Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright / Conquest

[Dantemustdie00]

Yep not surprising at all being how NoA has been with games recently.

[Radiant Hero Ike]

http://mynintendonews.com/2016/02/10/gamespot-fire-emblem-fates-has-face-rubbing-under-certain-conditions-in-west/

Face petting is still in, but you need an S or A+ Support with the person in question to do it.

Makes sense, really.

[WhoWhatMan]

Petting is also back too but it got changed around.

[Dantemustdie00]

Well that actually makes more sense. It's more sensible to be playing around with your husband/wives face rather than some random soldier who isn't fully into you yet, that can definately come off creepy for that particular soldier.

[Junko]

Review embargo is up.

OpenCritic - 87/100 (Birthright), 88/100 (Conquest)

Attack of the Fanboy - 9/10 (both versions)

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Fire Emblem Fates is without a doubt the most ambitious outing yet for the series, offering players three different games that branch off the same opening. The very well designed classic Fire Emblem battle system remains the same in each, though the events surrounding it can change tremendously. The captivating story and strong cast of supporting characters, along with the very impressive breadth of pure content, make Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, Conquest, and Revelation a must own trilogy for the Nintendo 3DS.

The Daily Dot - 9/10 (both versions)

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Beyond its impressive robustness, Fire Emblem Fates complements its size with substance. It’s not quite the equivalent of getting three Fire Emblem Awakenings in a single release, but it’s nonetheless an impressive follow-up. Fates fine tunes Awakening’s best combat and relationship aspects while carving its own identity with the My Castle home base, creating a rare Fire Emblem that delivers immense value outside the arenas of war. In a month that has already seen another long-awaited sequel to a beloved tactical RPG series (XCOM 2), 2016 is giving fans of the genre a happy problem in terms of managing all the time they will need to beat these games. 

Destructoid - 8.5/10 (Birthright), 9.5/10 (Conquest)

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Speaking of alleviating frustration, Birthright is probably the best starting place for newcomers. Not only does it offer unlimited grinding opportunities to beef up your party, but the actual missions mostly consist of easy "rout (kill) the enemy" parameters. The tale is also relatively open and shut, following a traditional storyline from a macro perspective, while keeping the complicated relationships intact. That's not to say it's a waste of time though, as you can still jack up the difficulty and add in permadeath if you want, and you still have to win those battles.

Conquest on the other hand is a more enjoyable from my perspective as a strategy veteran. It's much more complex from the start, and offers bigger maps, more interesting objectives (such as point defense or sieges), and a more intriguing plot. You can't grind, so you're encouraged to instead play through the limited amount of sidequests or arena world map battles to fine tune your party makeup. This leads to a larger need for a more tactical approach from just about every facet of the game. It's more thrilling and has a different feel to it, especially if you crave a challenge and blow through other titles in the series.

GameInformer - 9.3/10 (Birthright), 9.3/10 (Conquest)

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Birthright is its own epic saga, with at least 25 hours of playtime and a load of sidequests and goodies to discover during the course of its satisfying and moving story about identity, family, and love. It tricked me into falling in love with its cast of characters and then made me weigh their lives against the fate of the world over and over again. Birthright is a grueling, fantastic experience that not only matches the quality of its predecessor but possibly outshines it as well, more than earning its place at the table of must-play strategy/RPGs.

It’s built on the same great foundation, but Conquest is more than just a harder version of Birthright. It creates a consistently tense journey with few lulls. I spent the majority of Conquest’s campaign feeling like hope was some distant dream as I fought tooth-and-nail with limited resources against armies that vastly outnumbered my untrained troops. The campaign is a grueling challenge all the way through, but every time I snatched a win from the jaws of defeat I felt an undeniable surge of satisfaction and pride, one that made my victories that much sweeter. If that sounds fun to you, Conquest is the ideal way to play Fire Emblem Fates. If you want all of the fantastic gameplay with less pressure, don’t feel any shame about sticking to Birthright. You can’t go wrong either way.

