Nintendo Issues Statement Clarifying How 'Petting' Will Work in Fire Emblem Fates

I'm glad they've done this. The idea of inviting your friend to your house and then rubbing their face is really creepy. If I did that in real life, I'd expect the other person to either make a b-line for the door or punch me in the face. Actually, they'd probably do both. Caressing your lovers face on the other hand is perfectly acceptable. So the S rank restriction makes total sense.

Plus, I don't want to have to explain why I'm feeling up characters on the touch screen when I'm playing this at work. That's be awkward.

@able_to_think I feel like it was done purely for laughs over there. Shame it got removed just because the translators found it creepy because I wanted to give big bro Marx / Xander a good face rub.
Guess I'll wait for the undub/censor patch and finish Awakening in the meantime.

"rubbing intensifies"

Anybody who is worried about this should just go and check out the Fire Emblem If fan translation. The guy who're doing that are also going to make a restoration patch to add this feature back in. All you'll need is a homebrew entry point.
http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=56220

I've been following this for a bit, and it just tickles me how irked some people are that this has been changed. I mean, I get the sentiment behind losing content that the Japanese get, but I don't think this is really that big of a deal.

People are STILL ticked-off about this whole thing? If you're that mad, just use the fan translation (which takes a long time to patch the Japanese version so it's a lot easier just to play the NA version instead). I couldn't care less about petting. It does make more sense for S-supports however. I don't even care about supports TBH. I just want to play a stragety game, not a waifu-petting simulator.

I don't even like it when a lover 'pets' my face. All I can think of is all of those oils going into my pores. : /

I personally find it fine... I already have all Japanese versions and have played them to my enjoyment (I can read pretty well, so...), but I'm still going to get these two + Revelations because... it's worth supporting! And playing in English will be a bit more relaxing haha.

All the double standards in approval regarding the various types of censorship and subversive content these games are getting has really quenched any interest I had for these games. If anything, I'll wait for qualitative reviews to show up before reconsidering getting them again. There are plenty of other games to play/look forward to, meanwhile.

Watched some of the livestream footage. The portion of the game where the mechanic was originally implemented feels unsatisfying and unfinished now. Also, it's embarrassing that Nintendo let speculation build up around the removal of this feature for so long without any kind of official statement.

Oh well. It's Fire Emblem, so the game will still be a lot of fun.

I'm not at all surprised by this, since I knew already the "petting" feature for married partners is completely unrelated to the actual petting mini-game that has been censored. The only good thing about the Western version of Fates now is Aqua's (Azura's) singing, despite its few minor flaws. NoA and the Treehouse have done everything possible to make the Western debut of Fire Emblem Fates so unappealing to buy, including censoring swimsuits and bikinis from the Western version's bathhouse.

Don't care since it's a minor feature. All I care about is the actual strategy gameplay that Fire Emblem is known for. Getting the game regardless if face petting is in the game or not.

@MrOshawott Some censorship is dumb, but I'm not against it. The only time I won't get a game is if it's censored so much that it changes the story. Other than that, I'm ok with it.

I'll be honest, I'm a little disappointed. I mean, I know, it was really only there as fan service, but I thought it was funny and mostly harmless (especially since it seemed like it was there as a joke, because you could pet anyone, regardless of gender).

I was hoping it would at least stay for whomever we decided to marry. Because, and I guess I should come out and say it, the first thing that attracted me to the game was hearing about the same-sex marriage option. I've never played a Fire Emblem game, so, in a way, yes, I am here for the romance. At least NoA didn't get rid of same-sex marriage or I would have cancelled my pre-order.

I'm still going to buy Fire Emblem, mostly to see what the hype is about, but I'm not quite as enthusiastic about it as I thought I would be (and all the recent announcements only seem to make me less excited). Sorry. I guess I'm not the type of fan the Fire Emblem community wants.

I don't care for the petting at all. It was a feature I wasn't going to use. I understand people getting tense because it is something removed but there really is no way to protest this without sounding like a pervert - which kind of makes Nintendo seem right for taking it out.

Do.
Not.
Care.

I'm so beyond this issue I'm sick of hearing about it.

Was playing some Awakening tonight, discussing that sad, emotional Chapter 9 cutscene and how Chapter 10 was one of the most gripping in the game, fighting in the rain with that amazing music and the events preceding still fresh in your mind.

That's what Im excited for. To experience more of that.

Almost at the 72 hour mark, and counting. Almost there...

Finally, a use for the microphone in a 3DS game. I don't have any 3DS games that use the mic.

@abbyhitter that's right, you get to blow on some people. Is it everything you wanted and more?

@tsukipon Here, let me take a whack at it:
It's probably spot-on that this feature itself has gotten way too much coverage for its importance, or lack thereof, in the game - if it was left untouched, I'm sure it would hardly have even merited mention in most discussions, for better or worse.

It's hugely disconcerting, though, that Nintendo's "localizers" are taking it upon themselves to cut out entire functions from games if they so much as rub them the wrong way (I'm so sorry for that pun). I wish I could be hyped about the game, as it seems awesome on the whole, but it would make me feel so dirty to support the tyranny of Nintendo's localization team. I don't want to feel dirty about buying great games .

...Anyway, glad to see this site finally getting its facts straight that the petting stuff is a different matter entirely to the S-rank stuff.

@MrOshawott How do you know they removed the swimsuits? I don't recall any press releases about that. Then again, I'm not keeping up on news about this game. I thought the digital release was going to be one version that gave you a free download of your first choice of sides, but I was wrong about that too.

@MitchVogel I don't really care about this anymore. I'm just glad you're not that fraud @ThomasBW84

@abbyhitter Pfft. If you just want to blow in the microphone you should've just bought Senran Kagura Burst.(or Animal Crossing) XD. You're weird as...holy wow...you're weird as me. What the Fee? You were creeped out(or just didn't care) before but now you're excited because you get to blow in ears? XD. Oh golly gee. Hahahahahahahaha...-sighs- I need to quit. Meh.

@Fath
It's so that Nintendo can continue to have a "Kid Friendly" appeal in the U.S.

But they forget that they've already lost the kids. Kids play either Call of Duty or mobile games.

@Senpai_Bruh: "Some censorship is dumb, but I'm not against it. The only time I won't get a game is if it's censored so much that it changes the story. Other than that, I'm ok with it."

Alright, then, I hope you have fun with any future gaming titles that you may be looking forward to buying, even if it has content, minor or major, arbitrarily stripped out of it.

@Fath I would feel that way if it affected the game, but it was an optional mini game that doesn't affect the story or game as a whole. Localization does this often becuase Japanese and American cultures are different and people can get offended by different things. Fire Emblem is a franchise that was on thin ice so they are trying hard to keep it for everyone so that it will sell a lot. Fire Emblem was ready to die after Awakening. I'm glad it didn't.

@tsukipon
Really? I thought Fire Emblem Awakening was a hit, and brought the series back for U.S. gamers?

@gerima: "How do you know they removed the swimsuits?"

These screenshots of the Western and Japanese versions should be enough to explain that: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=4725945&highlight=#4725945

@MrOshawott Uhhh.... what? I said I won't play a game only if the censorship is so bad that it changes the ENTIRE story. Like I said, if something like a bathing suit or similar is censored I'm ok. However, if the story is changed, I won't play it. Removing petting or bathing suits doesn't change the story what-so-ever. BTW I can't tell if your're being sarcastic.

