
Fire Emblem Fates is out now in North America, with two editions - Birthright and Conquest - released alongside a special edition that includes both versions; Revelation is a 3rd storyline that'll arrive as DLC on 10th March, priced at $19.99.
The dual release launch strategy was an intriguing one, seeing the Intelligent Systems series follow the examples of the likes of Pokémon and Yo-kai Watch. It seems to have worked, too, with Fates setting the record - by quite some distance - as the fastest selling Fire Emblem release in the US.
Nintendo of America has confirmed that over 300,000 copies were sold over the game's launch weekend (just three days); that's over five times the equivalent Fire Emblem: Awakening figure, which held the previous record. That's a hugely impressive result by any stretch of the imagination, showing not only that the dual-release strategy has worked well, but also that the IP is gaining popularity at a mainstream level in the West. With a whole lot of DLC on the way in addition to the Revelation storyline, it's looking like a lucrative release on 3DS.
We heaped praise on Fire Emblem Fates in our review, and it's pleasing to see it perform so well. Hopefully that success will trigger a hurry-up on the European and Australian releases, though we'll likely have to remain patient.
Were you one of many US gamers playing Fire Emblem Fates over the launch weekend? Let us know.
Comments 165
No surprise really. This is an amazing game and I am having a blast playing it.
Wow, impressive, great for fans as I'm sure this guarantees the franchise will continue.
This is AMAZING news. It seemed like the only Nintendo hits recently were toys or casual software, but it's so nice to hear about a game like FE doing so well. Definitely going to be seeing more of this series now! Even if you completely discount the two versions = two sales (which will be nowhere near true), it's still a huge improvement over Awakening.
Although I do hope we don't see more split releases due to this, because no matter how many times people claim it's two separate games, for me it's no different to the two opposing campaigns many 90's RTS games came with, for the price of a single game.
Edit: And Nintendo, PLEASE release Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn digital on the Wii U. Awakening already created a ton of new Fire Emblem fans and those games are pretty much out of reach for most people due to the rarity and price of them.
I'm a first-time player and plan to start Birthright this week. I'm really looking forward to it!
I typically game 1-2 hours a day, often more like 90 minutes.
By Sunday morning I was 18 hours in.
It deserves it. It's a great game(s). Wish it didn't have the distractions.
Hopefully we get a Console FE on NX
I'll buy it once I finally beat Awakening. Don't know when that will be. Dream Team comes first, then I'll pick up Paper Jam.
grouses about SEGA leaving Shining Force (in SRPG form) for dead
But will it beat Smash Bros. 4. That reached 10Mil bruh.
"Were you one of many US gamers playing Fire Emblem Fates over the launch weekend?"
Um.. Of course. I wouldn't be a "fan" if I didn't, haha.
In all seriousness, this is well deserved. The game(s) is truly fantastic, I can't put it down, and yet there's still so much to explore. Who would have imagined that a single title like Awakening would have completely turned this franchise around. For some of the users on this site, I expect comments below that say they wish this franchise would have just ended "with dignity."
I understand where they're coming from, but completely disagree. Other than the obnoxiously priced DLC maps, these games have completely gotten better, and have seen new players come in. Franchises need to evolve or else they simply fall away. I'm glad we're at a point where Fates exists (with feet), rather than saying goodbye to a great franchise if Awakening had failed to peak interest.
@MoonKnight7 I bought all the DLC, but i was amused i picked up conquest for $16 while the FIRST dlc pack was $17...
Not extremely surprising, since we have a version targeting Awakening fans while another targets classic Fire Emblem fans, but this is still very good news.
@russellohh
Oh? Would you say the DLC is worth it? I am legitimately curious.
I'll probably cherry pick some maps, but I don't really want to drop that much just on DLC.
Great deal on Conquest though!
@DarthNocturnal
I'm with ya there. I ain't buying it unless that happens Or in many years if it goes on sale.
On Friday I was in line at EB Games and 7 out of the 8 people in ,line ahead of me were buying FE Fates. Half of them took the option to buy a download code for the other half of the story as well. I guess this guarantees another Fire Emblem game on NX.
I'm still holding out until the new "Club Nintendo" version is launched (apparently next month?), before I get my (digital) copy. Glad to see the rest of you picked up the slack though Definitely going to support the game, probably even all three version, but before I do, I'd like to have that new reward system up and running, seeing as I only get Nintendo exclusives on Nintendo systems, therefore there is a very limited number of titles on which I can actually earn any "rewards" ... It kinda bugs me that they failed to time those two incidents better. It would have been cool if the new rewards system were to launch with a title as FE:Fates as it's first beneficiary.
@Peach64 Assume a typical drop of 70-80% by the second week and you get 360k+ physical+digital, or 400k+ physical+digital if these were physical-only figures.
That total would bring life-to-date Fates unit sales to 900k, not including routes sold as add-on content.
I'm happy that Fire Emblem is getting the sales it deserves as a franchise. I'm rather saddened, however, that this probably means more Awakening-style games - I personally want a return to the grandeur of the Tellius games.
@Spoony_Tech Since we're discussing sales figures, you may want to know that Stella Glow probably hasn't broken 100k copies life-to-date worldwide.
(P.S. Dream Team and Awakening both have beautiful final battle themes.)
@MoonKnight7
Awakening is a step back in many ways - balance, maps, characters, music! I think that what it did right was the amount of content: 45+ maps for $40.
Fates is a step forward relative to Awakening in many ways. Music, balance, maps, graphics, and so on. From what I've seen, it's still not quite what I'm looking for from an FE, however.
Conquest looks fun, though.
