[Let’s Talk] Fire Emblem Direct reactions

The huge Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 was only just hosted last week, but Nintendo continued to deliver big news a few days ago. On Wednesday, the company held its new Fire Emblem Direct.

There were quite a few announcements, and some surprises along the way. Nintendo kicked things off by revealing Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia for 3DS, a re-imagining of Fire Emblem Gaiden. Next was the confirmation of a brand new Fire Emblem heading to Switch in 2018, followed by a bit of gameplay from Fire Emblem Warriors – plus the announcement of a New 3DS version. Finally, we got a lengthy look at the mobile game Fire Emblem Heroes.

What do you guys make of the Fire Emblem Direct? Were you surprised to see another Fire Emblem game for 3DS? Do you intend to try out Fire Emblem Heroes when it launches on February 2? Let us know how you feel in the comments below!

Highlights from last week’s topic: Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 reactions

ForeVision

As someone who loves RPGS/Action games and is more of an “oldschool” gamer I see plenty of things to like.

My gripes are with the paid online not being detailed in full, if the price is right with the feature setup, I’d feel less bummed about having to pay it (you already pay for your internet connection so there’s that)

The, as many have stated, overinflated prices of the accessories (pro controller, dock etc)

The rather meager launch line-up, although there may be more in there than we think, since there’s announcements coming, titles floating around of which there’s no information yet retailers have them listed and Nintendo’s penchant for mystery.

I’ve got it on reserve, since I’m not in a hurry to acquire it (finances among others) So I’ll save up a good amount by March 3rd, and get all that I want for what’s available then. All in all, I feel that this system’s future is one I’m very much willing to go with, since there’s a lot of interesting third and less but good first party games that appeal to me, and if it’s successful, there will only be more.

nemo37

I think the presentation itself was below average and some of Nintendo’s decisions are worrying. I am going to summarize my reaction in bullet points.

Switch Hardware:
-The hardware itself seems solid. It is a very powerful handheld system that offers home console play styles.
-I love the features in the Joy-Cons. HD rumble is great, especially if it is anything like the HTC Vive haptic feedback. I also like how the Joy-Cons and the Pro controller can be used as both traditional controllers and as motion controllers.
-The price for the system and its accessories is way too high (especially in certain regions where it is absolutely ludicrous compared to the competition). The system is priced too high for casuals. Moreover, it does not have the third-party support to be a justifiable purchase as a primary console for the broader dedicated gaming market; I feel it could do very well as a secondary console with dedicated gamers but not at its current price. Moreover, as I will discuss below, the software is not quite where it needs to be to convince many Wii U owners to upgrade.

Software:
-Arms, Xenoblade 2, Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, and Zelda BOTW all look amazing. I am especially excited that Mario Odyssey is seemingly returning to 3D Mario’s non-linear roots. However, there were no surprises. Nintendo could have surprised people with a new Metroid, Luigi’s Mansion, Kid Icarus, etc.
-The overall lineup is barren, especially at launch. The key launch title is BOTW, which is a game that is also coming to the Wii U (albeit the Switch version not only runs better but is more portable). This makes it difficult to justify an upgrade for Wii U owners until there is more content.
-From a third-party perspective I am looking forward to Sonic Mania, Project Sonic 2017, No More Heroes, Fast RMX, Rayman Legends. Having Minecraft, NBA2k18, and Fifa are all essential for the broader marketplace. However, there is no so-called triple A western or Japanese games to entice Western gamers. That could be problematic, especially given the system’s price.
-I think Nintendo could have ported more games, outside of Mario Kart, from the Wii U’s library to entice gamers that did not have a Wii U. Xenoblade X, Pokken, Yoshi’s Woolly Word, Mario Maker, Smash 4, DK Tropical Freeze, would have all been prime candidates.
-It is worrying that Nintendo has not announced a solid plan for Switch’s VC service when we are less than 2 months away from the system’s release. Moreover, their PR release about their network service seems to indicate that only NES and SNES games will be available at launch, which is disappointing and points to a small and slow VC service like we got on Wii U.

Online Service:
-I think a paid system to improve the overall quality of the Nintendo Network would be great (as it stands now I can never play online on any Nintendo system without being cutoff in a few seconds, so having a free service is not use to me when the quality is so bad that it is unusable)
-Nothing was mentioned about whether games will be tied to accounts or the system, which still raises questions.
-The plan of providing access to 1 VC game per month and then revoking access after that month is terrible, especially when you consider that the competition is giving access to multiple newer games for at least the duration of the subscription period. This brings into question the competitiveness of the online service (which becomes a major issue considering issues surrounding competitiveness with regards to price and to a lesser degree initial launch lineup).
-The sharing feature is great and I like that in the future it can also record video.
-The online chat requiring a separate mobile app is disappointing and needless. It is disappointing because players cannot easily listen to in-game content and chat with friends at the same time. It is needless because players can use Skype and similar services without having to pay.