@tsukipon Puhuhahahahahahahahahaha.

This game is almost as good as FF Fifte-heheheheheheeen or -pants- M-hahaughtty number nihahahine. -sigh- The most fun games I've ever not played. This one managed it even without delays...haaaaaahhhh I'm wasting time. Better skedaddle.

@Utena-mobile If Awakening sold the way it was expected, it would have been the last in the series at least outside of Japan. It's shift toward an anime aesthetic gave it the shot in the arm it needed to get more notice, but also gave it this platform for being Nintendo's most polarizing game for long time fans (me and others) and newcomers such as yourself.

I used to share these games with my younger siblings and neices/nephews but they're getting to "edgy" for me. I really hope for Nintendo and Intelligent systems to refocus on what made this series great and appreciated in the first place, because right now I feel like some sort of creep when I tell people that Fire Emblem is easily my top 3 favorite series of all time.

@Senpai_Bruh "Removing petting or bathing suits doesn't change the story what-so-ever."

Then what's the point of removing these features if they have no impact to the story, other than for arbitrary reasons and appealing to the politically-charged bashers that probably never generally cared for Fire Emblem initially at all? You could simply ignore them if you didn't want to use them.

I don't really mind them removing this content, but maybe they should cut a few bucks off the cost of the game too. (It's like reverse DLC!)

@tsukipon You can totally not sound like a pervert. You just have to pretend that this is about censorship.

@DatFunkySmell Really!? Really!? I need to just stop reading the comments because I can not contain myself anymore. Awakening was edgy now? You feel like a creep for telling people Fire Emblem now because of it? Really? And you're actually serious. This isn't some kind of trolling or internet joke. You are actually serious. How am I supposed to be? How am I supposed to leave this article without telling everyone how funny I thought that post was?

Guys stahp! You can literally die from this type of thing. See here? http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/laughing.asp People get mad about trolling and isms, and obias, but these guys are literally trying to murder me with their words.

-pant pant- I might haha not he- be able to post here anymore.

@MrOshawott That is a stupid argument to make. You have no idea who all the people are who play Fire Emblem. I've enjoyed the hell out of this series since it debuted in NA and am particularly disgusted by the direction it's taken since Awakening and am all for NOA's changes because it's not what the series has been and is an obvious sellout.

@Fee So "quotes" mean nothing anymore, huh? As far as the rest of your question is concerned, you could try being constructive or continuing your actual life elsewhere. It is the same price.

@Utena-mobile you are right. What I meant was that the FE franchise was dying and Awakening was meant to be the last game, but because it sold so well and was highly recieved, they continued to make FATES.

@Fee I have no idea anything you were trying to say.

I've said it before, I'll say it again; the attitude of "localisers" is bordering xenophobic.

@MrOshawott Exactly. If you don't like that kinda stuff, then don't use it. Although, I don't really care if it's removed or not. I just want to play the game.

@DatFunkySmell
You don't have to feel like a creep. You don't have to justify or explain yourself over the things you like. You could just realize that maybe your sibling and nieces and nephews aren't old enough to play those games. You do have other games, right?

@shaneoh I have a ton of doubts that anime culture is actual Japanese culture. To me that makes about as much sense as American Culture being 1:1 with Family Guy and Spongebob. I don't understand the strange mentality that Japan can do no wrong.

@DatFunkySmell Constructive. Stahp. Please. -sigh- As if those quotes change anything? You're still embarrassed by something as tame as awakening...gasps unless that was actually sarcasm. Ugh, you got me you murderous dastard.

@tsukipon Well you wouldn't.

Guys I'm not even joking anymore. In real life I am short of breath from laughing at you. I legitimately am trying to force myself to stop. I'm not even lying. I'm gonna leave for real. Have fun being yourselves, and I'll try to have less fun looking.

@Utena-mobile Yeah, but it really sucks to lose Fire Emblem as one of those games. Something that required thought, tactics, has a good narrative, and also is in line with my cultural values. That's not an everyday occurrence and are the reasons Fire Emblem I regard Fire Emblem as highly as I do.

@DatFunkySmell
I don't think that Family Guy or Southpark are an accurate portrayal of American Culture, but they help paint a picture of the American zeitgeist. Everything we make, Stephen Universe, Family Guy, SouthPark, Call of Duty, SpongeBob Square Pants, all of those are indicative of the American zeitgeist.

The same holds true of anime and Japanese games, only for Japan.

@DatFunkySmell "You have no idea who all the people are who play Fire Emblem."

Which people are you referring to? People from Japan or people from the U.S.? If you're referring to the latter, then, sorry to say, but the viewpoints of Japanese gamers of Fire Emblem matter to its creators more than that of the West since it was made primarily for them.

@Fee okay, but if you aren't going to respond coherently, then don't.

@MrOshawott If it gets distributed and localized for NA, then it was made for me too and just as Japan has it's audience catered to, westerners deserve the same treatment.

@tsukipon I respect your right to weigh the factors in play differently and reach a different conclusion than I do. Everyone wants to see the core of Fire Emblem succeed, one way or another.

@Utena-mobile Those things all paint the same image of liberal america (besides COD). It's not an accurate representation. If it were as you said, Mario and Zelda would not have as much appeal as they do in Japan being they aren't anime at all.

@Fath Of course. I don't dismiss your opinion. I understand your complaints because people want to play the game as intended. I was only giving you my take on all this localization. I respect your opinions and preferences

Can we please put this to rest now? I'm tired of every discussion about Fates slowly turns into a argument over censorship and the concept of localization.

@tsukipon "as intended". You would have a great point if there was any actual artistry in these games anymore. I could be wrong, but Fire Emblem instantly hit sellout status when it changed it's entire presentation style to reach a bigger audience. Makes perfect business sense, I won't deny, but I've never known Nintendo to ever make perfect business sense as they've always been about selling what they believe in even if it hurts them. I would love to hear anyone from Intelligent Systems weigh in on the matter actually in regards to why the feature was in the game to begin with.

@DatFunkySmell: "If it gets distributed and localized for NA, then it was made for me too and just as Japan has it's audience catered to, westerners deserve the same treatment."

If, by this mindset, you mean that Westerners deserve to have Fire Emblem localized without have ANY of its content censored, the characters' names arbitrarily changed, and/ or its translation botched up, then yes, I agree with that. However, I know all too well that this isn't the case, judging from your preceding responses...

@DatFunkySmell As I mentioned before, I don't care about the petting feature but I understand why it was in the game, whether or not I agree with it.

I'm not trying to generalize Japanese culture but looking at high selling RPGs, that feature is meant to appeal to the "otaku" and the "NEET" and "Hikikomori"

I would normally be a little "ick" but I would rather the games sell well and since the feature was entirely optional, it doesn't bother me so much and wouldn't even if NOA left it.

@MrOshawott What makes you think the Japanese version is so sacred? Did it ever occur to you that it too was "localized" to appeal more to its market there just as it was here? Nintendo does not do cut and dry translations. If they want a product sold in different regions, they put in the effort to make it palatable. Is this only an issue with Fire Emblem because it looks like an anime now? Where are the cries when a Pokemon gets it's name chagned? Because besides Mew and Pikachu, they are all different for the sake of being understandable to English speakers.

*sigh

well, as much as I'm disappointed by everything I'm hearing about Fates in recent days, at least NoA decided to keep the same-sex marriage open as an option. I can be happy with that.

btw, is there a way to delete games from our "collection" list under our profile?

