Fire Emblem Fates is out now in North America; based on the success of predecessor Fire Emblem: Awakening and the positive critical reaction this week, it should be a key release for Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. With two versions to choose from and plenty of DLC on the way there's going to plenty of strategizing to keep fans busy for the months ahead.
With the game hitting stores Nintendo has published its launch trailer, which encapsulates the drama and key choice that form the core of the games. Once again the animated cutscenes look terrific, and it's tough to not get a little excited after watching the video.
You can learn more about it - and the differences between the versions - in our Fire Emblem Fates review. How many of you in North America will be tackling this over the weekend?
Comments 74
Now to wait for the EU release.
Lame.
@Socar Why, thank you sir. @Bolt_strike sounds like a nice guy. I would love to meet him. Can you arrange that?
Is it funny or sad that I have read some comments on other sites begging for this to be on the PS4?
@Soren I don't know him, but you can easily get him on the Federation Force thread. Ask there and he'll show up for you.
In the meantime, ignore these games in their own right and rant what you want.
@FragRed Probably because they don't know that this IP is from Nintendo.
Still no EU release date.
Nintendo are a joke sometimes.
That trailer sure got me excited but why is their no EU release date announced. Come on nintendo we need some news so maybe it time for a other direct
"Available now"
I cri evry time.
@Socar Ha yeah I hope that's the case because if it isn't then they really are sad little people.
I have a feeling this will get a European release around the same time Bravely Second arrives in the US. So I hope a release date will be announced soon.
Did anyone else pre-order the special edition from Best Buy only to get an email saying the shipment has been delayed until March?
Man, it's so silly to deny Wii U of this game too. I really hope all those NX rumors are true.
And in Europe all we can do is cry into our pillows waaaaas 😭
I would love to play all three paths, but as there's still no sign of a SE restock, I'll have to settle for Nohr. (Plus, I don't have time for all three right now)
I feel bad that Europe doesn't have this yet, but at least they get Bravely Second now.
Im really tempted to get Conquest but with the little time I have right now, my game backlog is already long enough as it is...gotta at least finish Xenoblade and Resident Evil 4 first.
@mreeves83 Yup. Same exact situation. Apparently almost everyone who ordered it from Best Buy for shipping is getting theirs delayed. People have contacted reps and they all say it should come much sooner than the "assured" date they gave in the automated email though. They got a delayed shipment from Nintendo for some reason and say it should be sent out as soon as it arrives. Very frustrating, I was looking so forward to this release.
Got both games on my lunch break. Now I have to juggle playing
Digimon Story: CS, Senran Kagura on Vita, XBC, on WiiU, DB Xenoverse, Witcher 3 on PS4
God this won't come to Europe for months what's taking it so long just give me the American version this is why I hate region locking at the same time though it's why Nintendo does it!
Hahaha the funniest one in those YouTube comments is this:
"Looks like Corrin has many choices.
A European release date, is not one of them."
Buy 1 copy of the special edition, than my girlfriend gave me one, now...should I sell one or keep both?
@ChuJelly Keep an eye out because I just received an email saying it shipped today. Guess that delayed shipment from Nintendo came in today.
@Frank90 If you've got one sealed then I'd keep it if not I'd sell it or sell it at a very nice discount for my friends
My copy was delayed by Amazon until Monday so I have the whole weekend with more rhythm games and maybe some classic SNES goodness.
@mreeves83 Funny, I just got my shipment confirmed right before I checked back here! It'll still be a bit later since it's shipping in the afternoon but man am I glad it wasn't worse than this
Mother of mackerel this game is SO. FLIPPING. GOOD!!! Like seriously, seriously good!
I mean I liked Awakening- no, I loved it, but this game puts the entire SERIES to shame. It's perfect!
Sittin fat on 3 Special Editions, a shiny Fates New 3DS XL and more copies of each side than I have fingers and toes. Ah, just swimming in Fire Emblem excellence
@mreeves83
Mine said delayed til March, then today I got an email saying it just shipped out.
Currently playing birthright and really enjoying it
The writing is a little awkward at the beginning though, even more so than Awakening.
@FragRed The only reason I would want this on PS4 is because it's region free. Think about it, EU peeps don't even have a release date. Normally, I'd say "meh, I'll just pay a tid bit extra for shipping and import it from NA" but nope, can't do that, because it wouldn't work on your EU 3DS. That's when you give Nintendo the middle finger and hope someone in their development team gets hit with someone on the head and allow the NX to be region free.
