Fire Emblem
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GBA's Fire Emblem is a great strategy RPG for beginners
This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer. In 2001, Nintendo of America had a decision to make that would have a huge impact on what at the time was one of its least known properties in the U.S.: Fire Emblem.Super Smash Bros. Melee was set for release that fall, and among its cast were Marth and Roy, whom most westerners had never heard of before. Nintendo of America weighed cutting them for a time, but eventually relented and decided to leave them in. In the early going, I had no clue who they were; soon enough, I grew to like them, just like everyone else. The stage was set for Fire Emblem to make a surprise leap to the U.S.
Fire Emblem: Awakening launches Feb. 4 in North America
Fire Emblem: Awakening for 3DS has an official North American release date, just announced during Nintendo Direct: February 4, 2013.Awakening features "relationship levels," which players can boost by putting two characters in close proximity on the battlefield, or having them engage in frequent conversations with one another.
Fire Emblem awakens in North America in 2013
Fire Emblem: Awakening, hastily announced at E3 for North America, has been given a 2013 release window. Nintendo showed some Japanese gameplay and a logo for the game that is, at the moment, called just "Fire Emblem."Like in Japan, there will be paid DLC.
Fire Emblem: Awakening coming to North America
After a 3DS software showcase in which no new 3DS software was announced, Nintendo surprised us all by tweeting confirmation of a North American release for Fire Emblem: Awakening, the 3DS iteration of the popular strategy role-playing series. There's no release window, but Nintendo promised "more info to come" -- we'd expect a press release in the morning.Turns out Twitter was the real news source the whole time, and this whole E3 thing was a red herring.
Transmog Inspirations: WoW meets Nintendo, part 2
I give up. I can't for the life of me create a transmog for Princess Peach. I've tried and I've tried, but there just aren't enough pink clothes in the World of Warcraft to piece together a convincing Peach. I'm sorry, Mario, but you're going to have to settle for some other princess. Princess Poobah? Princess Theradras? Princess ... I can't think of any more. Someone call Anne! Anyway, this week I decided to put together a few more transmogs based on Nintendo characters. A lot of readers were asking for more, so I made one for Princess Zelda, Toad, and Roy (you know, from Fire Emblem and Super Smash Bros. -- everyone loves Roy!).
Nintendo introduces paid DLC, lets you complete the games you completed
Did you get a Nintendo shaped bundle of joy for Christmas? Completed the games already? Fear not, as from March Kyoto's gaming veterans will be launching paid downloadable game content for its 3D handheld. The first title to get the goodies will be Fire Emblem, and as yet, there's no clues about what treats you'll get for the reported "several hundred yen" you'll be asked to stump up. Nintendo, however, is understandably keen to stimulate interest in its 3D titles, and more importantly, claw back some of that mobile gaming market-share. With hints of downloadable add-ons coming to the Wii-U also, and Mr. Iwata's previous commitment to deliver the goods, it clearly thinks this is the way to go -- let's just hope all the kinks have been ironed out come release day.
Nikkei: Paid DLC coming to 3DS starting with new Fire Emblem
According to a recent Nikkei report, Nintendo will introduce paid downloadable content to its games for the first time in recorded human history next March, with the release of Fire Emblem for the 3DS. The price of this expansion will apparently be "several hundred yen," and that it -- and other DLC on the company's platforms -- won't make it any easier for players to make their way through Nintendo's games, which probably weren't very difficult to begin with. Nikkei also reported that the Wii U will also play home to downloadable add-ons, but said nothing about the still-to-come library of the Wii, which -- well, in order to release expansions for something, you first need something to expand upon.
Bravely Default from Square Enix, new Fire Emblem game due 2012
Announced during Nintendo's Tokyo Game Show week press conference, two new RPGs are coming to Japan next year. The first is a new Square Enix title called Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. Aside from the name -- the same one that Square Enix registered a trademark for earlier this year -- we know that Square Enix designer Akihiko Yoshida (of Final Fantasy Tactics and a few other quality titles) is doing the character designs. There's also a new Fire Emblem game planned for next year. No title for that one, but we're told it will be an original game, and have two-player co-op play. The one drawback? It's not called "Bravely Default: Flying Fairy."