@MoonKnight7 it really really was for Awakening, so i'm expecting more of the same. There were a few awakening maps that were just super hard with nothing else going for them, but others were useful- unlimited money or experience- or tragic- switching timelines and watching your families die in the future- or hilarious- the swimsuit battle.
I'm just picking up all of them on launch
Despite people complaining about having 2 versions and DLC, the censoring, and the overload of FB characters playable in Smash.
We still buy it anyway. XD
Yeah We're ready to shatter record here in Europe too...
Will you please accept our money Nintendo ?
I swear the euro is as good a currency as any dollar or yen.
Pretty please...
Getting really tired of your crap, NoE...
@TheWPCTraveler that's sad for Stella Glow. It deserves better however if I didn't get it for 40$ from Best Buy I might not own it yet either. That 50$ price tag is hard to ignore when sales are a factor.
Impressive work given the confusing release structure and the arbitrary censoring for no good reason.
It's all about timing. Nintendo released the game after X-com 2, even gamers who hates turn based games will become receptive to FE.
Fantastic news. 'Hardcore' Fire Emblem fans who hate the series since Awakening and the 'only Mario/Zelda/Pokemon sell on Nintendo' brigade trolls can go back to their caves.
I just wish I could find a Special Edition copy!
@TheWPCTraveler Stella Glow hasn't broke 100K yet. Seriously? Wow I have to look this up cause it's an excellent game that deserves good sales.
But I also think it had next to no advertisements if I recall and released in a month with big time releases.
@Angelic_Lapras_King the vocal minority, as always
It will be an absolute travesty if this game somehow doesn't end up getting released in Europe. I REALLY want a special edition copy.
@Spoony_Tech Still can't believe you haven't beaten Awakening yet!
@Peach64 That would be incredible. I've wanted to play those forever, but the longer I wait, the prices just keep increasing. That would really be a godsend.
On one hand, good to see Fire Emblem sell well.
On the other hand, I hope Nintendo does not get the idea that all FE fans want is simplified gameplay, several versions of the same game, and more fanservice then you can shake a stick at.
Hopefully, this will convince them to make a Tellius HD collection.
Good for people who like this game, but I'll save my credit for Twilight Princess HD and the two 3DS Dragon Quest games. I may get this someday, but its on the waiting list for now.
Still waiting for a release date.
@Caryslan That's hilarious! I was typing the same thing before you posted.
I really think it's time for Nintendo to keep this party going and think about doing a cell shaded remaster of the Radiant Saga HD (Path of Radiance + Radiant Dawn). Put it on the NX whatever, just as long as it comes out!
Add some extra buffs to characters in Radiant Dawn that you leveled up in Path of Radiance etc.
Got my special edition on Monday and am really enjoying it so far. I feel like it is a much better FE then Awakening and seems to mix the old and new elements well.
What actually started me on fire emblem was recieving the sacred stones for free on the ambassador program with my 3DS. As soon as I played it I was hooked and have picked up every fire emblem game thats released on the WiiU virtual console since plus awakening on launch. I've got one of my friends and nephew also to pick up awakening just from giving them a go of my copy. Plus I'm pretty sure we'll all pick up a copy of fates once it releases here in europe.
Thats a nice amount of sales for nintendo and all it cost them was one free download of the sacred stones. It might not be a bad idea to give out a free download of some of the lesser nintendo franchises a month or two before any big retail release to build hype. Mario and Zelda are big enough not to need it but something like star fox this year might benefit if one of the snes or n64 games was given out in a promotion like that.
@MERG
I tried it. It was awful in more ways than Awakening before it. Dumped my Special Edition on a friend and made back my investment. Series is dead to me.
Makes sense, even the Best Buy across the street from where I work, which usually has no gamer foot traffic, sold every last copy of Conquest and Birthright over the weekend. I agonized over deciding to get them for the free Map Pack 1 deal preorder, but ultimately I decided against it over Best Buy delaying (accidentally) and canceling (purposefully) preorders of special edition copies to sell in store or on eBay: http://gameranx.com/updates/id/39150/article/best-buy-is-cancelling-fire-emblem-special-edition-preorders
Therefore, I will hold off on getting Fates until either the special edition gets a reprint, or import a copy of Conquest and apply the ongoing translation patch to it. I'm glad other people supported Fire Emblem, but these business practices are rubbing me the wrong way.
@Browny What in particular was worse than Awakening about it? And would those things be exclusive to non-JP release?
I hope this motivates Nintendo to either:
1) Release Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn on Wii U VC
or
2) Release a remaster of Path of Radiance + Radiant Dawn "HD" for the Wii U
My first FE game was Awakening and man ive been missing out on an amazing series. I tried to get my wife to play Awakening but I didnt succeed but this time I showed more info on Fates and she couldn't wait for the release. She got Birthright and I got Conquest, this weekend was a FE weekend. She really loves it and can't stop playing (also is now ignoring me in the process).
Thank you for the viral marketing localization haters lol
Good to hear. Hopefully, Nintendo will keep this momentum going. Although those old-school FE fans who want to go back to the 'good old days' would have a field day with more games like Awakening / Birthright, haha.
Meanwhile, I'm still waiting with bated breath for a European release. At least, I have Bravely Second to keep me busy until that happens.
Looks like we'll be seeing more Fire Emblem now that the series is actually making money. Even with the poor localization and censorship changes, the game itself still looks like great fun.
I want it so bad but I don't have any money, in fact I'm in debt to my dad.