I gotta say, this game is actually pretty damn good! I still need to play some more form a more complete opinion, but some of the changes (FIXES in my view) are delightful such as a more balanced pair up system and the return of the S weapon rank while other changes like the loss of weapon durability still ticks me off a bit. Sure it helps streamline things so that battles can just keep on going no matter what, but durability was one of the great things about FE that added another layer of strategy.
Still, much better than I expect. I still have to say it's not as good as Radiant Dawn, the Jugdral games, and Shouzo Kaga's post-FE games, but it's a hell of a lot better than Awakening and perhaps is on par with the GBA games.
@mreeves83 Be sure to contact Best Buy Customer Service and reverify your shipping address and contact details ASAP. That may fix the problem. There are a lot of other people who are having that problem. Don't sit on it, or your copy may end up being sold at retail.
@Frank90 Go out and get a lottery ticket, because two people who know each other getting a special edition takes the same amount of luck to win.
@JaxonH Wow, good work getting all that!
https://vine.co/v/ivhWAPpOJMa
Better trailer for censored emblem: hug-right and safe space conquest
"I make my own fate." - Corrin at the end of this trailer
"Hm...because this Fire Emblem game will include a drastic choice, we should call it Fire Emblem: Fates because it has lot's to do with fate!" - Probably what somebody thought was a good idea.
@PlywoodStick I did earlier and everything was right. Shortly after I got the email saying it had been shipped today, they sent me a $20 coupon. I'm sure more will be getting coupons too.
Got ahold of the special edition and managed to transfer my save from birthright. I'm at chapter 10. Pretty good so far.
@JaxonH Well, may I ask what are the other copies for?
I would understand 2 special editions (One opened and another sealed), but 3 along with individual copies of the game? O.o
In any case, I'm jelly, I want a normal New 3DS too ;_;
EDIT: well it turns out to be the XL. Seems like I will get the Pokemon version. Or the AC one and buy faceplates.
@mreeves83 Good! Hopefully it will arrive promptly.
@Gridatttack Interesting, you want a normal 3DS? What for?
@PlywoodStick Errr, I mean, the normal/standard size New 3DS which is not available freely in America.
I don't like the AC bundle one and the pokemon one is Meh. The FEF editions looks nice.
@AVahne Hmmm, I feel that weapons shop have become useless or something. Even though I hated the break down thing (because I couldn't bring myself to use the unique items), I felt that with other things, it was actually pretty interesting to take care of that.
I don't see now the use of the shop. The problem is that they aren't enough tiers to act like other games (which have multiple versions of the weapon intended to buy alongside the course of the game)
Unless I'm missing something, as I haven't looked much into this or in the forgery building.
@PlywoodStick Hahahah but I live in Brazil, so it would be hard to sell to your friends hahahah!
@DoctorOverbuild Damn, wasted my luck!
@Gridatttack
Weapon shop is just basically for getting more sticks for other people to use, though the forge is probably a hell of a lot more likely to receive your cash. Honestly I don't find the weapon shop all that useful anymore either.
Personally I liked not being able to have my people roam like madmen after receiving their legendary weapons. I let units use them sometimes if they really need it, but always save them for using in the final chapters like they were meant for.
It's kinda funny though. People are citing Conquest having more limited funds compared Birthright being something that adds difficulty, even though there's not much reason to be spending money.
@CreamyDream Then you need to get Birthright and forget the rest.
Sounds great. I will fill my EU release date waiting time by playing Sacred Stones on the 'U virtual console.
One day, more companies will make their in-game visuals look just like the cgi sequences from this trailer, and I'll be a very happy man.
I've been waiting for a long time for developers to realise that basically having 3D Anime/Manga as a look for video games is almost universally a much better way of capturing that classic and appealing look of almost all old video games in 3D rather than simply going for gritty realism or an overly rendered look/style.
It's like if you look at those cg visuals for Fire Emblem Fates and compare them to something like Dark Souls 3, the FEF style is just sooo much more beautiful, appealing, timeless, and enriching, imo. Dark Souls 3 will look sh*t in only a few years time whereas those cg visuals in FEF will still look like a lovely cartoon in another 20 years time. And more games need to look like that imo.