@tsukipon I get that much, but can I speak hypothetically for a moment? Hyrule Warriors Legends is coming out soon. WHAT IF in that game's original Japanese version, in the model gallery mode, you could blow into the mic to make Zelda's dress fly up? Would you expect that feature to make it to our shores? Would Nintendo even let that fly in Japan considering who that character is to their brand? How do you think people would react if that feature was censored. I'm 1000% certain that "panty shots" are commonplace in anime culture and can easily make it into most T-Rated games in the States and their EU equivalent.

@DatFunkySmell
Nintendo wouldn't do that, even IF they started to include fan service into their games. Zelda runs under a different design ethos than Fire Emblem, or Bayonetta, or Resident Evil.

A western example would be the developers of Skylanders suddenly implementing Mortal Kombat types of fatalities. It just wouldn't happen.

@Utena-mobile What makes you so disappointed? Every thing I've seen about the strategy aspects look wonderful and better balanced than the last game. I can't speak delicately on this matter so pardon if I come off as harsh, but if the relationship stuff is your main interest in this series, it's going to leave you wanting. You get a maximum of 4 times per couple to ever actually get them to interact with each other and it's about as brief each time as 1-1.5 minutes of dialogue each time. It's interesting on multiple playthroughs becuase each pairing gives unique dialogue and insight to the characters but if the homosexual stuff is what you were really in for, you'll only get one instance of it the same way every time since it's limited to your avatar and the token gay person.

@DatFunkySmell: "What makes you think the Japanese version is so sacred?"

Never said anything about the Japanese version of Fates being sacred.

"Did it ever occur to you that it too was 'localized' to appeal more to its market there just as it was here?"

Yes, NoA and the Treehouse censored all of the content that was deemed "objectionable" to get Fates to fit under mainstream appeal. The end result: a game that has more than 25% of its content censored and a watered-down story, all for the (sarcastically) LOW, LOW price of $80.00.

@Utena-mobile Since when did Fire Emblem have a different ehtos? Awakening? All it took was one game to change things and now there's waifu face poking.

For the sake of honesty, I'm aware that past unreleased Fire Emblem games have had plots involving incest and other things that are not "PG" in some form. I can only speak for the games released since Smash Melee. At the same time those games never left Japan and would have never left un"localized".

@DatFunkySmell No I wouldn't expect it to make it our stores. I would be happy for them to take it out, like I am pretty much content with the petting feature being taken out, and the "slutty" outfits in Fatal Frame.

I am sorry, I don't really follow you on the bottom section of your comic. I understand you are poking at people who buy it for the romantic interest, because let us be honest - this drew in some... "undesireables" like a friend of mine. She bought the game because she heard it marriages but she is terrible at these type of games so she just never actually played it long.

But, what I don't follow it why you mentioned the homosexual relationship. I mean, just because it is only one instance, is it less than the others? I like the romantic relations personally because of the supports themselves and I think they add to the game and understanding of each character. I don't think of it as the main selling point, no, but I think it was a good stance that such a feature thought about including another variety of players because gay/bi people exist in real life and even if it was limited, at least they got some representation to feel included.

@MrOshawott Why are so upset with silly memes in Zelda? Tri-Force heroes entire style was of one that meant NOTHING. Unless there's some other meme heavy game I'm not aware of. I don't internet very often so there could easily be memes that slip right past me.

It's also very bad form to use numbers as facts when you have to actual way of proving it(25%). The 3 game/s as advertised are worth the total $80 regardless of what's been changed. A lesser game would still be $40 or $50 each if you shop with Atlus.

@tsukipon I think there's a misunderstanding about the homosexual bit. I am in no way talking it down or disliking it, the specific person I was talking to about it mentioned it as their main interest but it's no secret that each very of the game has one(1) gay and lesbian character respectively. So the mileage you can get from that is used up pretty quickly.

@DatFunkySmell I didn't mean to misunderstand. However, if you aren't thinking of it as a romantic game, then such a thing shouldn't affect the overall experience of the game. And if you are like me, you "commit" to one character so it is fine for me.

This one again? Hey, if you think you are "mature" enough to handle the petting mini game like in the Japanese version, fine. But there are many others who don't. Kids, teens, adults and the perverts. Here's where the localization comes in. They know their market better than you (or they suppose to know better) because it's their job. And you blame them for this? No, I blame you vocal minority for blowing this up. I bet some of you falls under the pervert category who wanted the minigame so badly pretending to be offended by localization changes.

@tsukipon The relationship stuff is a fun distraction. It's neat to see the characters express themselves differently to see how they behave with different characters and is a slight reward for multiple playthroughs, but I would be lying if I said I didn't see Miriel as just a walking Forseti tome with 41 Spd stat off just one Master Seal.(she leveled up insanely broken). When I'm strapped in and ready to die a lot the characters are just numbers.

@DatFunkySmell @tsukipon
ok, I don't know what just happened or how to respond. Is it bad to want to marry another woman when Nintendo has clearly allowed same-sex marriage as an option?
(o_O )

and "undesirables?" ouch? So we decided to get the game based on the marriage feature. She didn't like the game. I may or may not. For all we know, I could become the biggest Fire Emblem fan of all time! I don't see how that makes us "undesirables."

@DatFunkySmell I never looked at the characters like that, even before the relationship feature imo. I pick characters based on my preferences (such as being pegasus knights because they are OP with iote's shield idc what anyone says) or if I just like the character. I might pick based on appearance or personality. I never worry about stats too much, unless they are really bad, because I can make almost any character work.

@Utena-mobile I don't think it is bad at all that you want to marry the woman. Go for it! I didn't mean to insult you. I have nothing against people that get into the game for it, but I consider people who bought it just for that and knew they didn't like or even play RPGs, I consider that undesirable. My friend, I love her but ugh sometimes, thought she was getting a Harvest Moon type marriage set-up and game and I know her and her preferences and advised her against it, but she bought it and never played it after the first time.

I guess I can't be so mad though, she helped support the franchise.

Why is this still such a big deal?

Why is this still such a big deal?

@Utena-mobile
It's not bad. I just don't want you to be let down by how shallow the feature is. 95% of the game is hard-ass strategic combat and it's where the games shine brightest. The games are incredible at delivering that. It's what should be getting attention, I feel. Instead of this relationship nontroversy. So what you're experiencing from myself and tsukipon is our own frustration at what this series has become from what it was and where it could be headed as a result.

I can't express it beyond that. I hope you actually do become Fire Emblem's biggest fan but for reason's other than it's shallow attempt at fan service. I feel wrong for all that this comment contains but this is how I feel about this series and what it means to me. I hope you understand and can relate to the sentiment.

Good. Now can we start modifying other Eastern art that doesn't conform to what people in the West like? I for one think there were too many hammers in Oldboy, and that there weren't enough minorities represented in House of Flying Daggers. Let's get a petition going people!!! How dare these people feel free to express themselves without checking with us?!? Outrageous! (sometimes a tone can be missed in writing, so just to be crystal clear, I am being very sarcastic).

@DatFunkySmell: "Why are so upset with silly memes in Zelda? Tri-Force heroes entire style was of one that meant NOTHING. Unless there's some other meme heavy game I'm not aware of. I don't internet very often."

I never played Tri-Force Heroes or any Legend of Zelda game, so I can't comment on its gameplay, but, yes, Nintendo of America has been forcing memes into their games for quite a while now, and, to be frank, I, as well as many others, are getting tired of it.