Holy cow! And here I was thinking it'd be equal to maybe a little higher than Awakening. I'll be completely honest, the series is not totally for me. I have Awakening, and it's really good, but it failed to really grab me. Probably something on my part though. But I'm glad the series is doing this well! Maybe this can be linked to Robin, Lucina, Roy ánd Corrin being added to Smash, or maybe it was the huge amount of praise for Awakening. Either way, I'm glad to see it's doing well!
And they could've sold so much more; I listened to a frustrated GameStop manager complaining about Nintendo shorting them time and time again on release day. They receive enough to cover their pre-orders and an extra 2-3 copies. I was about the twentieth person he had to explain this to apparently.
Do you have to play through the entire campaign to download the other via DLC? I'm playing through Birthright and I'm going to the Dragon Gate thing in the game and it doesn't give me the option to download Conquest, it just has the before Awakening DLC and the first map pack.
Nice that means the series will definitely continue on and on.
Now just put the next game on mobile in addition to a handheld and add more waifus and husbandos and the game will sell even better. Also do away with the tradition of one main artist per game/2 games and hire a ton of artists like with every other anime mobile game these days. It works for Cipher so it should work for the main games as well.
@japongt
Hope for the second option myself as i think if they do a remastering of those two games for the nx we may see a other fire emblem title on the nx as well if not then i hope then when shin megami tensei x fire emblem is received well we may see a sequel of that game on nx
@Blastcorp64 Classic Nintendo tactics: create an intentionally manufactured state of scarcity to drive up demand artificially, then meet the rest of the real demand later after the dust settles from release time. Nintendo has been doing that same thing for the past 30 years now. Sears, Toys R' Us, KB Toys, etc all had to deal with the exact same thing back in the day.
@bitleman You're welcome - look forward to even worse censorship/better marketing in future games!
It's unfortunate that series almost ended with Awakening. I think the main thing that turned the series around was the simple option to eliminate permadeath. This opened the game to more casual players.
If this option's included with a remastered collection of the Tellius games, it should no doubt sell really well on the NX (especially if NX is a console and a handheld portable unit).
@Blastcorp64
Agreed. I've heard this a lot too. I mean, I get that you want to exploit the, "sold out" headlines, but I've seen/heard the same things with every Nintendo game - only sending enough to cover pre-orders, plus 2-4 for the shelf. That's such a ridiculously small amount to send for the launch of a game.
Let's also not forget that the Special Edition should have had at least double the stock of what they had made. Not only that, but it should have also been available on day one for late adopters.
This is great news! Fire Emblem has certainly come a long way from being nearly cancelled way back before Awakening was released and this just goes to show that despite the criticisms of the dual release it clearly didn't bother the majority of players. Long live the Fire Emblem series I say and if this is the future strategy of releasing the next games in the series then we really have no choice but to embrace it or simply not buy it. I will be doing the former myself!
@Arnold-Kage I think SMTxFE is like 10% Fire Emblem and 90% SMT though. From what I've been reading, Fire Emblem character are a little more than cameos in the game, which doesn't sound very appealing to me. I would still get it, but I wouldn't jump to conclusion that it would do as great as FE Fates for example.
Europe release date please ??
I'm one of those 300,000! This game is completely blowing away my expectations (although, tbh, I wasn't sure what my expectations were to begin with).
I'm still not sure what to think about the combat. I find it hard and too stressful, and I always spend way too many turns because I'm worried I'll lose my allies. It's probably my least liked feature of the game.
But I love the drama and all of the relationship options in the game! I love everyone and there are so many cute couples that I'm always shipping people together in my head. And the story?!? Holy Crap! It's so good.
I've got so much fan fic for this game it's crazy. (^_^ )
@Evenmoresteven the option to purchase the other 2 campaigns is actually on the main menu. Before you select your save file to load, select the 'Explore Fates' option. The other paths are purchasable there, with Revelations not available to download till early March.
Awesome news though. I've been loving my copy of Birthright, and can't wait to get to Conquest later. Even if I think the King of Nohr is a madman.
@AVahne Yeah dude. Fan service and dating sims elements are casual and should be boycotted by us the true gamers.
Keep going. Your bashing campain is hurting more Vita games sales than Fire Emblem
@Lunapplebloom Thank you so much for the reply! I guess I didn't see it before. You're awesome.
@Fath Oh noes they removed a feature that would have lowered the score because it was gimmicky/useless/stupid/casual (you know the usual stupid complaints when Nintendo does it) the entire game (that is 98% a SRPG) is RUINED!!!
I'm enjoying Birthright. Not sure whether or not I'm getting Conquest or Revelations yet.
@Turbo857 Interesting fact. Awakening did not introduce Casual mode. That was done by New Mystery of the Emblem: Heroes of Light and Shadow. It was the sequel to Shadow Dragon and a remake of the Super Famicom, Mystery of the Emblem; it was only released in Japan. Awakening introducing it to Western territories I think helped big time though.
In my opinion a lot of the features that Awakening found success utilizing was planted in New Mystery. Like the Avatar character.
Canadian Gamer here. NA is more then the US after all. Playing my special edition, I think I'm about half way through Conquest. Birthright will be next followed by my preferred option of Revelations. Took a little bit to get into it but has a fantastic feel.
Got the game myself and currently playing the game , it's great so far. I'm glad to see that the series has hit some mainstream appeal after being put in the doghouse for all those years.
I'm already enjoying Fates more than Awakening, the difficulty on Birthright(Hard/Lunatic) is already harder than Awakening's Lunatic without feeling cheap or unfair. I'll be jumping straight to Conquest, and then Revelations of my Special Edition copy once I'm done Birthright.
@AVahne
Ya man, it's definitely time to move past this bash campaign of yours.