Imagine something like the Dungeon's & Dragons arcade game actually done in this kind of modern cartoon-shaded style:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alVk4Zi5A0
THAT's how modern video games are supposed to look as far as I'm concerned (not necessarily fantasy, and not necessarily Japanese/Easter, Disney's western style works brilliantly too, but just colourful, vibrant, visually uplifting, artistic, and timeless).
@Frank90 why, did you open it?
@AVahne
"I gotta say, this game is actually pretty damn good!"
Did hell freeze over and I missed the memo???
If you can become a believer, there is hope yet for just about anyone
Glad you're enjoying it. I am too- it's just fantastic, it really is
@Kirk I agree with you. This sort of aesthetic is why I keep coming back to the 3DS. It's why I preordered 7th Dragon 3DS.
@Gridatttack
Ya it's an XL but it's gorgeous. Just gorgeous. I do have a normal size New 3DS with Fire Emblem Fatea faceplates though. That one is so slick.
I got 3 so many cause I just love FE, and have a shelf devoted entirely to the FE series. I have every game released to date, but I also have a sealed copy of every FE game to date displayed.
One of the SE was to display sealed. 2nd was to open and display artbook and sealed game (as a FE fan and collector I wanted that triple path variant sealed and displayed separately from the 2 versions). 3rd was to completely open and play.
Same reason I got 2 of each path. One to display sealed of each side, and one of each to open for my actual game collection.
@CreamyDream I didn't want to shell out the cash for these two games at the same time, either, but back in 2015 around Black Friday or Boxing Day, both Best Buy and Amazon were offering a 30% discount when you preorder two or more games online. I didn't think twice and managed to get each game at 34.99 CAD instead of 49.99. I knew that these games would never go down in price b/c even Awakening went up in price recently. I'm kinda proud of myself. Keep your eye out for retail and eshop sales b/c I think those will happen eventually. Just get one. You may never end up playing both. Even though I have both, I can't play two games at the same time. There is plenty of content in just one. When you finish one, you may or may not be influenced to get the second one.
@JaxonH I see. That's pretty cool.
I'll be looking forward myself to get the normal size New 3DS along with the faceplates, because it looks nice (And I don't like the XL due to reasons)
I thought Fire Emblem Awakening was...ok, but gosh, this just isn't even Fire Emblem anymore!
@CreamyDream It's less than one half of the story, and we won't get the last third of the story until next month. $80 is also pretty steep for handhelds, even if it is one big game.
@AVahne Weapons with unlimited/no durability = money and weapon shops are no longer important, after all. Could have seen that coming from miles away. It was a rather dumb design decision for Conquest, though maybe there could be some reason for it with Birthright or Revelations.
Personally, I'm going to tally all the hits I use, and pretend like they do have durability. I'd do that for staves too, since unlimited healing and teleporting from staves makes item shops far less useful.
@Kirk Japanese developers seem more keen on demonstrating that type of artistry in general. For Westerners it's usually either something lower end when it's artistic, or something grounded in the time period of release. (Although PC modding has certainly alleviated this weakness to a degree.)
Finally a reason to dig out my 3DS!!
@Manjushri You do realize you can buy one and get the other 2 digitally for about the same price, right?
And I hear there are remaining special editions in stores, they just aren't available online.
@PlywoodStick
Funny thing, staves still have durability and can still break, so item shops are actually needed in this game since most of your money will likely go towards healing items and staves.
Another funny thing, the convoy has space for FIVE HUNDRED ITEMS. It's so pointless that I had to type it all out.
@JaxonH
Don't be mistaken, there's still some things I'm finding very disagreeable with this game. However I'll admit IS isn't as incompetent as Awakening made me think they've become. Fates is rather good though, even among Fire Emblem games.
I guess having a better budget and not having stress caused by the potential death of the series allowed them to design the game a lot better.
Again, it's a good FE game. I've even managed to convince one of my FE friends to consider getting Conquest (though it seems he'll be waiting to see if used copies of Conquest get cheaper, since he's even more against the path the series has taken than I am).
@Kirk
PS4's already getting (or starting to get) a nice amount of games with a similar visual quality to the CGI in Fates. Dragon Quest 11 for example; that game looks GORGEOUS.
@AVahne Oh, wow... That all just makes the decision to kill off durability (for everything else) even more questionable... And the convoy should be small at first, like maybe 20, and upgrade as time goes on, to maybe 50 for Conquest,100 for Birthright and Revelation.
