It's got me going too, and I'm in the same boat regarding the 3DS. Are the bog standard DS Fire Emblem games worth seeking out?

Paul the sparky wrote:

It's got me going too, and I'm in the same boat regarding the 3DS. Are the bog standard DS Fire Emblem games worth seeking out?

The problem with the older games is that they tend to have quite a high value. The one on DS (Shadow Dragon) is a remake of one of the early NES games, so is a bit light on features, but it's still solid. The best one is the GBA one (just plain Fire Emblem, not The Sacred Stones), but it's bound to be expensive.

I do love lists and stats. But apart from that, as I mentioned early on, it does indeed show what people have played and rate highly so can give others an idea of what is worth playing. It's been mentioned on these forums before that some of us don't really care much about mag reviews and go by forumite recommendations instead. To that end, a GOTY list can be helpful I think.

And I'll be starting it as soon as I've finished Tearaway and Zelda. Which might be too late though.

I got the GBA Fire Emblem on the 3DS as part of that ambassador programme.

Might have to give it ago after all the positive talk of the series here. I'm not a fan of strategy games but it would be rude not to give it a few hours.

retroking1981 wrote:

I got the GBA Fire Emblem on the 3DS as part of that ambassador programme.

I think that was The Secret Stones. It lacks a lot of features that made the previous game so good and has extra battles to allow grinding, which goes against the spirit of the series IMO. The basic mechanics are still solid though.

Assuming it's not snide, Amazon has a cart only copy of Fire Emblem on GBA for under a tenner.

I got around ten hours into it a few years ago.  Shining Force II is one of my favourite ever games (top ten, I think), so Fire Emblem was naturally appealing.  It was all going well until my party started dropping like flies - none of that resurrection at the nearest church business either.  Very, very good though - turn-based strategy is far more appealing than standard RPG-type battle systems for me.

Edit: FF Tactics, Tactics Ogre, Fire Emblem, Shining Force and Advance Wars.  The GBA really was superb for that particular genre.

I'd hope the 3DS would end up with a similar level of awesomeness in the genre.

I've dabbled with FF Tactics & Advance Wars before (mostly MP for the latter), but it's only Fire Emblem: Awakening that's made me go OH GAWD THIS IS GOOD.

1. Lego City because it's not getting enough love
2. Rayman Legends because it's awesome
3. AC NL because it's brought me and the kids closer together (apart from that trouble over at Outlaw's - again, sorry)
4. Lego Marvel because Hulk Smash
5. Mario 3D because dur

If I'd played more 5 it'd probably end up higher.

WorKid wrote:

3. AC NL because it's brought me and the kids closer together (apart from that trouble over at Outlaw's - again, sorry)

Animal Crossing drama; what happened?

WorKid wrote:

1. Lego City because it's not getting enough love

Before I count your votes, can you please just clarify whether you are putting Lego City (Undercover?) at number 1 because it was your number 1 game of 2013, or because not enough people have voted for it?

Here we go as I don't think anything is gonna change before the 31st.

1)  Fire Emblem 3DS.  In short(infact all of these will be short) Perfect handheld strategy game with enough depth that the casual can play it & fin & if you wanna dip those toes in, there is some serious, crazy levels of deepness with this game.  Throw in the story, cutscenes, music , character dialogue & Ninty polish & you got one Hell of a title.  I read somewhere that this game was make or break for the series.  Intelligent Systems knocked it out of the park.

2)  The last of Us.  I love a good dystopian story & TLOU is the finest ever told in the video game format.  Bit of a slow burner early game, but finishes so strong.  Naughty Dog are the kings of the PS3 imo, & this game just edges Uncharted 2 as a complete package which is no easy feat.

3)  Ni No Kuni.  Ghibli - check, Level 5 -Check, JRPG - check.  This game was never gonna be a turkey in my eyes & it was not.  All 4 of my kids, the eldest being 15 & the youngest 5, watched me play all of it.  A great romp with stunning visuals & superb music.  Its a decent JRPG to boot, with no major grinding needed & the Familiars bringing a hint of Pokemon to the Level 5 way of doing things. I still get asked by lot when I will go back & finish the Conductor Trails.  More Ghibli cutscenes would not of hurt, very, minor grumble.

4) GTA V.  Main game was above decent for the most part, enjoyed all 3 main characters & the game visually,was f'in stunning in parts.  Throw in the best sandbox for multi I have ever seen available in games & this puppy deserved on a spot in the top 5.

5) Legend of Zelda: ALBTW.  Rose tinters be damned, music, graphics, story, level design all bloody perfect.  First 3DS game(& I've played a few) that the 3D effect was on for the entire length of play & boy did it really add to the experience.  One & only complaint, to blooming easy.  Hero mode from the off & it would of been digital perfection, tho that said, for the 18 odd hours or so, it was perfection.  Just edges Super Mario 3D World to take 5th spot.

Shouts to Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, AC: NL, Beyond 2 Souls(feck you lot, I enjoyed the story), Pokemon X, Soul Sacrifice & even tho the rules state it could not be included in votes.  Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate gametime across 3DS & WiiU.  Some crazy, crazy hours sunk on that game in a few months.  Only stopped because I wanted to play other things & not burnout & taint 4 for when it finally arrives on these shores.  When me & a few buds had our first Deviljho gatecrash a hunt, ranks has one of my favourite gaming moments ever let alone the past year.

It sold over a million worldwide come the end of 2013, but the team were told by Nintendo's sales manager that it would need to sell over 250k if the saga was going to continue according co producer Hitoshi Yamagami.  Finishes the interview Saying he come back to a meeting with team & said..

'My God, what are we gonna do?! The end has come!' Our reaction was clear: If this was going to be the last Fire Emblem, we had to put everything we always wanted to include."

Like I said, those mofo's knocked it outta the park.

I enjoyed reading Cindemon's list from start to finish (clearly a man of good taste and an open mind), but I'm none the wiser about what AC: NL is.  I even opened Wikipedia to check out the various titles of the Assassin's Creed games (which didn't seem to quite fit with his choices, imo).

@Moot_Geeza Haha, superb