There's nothing wrong with character development, supports and pairing characters to reach S rank and marriage. I really don't get this campaign to make it sound like a dating SIM when in actuality it's a small 15 second marriage cutscene and the ability to have kids.
You're spinning things to make it seem worse than it really is. And that implies it's bad to begin with- which it's not- it's one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. Nobody wants some dull SRPG where all you do is take turns- the relationships and conversations are what make it a great game rather than a barebones SRPG with excellent gameplay
"Were you one of many US gamers playing Fire Emblem Fates over the launch weekend?"
Nope was sold out at my local retailer
Ugh...while I'm always happy to see a franchise I love do well, I'm saddened that so many people fell for the cash grab.
Basically you choose your "fate" at the cash register, and not in the game. I feel a little cheated as a consumer for having to pay extra to get the full game, so I'll wait for some kind of sale or promotion.
I don't feel as bad missing out on this as I thought I would though, the stuff I'm hearing about the game keeps sounding like they're trying to bury the traditional Fire Emblem forumla under dragon powers, creepy face touching, and forced marriage shipping that no longer makes sense without the time travel premise of Awakening.
So Nintendo will have to wait for my money on this one.
@Wexter
Interesting fact indeed. Yes, the game you're talking about was for the DS and released in Japan only (wish we would've got that one). Personally, the avatar options... I could really care less for. They're nice but not necessary. Same thing with the marriage/kids support bonds. I like the effects support bonding has on the battlefield but not every FE game needs to feature marriage/kids.
At the very least, we don't need to create children characters and recruit them from/in the future.
@Evenmoresteven No worries. I hope you enjoy it. I also was wondering where the option was when I first got it, but I discovered it after doing some poking around. They should have labeled it a bit more clearly I reckon.
Is that figure for each game or between both games? As they were supposed to be separate games in their own right.
I hope this does not give Nintendo the idea of increasing the European price of the games.
Also there have been complaints about the physical box set being in short supply and selling on eBay for over $200.
Nintendo can easily address this by making sure they have enough copies to met preorders. Which they can start taking now.
@JaxonH
Hm? I'm not even complaining about the support system, but rather the characterization. It's better than in Awakening, but still pretty...meh.
I'm glad that these games now allow for more conversations per playthrough, but there's really something that feels wrong with the writing. The kids aren't bad, but they're not necessarily a good thing either.
Perhaps it's time you stopped trying to find every comment I type and try to champion everything Nintendo does. I'll find fault with what I want, even if I sometimes repeat things due to forgetting that I already posted about it. Aside from the frustrating RNG, the game is enjoyable, but I'm not going to act as if there's nothing wrong with it.
Also how is it a bashing campaign if those things I said in my previous comment are in a positive connotation? Putting it on mobile AND their handhelds WILL make it more successful. Adding more waifu and husbando type characters WILL make it more popular. Hell it'll be nice to see more artists in game as well (then again it might actually be more distracting....nvm that point).
EDIT: Well actually, I'll try stopping with my FE complaints (can't guarantee it when I'm feeling old and cranky). It does get tiring posting these types of comments and it's even more annoying and tiring having to see you hound me every single time. You have no obligations to go after someone who disagrees with you, but you keep at it anyway. Good for you. Anyway I need to try to get past chapter 10 in Birthright path; the RNG is REALLY hating me on that one.
@Turbo857 I agree. It has felt kind of forced in Fates. Not that I overly mind I just wished they put some of that creative energy into working characters into the game more naturally rather than forcing in a feature. What would be cool is if they went more Genealogy of the Holy War for the next one. Now that would be a cool way to do the Child System.
@bitleman
How's it bashing if I'm only speaking truths?
Putting it on mobile along with consoles will only make it more successful. The gameplay is ripe for mobile now. If they don't do a premium pricing for some reason, they could just put in a stamina system and they'll be set. Hell free-to-start would work as well. They could even do the multiple paths per purchase thing like with Fates.
Give players the first 3-5 chapters for free and then let them choose what to buy. Perhaps would work better if each path were $10-15 and were perhaps 10-15 chapters in length.
Also I really meant it when I said more waifus and husbandos will make the game more popular. One of Fire Emblem's USUAL greatest strengths (omitting Shadow Dragon and arguably Radiant Dawn due to lack of actual support conversations, though I feel base conversations, in-chapter dialogue, and cutscenes makes up for it) are the characters. Putting more of the mainstream-loved characters-types that are everywhere in anime these days and have been leaking into FE since Awakening would make it even more popular.
Pleased to hear this! Well deserved. I'm lucky enough to secure the special edition and I'm having a blast! Also got a digital version, so they had 2 sales from me. Now looking at N3DS XL FE Fates edition.
You'll have to forgive me if this was explained elsewhere (you guys put out a lot of content!) but is there a particular reason that "FE Fates" has one entry in the game collection feature (that I can only give one score), when most of the community seems to feel that it's three different games?
Thanks in advance.
@AVahne
"Perhaps it's time you stopped trying to find every comment I type and try to champion everything Nintendo does"
We've only ever spoken of Fire Emblem. So "championing Nintendo" has nothing to do with it. Nintendo can rot for all I care (well not really, I do like their games) but you get the point. The only thing I'm championing is Fire Emblem, and that's irrespective of the fact Nintendo owns it- believe me.
But you do have a point with me challenging many of your comments- it's aggravating isn't it? Well now you know how it feels for the rest of us when EVERY. SINGLE. ARTICLE about Fire Emblem has you bashing the games.
