Board 8 > Fire Emblem Topic 4: Radiant Oliver

(+) Yeah! (+)

One thing I am not super digging is the unpredictability of team up. It's great when it gets a kill I want not so much when it messes up a Donny kill setup.

Forgot about The Joker.

I mostly ignored Pair Up when playing Awakening. The game (at least on Normal mode) feels like it was balanced without it in mind.

It's certainly useful for Donal in the early game here, and it's great to use it as a Rescue but with the OPPOSITE effect on your stats for flying units around, but I'm already seeing combat phases where I do over twice the enemies full health in retaliation.

Pair Up removes all challenge from the game on both Normal and Hard modes if you at all even remotely try to use it optimally while simultaneously making it much harder to predict outcomes. Lunatic and Lunatic+, however, it is basically required to not get murdered, which amplifies the prediction problems.

It's 100% definitely my most disliked mechanic in the entire series. It isn't the only reason I have Awakening so low on my personal list (the story is also another big reason) but it is a very large one.

Oh and it's great for grinding supports! That's the real place Awakening shines in. I think the individual quality of supports is lower than in previous games, but it I'm glad Awakening set the trend of everyone having supports with everyone else, as well as removing the support cap. Now we get games like Three Houses where the supports are good and plentiful.

Three Houses is the only game where supports are good and plentiful. There still weren't that many in Echoes, and the less said about Awakening and Fates supports, the better.

Three Houses made it easier to grind for supports so I was actually able to get them all. While, I largely liked them I don't think I needed to hear about Ingrid's marriage issues from 5 different angles.

Aw man it looks like I'm already fucked out of Chrom/Olivia, I forgot how dumb the requirement was for that. Oh well, it's what I did the first time anyways.

TeamRocketElite posted...

Three Houses made it easier to grind for supports so I was actually able to get them all. While, I largely liked them I don't think I needed to hear about Ingrid's marriage issues from 5 different angles.

This is my only problem with the "almost everyone can support almost everyone" approach. There's only so many interesting angles you can approach a support chain from and I think it sometimes makes it too tempting for the writers to reduce characters to one-note gimmicks.

3H definitely did a better job avoiding that than other recent entries, but it was still kind of a thing for most of the cast and really noticeable for others like Raphael.

I've gotten all the supports for FE7, FE8, and Awakening. PoR I didn't like how I wasn't able to grind them out easily so I didn't bother. And 3H...I'm not sure why I haven't.

And not only did I get all the supports in FE7...I did it twice because on my last playthrough before 100% the supports...my cartridge randomly reset. No idea why. Took a year off and got back to it haha.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/8/9/AAeolZAAD7tN.jpg

Me just now realizing these dudes are in almost every game.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/9/8/AAeolZAAD7tW.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/3/3/AAPrCIAADPCh.jpg

Awakening has a bunch of slightly awkward references. It was hype at the time but not so much in a world with Fire Emblem Warriors, Heroes, and Engage.

There's also one character later who at best retroactively hurts canon.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/0/0/AAeolZAAD7tY.jpg

You know I feel like...in most FE games, this dark backatory of his father's war, sisters suffering, the hatred from another nation, and Chrom's own inner turmoil would be accompanied by, like....music, cutaway scenes, or like...even a remote amount of gravitas.

Instead it's 2 people standing around grunting at eachother while and owl hoots.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/1/5/AAeolZAAD7tn.jpg

I see what you mean about the gimmicks being taken too far.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/1/6/AAeolZAAD7to.jpg

Laguz

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/1/7/AAeolZAAD7tp.jpg

....Coney?

UshiromiyaEva posted...

....Coney?

Coney is another word for rabbit. A quick google says that it was the original word for them.

Man the vibe of this topic really changed once we got past Jugdral and Tellius. This is pretty much the reaction I expected from someone who became a hardcore fan of the series and decided to revisit Awakening. I still like the game but, yeah.

