Topic: Episode 253: Daddy's Home for Dinner

[broodwars]

8. Fire Emblem could be a fantastic series if characters didn't die forever.  Even if they had like their XP brought back to zero that would at least make it bearable to suffer casualties.

I don't think Fire Emblem's Perma-death is really a problem, though.  If you care about the characters you're leveling-up, it promotes caution and sound strategic thinking.  If you could just revive characters at any point, it would make you act much more recklessly because there are almost no consequences to your actions.  I think a much bigger problem in Fire Emblem is that under the hood the series (like Advance Wars) doesn't seem to like resetting its random number generator.  This means that if you perform the same actions in the same order, the computer performs the same actions in the same order (including critical hits).  It makes the maps an exercise in finding the "intended solution to the puzzle", rather than strategic planning.  The computer also has an irritating habit of waiting till its last moves on a given turn to execute characters, which gets tedious over time.

A much better fix for the series IMO would be for Nintendo to outright rip-off Sega's design document for Valkyria Chronicles, the best Strategy game this generation IMO.  Make movement more open, incorporate real 3D movement, make it so you level up classes instead of characters, and incorporate elements of real-time combat.  Also, in Valkyria Chronicles, if a character goes down, they only "die" if an enemy unit touches their body or one of your soldiers doesn't reach them within 3 turns.  It's a much more lenient death rule without removing the consequences of a soldier going down.

[Fatty The Hutt]

I hope Billy comes back soon!

Also its kinda sad when your own retroactive players voted upon a title specifically to troll you.  I think you should dictatorial do Baten Kaitos Origins.

This is patently untrue. Folks voted for it because they are interested in it and because it should provoke interesting discussions. I call foul! 

[KateDaring52]

Great post! It's very nice. Thank you so much for your post.


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lol @ fake sig

[Crimm]

Great post! It's very nice. Thank you so much for your post.


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Watch Horrible Bosses Online Free

IT'S NOT A SIG, IT'S ACTUALLY PART OF THE POST! WORST SPAM BOT EVER!

[Chocobo_Rider]

5. Nintendo's "rules" about couches and hands and whatnot might be easy prey ... but that sh*t has worked and worked well!! You can't say those weren't smart moves! That's why the Wii was able to transcend stigmas of being a game device for hardcore nerds and caught on as a social device for everyone! That's how they overcame the typical graphical arms race!  The proof is in the puddin' ... Sony and MS have followed suit because it was a smart choice.

this makes no sense.

.... touché .... ?

@ Broodwars

Yea, I can see how the perma-death does make things inherently more "meaningful" or "intense" or whatever one would call it.  It just happens to not be my cup o' tea.  I never played Valkyria Chronicles but I love the art style and a friend of mine gushes about it as one of his favorite games of all time.

[Mop it up]

I mean, Brawl had a monumental soundtrack of over 300 songs, and there's still a huge, untapped well to take from.

Actually, it has 258 songs, at least half of which are ripped straight from other games, and all of which have worse sound quality than MP3s. There is tons of room for improvement.

[gojira]

On the Fire Emblem topic.  I love the series and own all the games that have been released in the States.  I started with the first one on GBA.  It would be great if that ended up being one of the Ambassador games.  It was my favorite until I played the GameCube game. 

Not only did the GC version let you save mid-battle (so you didn't have to start at the very beginning if you lost someone), it also had a system to help you level those weak characters that can be such a pain to do so on the battlefield.  There's also some other minor stuff I think they fixed as well.

The Wii game (which I'm playing right now) 1ups the GC version by letting you save whenever you want in battle.  I'm not done with it yet, but so far I still liked the GC game more.

And the DS game was a bit of a letdown for me.  The prerendered characters totally lacked the charm of the hand drawn sprites that were in the previous GBA games.  It was somewhat improved over the original Famicom game (I'm pretty sure they implemented the weapon triangle which didn't come until later in the series). 

But I don't think the DS game would be a bad choice for someones first FE game.  If you think you'll play them all I think it might be the best to start with.  But I'm pretty sure they all have decent tutorials so you could really start with any of them.  Well, except the Wii game.  It's best to play the GC game first since it is such a direct sequel.

[Soren]

The GBA Fire Emblem is a great entry point into the series. I haven't played any of the other portable entries in the series, but I assume they keep the same feel, only making things a little harder.

Path of Radiance beats out Radiant Dawn only because in RD you're stuck with the Dawn Brigade for so long. For me the characters were so awful I basically ended up babying them through most of the chapters so they wouldn't die on me. I'm sure that ended up hurting me when it came time to level them up.

[Sundoulos]

The only thing that I never really cared for in Final Fantasy VI was that the individual character abilities become somewhat secondary after you can start teaching magic to all of your characters. 