You've made you voice heard. That's fine. It's the repeating it, over and over and over on every FE article that hits the nerves. I would never tell you how you should feel or think, but after making the same digs and potshots at the franchise article after article, there comes a point where people are like "ok already, enough"
@TriHolbs Oh man you gonna love it, I almost envy you, because when you play your first Fire Emblem the felling is a mix of awesomeness and "why did I never played FE before?".
And Yay, screw tumblr and online haters kid talking about censorship and skipping game because it's not hard as used to be (which is not true if you play on lunatic) and it's not like "classic FE"!
@TheWPCTraveler Tellius saga was the main responsible for the declining sales in Japan, both games are the worst reviewed of the franchise there (and here too I guess), and while I love these games (hell I'd even like Shadow Dragon), the only amazing parts are the support characters and the main villain (Ashnard) of the first game. I really can't stand Sothe and Micaiah.
@JaxonH
Like in my EDIT above, fine I'll stop. People are very opinionated, I understand that and that gets me in trouble. I'm more passionate about this series than I really should be, which is why I complain more than most.
I apologize to anyone I offended with my complaints. My memory isn't so good nowadays, so I tend to make some of the same complaints.
@AVahne
The thing is, and don't take this the wrong way but, I find you to actually be a very likeable person, and even more so as a fellow FE fan.
I don't want you to thing I have anything personal against you, cause I don't. I just get, well, the above comment explained it all so yeah.
@JaxonH and @AVahne reached C-support! support music jingle
Seriously though the idea of FE on mobile makes a lot more sense than a lot of people would like it to. I hadn't considered it but yeah, it could absolutely work.
Heck, maybe My Nintendo/Nintendo Account could connect the next FE game between the console and your phone, and while you could play the whole game on the console, you could work up supports using extra features on mobile when you don't have the console with you. It's not as crazy as it sounds I swear.
@JaxonH
Sigh, I'm sorry. I just....get too emotional with things I like or don't like. It's not proper Internet etiquette to act like that, especially with other people who enjoy the same things, but I can't help myself. I'm just yet another generic case of person stressed out in real life turning into a ridiculous monster on the Internet >.>
Anyway I find you to be very likeable as well even when I'm disagreeing with ya. Hell I really admire that you love the series enough to buy so many copies of Fates and the rest of the series (I think that's what I read in one of your other comments on one of the other articles).
I am disappointed at how Nintendo handled the all-in-one option. I get that "limited editions" are limited and they only wanted to produce so many copies of the art book and pouch. However, I don't understand why Nintendo did not make the all-in-one version of the game available to purchase as a stand-alone product for $80. I think that a lot of people would have gone for that option and then Nintendo would not have the problem of trying to convince everyone to buy the DLC later when the thrill may be wearing off for some players. It was a massive missed opportunity.
Of course, it would not surprise me if Nintendo decided to make that version available at retail later on and tick off all of the early adopters who would have preferred it at launch.
@ap0001
That actually sounds good. If they don't make a full-on game, a companion app could be perfect and I wouldn't be surprised if it's already in the works. Could interest people who take a passing glance and if they like it enough they could "Hey, this is actually pretty cool, maybe I should try getting this game on my 3DS/NX!"
Heck I remember the only reason I tried Fire Emblem in the first place was because I thought Marth and Roy were really cool in Melee.
Then....I tried the first game to come out over in the States, got extremely confused by what I was playing (never played an SRPG before, only regular JRPGs and ARPGs). Though that was partly because I wasn't sure if what I got was a Fire Emblem game since I didn't know what Fire Emblem games actually were and I was playing a ROM with the volume off since it was at night that I was trying it. Not seeing Marth or Roy also helped in the confusion. Decided to stop playing and then a few days later I gave it another try but with the sound on and after hearing the theme, I immediately thought "OH THIS REALLY IS FIRE EMBLEM" aaaannd after that I became addicted. Quite a ridiculous story, no? I believe a similar kind of discovery can happen with a pretty mobile app.
EDIT: Is it just me or did the site crash for a while?
@Wexter
Ah yes. Having generation gaps and a new cast of characters within the same game would be a more natural way of featuring children characters. Very Phantasy Star 3ish.
I know about the Genealogy of the Holy War but never played it (as with every Japanese only FE release except Sealed Sword). Think it's time for me to start diggin' for those translated versions.
@Utena-mobile Have you been able to set up any same-sex relationship? I've seen nothing on it. Best I've done is set up some incest relationships up (Azura + Xander) and that's kinda about it.
@JaxonH to be fair, the Fire Emblem games pre-Awakening did have many interesting characters, settings and plots, just as you say without the ability to go on to have them marry and have children. But what makes me lose any/all respect I have for these people who feel the franchise has gone in the wrong direction when they go full on hyperbole and say 'shame it's not a Fire Emblem game' or some similarly phrased nonsense.
Just shut up if that's all you've got to say on the matter. They just need to get over it, it's not like they've changed it from a SRPG.
@ap0001 @AVahne
"JaxonH and AVahne reached C-support! support music jingle"
Lol this comment made me laugh so hard
Does this mean all future games will be botched into multiple versions and feature pointless weaboo cr*p?
Yeah, Fire Emblem died with Awakening's release.
Fire Emblem Fates leading the war of the Waifu's!
But seriously, its nice seeing other franchises other than Mario, Zelda, Pokemon or Metroid getting the praise and recognition it deserves. Fire Emblem is one of Nintendo's oldest IP's, so it took awhile to get it going in the west, but better late than never.
@JaxonH @ap0001 @AVahnr I literally laughed outloud in the middle of the office. So kudos, ap0001.
Either way, great news, because Conquest is seriously an incredible game. Will absolutely get Birthright as DLC as soon as I'm done.