I do really feel bad that I'm not very excited but it does kind if feel like I'm going through the notions with this game! Feature wise it's pretty rich, but it feels likes it's been stripped of something, at least at the front here.

Playing Awakening towards the tail end of a series playthrough is just a bad vibe! I really should have STARTED here, lol.

To be clear though, it's not like I'm not having fun. There's just not much to react to here.

Boy is Fates gonna be a trip, though, huh?

How much of Fates have you played?

I respect Awakening for what it did. They thought it would be the last game in the franchise so they threw everything they could into it. It's basically a FE 'greatest hits' with lots of references and re-used mechanics. That leads to an overall more shallow experience, but it's also exceptionally good as a gateway drug. There's a reason that it put the series on the map.

I will also admit to looking forward to you reacting to Fates more though.

KamikazePotato posted...

I will also admit to looking forward to you reacting to Fates more though.

I feel like this is a foreboding statement.

NBIceman posted...

This is my only problem with the "almost everyone can support almost everyone" approach. There's only so many interesting angles you can approach a support chain from and I think it sometimes makes it too tempting for the writers to reduce characters to one-note gimmicks.

It's just laziness, and I say that in kind of a value-neutral way. There are plenty of interesting conversations any random two characters could have, the writers just have to be willing to create multifaceted characters with preexisting relationships with other people in the setting and a decade+ of personal backstory. And do this over and over again, for a cast of 30+, while making sure it's internally consistent with every other support and the main plot.

No wonder they just have Bernadetta learn she can be less shy around her friends 10 different times instead.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Me just now realizing these dudes are in almost every game.

i hate these fucking bandits

tcaz2 posted...

Coney is another word for rabbit. A quick google says that it was the original word for them.

TIL

Here I thought it was pretty believable for an invented slur!

Don't mess with Panne's Brooklyn roots.

Finishing the night with some random battles, money seems tight but I'm probably not supposed to be buying all these seals from Anna....

Patrick Kelpeck has hit level 11 but I'm not sure what I'm actually supposed to do with him, now that I think about it. FE8 brainworms were telling me he'd class change at 10 lol.

Also....let me tell ya....the decision to play 4 games in a row with universal mounted Canto only to suddenly lose it.......is very painful....

According to the wiki, Awakening reclassing is done through Second Seals.

The game kind of expects you to be making use of Second Seals without ever making it seem truly necessary on Normal. When it isn't a means to an end though, you can have fun having Manaketes riding on top of wyverns for long enough for them to learn Swordbreaker to dodge Wyrmsbanes and stuff.

I don't think I used a single Second Seal the first time I played.

Had no interest in dropping someone back to base level 1! Seemed like a waste of time.

Obviously I know that snot the case now lol.

I forwent getting too crazy with the planning and instead went for a mix of stuff that felt like the game was at least implying a little bit as well as some filler. There's like....two of these that I actually chose for stats. Empty slot for Tharja is Robin.

https://i.ibb.co/JxhzyDd/IMG-20221129-041258.jpg

Kenri posted...

Pretty sure I just straight up killed Oliver without thinking much about it.

"You know he was recruitable right?"
"He was w h a t"

... he was WHAT

Changed it up because I realized I still had a way to get Chrom/Olivia lol. I don't know why it keeps cutting a little off.

https://i.ibb.co/VM5NBnQ/IMG-20221129-111737.jpg

I never used Second Seals on Normal or Hard. It's completely unnecessary and the game is obviously not balanced around it.

Lunatic its pretty necessary, though.

Apparently some of my pairing don't actually have S supports so fffff

OK FINAL DECISION

Screw Donnel I don't need Donnel, Patrick Kelpeck can suck it!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/0/3/AAeolZAAD7yH.jpg
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Doesn't Awakening have a gay hack now? Should have installed that so you could get Sumia!Severa, the way God intended

Brother if there's a way to get that working I may as well restart the game.

