RPG Cast – Episode 668: “Nacho Chakotay”

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Although I got Sacred Stones and Shadow Dragon a few weeks apart, my first Fire Emblem that I managed to complete was Awakening and that’s what got me into the series. My rankings go Awakening, Three Houses, Engage, Echoes, Heroes, Fates, getting hit by a truck, and then Shadow Dragon.

I’m going to put in a good word here for The Binding Blade, the first GBA title (which we didn’t get in the West). Is it actually better than Awakening or Three Houses? Maybe not, but I loved it. Properly old-school tough, huge maps, masses of characters and packed with secrets – it’s a brilliant SRPG.

QOTW: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones still has a special place in my heart, as it was the first one I played thanks to the 3DS Ambassador program, and the one to get me hooked on the series going forward from there. But if I had to pick an absolute favorite, my vote goes to Awakening. Everyone’s little hoof like feet didn’t detract from what an awesome and fun game that was.

Yay for my giant rabbit transforming waifu and our two, time traveling, future, giant rabbit transforming children 😁

Have to put in a good word for The Binding Blade, the first GBA game and one which sadly hasn’t come to the West. While it may not be intrinsically better than Awakening or Three Houses, it distills the core of Fire Emblem. Masses of characters, huuuge maps, packed with secrets, hidden paths, bonus fighters and it’s hard as nails. Loved it.

This might be cheating, but I can’t decide which of three Fire Emblems is my favorite: Path of Radiance, FE Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, and Three Houses. Path of Radiance was my first and I really love its maps and differing win conditions. The story and characters are great, too.

Shadows of Valentia and Three also have great stories and characters. Both also have excellent voice acting. I find that Shadows of Valentia has the overall better soundtrack, also both games have fantastic music.

I may need to play all three back-to-back to actually settle on one, heh.

Fire Emblem has been my favorite franchise since I first played Blazing Sword on the GBA in 2003. I remember reading previews in Nintendo Power back in the day and being amazed that a game like that was making its way to North America.

Blazing Sword will always be special given that it was my entry point, but my favorite Fire Emblem remains Radiant Dawn on Wii. The story, characters and challenge level were all fantastic. As someone who plays Fire Emblem games for map quality and strategic combat, Radiant Dawn has been a high point. Sadly, it did not achieve commercial success and many fans thought it would be the last title to come west. Thankfully, Awakening found a receptive audience in 2013 and has set the series on a new trajectory.

Fire Emblem has been my favorite series since I first played Blazing Sword on the GBA in 2003. I remember reading previews in Nintendo Power and being amazed that a game like this was making its way to the west. Once I started, I was hooked and found myself going back to experience the Japan-exclusive releases.

That said, my favorite game in the series is Radiant Dawn on Wii. The map quality, combat, narrative and level of challenge were ideal. Sadly, I also remember that game being a commercial failure at the time and many of us feared that would mark the end of Fire Emblem releases here.

Thankfully, Awakening changed the trajectory and while I may not love all of the changes that have been introduced in recent installments, I am still grateful to have new Fire Emblem entries releasing on a regular basis.

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