In fact, I wish they had kept the magic-learning to a select few, such as Celes and Terra.  For characters like Gau and Strago in particular, learning magic makes a number of their abilities redundant.

I believe that there is at least one point in the game where it is pretty easy to permanently lose a character.  Shadow is unavailable for the remainder of the game if you don't get through the Floating Continent escape sequence quickly enough.

[Mop it up]

I believe that there is at least one point in the game where it is pretty easy to permanently lose a character.  Shadow is unavailable for the remainder of the game if you don't get through the Floating Continent escape sequence quickly enough.

That's slightly mistaken. You have to wait standing at the escape vessel until there are only a few seconds left, then he'll show up and escape with you. Otherwise, I guess he's killed when the whole world blows up. Unfortunately, I don't think the game gives you a very good indicator that you have to do this, so I didn't have him on my first playthrough. He's kind of useless anyway since his best advantage, high evade, is a stat that doesn't work as it's supposed to.

[Sundoulos]

I believe that there is at least one point in the game where it is pretty easy to permanently lose a character.  Shadow is unavailable for the remainder of the game if you don't get through the Floating Continent escape sequence quickly enough.

That's slightly mistaken. You have to wait standing at the escape vessel until there are only a few seconds left, then he'll show up and escape with you. Otherwise, I guess he's killed when the whole world blows up. Unfortunately, I don't think the game gives you a very good indicator that you have to do this, so I didn't have him on my first playthrough. He's kind of useless anyway since his best advantage, high evade, is a stat that doesn't work as it's supposed to.

It's been a while since I've played the game, so I must have mis-remembered.

[oksoda]

The only thing that I never really cared for in Final Fantasy VI was that the individual character abilities become somewhat secondary after you can start teaching magic to all of your characters. 

In fact, I wish they had kept the magic-learning to a select few, such as Celes and Terra.  For characters like Gau and Strago in particular, learning magic makes a number of their abilities redundant.

I definitely agree with you, Sundoulos. I'm playing FFVI for the first time right now, and I was a little disappointed when it got to the point where everyone can learn magic, though I still use the unique abilities to each character quite a bit. Even Gau's morphing ability can create much more damage than using a regular spell if chosen correctly. Edgar's "Tools" and Sabin's "Blitz" are excellent, and as such I find they are almost always in my party when available.

And yeah, the game does nothing at all to indicate that, hey, you should stick around the Floating Island until the last 5 seconds so Shadow will join you and avoid a fiery death. In fact, the game has taught you to that point to expect Shadow to join and leave the party at will. So why the hell should I think to wait for him?? Needless to say, I'm in the World of Ruin right now, and Shadow is dead.

Regardless of these little complaints, I'm still completely enthralled by this game. I wrote a love letter to it that should be showing up on the site soon. The pacing, cast, and variety in completing quests (from escaping a train for departed souls to performing an Opera) are all excellent. I think it's the best game in the series, hands down.

[zachs1997]

I'll be interested to hear what you think of the Summer of Arcade titles, James, as both Bastion and From Dust are both going up on Steam imminently for £11, and I am torn over which one to buy.

As for future Smash Bros. characters, if I may weigh in...
For the obscure oldie spot: Geno
For the comedy character spot: Tom Nook
For the first villain spot: Ridley
For the second villain spot: King K. Rool
For the Japan-only spot: Starfy
For the old-school Nintendo-associated third-party spot: Mega Man
For the new-school Nintendo-associated third-party spot: Professor Layton

But yeah, the possibilities for stages and music are much larger. I mean, Brawl had a monumental soundtrack of over 300 songs, and there's still a huge, untapped well to take from.

What would professor layton's moveset be

[Mop it up]

The losing characters thing is the main reason I have yet to try any Fire Emblem game, I just can't get into games which have punishing difficulty. I'm not all that interested in strategy games either, it depends on how they're set up and how complicated they are. I still want to try one at some point, but I don't think I'll like it.

As for Final Fantasy VI, I know it as Final Fantasy III since I have it on the SNES. I missed out on it in its time, and got it from an EB Games back in the early 2000s sometime I believe. At that time, I hadn't played too many RPGs, mostly ones on the PlayStation. FFIII's gameplay, characters, and story showed me just how mediocre Final Fantasy VII really is (and FFVIII's just a mess, so I won't go there), it's amazing how they could go from one of the best and most intricate RPGs created to genericana.

[broodwars]

The losing characters thing is the main reason I have yet to try any Fire Emblem game, I just can't get into games which have punishing difficulty. I'm not all that interested in strategy games either, it depends on how they're set up and how complicated they are. I still want to try one at some point, but I don't think I'll like it.

If you have a PS3 (and I don't remember if you do), pick up Valkyria Chronicles.  If you don't own a PS3, buy one for Valkyria Chronicles.   