@AVahne
I just wish all these other people who are refusing to buy or play the game because [reasons] would give it a chance like you did. They are great games, and while missing the SE can totally suck, it doesn't detract from each game being excellent and way totally worth it on their own (especially with discounts).
I'm playing Birthright first because I didnt want Conquest' difficulty to spoil it and make it seem too easy. But I did try Chapt 7/8 on Conquest just to get a taste, and it's noticeably more complex right off the bat.
I'm finding it a bit rough adjusting to the new infinite weapons with buffs/debuffs. I'll be the first to admit I loved how things were, but this change seemed to make sense. Between that and all the skills, it's pretty tough keeping up with what character will do what under which conditions.
I really like the map designs and the dragon vein. And the story is by far the best of any FE game I've played. Of course I haven't finished Tellius games, but, still...
@Boyd
Are you saying that based off the kick*** trailer or from personal experience playing the game? I can assure you, this is very much still Fire Emblem- and one of the best at that.
Just ask @AVahne if you doubt it. He was against this game more than any person I've seen, and even he says it's a great FE game now having tried it
@JaxonH
Ah...you should finish those Tellius games then. Their connected story is the best in the series in my opinion. Followed by Jugdral I think. Fates' story so far is pretty good; a marked improvement over Awakening's rather rubbish plot in my opinion. Though I still need to finish up to give a better impression.
I'm also playing Birthright first, though mostly because it sort of just seems like the natural "first part". Kind of like playing Eirika's route first and then playing Ephraim's.
I've gotten used to the infinite weapons now with the whole status effects, but I have to be honest that I still prefer the old style :/
And I agree, it IS a little tough figuring what to do with my characters. It's also tough figuring out who I actually like enough to keep using. I'm still just sampling everyone out to see who will turn out good, but also whose personalities I actually like/can put up with. Since I'm playing hard mode I'm assuming I have less units to deploy per chapter, so yeah I gotta start being choosey soon :/
EDIT: Also, is it just me or does Kaze have some really broken stats? Like...who ever heard of a mage-killer thief?
@JaxonH I actually have the game. I think Fire Emblem should stick to its Marth and Ike. Not make new ones!
@AVahne
For all the complaints of Awakening's story, I thought it blew the GBA games out the water. Those stories were so empty and dry (yet good enough to keep the game moving along), that Awakening really impressed me. And it was the support convos that really left you attached to the characters. And it had some very emotional moments- after the events of Chapter 9, then going in to Chapter 10 with that amazing music, and the rain on the battlefield really, it was heavy impact. And when Basilio makes a gallant last stand against Walhart, gathers all his strength and crits him but it's just not enough... those moments really got to me.
Anyways, I've heard Mozu is a character you REALLY want to invest in. Heard she becomes a super bad*** archer. As for the rest, I'm just rolling with characters I like, keeping a fairly balanced diversity as best possible of course.
I've heard Conquest is absolutely brutal too btw. I mean, even Birthright is significantly more difficult than Awakening due to the balancing (new benefits like healing from 2 squares away does little for an experienced FE player), but I've heard Conquest is just soul-crushingly difficult. Definitely not playing on Classic for that one.
In fact, I've gotten to appreciate casual mode. I always reset the game when I lose characters in the older games. And I've wasted a LOT of time doing exactly that. And if you're not letting your people stay dead, permadeath really has no impact. So I kind of feel like, why waste the time if I don't have to? I don't have as much time to game as I would like, and it just doesn't seem to be worth it. Even on casual mode I play smart enough to not lose any characters. It's just reassuring to know I have a safety net, just in case.
But that's just me.
@JaxonH Are you judging the others games on experience or reviews that you pick the bad things out of?
Like FE PoR great story, great characters. I know there are some flaws but not as big as today's FE games. It is more than enough to keep going through the story. You are excited and maybe sad about what had happened or will happen next.
Also, the best addition to the game is Laguz. A human that can transfer into a Cat, Lion, Tiger, Wolfs (In FE RD Only) Dragon, Eagle, Falcon, or Raven. You can PLAY as them. they are not JUST in the story. Sure, they take three turns to turn into a animal, but they are completely awesome as a animal. Even in human form they don't take much damage. In FE RD they fight and punch back in human form. Compare that to Panne the...Oversized Mutant rabbit?
@Boyd
Experience. I own all 14 games, in English and have played all of them. That's not to say I've finished all of them (not even close!).
And you're preaching to the choir with Path of Radiance- I love that game to death. I've not beaten it, nor have I beaten Radiant Dawn (backlog sucks) but still routinely fire them up from time to time and make a little more progress.