@Soren
Fire Emblem is and will be fine.
Core gameplay is still there.
If you don't like the waifu stuff, just ignore/skip it or treat your MU as a character whose not you. For example, leave all the customization at default and name at default. As for multiple versions, just hope for a home console game someday. The general attitude for a home console game is different than a handheld game and even Nintendo proooobably won't try to split a home console game into separate versions.
Another question open to the audience - I've got Birthright physical and plan to get Conquest digital once I finish this one - how many blocks is it?
I wonder what % of those are jerk scalpers.
@Soren
With Awakening's release Fire Emblem died as a niche product and was reborn as a franchise with mass market appeal. I understand why fans of the old Fire Emblem are unhappy, but were it not for Awakening's change of direction the franchise would have been cancelled.
I bought both versions (and DLC) happily and am enjoying Birthright currently, and will buy Revelations when that becomes available. I do hope, however, that these types of sales do not lead to the neglect of a series that I like even more--Advance Wars. I hope Intelligent Systems makes another one (or two!) games of that before the 3DS retires.
@AVahne The core game-play may still be there, but to me, it still doesn't feel like Fire Emblem.
@RatKing64 True, but some franchises are better left dead then carrying on as a former shell of themselves.
@B238ben
I am hoping that if fates is a huge hit then Nintendo will have renewed interest in Advance Wars as well. They could add a mini-game to the Japanese version where you get to rub your tank down with oil. Then they would remove that from the western version
I'm glad that these are doing well! I hope to pick up Conquest soon to help improve the figures!
@Soren
I have to admit that any game after Shining Force III does not count as a real Shining Force game IMO, so I can understand your point. It sucks when a franchise that you love goes in a direction that you don't like. I fear for the changes that Sega is making in Valkyria Chronicles 4. It is going to end up being an action game.
@Evenmoresteven
You need to do that from the main menu, not at the gate. I downloaded the other before I even played the game.
@ThomasBW84
Should "help the previous record" be "held the previous record"?
@Evenmoresteve
Sorry I didn't notice someone had replied to your question already.
@SetupDisk Yep, thanks
@RatKing64
Ah, Shining Force 3... Now that game right there is the best SRPG to ever grace a console (English translated Dragon Force 2 - close 2nd)! Sucks that it was never remade, remastered, or even offered digitally at all. Such a tragedy....
Now if only I was one of those 300,000 people. RESTOCK ALREADY!
@Soren
"but some franchises are better left dead then carrying on as a former shell of themselves"
For the sake of the 1-2 million people who now currently play and love Fire Emblem to death, and who think the series has never been better (many of whom are old-time fans), I feel this is most definitely not one of those times.
Well at least it seals the deal in terms of there being more Fire Emblem. Hopefully with the popularity they reissue more of the older ones into VC downloads. I'll never get over how they were going to pull the plug on this series and it turned around so fast. What changed peoples minds? It's not like the older games were bad. For me it was just that now I'm older and can appreciate it, and they actually kept up the stock on it. I probably could have played the Wii game but I so vaguely even remember seeing it in the store.
LOLOL "KILL FIRE EMBLEM IT SOLD REALLY GREAT!!!" please shut up.
Well deserved. I haven't put it down since I opened my SE copy. Keep em coming IS/Nintendo! I'll be bumping up the Japanese sell count in a month or so...(the dub is serviceable and even good in some places but it is really GRATING in others...)
As a Fire Emblem newbie that was introduced to the series from Fire Emblem Awakening, this makes me feel great to hear the success! Regardless of what direction Nintendo decides to go in the future, we can safely say more Fire Emblem games will be in our future
@Turbo857
I live in hope that Nintendo and Sega can come to an agreement eventually for Camelot to do a remake of Shining Force III on Nintendo platforms. Camelot has sworn to never work with Sega again due to SOA and SOE only releasing part 1. Maybe they would like the chance to bring the complete saga to western gamers. Now that FE is doing so well it would seem to make sense. It is probably too late for that to happen on 3DS, but perhaps on NX ...
How's the story? Based on the footage I've seen it seems over the top and lacks what made the original GBA and sequels good.
Now the question is will UK/Europe get a release date before the #Brexit happens!
So with Fates selling so well, will they finally sell me a Robin Amiibo? I want to use it in Fates, and Codename STEAM
@japongt
I am not expecting it to do as good as fates but just hope if it does good enough that we could see a sequel of the game on the nx if they decide to only make the fire emblem franchise have games on the 3ds or future handhelds
@Arnold-Kage What I'm hoping is if Nintendo's 9th gen console and 9th gen handheld share an OS and library. That the next Fire Emblem game could be on both platforms but utilise the home consoles power to improve the visuals.
That way you could play it on handheld but also play it on console at a higher resolution. Fire Emblem(GBA) and Sacred Stones look quite nice on WiiU VC with smoothing, I don't doubt something like Fate's 3D battles displayed at 1080p would look really good on a home console.
@OneBagTravel
I love the story- the foundational plot alone is such an emotionally intriguing premise.
Birthright is great, but I hear the story in Conquest (and characters) is even better. Then again, I've heard the opposite too.
Bottom line is- they're both good
@OneBagTravel It not for everyone really. Some say it's good, some say it's ok, and some people thinks it's horrid. I feel the characters in the are amazing, but I can't say the same for the story in my opinion. It's not like it horrible, but it could it be a ton better.
Maybe this will motivate Nintendo to make the collectors edition (complete) available as a stand-alone purchase. I'm kind of on the fence, but being able to get them all on one cart would push me to pick it up.