"It's also very bad form to use numbers as facts when you have to actual way of proving it(25%). The 3 game/s as advertised are worth the total $80 regardless of what's been changed."

The censored petting mini-game, which had hours worth of dialogue for each character that was in it, the censored magic potion scene, and the censored cosmetic options for the bathhouse. That's more than a QUARTER of content GONE, at FULL PRICE. Perhaps seeing these features removed is of no concern to you, but I just can't justify myself throwing away $80+ for less content.

@JohnnyC This isn't art. Far from it actually. It's a product specially curated to appeal to a specific sect of Japanese anime culture in the effort of getting their money. When your studio specifically goes out to hire famous manga writers and artists to help the game appeal, all artistic integrity is void.

@MrOshawott More than a quarter of the game? No. The game is hours spent on the maps. The different weapons and skills each character can l obtain. The linear progression of the story. The actual characters themselves. What you described are the most pointless features in the game that has never once been a driving force of what makes Fire Emblem compelling. You don't even play Zelda. You are in no way entitled to be offended, irritated, or tired of something you have zero interest in. You don't like internet memes because they're in English I bet. But had it been a Japanese internet meme and you would be championing its use of "culture".

BTW one cartridge of this game is $40. And if Nintendo's claims that each is as robust content wise as Awakening, you're absolutely not getting a "less" game regardless of how many things were changed.

@tsukipon
well... I've never played a strategy rpg game before... But I think it could be fun. The trailers made it look fun, anyways.

@DatFunkySmell
well, I already feel disappointed. I was hoping for a lot more, like I actually have to spend time getting to know her and forming a bond, and then building that relationship to the next level. That's why I wanted the mini-game to stay. It's not like I actually cared if it was a petting mini-game or filled with fan service, but at least it was something. Nintendo could have replaced it with anything! having tea together, going to a bath house, watching a sunset, having a picnic. Anything at all, but they didn't. They just removed it, and it made me feel like I was cheated out of creating a bigger emotional bond than I could have.

@tsukipon You can be good enough to make anyone work in most normal cases. And I gravitate towards Myrmidon's generally as I love Samurai and Japanese martial arts, but when you're playing on Lunatic and higher and Miriel is faster than Lon'qu, you use Miriel to get you out of tough jams.

@Utena-mobile I hope you do enjoy it. Since you haven't played one before, I wouldn't judge you. In my friend's case, she played them before and hated them, so I hope you can see why it bugs me.

If you do plan on getting Fates, I would recommend getting Hoshido's side (I forget the actual name) because it is the easier of the two sides in terms of difficulty which can help ease you into the genre. I don't even care if you play on casual because if you just want to experience the story, that is awesome too. The more FE fans, the better!

@DatFunkySmell I never used Miriel, even in Lunatic mode lol. She is just not an interesting character to me and because I never used her, I was not aware of her growth. I didn't really miss her tbh since I kept both Tharja and Henry as my main mages. Dark magic ftw

@tsukipon She's not supposed to have spd like that. My 41 spd Miriel is a freak of nature/stroke of luck. For comparison's sake, Lon'qu, who is the same level +-, is a Swordmaster with a spd stat currently of 34. Gaius has 36. Tharja is good but Henry joins much too late to ever be useful. But I play Fire Emblem like I play Pokemon, so every one of my units have to hit they're max level with optimal skills and weapon loadouts regardless of if the characters aren't any good.

@DatFunkySmell I disagree. Henry's crit is similar to Tharja's. Ridiculous. I can leave both him and Tharja lying around with Nosferatu or Aversa's Night without worry.

I, too, max all my main units and their stats, as well as go through various classes to get the skills I prefer. I just do it with units that I like. Same with pokemon. I use my main team and make them work as much as a I can. Sometimes, of course, I still lose a unit, but I always restart and try again. I never like my units dead. I'm not the kind of player to say, "I use what I want and have no issues". I do hit challenges in Lunatic mode, and have to restart a lot, but I don't mind when I get to play as I want.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing you or your play style/unit choice. You play as you want, and it's not a problem at all. Everyone enjoys games differently and I respect that.

@DatFunkySmell @tsukipon
Yeah, I understand why you guys are frustrated, and hopefully, you understand why I am too. It was never really about the fan service for me, but I guess I was expecting a different kind of game than what you're saying Fire Emblem is actually like. (o_O )

btw, I'm getting Birthright (I don't know if that's Hoshido or not) because that's the only one with lesbian marriages. I'm still debating if I want to play casual or not because I always cry (well, sometimes) when someone I care about in a game dies. But someone told me, perma-death is the only way to truly play a Fire Emblem game sooo...

@DatFunkySmell
It's not 1:1, but it is a reflection of Japanese values and culture taken a bit further. Also I'm not saying that Japan can do no wrong, as I can think of a couple of instances where they have acted wildly against the norms of my own values and culture.

@MrOshawott Stop trying to guilt trip them lol. That sh*ts hella annoying, not everyone cares jesus

@Utena-mobile Well...Perma-death is the true Fire Emblem experience and you can always restart the chapter they die on, like I do. There is no shame in that because mistakes happen. We are only human. You don't have to keep them dead. I don't like when my units die either and I get sad. You can restart and if you don't like having to, play casual. Don't let anyone judge how you play the game because it you just want to play an amazing story, then who cares what style of play you experienced it in? Not me.

If you are still unclear what to expect with Fates, there are a few gameplay videos online already you can view. And yes, Birthright is Hoshido. I had to look to check cuz I never remember the english names lol.

@Utena-mobile Perma-death is why I like the games to begin with. I recommend it. I used to just a normal kid until I lost Bartre back in the first game and thought he would be back in the next chapter. Boy was I wrong. I was never the same since.

You mentioning that reminds me of one of the last Iwata Asks where he interviewed the devs of this game. They all were wearing T-shirts said "Die, Reset, Restart" or something like that. They were referencing the traditional way you "play" Fire Emblem games because while perma-death is there, its really the only way the game can "defeat" you unless you lack all strategic awareness or 2-digit math skills.

The stress of trying to not lose a single unit, I feel, greatly enhances the feelings you get if you're trying to connect more with the characters. It also makes you better at the game because even if you do restart the chapter, you learn what mistakes to not make next time.

There's no feeling like when your team is holed up inside a rickety fort while your best units are keeping the enemy from swarming through the front door, whilst your archers are picking off guys surrounding the place who are trying to break down the walls to get to the civilians and healers you're desperately guarding inside. The scenario writes its own drama as you play it. It's unreal.

@DatFunkySmell @tsukipon
uh oh. I don't really have any sort of strategic awareness (or maybe I do, I don't know). I'll just have to play really really cautiously.
(T-T )

but anyways, I'm glad we were able to understand each of our viewpoints. That's really rare on the internet. lol. But yeah, it's really late here, so I have to go. have a good night!

ciao for now. (^_^ )/

@DatFunkySmell: "This isn't art. Far from it actually. It's a product specially curated to appeal to a specific sect of Japanese anime culture in the effort of getting their money. When your studio specifically goes out to hire famous manga writers and artists to help the game appeal, all artistic integrity is void."

In other words, you're saying the censored content in question isn't art because it doesn't fit your viewpoints? Your seemingly bitter tone surely indicates that.

"What you described are the most pointless features in the game that has never once been a driving force of what makes Fire Emblem compelling."