The thing is, as much as I love those games (and I absolutely do love them, same goes for the GBA games), there's alot of stuff that aggravate me about those games now that I've tasted the modern touch of Awakening/Fates. They get so much right, but it comes at a cost. Little things, like choosing weapon before approaching enemy for example. Not to mention lack of production value (although Radiant Dawn is pretty freakin rad- a game like that on a current gen HD a console would be straight fire). No difficulty options/permadeath options (maybe I'm getting lazy but I just can't seem to justify playing permadeath now if given the option not to- it just saves so much time I would have wasted restarting the game and replaying 40 minutes cause the enemy got a crit), less intriguing character narrative (the new support convos are one of my favorite aspects of recent entries).
And many games (not so much the console entries) the story totally sucks compared to the recent FE releases. The GBA games are pretty flat and straightforward- it's good enough and I'm not complaining- but it definitely makes you appreciate Awakening/Fates story.
Idk, I just really like Fates. It nails it in so many respects- top notch gameplay, intriguing story, enjoyable characters with interesting support narrative, diverse maps, high production value, excellent graphics and beautiful art style, range of difficulty and play style options...
I will admit though, I think I liked the characters in Awakening more. We'll see though. I have yet to play more than a couple chapters of Conquest, which seems to have much more traditional characters.
@JaxonH What about Laguz in the PoR and RD games?
Great! I hope it will arrive shortly
@JaxonH
Idk about that...6 of the FE games......are Japan only.....
Also, if your too lazy to play the ORIGINALS and FOUNDING FATHERS of FE games because the creators want to make it a real Strategy game then your just a cheap loser. (Not you in particular, just anyone who is too lazy)
Nowadays, some kids don't like too hard games, I don't honestly know why, but you seem like one who wants their characters to come ''back to life'' if you will, for less of a challenge. In my opinion, the only challenge in that game is to get the characters relationship staus to S or A.
@Boyd
Japan only in official name only. Fan translations have been around for a long, long time. I own every game in English. All 14 entries.
I don't think "laziness" has anything to do with anything. Many people just got into the series. You can't honestly expect them to just drop everything and go play 16-bit games (even I have a hard time stomaching the NES and SNES entries) right on the spot. Doesn't make people lazy, just means there's alot of other great current gen games releasing on a regular basis and people wanna play those too- probably a lot more than old games.
And I think you've misjudged this game. Abdallah (not sure if you watch his FE streams) says Conquest is the most difficult game in the entire series, and it's not just him saying that. From what I've played of it, it certainly seems to be the case. The very first Conquest Chapter where you make the choice, you'll be stretched hard to not lose a character.
Not sure which game you're reffering to saying the only challenge is getting supports. I find challenge in all FE games. Normal difficulty Birthright is about as hard as the GBA games, give or take a little. Conquest on Normal I personally think is now the toughest game in the series based on feedback from others and my experience with the extreme jump in difficulty as soon as you make the choice. I've heard of lifetime vets struggling with this game. And that makes no mention of the harder difficulties. But ya, even Birthright is no slouch. Sure you can abuse grinding, but that's a personal choice. No one forces you to.
Basically what I'm saying is, be the games difficult to you or not, Birthright is on par with many past entries and Conquest is harder than Holy War. If that's not enough challenge, than none of the games are.
@Boyd
And it's 7 games that are Japan only, not 6 btw. Forgot Heroes of Light and Shadow (FE12).
So....seems...you avoided my question.....What is your ''excuse'' about Laguz? You know, the awesome half beorc (Humans in FE) half animal (Species Vary) that have a ACTUAL importance in the story! They are treated unfairly by the beorc. Many believe they are lesser beings, sub-humans they call them. You either agree that you hate them, or pity them. It gives some emotion to the storyline, even though they are not the main part of the story. Again, compare that to Panne, who, oh no, lost her whole tribe of mutant bunnies, yet doesn't bother to tell others her story of awe. Next chapter, no one seems to care who she is.
Also, on the case of everyone saying it is the hardest mode in the FE series, probably hasn't even played older games. (Maybe i'm wrong) Today I say a quote fitting to this, "Wrong is Wrong even if everyone is doing it, Right is Right even if your the only one doing it." Well, I will rest assured that you can't make a better comeback about the Laguz!
Yeah...I don't see anything about laguz from you here...
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