Presentation:
-The presentation had high points like when they discussed the Joy-Cons and showed Xenoblade 2, Mario Odyssey, Zelda, and Arms trailers.
-I feel they spent too much time with 1-2 Switch, which is something that would not really appeal to the target audience of the presentation. It should have been shown at another event.
-The third-party presence was very weak and disappointing. There were no Japanese or Western third-party/second-party evergreen/triple A titles presented which could be problematic to the platform launch.
-Nintendo missed an opportunity to surprise fans with a new Metroid, Luigi’s Mansion, Kid Icarus, etc.
-There were very few details given about launch titles until after the presentation which could potentially lead to confusion.

Overall, I really like the Switch hardware and I have gotten mine pre-ordered. I look forward to playing games like Zelda BOTW, Xenoblade 2, Mario Kart 8, and Mario Odyssey on the go. However, I think the system is headed for trouble due to pricing, weak lineup (at least based on what was announced; and especially at launch), and noncompetitive online plan.

I bet that the system’s initial months will be very slow with regards to sales (I would argue that it would do similar to or even worse than the Wii U’s initial launch). However, I think that Nintendo can turn it around by announcing more titles at E3 and cutting the price by late-summer or mid-fall before the holidays. I think ideally, to gain lots of market share, the system should be priced at $200 with bundles being priced at $250. Nintendo should also reduce accessory prices. In addition, smaller things like quicker VC releases and porting some Wii U games to the Switch could also help give it an edge. However, they most important thing will be price reduction.

Melatelo

I’m getting it day 1 regardless. What concerns me though is the year 1 initial line-up. There’s some fantastic looking games in there no doubt: Zelda, Arms, Splatoon, Xenoblade etc…but otherwise it’s pretty bare-bones. I thought Nintendo would come swinging much more aggressively after the failure of the Wii U. There are very evident gaps in the release schedule. I know people are saying Nintendo haven’t announced everything yet, but why would they wait!? That makes zero sense. They have under 2 months now to convince consumers to buy the system. Showing a huge robust list of upcoming games would help justify a purchase imo. Not only that but the controllers/accessories are crazy expensive. Overall reactions I’ve seen are quite negative- even from major publications which is quite concerning to see already. I just hope the big N knows what they’re doing. I really think they’re on to something with this device, and I really want them to succeed.

LittleLyn

I really enjoyed the presentation. I still love the design. I love the portability. I love the Joycons. I’m very pleased as a whole. I can understand the complaints other people have about subscription-based online play, and I admit I winced a little when they mentioned it in the presentation. But I never play online personally, so it doesn’t really affect me. For my part, if I can still access the eShop (or whatever they’re calling it now) without a subscription, then it’s truly not an issue for me. I’ve been enjoying Sony’s consoles for years without PS Plus, there’s no reason I can’t do the same here without Nintendo’s subscription. But I get that online play is a lot more important to other people.

The price of accessories is a bit intimidating though. I may be skipping out on the Pro Controller this time around if it’s gonna cost seventy freaking dollars.

And then there’s the games, which are the most important thing to me. For me, the games they showed were just exciting me one after another. Especially since it seemed like a lot of them were JRPGs (which are kinda my thing). Between Xenoblade 2, Fire Emblem Warriors, Shin Megami Tensei (5?), that Octopath Traveler game, Mario Odyssey, hopefully Dragon Quest 10 and/or 11, and of course Zelda, I was in heaven. So, in terms of games, I am SO there…

…just probably not at launch. Money is tight and we DID just get a PS4 barely a month ago. And if the majority of the titles they showed aren’t launch games (actually, besides Zelda and 1-2 Switch, I’m still not totally clear as to what IS there at launch), I’ll just get Breath of the Wild for the perfectly usable Wii U I already have. And perhaps by the holiday season or so, there’ll be more of the actual games I am interested in. After all, I got all of the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS prematurely, and had expensive paperweights for a while. I would ultimately come to love all three (and I feel very confident about the Switch for my interests), but I’d rather not stress out over getting one too soon if I’m barely going to use it early on.

I 100% plan to get one. Just… later.