Speak for yourself. You may find the petting, the potion scene, and the swimsuits "pointless features", but, I assure you, others (myself included) beg to differ.

"You don't even play Zelda. You are in no way entitled to be offended, irritated, or tired of something you have zero interest in."

Translation: "I shouldn't ever express my viewpoints on any game that I haven't played unless it's positive." Understood.

"You don't like internet memes because they're in English I bet. But had it been a Japanese internet meme and you would be championing its use of 'culture'."

However, no Japanese version of a Nintendo title or any JRPG has ever made use of memes, at least as far as I know. Plus, I really don't approve of your straw-man argument.

@Utena-mobile It is really rare, isn't it? I'm glad we were able to be civil and understanding as well. Have a great night. It was a pleasure talking to you and I hope you enjoy the game. Good night~

@MrOshawott Then what made you want to play Fire Emblem (gba), Sacred Stones, Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, and Shadow Dragon.

How would you feel if this were an M-Rated game with censored/pixelated genitalia?

By the way, I'm super bitter towards this game. I'm in no way hiding that. But I also do a thorough amount of research into things FROM THE SOURCE before I start to theorize. Every statement made public about this game from Intelligent Systems says "Hi, I'm a consumer product".

All this news on Fates is quite disappointing. I think localisations should keep the original game in tact and not remove anything that may be described as offensive to a very small number of people.

@MrOshawott Not to really get involved in the argument but the swimsuit stuff is so low quality and bad, that why would it be missed? As well as the petting? This goes to my initial comment, that defending it makes people sound like the kinds of perverts the features were meant for.

These features in no way remotely equate 25% of the game. I'm not sure how you managed that figure.

I'd like to add that there is no proof that the swimsuit feature was removed. There is only a rumor: http://nintendoeverything.com/rumor-fire-emblem-fates-western-version-removes-some-swimsuits/

Time will tell.

@tsukipon There's a Japanese word for pervert, I can't seem to remember what it's called... Either way, some people might take offense to your assumptions.

@DatFunkySmell It is "hentai" and if they aren't perverts, then they shouldn't be offended. If they are offended, I apologize, but I can't change my opinion on how I see the defense of these two option parts of the game.

On the other hand, I recognize the issue with censorship of the creator's work, but I find these elements trashy like the suggestive outfits in Fatal Frame so I'm not on par with defending it myself. I know it is a double-edged sword, but life is never black and white.

@crimsontadpoles Unfortunately when there is an explosion of negative press over something, it is much more likely to be censored. Like how the drugging scene came across as trying to 'fix' the gay. People translating it themselves without all the details started throwing around the term homophobia. It was like taking something out of context because they didn't even have the context. Now that's been removed.

@crimsontadpoles
Except the ones who are complaining are in the minority. I get it that you're mature enough to handle what could be offensive to others. But there are many others out there who either take offense to the content or see it in the wrong way. The localisation team knows their market better than you.

@tsukipon Did you see the winky face? I agree. At this stage I'm indulging in a little internal giggle. I wanted to dance around that word for as long as I could. The fact that a staggering amount of people who watch that stuff and enjoy it are complaining about "censorship" is the most ironic thing I've ever seen. But of course it's okay if it's Japanese. See the last comment I made toward MrOshawott.

I never like anything being censored, a tiny bit of content being censored is still censored content.

However, I would like to point out that this face petting feature bring removed is going to have 0% impact on the gameplay. I really don't care that much at all.

@tsukipon
lol. I lied. I'm still here (brushing my teeth).
*reads comments...
whoa, I missed a lot in only a couple of minutes.

@MrOshawott
I'm with you, I wish the mini-game was still there or had something prepared by the developers to replace it rather than just be taken out completely. poking my partner to wake her up seems like a poor substitute. (T-T )

@DatFunkySmell Oh lol. My eyesight is not really good, so I couldn't tell the expression of the emoji lol. I have been reading your comments at each other, but I'm not really trying to get involved (but there was something I couldn't stand by and let go). I don't want to seem like I'm beating up on another person.

@utena-mobile lol. You did miss a lot. xD Go to sleep! You shouldn't immerse yourself in this heated comment section, unless you want to :>

@Utena-mobile Do you have a Wii U? If so, download the first(7th) game for $8. Low risk, perfectly lays out what FE is about. Support relationships are hard to obtain but are there. They're just a little random and are performed different since the game is completely linear unlike Awakening and Fates.

@tsukipon Yeah, I get you and I would not want you to gang up on someone, I just hit a breakthrough with this whole debate that I had to share. For some reason, no one was putting 2 and 2 together. This was never about censorship or a creators rights, it was about getting as much weaboo Nintendo action as possible and my poor Fire Emblem is being used because of it.

@DatFunkySmell
I think I'll be ok with trying out Birthright, because, well, even with the censorship, the marriage option is still there. But I really appreciate the advice. Maybe, at the least, I'll watch some youtube videos. And 7th? what happened to the first 6? anyways, you don't have to respond. I'm actually going to sleep. lol.

@tsukipon
Zzzzzzz

@DatFunkySmell I'd be careful with that as well, because it definitely will come across as offensive. Even if I agree a litle.

There are two groups of people: The hentai, and the actual people who care about censorship. It's hard to tell sometimes, but some is made a bit more apparent when you read long winded debates.

@Utena-mobile Japan happened. Shadow Dragon(DS) is a remake of the first NES game.

Hey NL, remember the Editorial about Localization vs Censorship?
It appears a good chunk of the comment section hasn't read it.
I feel sad for you guys, so much effort wasted

@tsukipon My whole point was to expose the "Japan can do no wrong" that is all over these articles. Even blatant racist caricatures in Bravely Default is being defended by people for no reason stronger than "Japan". People are saying things like "Native Americans don't even play these games". Just like that Oshwott person claims that people creeped out by waifu simulators don't play Fire Emblem. All of this boils down to the idea that if Japan does it, we're just supposed to roll with it or else we're bigots.

Thank God this is (nearly) all over, and thank God it ended this way. Hopefully now there can be more important articles and discussions that can be had here, it says something about how tiresome and repetitive this 'issue' has gone that I'd gladly listen to the whining of F-Zero and Metroid fans about how Nintendo has lost their way by not focusing on those series of games. At least those complaints are somewhat understandable. Heck, even the comments from the guy with the Outset Island Toon Link avatar about 'Scamiibo' and the guy with the Zekrom avatar about how Nintendo are crap just because he doesn't like 2D platformers are more insightful and engaging than this rubbish.

Once again, thank God.

@TheLastLugia It's far from over, don't forget that EU doesn't even have a release date so articles related to that will still bring up the petting debate.

@TheLastLugia I don't know why I click on these articles. But it's been 3 hours and my wrists hurt. So...shrug.

@DatFunkySmell I have seen this in arguments before, trust me and it kills me. Japan does no wrong but they have a more closed off culture than others, especially America with its vast ethic groups and people who associate with different genders and sexual orientations. So while it might not be offensive to a certain person or Japanese players, it can be offensive to Americans or Europeans and people act like these people don't have the right to be offended.

However, in the case of this issue, I could care less. This petting features isn't one of the main aspects of Fates and isn't something they should have integrity in so yeah.

On that note, I will also retire from this comment section. It was a pleasure chatting with you and I hope you have a great night.

Good idea. I'll follow.

@JaxonH I am playing through FE Awakening at the moment too (first time) and completely agree on how great those chapters were... Exactly what Fire Emblem should be about, as well as the strategy mechanics of course.

