MoonKnight7: I understand your point, but you are missing a key element. In some regards, as selfish as it is, I'd rather see Fire Emblem die off than it continue along a path comparable to Awakening, just as some shambling corpse, possessed by a different spirit. If every following Fire Emblem game is designed to be like Awakening, since that's what will sell, then the series is already dead. If you don't understand what I'm trying to portray, think of the difference between the N64 Banjo-Kazooie games, then Nuts & Bolts. That's a more exaggerated example, a complete shift in genre, but expresses this idea clearly. I would rather see something completely die, be sad at its death, and move on, rather than watch it personally die to me, but hope that it might spring back to life with every subsequent entry. Treat the following as an expression of an idea, not an equivocation. In no way are the two equivalent. Watching every following Fire Emblem be comparable to Awakening is like watching a relative die from Alzheimer's. Despite being alive, the person is no longer the same person you knew. In a way, you accept that that person is gone, but every time that you see some kind of glimmer of their past self, there's this spark of hope. Maybe, despite all odds, they are getting better; maybe, tomorrow, a cure will be discovered. It doesn't happen. The cycle continues, maybe for days, or years, but has a conclusion. With Fire Emblem, an idea, it does not reach a conclusion. Ideas can rise up from the dead. So I ask, would you rather see something you love die, while still fully intact, fully dignified, or atrophy away, living on, but a mere shell of the figure in your memory?

@FireEmblem: So, I am unable to express my opinion? Even the biggest idiot can state his or her opinion, well founded or not, and I will not ever tell him or her to shut up. My opinion is well founded; my rights allow for the expression of my opinion, both in my country and yours (http://www.denederlandsegrondwet.nl/9353000/1/j9vvihlf299q0sr/vgrnbj1z0qzw); and I have clearly indicated that I was is my opinion. If you want to try to prove to others why my opinion is wrong, feel free to, but indirectly telling me to simply "shut up" is not going to support your argument or convince anyone of anything.

@ Everyone: This is not directed to any user in particular. This is a general qualification for my opinion of Fire Emblem: Awakening. I do not hate Fire Emblem: Awakening. The game does concern me however. In many regards, it is, to me, an abandonment of many core elements of the design of previous games. My assumption is that this was to appeal to a broader audience, since the series was going to potentially end. My fear is that the series will continue to do this. There is speculation that the game That is my reason for concern. I'll also be honest, I'm still bitter about the game. I bought it expecting the best Fire Emblem game yet. They presented the game as the Fire Emblem that would have everything I could want from a Fire Emblem game. Branching Promotions, Pair Up, Marriage, the ability to make a team out of previous game's characters, etc. The game genuinely seemed like the ultimate game in the series, a culmination of the entire series' past. The game did not meet these expectations. It may have been that the game was rushed, there is speculation and discussion on that topic, or it could be that the teams was trying to save the series. Whatever happened, the game failed meet my expectations, not only based on how it had been presented, but in terms of what I expect from a Fire Emblem game in general. That is why I call the game a "failure".

How come Nintendo doesn't make a good fire emblem game for the wii u that would be awesome 8).

@Geonjaha yeah I know what you mean just pray hand held gaming doesn't become a clone of smartphone gaming

@pokegod912 yeah I hope

@Dr_Lugae yeah :/ that's what I'm afraid of small games requiring you to buy dlc to make it a full game but we will see if they both have that much of a difference in content then il probably buy both I'm just worried like i said to someone else on here that handheld gaming may become like smartphone gaming

Why is everyone flipping their lid over this being one game split into two? To me this sounds like two games which can interact with each other... Three if you count the confirmed dlc.
I'll admit the Direct made it sound like one game, two distinct paths but until we get more information on the Western release strategy its just conjecture at this point.
If its true that both paths contain as much content as Awakening, which had a great amount of content, then I'm happy with separate releases and even happier that I can get the other path for a reduced price!

@IronMan28

That's Nintendo's fault for not giving us the full details. So yeah, we will jump to conclusions based on information given.

I am not happy with this because I have a feeling both sides will share a good bit of the storyline. Just because both sides have more battles means little as they are using the same engine from Awakening so battles are easy to make for them now. This is a case of trying to milk the popularity of Awakening in a manner I don't condone.

The age of the internet. This happened in the Japanese Direct. Did you read? Japanese. This is already a fact if you live in Japan or if you have a Japanese 3DS and import games.

There's a reason of why Nintendo made it sound like a single game in the American and European Directs. It's still a niche game around here. Even Nintendo isn't that bad making some decisions.

But oh, the age of the connected world.

@SomeBitTripFan

"Watching every following Fire Emblem be comparable to Awakening is like watching a relative die from Alzheimer's. Despite being alive, the person is no longer the same person you knew. In a way, you accept that that person is gone, but every time that you see some kind of glimmer of their past self, there's this spark of hope. Maybe, despite all odds, they are getting better; maybe, tomorrow, a cure will be discovered. It doesn't happen. The cycle continues, maybe for days, or years, but has a conclusion. With Fire Emblem, an idea, it does not reach a conclusion. Ideas can rise up from the dead. So I ask, would you rather see something you love die, while still fully intact, fully dignified, or atrophy away, living on, but a mere shell of the figure in your memory?"

Haha, well that was depressing and morbid. Also, a little strange to be comparing a game to losing a family member with Alzheimer's, but hey if that's how you personally see it, that's fine. In the future I'd just stick with game references like Sonic, Sypro and like you said, Banjo-Kazooie. Games that tried to reinvent themselves, but couldn't do so very well. That's all you needed to say to get your point across, rather than really bumming me out for no reason. All I ask is you try to keep things in a proper perspective. We are just talking about entertainment after all.