MajoraMan28

Overall, I think it was an average presentation.
Sure, we got great games revealed, like Super Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade 2 and Project Octopath Traveller, but the games only started to show up at the later half of the show. The pacing wasn’t consistent..
So here are a few things to note:

1) The pricing felt a bit off, given what we know of the specs (a console that still suffers framerate dips with BotW is concerning, even if it’s at 1080p). What surprised me the most was the cost for the Joy-Cons and Pro-Controller.
The region free thing was great, and the HD Rumble feature seems like an awesome piece of tech, but I can’t see a great use of it in gameplay nor does it justify the high price for the controllers

2) Two titles made a bit upset.
While Splatoon 2 is a sequel, not a port, it doesn’t look that different from the original at all, which makes me tend to forget a lot about this title. May end up being good, but a sequel with not much new content is weird, coming from Nintendo.
Also, as a Wii U owner for a few years now, and still happy with it, I feel a bit betrayed by the fact that with Mario Kart 8 we don’t seem to be getting the revamped Battle Mode, nor the new characters. I may be wrong, though, but paying full price for the same game I love only to play the mode I deserved on the Wii U and for a handful of characters makes me a bit sad. I was dreaming with the possibility of cross-play online when I saw the possibility of the port, but I guess it’s impossible.

3) While 300 bucks may seem a bit overpriced at first, something in me says to not be disappointed, as the specs may be a bit better than what we think. I was hoping for them to show the specs, but nothing came, which makes me a bit concerned.

4) Absolutely happy with the games shown. ARMS seems to be a nice new IP (a Splatoon of sorts for the fighting game genre), Xenoblade Chronicles 2 made me absolutely hyped up, confirmation of Square’s intention to fully invest in Dragon Quest on Switch, Octopath Traveler seems to be the revival of Final Fantasy Tactics with SNES-HD graphics, and Super Mario Odyssey return to sandbox-style gameplay (although I’m a bit disappointed by the music played in the trailer, as well as how far from epic the game seems to be, something I missed in SM3DW from the SM64 and Galaxy days).

5) People are not giving attention to two games. One is easy to see how bad it is to not give it attention: Super Bomberman R. This is the revival of a series thought to be dead, and was made possible bc of Nintendo. The launch lineup may not look that impressive, but Zelda and Bomberman on launch day will keep me entertained for the whole month, tbh.
The second game seems weird to call out, but it’s a franchise that is the main reason for PS success with the PS2 and now the PS4: FIFA
Nintendo lacked sports games for generations, and as it stands, FIFA is the best selling sports franchise in gaming, and is the game that casual gamers usually play the most on their PS consoles, specially in Europe and Latin America. Having FIFA on Switch is a game changer, and brings hope for other big sports titles, other than NBA2K17 on the console.

6) Implementing motion controls was a great move. Sure, the traditional controls are there and are mostly the focus for most of the games. But motion controls attract the casual consumer, and “1, 2, Switch” seems way friendlier than Nintendo Land was on the Wii U. It’s not a game I would buy, but it would’ve been an excellent idea to package this game with the Switch. It would give the console more potential for better sales.

7) Breath of the Wild at the end was an excellent move. Throughout the presentation, it felt a bit like they forgot how to make hype live presentations, as Sony has done with two of the last five E3s. While they didn’t meet the expectations for most people, since many games were still left out of the presentation and gave a sense of a lackluster lineup for the year, as well as issues with pacing and bit of presentation, a good showcase needs to end with a bang. And oh boy, it sure did.

8) While the third-party support seems a bit promising, it didn’t seem to be enough. While Dragon Quest XI, No More Heroes, Shin Megami Tensei all seem like top of the line third party titles, and they sure are, they aren’t system sellers, and tend to be a much more niche kind of games. While some of the big franchises like Sonic, FIFA, Final Fantasy, Assassin’s Creed, and others could have gotten a mention here and there, not a single gameplay video was shown to demonstrate the console’s power. Let me remind you that when I say “big”, I’m not talking about quality. I refer to power of selling consoles. And sadly, it’s preety rare for quality to be rewarded with better sales. But these franchises are necessary. The casual market doesn’t play only Wii Sports or 1, 2, Switch. They are responsible for some of the mediocre franchises being famous in the first place. And Nintendo has to learn that they need these games, even if not all of them are great.

I don’t want to sound nitpicky. I just want to give a realistic view on the matter, and I want them to succeed.
I still have hope for more games for the Switch on the way. Pikmin 4 has been confirmed to be in development for a while. Retro is still silent. Square-Enix is at the moment our most valuable third party partner, and with the hopes of Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts III (as well as the rumored 1.5 + 2.5 HD ports) coming to the Switch still alive, I believe we may have the AAA third party games the people need to get excited to buy the console.
Having Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Final Fantasy VII on the same console would be a dream come true.

If Nintendo wants the Switch to succeed, they need to confirm the games as quickly as they can.

Btw, for those on the hopes for FFVII on the Switch, keep an eye out for the FF Anniversary event on Jan 31st.