Nintendo announces another Fire Emblem DS remake
Andriasang noticed that Nintendo's official site for all things Fire Emblem was updated earlier today with an announcement for a new ... a kind of new entry in the classic strategy-RPG franchise. The game, which is set to release this year in Japan, is a DS remake of the 1994 SNES iteration of the series, Fire Emblem: Monshou no Nazo Hikari to Kage no Eiyuu (or Mystery of the Emblem: Hero of Light and Shadow). Don't try to reach back in your memory banks and remember the hours you spent playing the original game -- it was only released in Japan, so those hours likely don't exist. You can check out a cutscene-fueled trailer for the game posted after the jump. It's unclear whether this title will get a US release, though the DS remake of the original Fire Emblem came stateside last February, so there's a decent chance we'll get our hands on this one too.
Fire Emblem: Savings Day
Have you thought about purchasing Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, but decided to wait until the price dropped to exactly $14.98? If so, today is the day you've been waiting for. Amazon, for its Deal of the Day, has marked down the tactical role-playing remake by 50%. It's a very cheap way to occupy like a million hours. A warning, though: if you buy it now and one of your friends challenges you to a multiplayer match, that person has probably been playing the game since February or so. You can expect a few seconds of humiliating punishment, is what we're saying. Have fun! %Gallery-8394%
Joyswag: Strategic double pack [update]
Update: Our contest has come to an end. Be sure to keep an eye on your email to see if you won! For our DS fans, we've got two strategy games up for grabs in our latest Joyswag giveaway: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (ARV $30) and Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (ARV $30). It's a pretty sweet combo, if we may say so ourselves, and should provide you with hours upon hours of distraction. So, check out the rules below to enter and best of luck to you! Leave a comment telling us what your favorite tactic is (examples: stealth, guns blazing, hang in the back and hope your team doesn't die, etc) You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 11:59 am ET on Monday, May 25 At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon ($30) and Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift ($30) For a list of complete rules, click here
Fire Emblem staff talk Shadow Dragon in conference call [update]
Update: Nintendo sent out new screenshots to go along with the conference call report. You'll find them in the gallery. Last night, we had the rare opportunity to take part in a conference call hosted by Nintendo, featuring members of the Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon team including producer Tohru Narihiro and directors Masaki Tawara and Masayuki Horikawa. The developers discussed the changes found in the new version of the ancient Famicom game and the motivations behind them, and answered questions from press about the new game and future plans. We've done our best to summarize the discussion without leaving anything out! The discussion began with an outline of the new features in Shadow Dragon: an enhanced tutorial system that "gets the player so they're ready to play" and get into the main game more quickly; a battle forecasting system, brought in from the second game, that allows players to predict the outcome of battles given the units involved; six difficulty settings; and mid-map save points. As the developers mention later, these changes are intended to increase the accessibility of the game. %Gallery-8394%
DS Daily: First Emblem
Fire Emblem's Western debut on the GBA was actually kind of a big deal, becoming one of the emblematic series of the platform. Since the series had never come out outside Japan, the GBA games were many people's introduction to Intelligent Systems' strategy series. The DS is an even more popular system with a more diverse install base, so the imminent Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon could end up being the first Fire Emblem for many more gamers. Will Shadow Dragon be your first foray into the non-Smashing life of Marth? Or, if you're in Europe, was it? If you're planning to jump into the series now, what attracted your interest? %Gallery-8394%
Fire Emblem: Stopwatch Deal
If you can't be bothered to go to a store to pick up Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (and we're not implying that you should have to), GameStop has a pretty attractive deal for you -- for the next day or so. As their Stopwatch Deal, they're offering free two-day shipping on orders of the strategy remake. Just enter the promotional code MARTH when you check out! In addition, preorders for Fire Emblem will receive a "Limited Edition, matted, 5 x 7, Fire Emblem art cell." Free shipping and free stuff? We love being incentivized to do things we were going to do anyway. %Gallery-8394%
DS Daily: 2009: The year of the DS (again)?
