SUPER MARIO MAKER LEVELS:
- SMB Mix-Up! (1AB2-0000-0047-5A7D)
- Storm the Castle (77BD-0000-00E0-A9C0)
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Where to even begin though, when every single thing in the game has been improved over the last?
The characters have FEET!
Fight animations can be paused mid-strike; the views can be rotated, seen from different angles.
There are audio and visual flourishes on the battlefield and in battle that amplify the excitement, yet the familiar elements are intact, like the Level-Up fanfare and field-movement.
There are "Dragon Veins" on the battlefields now that have affects like altering terrain that can be used by characters of Royal descent.
There are more weapons than just Swords, Lances, Axes and Bows. How about Shurikens and Fists for starters?
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New to this game is the ability to have same-sex relationships. It was censored in Tomodachi Life, but not in here!
If you didn't play Awakening though, you may not know: relationships are key! Battles aren't simply one-on-one anymore. Friends and lovers who are in adjacent squares to you will fight along-side you and the same goes for the enemies as well. The stronger the relations, the better the stat-boost to you and they will jump in and strike the enemy too.
You can also Pair-Up with a person, getting a stat-boost and protection from a dual-attack from your foes. They won't hit the enemy, but they'll protect you if they try to double-team you. This also helps your relationship with this particular character grow.
Stronger characters can effectively "pick-up" and protect weaker characters if need be, removing them from fighting, but likely saving their lives!
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Thanks for this. I look forward to more impressions and to eventually trying out the games myself when they are finally released in EU.
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Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
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It's a tad confusing, but for those that don't know: You can buy Birthright or Conquest separately, if you can't get the SE. Birthright is easier than Conquest, allowing you to 'grind' and build your characters to make them stronger. Conquest is hardcore Fire Emblem; you're not given as much of a chance to grind and objectives force you along in battle that are not present in Birthright.
You play through the first 6 chapters in either and THE STORY is identical. It is after that chapter that you must decide to (1) Stick with the family that raised you [Conquest] --or-- (2) Return to your natural family [Birthright]. If you have Conquest, you can download the Birthright path for approximately half the price of buying the game separately. The same is true if you own Birthright.
Revelations is said to be the 'True' ending and resolution to both sides of the conflict. It reveals the truth behind the conflict and (I believe) you can recruit characters from either side. If you can't get the SE, this DLC will be available in March.
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Also new to this Fire Emblem is the ability to build your own Base. Known as My Castle, this is a customizable home base of your own design. Your team-mates will reside here. Between battles you can talk with them, train with them and make your relationships grow. You will open stores here, smithies here and there's even a Lottery Shop where you can earn rare items! There's an arena in this area; you can play muliplayer online in here and defend yourself from invasion as well.
If you're into Amiibos and have the Fire Emblem characters, you can even recruit them to fight by your side! They will wander your base as well and discuss with you their stories or make reference to a certain Smashing tournament in which they may have been involved!
Map packs and DLC, some free, most not, will also provide a continuous stream of past FE characters and challenging battles throughout the rest of 2016. This truly is the definitive Fire Emblem experience!
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Yay for feet! Really looking forward to getting this game. Great thread Leo and yes I mean you Leo. 
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Not going to post spoilers here, but I will say: After the event of the Fire Emblem equivalent of a Terrorist Attack happens... The game's pace and path alter dramatically in Chapter 6. There is more to your character than meets the eye!
The My Castle portion of the game is a lot more robust than even I originally thought. You gain access after Chapter 6.
After Chapter 6, you also get the ability to purchase, download and play DLC maps. The first FREE map has you meeting up with three familiar figures: a prince, a princess and their knight protector walking through a forest, moments before they find an unconscious Tactician laying on the ground...
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Meanwhile in Europe ... not even a release day.
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Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
According to Kotaku: "Since 2013, the Fire Emblem series has felt torn between its longstanding reputation for top-down strategy and its newfound popularity as a game of high-stakes romance. With Fates, the series hasn’t frayed under the pressure. Instead, Intelligent Systems has created one of the most narratively ambitious games to hit a Nintendo platform."
phantom_leo said:According to Kotaku: "Since 2013, the Fire Emblem series has felt torn between its longstanding reputation for top-down strategy and its newfound popularity as a game of high-stakes romance. With Fates, the series hasn’t frayed under the pressure. Instead, Intelligent Systems has created one of the most narratively ambitious games to hit a Nintendo platform."
Wowzer. You mean actually more narratively ambitions than a plumber saving a kidnapped princes for the umpteenth time? Must be some deep shit.
Chrono Trigger: first on SNES.
"This makes Fates the fastest-selling game in the franchise, having sold more than five times as many copies as 2013’s Fire Emblem Awakening.
Between the two versions, Birthright was the most popular."
phantom_leo said:FIRE EMBLEM FATES SELLS THROUGH 300K COPIES AT LAUNCH
"This makes Fates the fastest-selling game in the franchise, having sold more than five times as many copies as 2013’s Fire Emblem Awakening.
Between the two versions, Birthright was the most popular."
I think that's because most people are choosing to play through that first before they buy the other two as DLC. Not because most people want to just play Birthright instead of Conquest.
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Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
Birthright is closer in play-style to Awakening. Conquest is a more traditional Fire Emblem game. Haven't read too much about Revelation yet.
Still waiting for another round on the special editions so normal people who don't creep on amazon instantly can purchase it Nintendo, you fucking asswipes.
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Welcome to a parallel universe where Mario never existed and Nintendo became a developer of hardcore, mature games without need for apology. It is from this universe that Fire Emblem Fates originates. It is a place where people are human beings, not voiceless super-heroes that are always on the right side of justice, that never fail their tasks. It's a world where families fight, mistakes are made and good guys sometimes die.
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It is into this world where you awaken as Corrin, a male or female character of your design, where you are given the heart-wrenching task of deciding to fight beside the family that raised you or fight against them with your natural family once you realize who you really are. There are people that love you and want to protect you on either side of an ugly war. Loyalties are tested and familial ties are severed when brothers and sisters are forced to face each other on the battlefield.
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This is not your little brother's Nintendo game. There's no power-up mushrooms or fairies in a bottle to save your life here. In the first few minutes of the game, there are betrayals and murders, there are sisters flirting with brothers, there are sincere hugs and brotherly ribbings given from people who will fight against you in battle some time after that. There's no cakes being baked, there's jealousy and lies, defiance and death sentences.
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