Still waiting on my special edition from amazon. It currently says shipping now, and had been like that all day. I preordered the second it went up. It's been about a week now and I still don't have it...
I'm surprised the Fire Emblem elitists who dismiss Fire Emblem as "Waifu simulator" aren't here. Perhaps they're more of a vocal minority than I thought? I would be very happy with that.
I'm waiting to get this for my birthday, but I'm pretty excited. : )
@japongt More like 1% Fire Emblem and 99% Persona.
@PlywoodStick That's depressing. That teaser with all the main FE characters in it totally lied to us. The more I hear about it, the more hesitant I am to buy it once it's out in the US of A.
@RatKing64
Heh-heh, I'm with ya on that one. Camelot was wrapping up the third scenario when SOE and SOA decided to focus on the Dreamcast = Sega fans got the shaft.
Ya never know though. Bayonetta's a Sega IP and Nintendo funded and published the 2nd, so a Shining Force 3 Complete remake (including Premium Disk) isn't impossible. If Camelot doesn't wanna do it, it could always be given to another developer.
@Utena-mobile Hahhaha and this is why Fire Emblem is such an amazing game. I play mainly because the combat (while I love relationships, character development and plot), and you for an entire different reason! FEFates has something for everyone!
Congrats consumers! Your reward will be more duel/split titles for the future.
The days of buying a single release of a Nintendo title are dwindling. Soon Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc will all require you to buy two different copies of virtually the same game to get the "complete" experience.
@MagicalDreamer I'm a Fire Emblem fan, since the old days, but the ones talking about "waifu simulator" crap, are just dumb people who does not love Fire Emblem, they just love talking s*** about anything!
It's great to see this franchise blossom and expand its reaches. Congrats to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. Hopefully, future releases on future hardware continue to grow the franchise.
To put things into perspective as to how successful FE is now becoming, it took Awakening 4-5 months to reach 300,000 copies sold. Fates did that in 3 days.
@ap0001 LOL, now I'm curious what would happen at S support...
@Soren Fire Emblem as we knew it up until Awakening was a former shell of Shouzou Kaga's work, Mystery of the Emblem, Genealogy of the Holy War, and Thracia 776. (Which was carried on by Tear Ring Saga and Berwick Saga, and Kaga may be making another game soon)
So in my view, the presentation changes brought by Awakening are no big deal, it's just a natural progression of cultural anime personalities. It is what it is. Let's not kid ourselves, FE6-10 had them too. They just hadn't gotten to the meme and petting stage of anime history yet.
@japongt Well, technically they didn't lie... The FE characters are there, but they're ambiguously there, and take the place of traditional personas. They don't have any real importance in the story, though. Also, there's some reference to the weapon triangle in the combat system... Sort of.
Basically, just treat it like a Persona spin off title. I wouldn't think of it as an FE nor SMT title.
Happy to hear the sells went well in USA so when will the beep the game come to EU!? Don't mind waiting but I want to know when the game will arrive is that too much to ask???
@The_BAAD_Man I know it is so unfair
To be honest, I am enjoying the game right now. Close to chapter 20, and working on children right now.
Other than that, I actually enjoyed Awakening a great deal more. I don't really feel invested in most of the characters in Fates, at least no where near as much as I did in Awakening. I miss an actual map to traverse. Also the story is rather weak at this point as well.
So other than lack of a traversable map, weaker character development, and weaker story, everything else is leagues better than Awakening. I like the new optional fight way of doing things, the My Castle, forging, the works.
@getyourak We'll need to pay extra for the right to play Co-op in New Super Mario Bros NX, Zelda NX will have Day 1 DLC to see the full story, and Metroid NX will have card key doors that only open after using your credit/debit/account shop card, complete with card swiping animation. (Okay, I'm just having fun with that last one.) But yeah, the precedent has been set.
Hahahahaha. This game is so dumb. Wow. Well I'm happy for them whatever. I guess I have my answer about how I'd react to this news.
P.S. @ThomasBW84: Fraud.
@Utena-Mobile: Wow I thought I made you not buy it. Pfft.
Anyway:
Petting Feature
Dating Sim
Getting too Casual
Censorship
Anti-Gay
No Dual Audio
Too Pandering
So many complaints. I'm not surprised by this though. Not at all.
P.S.S. @ThomasBW84: It's been several minutes since I last told you...You are still a fraud.
@Evenmoresteven You buy it from the main menu of the game when you click explore paths. You must be 6 chapters in before you can buy the other one.
@Fee So this made up game that you are mistaking for the Fates games doesn't exist. The bonding minigame has been streamlined; all of the homosexual (all two of them but hey baby steps) S ranks still exist; unit bonding is a long time part of the FE series so unless you think all of them are dating sims; Dual audio while likely a pet peeve of mine as well has likely more to do with the fact of WHO is singing the song (it is part of Renka's debut single) and the japanese music industry is really controlling; how is it pandering or easy? There are numerous modes of difficulty and it is still very much a SRPG. Many of the changes made to the gameplay are positive (do you actually NEED to deal with weapons that break? does it change where you send your units? If it does you stocked them poorly anyway.) and it introduces new unit types to ADD to the strategy.
I really don't get the complaints against this game trilogy...I swear half of you all are just repeating things you saw on other forums or you have some seriously muddled memories about the series overall. The majority of the mechanics that are in Fates aren't new to FE and most didn't even start with awakening. Yes, I've played all of them including the japan only ones.
@Ryu_Niiyama Wow, just shut up. I don't care about this game. I was repeating other people's complaints since the game was first revealed til now. You wasted time writing that because I only read the first three sentences before deciding you were ranting about nothing.