Panne!Tharja, Miriel!Sully, I already got that shit lined up for dayssss.

OK I'm not actually going to do that...but I will for Fates if it exists lol. Maybe just save it for revelations.

Awakening struck me as being way too spreadsheet-y of a game to optimize with all the eugenics and having to look up what classes give what skills. But then, I already mentioned I apparently played the game totally wrong by waiting too long to use second seals and none of that optimizing is remotely required on Hard so I guess I can't be too upset at it when caring about it in the first place is totally on me?

Having to keep a wiki open for no justifiable reason is one of my gaming pet peeves, though. If Engage is going to continue being heavily skill focused, I seriously wish they would put an in-game skill encyclopedia so you can actually make plans in-game rather than on your computer.

I mean I'm really just throwing this shit together lol. I settled on Gauis!Severa because of the hair.

It's not like Geneology where I went brushed my selections over with a fine tooth comb for over an hour.

Maybe I would have been more blas about it if hair color was a factor there, too.

C'mon FE4 Remake give us the hair genetics.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Brother if there's a way to get that working I may as well restart the game.

Panne!Tharja, Miriel!Sully, I already got that shit lined up for dayssss.

OK I'm not actually going to do that...but I will for Fates if it exists lol. Maybe just save it for revelations.

Gay Fates definitely exists! IIRC it's a much bigger project than gay Awakening too.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/5/9/AAeolZAAD70j.jpg

Again?

What is with IS thinking anyone gives a shit about Sigurd using lances???

Found out I've been pronouncing Tharja wrong for a decade, but the real way is stupid so I don't care and will keep doing it.

At least it's a weapon he can use. Micaiah doesn't even get that.

I rememeber the Exalt stuff being real dumb and so far that seems to be the case!

The more shipping scenes between Chrom and Sumia the game throws at me, the more its pushing me away. I will not yield to cannon I city

Crom: What is this power within me...I feel like I could move a mountain!

Gains Luck & Defense

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/6/8/AAeolZAAD72Q.jpg

Wait....if I miss treasure on a map...can I still go back and get it in a random battle there?

You know your growth rates are overtuned when your Jeigan has over 100% in some stats, apparently.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/0/1/AAeolZAAD74V.jpg

When was the last time there was actually a bad Jeigan? You might have to go as far back as Jeigan himself.

Eyval was technically terrible, nobody stalls out more than her!

I don't know about FE3, but New Mystery Arran was kind of whatever.

My Oifey sucked personally, lol, but I guess whether he's a Jagen is a Fandom debate.

As far as I'm concerned, FE9 Shinon counts (fundementally the same role as Titania up front), and lol.

Frederick himself does not actually seem very good, with Panne paired to him he took over half his health from a single steel axe hit earlier.

THUNDERATION!

Appreciating pair up for the desert terrain, that's for sure.

So many of your units in this game aren't even recruitment, they just give you control of them right away even if it doesn't make sense!

Nowi ate GOOD this chapter, grew like 5 levels, and she needed it.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/9/8/AAeolZAAD752.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/9/9/AAeolZAAD753.jpg

Oh no

What a tragic loss

Of such a beloved character

KamikazePotato posted...

When was the last time there was actually a bad Jeigan? You might have to go as far back as Jeigan himself.

Gunter probably.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Oh no

What a tragic loss

Of such a beloved character

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/5/0/AACm-yAAD76q.jpg

Oh right, Gunter.

I actually think Emmeryn's (I had to google that name) death scene is a technically good scene stuck in a game that lacks punch. Stick it in a game with better writing/production values and it would've been really effective.

No sarcasm whatsoever saying that Chapter 10 is the best chapter so far and way more impactful than chapter 9. Mustafa is rad as hell, the soldiers wanting to leave really hits, the map is cool, the music is haunting.

It's amazing that this boss who never appears before or after is so memorable, I actually remembered who he was before even getting back into the game.