If people want a weird anime petting/swimsuit porn fix, go watch some manga. Leave our fire emblem alone please.

Bah, Nintendo. First of all the information you gave isn't even entirely correct. I'll admit that it's minor nitpicks, like "S-Level" instead of "S-rank", and that you blow on their face to dry them off, not wake them up. Or that tapping their face to wake them actually gets them mad at you - you're supposed to rub. But still, you guys wrote 2 freaking sentences, so I mean, come on.

More importantly though, today marks the third week since Kotaku broke the news on removal of skinship. And only NOW does Nintendo come out and say anything about it. And even then they side-step the issue.

And even THEN, now we're already done with the skinship stuff. Now it's all about those removed swimsuits (which DID give you stat bonuses, and without them the Japanese will simply have an advantage online). I suppose Nintendo might comment on that by mid-March?

@Utena-mobile I know I'm late to the convo since you're likely on your 3rd dream by now, but I still wanted to holla at you anyways. Personally, I don't think you will be disappointed by the game. Heck, the fact that your expectations are lessening is a GOOD thing. When something seems bad and it ends up being great, it has much more of an impact on you. Perhaps there have been games who you hyped up so much that when you actually played them, they turned out to be lame and disappointing? Well it's the opposite of the same thing. My girlfriend loves marriage sorta thing, she likes Rune Factory and that sort of stuff. Like you, she never played Fire Emblem Awakening before. She said she didn't like turn-based RPG's because apparently Final Fantasy left a bad impression on her a few years ago. I said "play at least the first chapter, if you don't like it, then disregard". Few weeks later, she beat the game and everything in it. Now she'll be playing Birthright and I'll play Conquest. Point is, I hope you like the game as much as she liked Awakening.

@tsukipon @DatFunkySmell I've played every FE game except Awakening (haven't found time for it) and resetting the game when a character dies is such a pain. Not really a complain and I agree it is one of the things that makes FE, well, FE. But there were games that were just such a big pain in the butt that I was having characters die every turn. I'm talking about 2nd generation of FE4 and parts of FE5, made me want to kick a kitty. Now that I look back, it's pretty funny. More than the strategy, I love stories. Even if FE stories are... very generic, I still like them.

I do not think any features should ever be removed from any game when being localized. That's almost as bad as when there's a horrible anime adaptation of a manga.

Meh, I kinda saw it coming. Still waiting for Conquest.

About the name changes, they don't make sense like pkmn: is replacing Arthur with John better for understanding? o_o The hero default name should also have kept his meaning, using a more adequate english/european name. That's all.

@DatFunkySmell There has been a translation of the director, a producer and another staff member. Available on reddit, I think.

About the "blatant racism caricatures" of Bravely... you are going a bit far. What about some hats/costumes we can see for classes in Square games, who come from taoism, christianism , etc... ? -_-

@zool You mean the legal sexual consent minimum age. It is indeed 13 in Japan.

It sounds like the sort of game designed for teenage boy, who get some sort of thrill from this and the dressing the character from their underware up.

Fire Emblem should be a strategy game for all ages, like chess is. Why gamer makers feel they need to include this sort of rubbish in games, would be interesting to know.

I think the age of concent in Japan (for some things) is 13, maybe it's here wires are getting crossed.

@DatFunkySmell I believe games are an art form, if you consider what art is. I also consider film and music to be art. I don't like all games, in fact I find some to be awful and in some cases deeply unpleasant. There are also some very extreme recent examples which are illegal. However I think it sets a dangerous precedent when the creator panders to the desires of its audience to an excessive degree. High profile examples include the Mass Effect 3 ending, which now has a different ending than the one intended. More positive outcomes are where passion projects move forwards regardless of criticism, and you end up with something like Star Wars or Citizen Kane. Whether this game turns out to be Ocarina of Time, BMX XXX or something inbetween remains to be seen, but I think it's deeply unfair to judge something before It's been released.

I assume in Europe we probably won't even get this much. Presumably that's why we STILL don't have a release date; because NoE are censoring the living crap out of the games.

@zool Yeah, because it's only the female characters you can touch and dress. Sure.

I don't see what's so wrong/dangerous about petting digital people. I mean we kill them all the time and that's ok? why is giving them a little pet so incredibly sensitive to us in the west?...... I played tokimeki memorial girls side which had a "skinship" feature where you pet the guys, and I don't go around pet random guys just because I played that? Just like I don't go around and kill people because I played an fps or a fighting game. I want more erotic visual novels to come over here, I want more games focusing on love and romance, because I like that kind of stuff. But apparently that makes me a sick sick person. ....... sigh

I mean there are romance novels, that go pretty graphic into stuff happening, but because they are books its ok? or even movies where people get dirty and that's ok, but when it's games it's suddenly so incredibly dirty that it's not ok? what the fu

@MrOshawott: I thought the swimsuits were still in the game? At least according to Q&A video from GameXplain. Derrick has been playing the special edition for quite a while now and while I think there might have been some kind of change with bathhouse, the swimsuits are still in game and can be seen. I don't really remember how it went so I'd advice you to watch the video. He tried to keep it spoiler free though it's long and in two parts.

I don't really care about all the localization changes. Sometimes they're bad, sometimes they're for good. For example, I'm sure everyone's happy how they released Red & Blue with improvements and bug fixes over Red & Green.

Hopefully the prudish moral guardians and SJWs alike will be satisfied with this cens... localization.

It makes it better as far as I'm concerned. As I have understood, that feature is a primo way to increase supports between characters, and not having to whip out my stylus every-single-time is an enormous plus.

+it really was out of place in a Fire Emblem game.

Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah,Blah, and Blah. This topic is so overdone. Are you gamers or are you babies. Pacifiers are on sale at Walmart. If you like the game get it. This petting is a tiny fraction. That means it is small and minute. If your mad FE has lost its way because of this. Remember the story and gameplay. Do not get sidetracked on something so small. If you think it is censorship, it kind of is, but again remember the story and the gameplay. This is Fire Emblem or have you forgotten. If you are offended, you are a prude and I hope you never buy or play a game again. If you do stick with Mario,(I still love Mario) Yoshi , or Kirby because that is where your mentality is. You are part of the problem and you ruin games. You should try to go back to school or get another hobby. If you are still in school, you should to try studying and open more books because maybe then you won't be so ignorant. I do apologize if I offended anybody. (notice a disclosure)

I can't wait until this quits getting talked about so much. I see more news and rumors on some mode for people who want to rub their imaginary cartoon girlfriend then actul interesting news about the game (not this site's fault. It's just everywhere). I have seen absolutely nothing they cut out of the English version that "ruins" it for me. If this odd mode means that much to you...well you might need to get out of the house more often to put nicely.

This is a story about people wanting the more sexualized version of two works by the SAME author. It is not about censorship, which by definition does not make any suggestion about which of multiple works an author may sell in one place or another as they choose. Even should those works be similar, or contain suggestive material permitted to be sold in any place, or the plot have simply differing outcomes in parts but otherwise nearly identical, even if said plot is again, sexual in nature. This is all besides the point and the definition. That is simply not censorship.

If an author writes multiple versions of a work and includes differences between them, the meaning of censorship has no part in deciding which work and where the author may choose to sell it. It isn't brought into question for any reasoning the author may have for selling what and where.