VC has a few tough spots, but I found it to be a much more fair game than you usually see in Strategy RPGs.  The gameplay concepts are simple and easy to understand, and the game controls similarly to a modern 3rd person shooter, just with turn-based combat once you raise your sights.  And yeah, the game is gorgeous and has an awesome soundtrack and above-average story.

It's a pity that SEGA (being the masters of marketing that they are) bungled the VC North American launch so badly that the series is now condemned to the limbo that is the PSP.

[Mop it up]

I would have had a PS3 if Amazon honoured their price listing error of $40 a while back. I don't think I'll get one unless something of the such happens for real.

[Sundoulos]

As for future Smash Bros. characters, if I may weigh in...
For the new-school Nintendo-associated third-party spot: Professor Layton

What would professor layton's moveset be

Well, we've seen that Layton is pretty good with a rapier, and he can apparently assemble a machine gun out of spare slot machine parts.  Maybe he could also use his top hat as a projectile weapon, similar to Oddjob.   ...although, that sort of behavior wouldn't befit a gentleman.

I would have had a PS3 if Amazon honoured their price listing error of $40 a while back. I don't think I'll get one unless something of the such happens for real.

Target(at least my local store) had a pretty great, but brief, Black Friday deal last year ($100 store credit) with the purchase of a PS3.  I was out of town, and I missed it.  Maybe they'll have something similarly awesome this year.


I loved the idea and look of Valkyria Chronicles; it's really a shame that I don't own a system that can play it.

[Shaymin]

As for future Smash Bros. characters, if I may weigh in...
For the new-school Nintendo-associated third-party spot: Professor Layton

What would professor layton's moveset be

Well, we've seen that Layton is pretty good with a rapier, and he can apparently assemble a machine gun out of spare slot machine parts.  Maybe he could also use his top hat as a projectile weapon, similar to Oddjob.   ...although, that sort of behavior wouldn't befit a gentleman.

He could use Luke or Flora as a shield in a fashion similar to Princess Peach...

[zachs1997]

As for future Smash Bros. characters, if I may weigh in...
For the new-school Nintendo-associated third-party spot: Professor Layton

What would professor layton's moveset be

Well, we've seen that Layton is pretty good with a rapier, and he can apparently assemble a machine gun out of spare slot machine parts.  Maybe he could also use his top hat as a projectile weapon, similar to Oddjob.   ...although, that sort of behavior wouldn't befit a gentleman.

He could use Luke or Flora as a shield in a fashion similar to Princess Peach...

lol he could have luke to anoy them to death

[TJ Spyke]

It's a pity that SEGA (being the masters of marketing that they are) bungled the VC North American launch so badly that the series is now condemned to the limbo that is the PSP.

It was a niche game and was never gonna be a huge seller anyways. The game did OK in Japan, but not great.

[broodwars]

It's a pity that SEGA (being the masters of marketing that they are) bungled the VC North American launch so badly that the series is now condemned to the limbo that is the PSP.

It was a niche game and was never gonna be a huge seller anyways. The game did OK in Japan, but not great.

It could have sold a lot better than it did if SEGA hadn't insisted on releasing it in November 2008, where as a new IP it just got buried by everything else.  And if there was any marketing for that game, I certainly didn't see it.

SEGA just has a really bad history with marketing and setting release dates for RPGs, which is a shame because they have some really talented teams for making them (Valkyria Chronicles, Skies of Arcadia).

[NWR_Lindy]

If you don't like FF6 you shouldn't be playing video games. And you are probably a communist

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

As with Chrono Trigger, I've been tempted to get Final Fantasy 3/6 off of Virtual Console on more than one occasion because of how revered it is, but seldom have I had a good experience with a JRPG. If I'm generally not a fan of this genre, is there any point in me playing this game?

[KDR_11k]

For obscure Smash Bros characters I'd say the title mech from Chou Soujuu Mecha MG (appears as a trophy in Brawl I believe) since it's a transformer and melee fighter and one of the two playable characters from Zangeki no Reginleiv (they could get silly ranges on their weapons, after all the lances have a standard range of 60 meters, a long one even 120 meters).

[broodwars]

As with Chrono Trigger, I've been tempted to get Final Fantasy 3/6 off of Virtual Console on more than one occasion because of how revered it is, but seldom have I had a good experience with a JRPG. If I'm generally not a fan of this genre, is there any point in me playing this game?

I'm not sure if FF VI is the game for you if you don't like JRPGs all that much.  FF VI is pretty much the embodiment of everything JRPGs were in the 90s.  If you're interested, it's a great game and at $8 you haven't lost much if you don't like it.  Chrono Trigger, though, is pretty famous for being generally liked by even people who don't usually like JRPGs, and it's much more experimental and original than FF VI is.  It's my favorite game of all time, and at $8 it's also pretty hard for you to go wrong buying it.