evil_ash_xero wrote:Squire Grooktook wrote:Durandal wrote:snip
Well, I can't deny that you make some valid points. Perhaps I've underestimated the issue.
I will probably do some snooping and see if I can find the full fan-translation in text form. Maybe I'll compare the two as I play, and give some word on how bad/neutral it generally is.
Just out of curiosity, how is the difficulty in the new Fire Emblem games? I'm a bit worried, they might have been watered down.
For Fates itself, I'm told by a member here who played the Japanese version of one of them, that it's one of the hardest games in the series yet (partly why I'm looking forward to it).
The previous title, Awakening, depends on how you play it. They've struck a nice balance for casuals by offering a "casual mode" which allows mid-mission saving and excises perma-death, and the usual "classic mode" where all decisions and deaths are final. Beyond that, there's also several difficulties which affect how grueling the stages actually are.
Awakening itself is somewhat unbalanced. Much like in Sacred Stones, there's an overworld map and you have the ability to grind, which allows you to utterly demolish the games difficulty balance if you want, but abstaining from the grind results in a pretty tight and fun campaign with some interesting new mechanics. Those new mechanics are really the root of the balance issues, since they're somewhat rough around the edges due to newness, but they really shine through and create a lot of interesting situations when the chips are down.
The two versions of Fates play completely differently. Nohr (Conquest) plays like Classic FE with a linear progression of missions with no ability to grind. Hoshido (Birthright) plays more like Sacred Stones/Awakening in allowing you an overworld to fight skirmishes in and level up. I'm very happy with this set up. Something for everyone.
Overall, I'm very happy with the franchise and where they've taken it, petting aside. They've added in some interesting new mechanics, while staying true to the intense arcadey gameplay that made it fun to begin with.