133 comments on this... can we not move on from this topic already? The game's already published and finalized, and nobody is going to convince Nintendo to change anything. And in my opinion, the feature we got to replace the rubbing is just as good, if not better due to featuring all the good of the original feature (support bonuses, Live2D) without the potential awkwardness that clearly many people do not like. I don't see why people are still making such an issue. What's done is done, move on.

Ok maybe this will help. One of my all time favorite books is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. It has three printings, UK, US, and Author's Preferred Text. The US version had content added and subtracted in order to help the US audience understand some of the British locals and change some of the British humor that may not have been grasped by an audience that lives half a world away. The Author's Preferred Text is, as Gaiman put it, “assembled from various drafts of the book,” and reconciles the British and American versions that came before. Now he did all the rewrites so is he guilty of "censorship" or just making his book more accessible to a different audience? I have read the UK version and the US version, both are great and while I got all the content of the UK version I can see how it might fall flat on some in the US.

Now, since Nintendo is the "author" of this game, shouldn't they be allowed to make the same revisions in order to make this game as accessible as possible to other audiences? Funny how everyone is up in arms about the whole "petting" game but no one seems to be raging about the "censorship" of the scene that can be construed as gay conversion... a scene that was rightfully removed in my opinion. Could it be that both of these parts of the game play differently to a Japanese audience and would garner a harsher reaction from an American audience that lives half a world away?

@Hunter_Rose I think we could both simply say that censorship is not, and cannot be invoked by the intent of the author or originator alone. Censorship always involves another, a true separate party or agent.

This is because one cannot censor one's self - it is not changing one's mind or holding any notion about one thing while holding a contrasting notion about another.

@DreamOn Very true, which means that there is no "censorship" with Fire Emblem since it is the "author" making the changes. It isn't as if the ESRB is forcing the changes or some other body, but Nintendo itself.

@Hunter_Rose There is the term 'self-censorship' which I believe is separate and it does contrast from the definition of simply 'censorship'. But anyone suggesting that self-censorship cannot be acted upon, I believe that infringes on the right to act for one's self. And I don't think anyone in this discussion is suggesting it or alluding to it

So glad this dumb feature had been removed so it doesn't taint my game about war and strategy.
For those of you offended or mad about this, please promptly fill this out: http://www.google.com/search?q=butthurt+form&prmd=isnv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwipzd7NrvzKAhUI32MKHRSbD4sQ_AUIBygB&biw=360&bih=615&dpr=3#imgrc=XGJGGG9g2fqt4M%3A

Can't wait to unlock all the support convos in Fates.

So many new characters and dialogue... it's gonna be like Christmas morning this Friday

@Clownshoes wasn't that ssb Luigi thing old news anyways? I am certain I saw that last year....

@DatFunkySmell: "Then what made you want to play Fire Emblem (gba), Sacred Stones, Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, and Shadow Dragon."

I had little awareness of Fire Emblem at the times those games were debuted, so I have no comment.

"How would you feel if this were an M-Rated game with censored/pixelated genitalia?"

Alright, now, that's a loaded question. I'm against censoring of ANY material, even if it's something that I may find repulsive.

@tsukipon: "Not to really get involved in the argument but the swimsuit stuff is so low quality and bad, that why would it be missed? As well as the petting? This goes to my initial comment, that defending it makes people sound like the kinds of perverts the features were meant for."

This question entirely misses the point. The removal of the petting mini-game and the swimsuits isn't the sole reason that people are upset, it's the fact that the game was censored at all that has got them irritated, and rightfully so. As for your initial comment, I respond with this: The people that are throwing a fit over the censored material being present but are okay with the blood and gore being present makes them sound like they want to enforce their arbitrary moral values on others. It's a two-way street.

@TheLastLugia Yes everything you said yes

This must be the topic that keeps on giving... clicks that is. And now I'm part of the problem.

Good, keep that creepy mini-game outta here.

@MrOshawott But blood and gore isn't present in this game. I see what you are getting at, but I am only talking about Fire Emblem.

The petting and swimsuit thing (which isn't even confirmed to be removed so I'll stop talking about it) are parts of the game that don't affect the story and are literally there as some form of fan service. I understand the issue with something being removed but it is a part of the gsme that in my opinion, shouldn't have been in the game on the first place.

Censorship is a gray area. It isn't black and white. Some people/companies do things differently ways. And just because I am for this in this particular game, doesn't mean I support it for another. Each case is different. The reason I say this is because people get the idea that just because others are for this or just don't care, doesn't mean they look to another and care. But some instances, such as this, I feel Nintendo and understand their move.

Like with the Tomahawk costume in Bravely Second. It got changed to a Cowboy. I perfectly understand. Japan doesn't have Native Americans among them. They don't know or understand them, so when they do something like this, it may be harmful to nthem, but it offends people in America. Native Americans have explicitly stated that they don't want their existence to be boiled down to a costume, which is why they advocate to get them removed in Halloween as well. They reserve this right It is their culture being used to make a class in the game that has no understanding of the culture to begin with.

Of course, petting isn't that bad. My initial.response when I heard about the petting featuee being removed was "I don't understand why Nitendo did it because it makes so sense to remove it personally, but I'm not going to waste my time.defending a feature I found useless and a bit trashy in the first place."

@japongt We all experience games differently. I've played every NA release of fire emblem and while I agree restarting chapters can get aggravating, it isn't a downside of the game. I get annoyed with dying or something in other games too. In FE's case, it just means I made a strategic mistake and need to try again. It is fun for me.

But I am for a feature being removed when it is in poor taste and offends people. The petting didn't fit this criteria to.me, but it was such a small and superficial aspect I would not even use, that I actually don't care. I know that sounds very aloof, but it is how I feel about that. I don't think the feature should have been in a Fire Emblem.game to begin with.

@JohnnyC But it has been released and the information is available for all to consume. Video games are art. This latest Fire Emblem is not art. Not with how it was developed. Intelligent Systems openly admits and even brags about selling out to achieve greater financial results.

@JohnnyC But it has been released and the information is available for all to consume. Video games are art. This latest Fire Emblem is not art. Not with how it was developed. Intelligent Systems openly admits and even brags about selling out to achieve greater financial results.

@tsukipon I understand you as well, I never saw the permanent death feature as a bad thing. Like you, I believe it's one of those things that defines Fire Emblem. I was just saying in challenging parts of certain game, it was just a huge pain in the butt.

As for features being removed, regardless of what it is, I cannot agree with that. Whether you or I use the feature or not is irrelevant, because others such as @Utena-mobile would like to enjoy such features. Whether that will mean they'd like the game or not, is also irrelevant. Just bring the game over as creators made it as, and if you're going to change something, add, don't subtract.

At the end of the day, Nintendo of America's default plan for localisation now seems to be "What can we remove?" I personally feel they, as a group, are forcing political ideologies onto gamers, rather than trying to protect anyone. Each to his own, but I personally can't support that.

@japongt I understand and respect your stance on it. For me, it is one of those things that won't be missed but I know that it isn't the case for everyone.

@tsukipon I like your name. I keep saying it out loud because it sounds funny. "tsukiPON"... "sukiPONG"...

@DatFunkySmell There have been games such as Xenogears that have several scenes where the characters are completely nude, shown both full frontal and back for men and women. However, due to the ambiguity of form that low resolution sprites have, and also not explicitly showing them in animated cutscenes, the rating for Xenogears was still only a T rating.