I'm probably a minority in this but i deeply miss the 2d sprite animations from the gba era. The animations were sooo dynamic and i feel the game has lost a lot of its flair for me.
That being said i still enjoy the newer ones.
@Soren Fire Emblem died with Radiant Dawn poor sales.
They had to stop making the game for that small niche market and embrace a greater one. Remember than in business, the 'pride' of keeping the game as it was before doesn't matter, as long as it is making revenue. (I feel the same way with the Monkey Ball Franchise, it 'ceased' to exist after Deluxe)
@AVahne dunno, the comments I read from you at least had something to back up the complains, unlike some other user(s) who just whined about it.
So much for the supposed boycott for censorship. I'm not a fan of SRPGs but I'm glad this is doing well. Surely it'll encourage more localizations for future games.
@japongt
ewwww, that's gross. But no, and it hasn't been for lack of trying either. I have a bunch of guys on my team... (o_O ). I kind of like Hinoka, but then I found out she was my sister, so no, definitely no. And I like Rinkah too, but I think she makes such an adorable couple with Kaze that I don't have the heart to step in.(T-T )
But I'm not very far, so I'm still keeping my hopes up that I'll find Ms. Perfect soon-ish.
@Fee
Well, I was planning on getting it, I just wasn't happy with what I was hearing. I didn't care about "petting" per se, but I wish NoA had something to replace it with instead of just taking it out, but they didn't so I wish they had left it in the game. I want more bonding to do with my allies than just fighting alongside them, and yes, I would love it if there were more dating options, and/ or chances of forming relationships/ interacting with units. That's my favorite part and it's kind of bothering me that there could have been more but instead it got censored.
However if they had taken out same-sex marriage completely I wouldn't have bothered at all since that was the first thing that attracted me to FE Fates.
But even with all that, I'm still enjoying the game. I'm not planning on buying Conquest or the 3rd chapter though, and if NoA does the same censorship thing with the next Fire Emblem I'm going to skip it. Birthright is enough for me.
Bought the game on day 1 along with Street Fighter V. It's really hard to put Fates down when you start playing.
@Utena-mobile I meant because of the stalker thing.
@Fee
I haven't met her yet. lol, she can't be too bad... can she?
(o. O )
@Utena-mobile Well, she's basically a clone of the one from Awakening, and most people really liked her so...
@Gridatttack
It is absolute shame that Radiant Dawn sold so low. It was an absolutely amazing FE game. It had a few hiccups (slow start, too stripped back supports, spikes) but I felt it improved in a lot of aspects of Path of Radiance, which was phenomenal in itself.
Would have loved a game in its vein but guess now we will get more games like Fates (or FE: Dates xD).
I still have to finish Awakening (almost done) so will hold a while before I get Fates. Plus I want the 3rd route to come out before I buy this, although I can't say I support the "Buy all three routes to get the whole story and the canonical ending!" path Nintendo went with this.
Conquest for me definitely. Supposedly it has more complex gameplay like the older games. Are status effects back?
@Fee
well, I also like Orochi. But I read that there's only one marriage option per game. (o_O )
@MoonKnight7 It's "pique" interest. A peak is the top of a mountain.
Pique:
verb
1.
arouse (interest or curiosity).
@Utena-mobile I was just about to tell you that. If you're looking for a variety of options about gay marriage, you'll be sadly disappointed. Also all those whom you think are your siblings... Aren't. So there actually isn't any incest. Well, except for one special case, but even then, it's cousins. I will say no more.
@Gridatttack - What Small niche market? The weebs? Well that was just a bonus. I mean, the only reasons why Awakening sold well was timing and marketing, something they could have done with RD or every other FE in general. And now what a franchise that could have been ever expanding in mechanics and puzzles and developed characters and loved without dramatic changes, ceased. So no, @PlywoodStick, the shell of Kaga was never a shell. It was the 'magic' of Kaga because it was revolved around Kaga's original work and IS took time to add more to them. If a shell is the case, then I expect Advanced Wars to come back as shallow and weeby. Because the IS now is wearing the shell of the good IS that made good constant games back in the day.
@Dr_Lugae
Your right that would look amazing and i hope they do it for the 9th console and handheld this time.
Amusing how Europe has like 8 different regions to include for language (and Fates involves alot of written and spoken dialogue) and multiple lotchecks to pass, yet people can't understand why the game would take longer to come out there.
Or that Bravely Second is another RPG and that Nintendo doesn't want Square Enix's game cannibalizing it's sales. The 2 games were staggered in both regions, which I'm certain had to do with the past entry's sales data.
What do I know though, I'm not buying either one.
My pipe dream is for a Wii U Fire Emblem, to join GC and Wii's Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. Make it happen, Nintendo!
@Chevron
Lol.
A bit of an over the top comment, to the point where I said to myself, "I get it."
Regardless though, you are quite right. My sincere apologizes.
Great. I consider Fire Emblem Awakening the best original 3DS game.
@KO-Cub Not at all. Past FE games weren't from everyone because of the high difficulty (RD was insane, but it was a cool game)
They had to introduce things like Casual mode and Phoenix mode in order to make the game playable for more people.
Though, I suppose the lack of marketing was to blame too, but then ponders the question why Nintendo didn't? Due to the poor sales the previous games had? (Shadow Dragon and Path of Radiance didn't sold that well overseas from what I read)
@japongt I would like the remastered HD version of Radiant Dawn + Path of Radiance on Wii U with the advantage of having the gamepad controls - that would sell it to me.
@liljmoore Another console Fire Emblem would be awesome.
Such proud
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