Anyway, I digress.

I totally understand your point, and I did understand it from the beginning, that said, it just isn't good business; which Nintendo is, first and foremost. Why should Nintendo continue an IP with below-mediocre sales? On the same note, why should they just let Fire Emblem die? Personally I do find that to be a bit "selfish" as you put it in your second sentence. These are just games after all, but more importantly, it's a business. Can you blame Intelligent Systems for trying to keep their jobs by saving a flagship title? Better to do that, than trying your luck with a new IP. As it appears, Intelligent systems smartly tried to do both, with both Awakening and Code Name S.T.E.A.M. It's too early to tell about Code Name S.T.E.A.M., but at least Awakening re-invented, got critical praise and sold well. How often does that happen? Not very often.

You and I seem to disagree about Awakening, which is fine, but it did breathe new life into the series, and was smartly much more approachable for people who never played before. You may see it as a walking corpse, while I see it as Nintendo finally being smart and trying to reach a broader audience for a series that never sold well to begin with.

Like I said, my wife really didn't like FE before Awakening, but now she's a fan of the series. The times change, so I was happy to see Nintendo and Intelligent Systems re-direct a failing IP. You and I do agree on one thing though, even if you are a bit more pessimistic about it following Awakening's footsteps, and that is we don't know enough yet about this new FE. It could be a game that spans across both casual and experienced gamers, if it does do that, everyone wins.

Me personally, I'm pretty optimistic that it will do that.

Really? Two separate games!? I thought the idea in IF was that you decide which path you take. Why do I get a weird Pokemon feel with these games? We should make the decisions in-game, not with our wallet!

Nintendo clearly DLC gouged the heck out of Awakening with its multiple overpriced and pay to win DLCs, with that being a success they are going even further with IF.

How upset I am about the 2 games will really depend on exactly how different the games are, if you have to pay $15 to choose a different path mid game that's pretty stupid. I think what's worse is the supposed "Final Chapter" is DLC and being developed with the rest of the game but being sold as day 1 DLC, you are essentially being blackmailed into paying for the ending of the game.

And if you are okay with this I want to ask you if you are also okay when EA does day 1 story based DLC, to check if you are letting bias swing your opinion. While most DLC is developed with the rest of the game these days because it's cheaper, most companies hide this fact by releasing the DLC a month or so later because they are aware of the negative press they get for day 1 story DLC.

@Datasun_7 Yeah this is messed up...hopefully they don't try to pull it the first two n the West, probably won't buy.

This sounds and feels very convoluted. I mean, I can understand 2 seperate games, kinda like Pokemon, but to have the stores only force you to take one game, and buy the other as dlc is just very word maketing practice. I have never heard of this before.

@Captain_Gonru No worries.Owning a physical copy and being able to download the second path as DLC would be a good idea though.We can only hope!

@Yorumi

Yeah I get what they meant, their example was just so, I dunno, depressing and heavy-handed.

I simply don't agree in this case. Intelligent Systems isn't crashing a burning, but doing the exact opposite, and got great press to boot. I felt Awakening was fantastic, and I've played prior games in the series as well. I just feel like it had something for everyone to enjoy, but still felt like Fire Emblem, but hey, you can't please everyone I guess.

I personally would rather have the people at Intelligent Systems keep their jobs then to gamble, only to please a few hardcore FE fans.

@JaxonH

Haha, yeah I know right, I like the idea too. I guess 16 bucks, that you don't have to spend, signifies the end of days. Like you said, they want to appeal to both crowds, and I don't see what's so wrong about it. The point is to sell the game right? The point is to get people interested in extra content right? There may in fact be so much content that the second purchase had to happen as a stand-alone, or DLC, or whatever. Some of the hate comments this thing is getting is just strange to me.

@MoonKnight7

And, I guess it would be one thing if the game was being developed by a company known for selling incomplete games and sectioning off legit content as DLC. But we're talking about a developer who has never skimped on a game in their 2+ decades of development. A developer who furthermore is under the direction of Nintendo, who, let's be honest, is pretty much the best there is when it comes to selling full, complete games worth every penny.

@Yorumi @SomeBitTripFan"it's basically the age old question "is something worth saving if all that is saved is the name."

Technically speaking, Shouzou Kaga, the original main game designer of the Fire Emblem series, already heeded that question after the release of FE: Thracia 776; Nintendo's plans for FE on the GBA were a huge step down in complexity from previous entries. This, in addition to other undisclosed reasons, prompted Shouzou Kaga to jump ship, and create Tearring Saga for the PS1. (Which Nintendo tried to prevent from existing/being sold due to the obvious similarities to previous FE games, since TS was basically a new FE without the brand name.) Nintendo failed to force their former employee to stand down; Kaga even made one more progressive entry for the PS2!

So yeah, the soul behind the original FE series roots has long since migrated, bloomed, and died. The current FE series has already merely been FE in name only for over a decade now.

Yeah, I heard from Mrs. Kolzig that Japanese fans are pretty much heavily disappointed because of this decision.

Not good, not good at all.

This kind of DLC sucks and also kills of any retro usage for the game in 5-10 years time when the servers have already closed down and DLC can't be got anymore. That's like more than half of the regular game as DLC, completely crazy.

@Jason723 I'm trying to think of it more as 3 games for the price of 2. Kinda like getting Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, then they have a rad mercenary baby. So hyped.