I've mentioned this to another user, BulbasaurusRex, in the past, who also made this mistake... But it bears repeating, once more:

The rating of the game ONLY goes up if the content is EXPLICITLY shown. If it is unrecognizable or softened due to the presentation, then the game can still keep a T rating. Even with nudity, or even with the wacky minigame left in, as long as there is no explicitly shown imagery in the presentation, FE Fates would have still gotten a T rating.

I dunno at this point I'm over disgust and disappointment and ready to move on, This will be my last generation with Nintendo products.

@DatFunkySmell And who are you to judge what is "art"? People spend hundreds/thousands/millions of dollars/whatever currency on framing line splatterings, pictures of dinner tables and fruit, and even just... a frame of a single color and nothing else. Yet, they dare to call such mundane things "art" just because they represent haptic snapshots of time. It requires a hell of a lot more effort to make every piece of code for a game, no matter the result. If someone wants to call that "art", regardless of what the result is, who are others to judge?

As for Intelligent Systems "selling out"... That happened long ago, back when Shouzou Kaga was (presumably) harassed/kicked out from Nintendo after finishing Thracia 776, Fire Emblem 5. Nintendo even tried their damnedest to ruin Kaga on similar product charges after he left Nintendo to continue Fire Emblem's legacy in his own way, through Tear Ring Saga and Berwick Saga. So technically, Fire Emblem hasn't really been Fire Emblem since the GBA games. The anime tropes began there, they're nothing new.

You can say this newest one "doesn't align with your values", but the series since the GBA titles has been on the same evolutionary line. If you haven't played the NES and SNES titles, you may as well say that everything in the series you've ever played "doesn't align with your values." You're just letting the form this newest incarnation takes on cloud your vision.

@japongt lol. It is better than this guy that read it as Tesukitron xD

It's actually Tsuki-pon and the -pon honorific in Japanese is used for like...delinquents? Even though I wansnt a delinquent, I liked the way it sounded so I've used it since like 10 years ago getting rid of the hyphen and now its my own thing I never have to worry about anyone having

I'm disappointed that it's so limited. In my opinion, the game would've been a silly and fun way to take a break after going through a tough battle that had me on the edge of my seat.

@Tindre Welcome to the realization that Puritanism is still plaguing and controlling the minds of millions.

@BRAINFOX ...You do know the original plan was for full upper-body groping, but half the team didn't want to do with rubbing at all so Nintendo stepped in and compromised?

And of course, cries of "damn puritans" and talk of art are abound here. Can people quit with the name calling and just drop this? Nothing new has been said on the topic.

@CrazedCavalier I'm well aware of that as Camilla appeared to be the only one that got more assets made for the rubbing minigame in the entire game as evidence that it was meant to go further. I see it as humorous because of how absurd the situation is, much like the Senran Kagura games or that anime ping pong clip on YouTube that pops up after a few related videos. I doubt the devs just made the whole thing just complaining about the otaku ruining everything, so they probably tried to at least have some fun with it.

As far as the puritans vs perverts thing goes, the real problem is the localization industry itself. Too many people in those positions are just changing things for subjective reasons and poorly justifying it by saying it's for the good of the region they're localizing it for. Just look at the flack NISA got for Mugen Souls, Criminal Girls, or the Disgaea series. Loads of pointless, unnecessary edits made just because they didn't like a feature or "like spice with their meals" and they were defended for it. The same is true for Nintendo even more because the changes are impossible to object to without being strawmanned as a pervert, the game will sell anyways because only those in the know are aware of it happening (except Fatal Frame because that ship was sank before shipping off), and the parent company will allow it to keep their name clean.

So freaking wierd. These games have turned on o glorified dating simulaters. I hate it. Notto mention the $100 price tage f you want to actually expierence the whole story! Definitely not paying full price for this game, might get it used later.

@CrazedCavalier "You do know the original plan was for full upper-body groping, but half the team didn't want to do with rubbing at all so Nintendo stepped in and compromised?"

That's news to me. That right there marks a crucial difference between what constitutes a T and M rating.

It's true that this discussion, in the context it's being framed, is a bit silly with the compromises in place on any side of the world. The real discussion is about the people who fear that eventually, the face rubbing will become full body groping in a future installment.

I cannot help but be baffled that highly detailed depictions of mindless violence, even grotesque atrocities, are alright from the M (or sometimes even T) rating point of view... yet as soon as sexuality comes into the picture, that is the breaking point, even in benign presentations. It's an all-pervading issue which extends far beyond this game, which is why it's worth discussing.

As one who's been a fan of Fire Emblem since the GBA era, I really couldn't care less. I'm playing this for a tactical strategic experience, besides even if this was avalible to every character, wouldn't that be..creepy? Inviting a comrade to your house just to pet their face is disturbing plus touching their face anyways would make their face get dirty and clog up pores, I don't know.

@Yorumi Your friends and people you know from forums /=/ The entire anime/manga community

There is a large audience for fanservice anime that is most likely larger than people who watches anime for good stories and it's being straight up delusional thinking there isn't one. Anime fans themselves made them get a bad rep and the butt of most jokes, just like Sonic fans.

@Utena-mobile MMMM-mmm child, if you're buying the game just so you can marry the stalker then suga' you're in it for the wrong reasons. -sassy finger snap-

That was in response to the undesirables comment. A parody of sorts. Apparently you guys reconciled or whatever but I wanted to say that earlier and did not have time. It still works anyway. Huh. Though it's not like I give anyone here enough credit to even understand what it's a parody of. Oh well. C'est la vie. Whatever that means.

@Fee
she's a stalker? (o_O )

@Utena-mobile Yes...at least that's what I heard. I'm 95% positive it's true though. She was compared to Tharja from Awakening, so she almost certainly is one.

@Fee
wow. but... but she looked like such a nice person.
(T-T )

@Utena-mobile Heh. Stalker from awakening was one of the most popular characters(At least in the top 4 females out of parent characters, but I don't remember which place exactly). Maybe you'll like her? Does BB code...meh. You might have already read it but I deleted because bb code doesn't.

Also stupid site redesign made me click the button 50 times(because nothing is my fault) and won't let me delete them.

@Yorumi Why in the name of God would anybody watch fansevice anime on TV or anime on TV and all and judge it as if the TV anime watchers are the same as most anime watchers? TV anime watchers are the types that watches DBZ, One Piece, Naruto, and other popular anime that about men kicking each other asses, not stuff like Lucky Star, Kiss x Sis, and Kill la Kill.

And I don't know where you have been, but fansevice anime/manga and hentai hasn't been as plentiful as it is now.

The Western release for this game sounds like it's been totally b@st@r*!zed from everything I've heard about this game. Minor changes are fine, but the extent that the p.c. hammer has hit this game is unacceptable in my opinion. Don't know why some people here are making an excuse for this.

Don't care. I don't play FE games for the face rubbing.

@jlenoconel Really? Other than this rubbing issue, what else has been dramatically altered in the localization?

Glad they censored this in the US as it makes the game acceptable for adults and teens/kids to broaden the appeal. At its core this is a fighting game after all. We don't need overt sexualized content in Mario Kart, Smash, or even Mario 3D World to make these games apeeling. I suppose for those wanting this content it would have been nice to implement a system that filiters the game based on the parental rating set on your 3DS. But I think even that would have been problematic with many parents being uninvolved and not bothering to set these limits anyway. Maybe a face tracking feature that registers adult vs young faces, but ultimately all these methods could fail.