GameSpot - 8/10 (Birthright), 7/10 (Conquest), 9/10 (Revelation)

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Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright Review, Alexa Ray Corriea - "Birthright--one in a trio of Fire Emblem Fates titles--continues the series' time-tested spin on strategy role-playing games. But is also adds a new layer to interactions between characters that makes things intimate--steamy, even. Mechanically, Birthright is more forgiving than its sister titles Conquest and Revelations, offering players easier access to resources and units as well as more opportunities to grind out experience. As for the narrative, there are some awkward moments and cheap drama that pull you out of the moment, but these are brief and overshadowed by a handful of powerful scenes. Even the melodrama can't keep Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright from being worthy experience."

Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest Review, Peter Brown - "Conquest's demanding challenges force you to work hard as a strategist and a matchmaker, but it never lets you revel in either on your own terms. I do appreciate how hard combat is, and I get a lot out of the relationship building opportunities that arise, but I desperately wanted more time with my army, on and off the battlefield. Every version of Fates has 28 chapters, but Birthright and Revelations give you the chance to go on scouting missions, where you can give the plot a break to train and get to know your soldiers on a more personal level. No such option exists in Conquest."

Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation Review, Alexa Ray Corriea - "Of all three Fire Emblem Fates titles, Revelation is the most rewarding. It marries the best parts of sister titles Birthright and Conquest, offering varying maps with complex and often interactive terrain, as well as ample opportunities to grind for experience and build relationships between members of its warrings kingdoms. Whether you're carefully maneuvering your troops to make the best use of floating platforms to rout the enemy, or pairing up the heir to the Hoshido throne with the eldest princess of Nohr and praying they birth an amazing child, there is a lot of love in nearly every facet of its design."

GamesRadar - 8/10 (both versions)

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Fire Emblem Fates smartly revises a quarter-century old battle system and offers ever more reasons to care about your little chess pieces, but neither version does enough to welcome new players.

IGN - 9.4 (Birthright), 9.5 (Conquest)

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Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright is a fantastic balance of tactical challenge and accessibility. Even after I finished the story, I found myself returning to the battlefield again and again to unlock more conversations between friends and test my army’s might against Nohr’s finest. I’m addicted to Fire Emblem Fates, and that’s fine by me.

Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest is a rewarding and deep turn-based tactical game with a grand story and characters I liked enough that losing them in combat really stings. The intense difficulty is squarely aimed at veteran Fire Emblem players, and its satisfying campaign is full of variety and challenge. And even though a win or loss can down to sheer luck, I walked away either satisfied or eager to give it another shot.

Nintendo Life - 9/10 (both versions)

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Fire Emblem may have found itself in a strange spot after the success of Awakening, but Intelligent Systems has found a way forward. Actually, two ways - Fire Emblem Fates does a remarkable job delivering what newcomers and long-time players both could possibly want out of this series. Fans of Awakening will dig Birthright's continuation of that style of gameplay, and Conquest's strategic demands should go over well with series veterans and those looking for more bite from their games. Extensive campaigns, online multiplayer, and spit-shine polish combine to make for some of the most well-rounded Fire Emblem experiences to date.

Each of these games is unique enough to stand on its own accord as an impressive achievement and a whole lot of fun. The writing is sharp and witty, and gameplay is as accessible or as hardcore as you could want it to be. While the story can feel like it's dragging at times, it's tough to hold too many grudges against what feels like padding since the core gameplay is so much fun.

Nintendo World Report - 9.5/10 (both versions)

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Fire Emblem Fates is so perfectly executed that I wonder how they’ll top it as the series progresses. Every complaint from Awakening has been addressed, leading to a fine-tuned strategy game that borders on genius. I found myself smiling as I surveyed a new battlefield, realizing what hidden challenges and pitfalls the developers so expertly inserted. The story is so wonderfully engaging that you want to rush to the next chapter after every battle but cannot avoid getting sucked into all the other extras the games have to offer. Fates has struck a seamless balance in each version to not only keep you glued to your 3DS, but looking forward to the next version and the next as each one contains just enough information to hook you into buying all three. And while Birthright and Conquest build up amazing experiences, Revelation is the perfect pièce de résistance that succeeds in pulling back the curtain on a story you’ve been so entrenched in.