While pretty much everyone expected the DS to have another awesome holiday, it was still a surprise when the NPD Group announced that the aging system had broken an all-time one-month sales record in December, beating (everything else, obviously, and) even the Wii. The DS will have a killer software lineup in 2009, with awesome third-party games and Nintendo releases like Fire Emblem, Rhythm Heaven, and Pokémon Platinum, and will even see the launch of a new hardware configuration, which should boost sales. Do you think the DS's fifth year will turn out to be as successful as its fourth? And will anything outsell Mario Kart this year? %Gallery-36348%
DS Daily: Holiday rush, continued
Elebits. Moon. Big Bang Mini. Retro Game Challenge. Personal Trainer: Math (like it or not, it's a first-party release, and thus high-profile-ish!). The Chase: Felix Meets Felicity. Legacy of Ys. My World, My Way. Magician's Quest. Fire Emblem. Dragon Quest V. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. Avalon Code. Blue Dragon Plus. We just went through Gamestop.com and culled genuinely interesting games coming out in January or February in North America. The list above represents a hasty gathering of quality games coming out in just these two months. Isn't the schedule supposed to slow down after the holidays? We kind of don't have a real direction for today's discussion topic, only general marveling about the next two months on DS. Even if some of this stuff gets delayed, the DS still has a lineup in January or February to rival or beat most fall/holiday lineups. Who plans to buy more in these two months than they did in late 2008? Who else is really, really overwhelmed?
Pokemon Platinum, Fire Emblem, tons more Q1 releases officially dated!
Nintendo has graced us with their customary infodump of the next quarter's DS and Wii releases, and by far the biggest news in terms of guaranteed sales: Pokémon Platinum has finally been officially confirmed for North America (not that there was ever a speck of doubt), and it's indeed coming March 22. Statistically speaking, you will probably purchase it. Also in first-party news, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon hits February 16, a bit earlier than Circuit City predicted. Personal Trainer: Math will be Nintendo's first DS release of the year on January 12. In third-party news, we're thrilled to see a January 6 release date for Retro Game Challenge -- except that according to the list, it'll be competing with Big Bang Mini. Atlus's My World, My Way is on its way February 3, with Legacy of Ys following on the 10th, and Trackmania on March 17. GTA Chinatown Wars has yet to be dated in this release, but we know it's March 17. And Monster Band from DreamCatcher: could it be Music Monstars? Is that just for us? Check the post break for the full list! %Gallery-25539%
Another Circuit City rumor: Fire Emblem dated
We've no idea why Circuit City has suddenly started posting up previously secret release dates en masse, but hey, here's another Circuit City-related rumor to brighten up your Tuesday: the stricken store says that Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon will launch in North America on February 23. Previously, Nintendo has suggested a wishy-washy "first half of 2009" for the SRPG, so that makes sense (though 180-odd other dates would be just as believable). If you flatly refuse to wait another two months, you can always import from Europe; it came out here last week. %Gallery-8394% [Via Siliconera]
Europe getting Fire Emblem this December
Yes, indeed. Not sure what's going on here, but Nintendo's European site has updated with the surreal news that Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon will be released in Europe this December 5th -- also known as before North America. This is one of those incredibly rare examples of Europe getting thrown a bone first. Our gobs? Smacked! We're still no closer to a specific release date in North America, with "first half of 2009" about as accurate as it gets. Maybe the rapidly weakening pound will soon make importing from Europe an attractive investment again! Stranger things have happened. This news, for instance. [Update: Corrected typo. Thanks, Mr Kahn!] %Gallery-8394%
Joystiq impressions: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Released in Japan on August 7, the DS remake of the original Famicom strategy title, Fire Emblem, is coming stateside in 2009. A largely localized version was on-hand at Nintendo's Fall Media Summit – and turned out to be one of the most-played games of the event. What we found was expected: pure and simple strategy-RPG combat. We were most intrigued by things that we couldn't try out, namely the Wi-Fi play – a first for the series – and the online shop. Nevertheless, we ventured through the game's prologue and found an appreciation for the characterization and development of individual units. %Gallery-33780%
