What game/console to choose for a new but yet old player

[Guest Nil']

Hello,

 

I may talk a lot in this post but i'm really lost and I don't want to do an impulsive buy. That's why I'll try to explain as much as possible what my problem is.

 

I played a little to FE7 when I was really young and really liked FE despite not playing any other titles around this time.

A few years ago, a friend of mine challenged me to speedrun FE13 in lunatic in parralel with him and I really liked 2 things :

- the news mechanics (being able to duo really changed everything).

- the lunatic mode. That's it.. I really liked spending hours finding a good strategy before finding out 3 missions later that I shoudln't have done it this way and trying again.

Unfortunatly I broke my 3ds and was thinking if I should buy a new one or buy a nintendo switch for this spring (as emulators doesn't feel the same way at all and doesn't allow online activities).

 

So as I just told, I didn't play to the whole franchise but still would like to continue my game or try the news games.

 

So what should I do ?

Buy a new 3ds and try the fates/spin off that came out ? do they still have a the duo mechanic or a bit of difficulty if I go in lunatic ?

Or is it wiser to buy a switch as the three houses won't be available on 3ds and so may not the next titles as well (I think so ?).

 

To clarify, I got other games on 3ds and I'd like as well to buy games on switch if I decide to buy one. But still, FE is almost a love at first sight so I'll base my choice on it.

I hope I was clear enough with what was troubling me.

(btw, I choose to post on this forum because I'm using it's wiki. Maybe it would have been wiser to post on a nintendo's forum but I want the opinion of the fe's community)

 

Nil'.

[eclipse]

FIRST.

This isn't a debate, so I'm moving it.

SECOND.

Feel free to make an Actual Account.  Really.  We don't bite.

THIRD.

Conquest is a lot better about difficulty than Awakening was - the maps will force you to think.  Birthright is relatively straightforward, with Revelation being Sandbox Mode.  I'm not as sure about Echoes, as a few of the story maps convinced me to never play it again.  If you're looking for a challenge, grabbing a 3DS might be worth it.  As a "bonus", if you ever find a legit copy of Shadow Dragon, you can grab it, and maybe figure out why most fans don't like it (but I do).  IMO the best Lunatic mode was in FE12, but that's Japan-only.

What I'd do is see if you can get a 3DS for really cheap. . .which should be sooner than later, since the system's nearing the end of its run.  Or, you can wait until more information is released about Three Houses (probably December-ish, give or take), and then go from there.

The other upside to buying a 3DS is that you can join a select few of us in the Etrian Odyssey universe.  The mechanics are different, but the difficulty. . .yeah.

[Slumber]

For the 3DS games, Fates is mechanically very similar to Awakening, but with a butt-ton of the balancing issues fixed(IE Pair-up won't make you/your units a wrecking ball, enemies can pair-up, grinding is discouraged a lot more, kids aren't broken, reclassing is pretty restricted, more varied map objectives, etc...). Lunatic will be plenty hard, especially with Conquest.

The spin-off(It's actually a mainline title) Shadows of Valentia is a remake of FE2, and it's mechanically very similar to the original. However, FE2 was an oddball game back then, so it actually doesn't feel like it's aged too much. Tons of modern touches were added to speed up the game. You can speed up/skip battle animations, there is full-on third person dungeon crawling, there are character supports and full voice acting, a first for a Fire Emblem game. It feels a lot more like a grid-based JRPG than strictly a strategy RPG, and it'll be closer in tone to the older FEs like 7. Overall I prefer it to the Fates and Awakening games, but a lot of my issues with those games tend to be over the style and presentation of the whole package. Awakening is kind of... well, it's kind of a mess when it comes to gameplay, and Fates does a lot to fix it. Conquest is probably one of the best pure gameplay experiences in the franchise, but a ton of other factors stop me from really ever wanting to play it. But that's me. Tons of others, and potentially you, too, will probably get plenty of enjoyment out of it.

As for the Switch/3DS debate...

Depends on where you're at. The Switch is going to be the platform going forward, and it's already getting flooded with titles. Even if you don't want to play just FE, there'll be tons of stuff there for you. But it's still pretty early into its life, and we know how Nintendo is with their hardware. The 3DS, meanwhile, is past its prime. It's not going to get any better, but it's also as good as it ever will be.

I'd say you can't really go wrong with either. You can either pick the cheaper option with the 3DS and go back and play tons of stuff you haven't yet, or you can go with the Switch and not have to deal with this whole dilemma again 5 years down the road. My own personal biases say Switch, just because SoV was the only FE I truly loved on the 3DS, and I'm much more interested in what Three Houses may be bringing to the table.

Edited November 12, 2018 by Slumber

[Nil']

Sorry for posting this in the wrong section. I tought I posted in general but I kind of messed up in a sub section :<
And well.. still not being bitted, the rumors were true !

It's true that the 3ds is the cheap way. I planned to play the precedent games as well and turns out sov is a ""remake"" wich is nice, I may go for the 3ds after all.
Etrian Odyssey  is.. a mix of Final fantasy/pokemon dungeon mystery ?

Thanks for the quick reply !

Edited November 12, 2018 by Nil'

[eclipse]

Etrian Odyssey is a game of its own.  It's somewhat similar to PMD, but you need to make the map yourself.  Battle system is turn-based, and leveling your character will make or break you.

There's also a few SMT games, a lot of Pokemon, and some interesting other titles (including Advance Wars, which is fairly similar to Fire Emblem).

[starburst]

On 12/11/2018 at 6:27 PM, Guest Nil' said:

So what should I do ?

Buy a new 3ds and try the fates/spin off that came out ? do they still have a the duo mechanic or a bit of difficulty if I go in lunatic ?

Or is it wiser to buy a switch as the three houses won't be available on 3ds and so may not the next titles as well (I think so ?).

Go for the New 3DS, mate. I got one last year (my first experience with the console) and now I have access to the 3DS catalogue, the DS and the GameBoy Advance ones. Tons of great games.

Advance Wars and a couple of chapters of The Sacred Stones introduced me to the genre. I really liked the trailers for Fates and it was the one game that made me buy the console. I tried Birthright first and did not really like it, but once I tried Conquest, I got hooked. I have played it over a dozen times during this past year (mostly on Hard but also on Lunatic) and I enjoy it. Do not mind the silly story, it is the gameplay what shines.

I bought a Switch last May or so, and I do not play it, like, at all. It is just not as comfortable to handle, and no game is as engaging as the titles available on my 3DS. I have considered selling it, but I will wait until Three Houses comes out.

Anyway, get a New 3DS and give Conquest a try. Then go for the GBA and DS titles (and do not forget Advance Wars 2 and AW Dual Strike.)

Edited November 15, 2018 by starburst

[Nil']

That's what i'll do after reading all these posts hehe.
Get myself a 3ds, finish awakening, go on conquest and swich on either Etrian odyssey or advance war that I completly forgot !

Thanks a lot for helping me