Polygon - 8.5/10 (both versions)

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Still, Fire Emblem Fates isn't lacking in reasons for you to care about the plight of its world and its inhabitants. It has a powerful emotional core that is unique for games, and it all stems from the ramifications of its instigating choice. It's a war game that's light on blind aggression and bloodlust, instead fueled by curiosity — maybe even regret, when you consider where the different paths lead. Developer Intelligent Systems maintains the series' punishing, rewarding tactics, which force you to consider every angle of every second of combat. But with Fates, it makes you consider another angle: that your enemies, in another life, might just be the people you're fighting for.

 

[WhoWhatMan]

I'm gonna get both versions as soon I get my debit card but I'm wondering if there's a option to get married with a person who is the same sex with you? I don't have a problem with playing a female character to marry a male but I do want to know if the option is available.  

Edited February 20, 2016 by I'm Dan
wrong use of marry

[Someguy]

From what I've read, Conquest features one male character that can marry a male protagonist, Birthright features one female character that can marry a female protagonist, and both of those characters can be encountered and thus married by their same genders with in the Revelation DLC campaign. It sounds like you can also get a higher than A rank, if platonic, relationship status with certain same sex characters, I guess that might lead to some "bromance" style pairings?

[BlueFlare]

I enjoyed Awakening's demo, even bought the game later, made it somewhat in the mid of the story and got super bored. These new titles seem great, not saying Fe: A isn't, but there was something that didn't get me hooked. Not sure if Fates can do different but I might give it a try.

[Junko]

Fates is the best launch for the series in the US.

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REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With more than 300,000 units sold between all versions of the Fire Emblem Fates game during its launch weekend, the Nintendo 3DS strategy RPG earns a place in the record books as the fastest-selling game in the history of the long-running, critically acclaimed franchise in the United States. The game sold more than five times as many units as 2013’s Fire Emblem Awakening, the previous record holder in the United States, during its first three days of availability.

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"Both fans and critics are falling for Fire Emblem Fates, and the early sales numbers prove the game’s undeniable appeal,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “This strong momentum for Nintendo 3DS is only the beginning, as many more high-quality exclusive games are set to launch for the hand-held system over the next few months."

Breaking down the sales numbers reveals that Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright was the top seller between both versions, with the more challenging Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest coming close behind. But the adventures are just getting started for players across the country, as people can choose to purchase the other version of the game for only $19.99 through the in-game shop. Both versions of Fire Emblem Fates offer unique stories with new characters, game play and plot twists.

 

[WhoWhatMan]

So I recently got Fates yesterday (Got the Birthright version considering I never played any of the games before) and is it just me or does the whole "My Castle" thing was just got thrown in there? Like I'm at chapter 5 of the story so far and I'm assuming that dragon human or whatever in chapter 3 teleported you to basically the world were the My Castle thing take place. There was barely any build up for it considering you don't really need to go there in the first place considering the situation your character is in. 

 

I'm not sure if they explain the thing in better detail later in the game but so far, it came out of nowhere.

[Tori Himemiya]

If I remember right Lilith explained that its a part of some alternate dimension.

Though it might be explained in the 3rd Path but I'm not there yet cause I wanna enjoy both before getting to that point.

#specialeditionwhore

[Treacher]

On 2/24/2016 at 3:21 PM, I'm Dan said:

So I recently got Fates yesterday (Got the Birthright version considering I never played any of the games before) and is it just me or does the whole "My Castle" thing was just got thrown in there? Like I'm at chapter 5 of the story so far and I'm assuming that dragon human or whatever in chapter 3 teleported you to basically the world were the My Castle thing take place. There was barely any build up for it considering you don't really need to go there in the first place considering the situation your character is in. 

 

I'm not sure if they explain the thing in better detail later in the game but so far, it came out of nowhere.

I've heard there's a huge shitstorm brewing about cut content and questionable re-writes thanks to Treehouse's involvement in its localization. Maybe it has something to do with that?