(Finally) Getting into Fire Emblem

You ever catch yourself looking at a gaming series from the outside? There are a number of series that I have windows perspective with, but one I've wanted to be viewing on the inside for years is the Fire Emblem series.

Like a number of people, the Fire Emblem series was brought to my attention through the Super Smash Bros. series, Melee in particular. Even for such a wide cast that Melee had, Marth and Roy really stood out from the bunch. Marth ended up becoming one of my favorite characters among the Fire Emblem reps. Lucina may be better in Ultimate, but I still prefer to use Marth, probably because I've played as him for so long and this is coming from someone that still knows next to nothing about either of them.

The Smash Bros. games did spark my interest in the Fire Emblem series. But I've yet to put a serious amount of hours into any of the games despite owning several of them. I have all three of the 3DS Fire Emblem titles as well as Sacred Stones on the GBA. I pour a measly few hours into Ehcoes and I enjoyed it the time I spent with Alm and company but this was 2017, which was an insanely huge year for games. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Sonic Mania, Super Mario Odyssey and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy occupied a lot of my time so Echoes fell by the wayside. I never even got around to played Fates or Awakening. Though time spent with other games did keep me from playing those titles, the vocal members of the Fire Emblem fanbase  that bashed Fates and Awakening was very much fresh in my mind, but that really is an editorial for another day.

Enter Fire Emblem: Three Houses. When I'd heard about this game, I was intrigued. The idea of choosing from one of three houses to help mold the minds of students was certainly a fascinating prospect. Three Houses would also mark the first time the FE series returned to consoles and on the Switch, no less, the gaming platform that doubles as a handheld and has been eating up so much of my game time. I didn't pick up Three Houses when it released in July and other titles such as Astral Chain (haven't finished it, BTW) and Collection of Mana would get my playtime. Even so, I didn't watch any videos or LPs for Three Houses because I wanted to avoid spoilers. Byleth's reveal as the final character of the first Fighter Pass was ultimately (heh) what gave me the push to finally buy Three Houses. Now that I'm more than 20 hours into the game, I realized something: I made a huge mistake. I should have bought and played Three Houses so much sooner.

Three Houses is one of those games that just clicked with me. The grid, turn based combat is very engaging and I often find myself thinking over just where I should position my units. Even though I'm sweating bullets sometimes, the battles are certainly one of the many things I love about Three Houses.

The cast of characters in this game is phenomenal. I ended up choosing Golden Deer for my first play through of the game and while I really do think the world of this house, the other house has equally endearing members. During free time days, I wonder the monastery to chat it up with members of other houses in hopes of getting them to join mine. And even if I can't recruit them to my house, I still love interacting with them. Fun and adrenaline pumping as the battles are, down time in Three Houses is something I always look forward to.

Story is something that also heavily has my attention in Three Houses. At 26 hours in, I realize I'm still pretty early in the game but Rhea already strikes me as someone that strike someone down in a heartbeat if they defied her. I also want to see where the students end up. I already know there is a time jump and Dimitri can undergo quite the radical shift, but I want to see for myself just how he ended up like that.

And there you have it. After nearly two decades of looking at the Fire Emblem games from the outside, I'm finally looking at one from the inside. It feels so freaking good. Three Houses is the kinda game I want to consume on entire days off but I alas, I can't I had to set some time aside just so I could get this written. I want to dive even deeper into Three Houses, finish up my Golden Deer run and then play choosing a different house. I also want to check out other games in the Fire Emblem series. Play through the 3DS games I own and anything else I can get my hands on. Will I like other games as much as I'm enjoying Three Houses? Maybe, maybe not, but I want to take on those journeys to find out. The inside view is a lot better than the window view.

Favorite Tunes #278: Opa-Opa Goes Shopping

It is colder than cold outside so I'm staying in doors. Which, I usually do anyway but  even being outside for a little bit is too much cold when the temp is this low. And that's my intro. Enjoy the music.

We're the River City Girls - River City Girls (Multi)

Not ever awesome game experience in 2019 cost $60 to enjoy. For the low price of $30, you could thrown down with River City Girls, a fantastic follow up to the cult loved NES classic, River City Ransom, which is the English version in a long line of Kunio games. Even if beat 'em ups aren't your thing, at least check out the soundtrack. I'm certain you'll love what you hear.

Under Her Control - Final Fantasy VIII (PS)

Recently, Final Fantasy VIII recieved a digital remastered re-release for modern gaming system. Considering all the love VII has gotten over the years, it was nice to see this 1999 game resurface with a slightly new coat of paint. I remember loving the game 20 years ago so I'd like to go back and play it again to see how well it holds up. The music has not aged a day.

Opening (Donkey Kong) - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

The soundtrack to Super Smash Bros. Brawl is amazing. Thankfully, much of it  not only made it into the fourth game but Ultimate as well. I don't think I ever unlocked all of Brawl's music so I was exposed to more it in the sequels.

StreetSmash - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS (3DS)

Depending on how you look at it, the 3DS/Wii U iterations of Super Smash Bros. are the fourth and fifth games in the series. I can't possible fathom what was going through Masahiro Sakurai's head when it came down to name these two titles, but he's the genius game designer and I'm some dude with a blog. Thankfully, this chiptune rendition of the 3DS/Wii U game's main theme came back in Ultimate.

Shop - Fantasy Zone (ARC)

One of the next upcoming releases in the painfully slow moving line-up of SEGA AGES titles is Fantasy Zone. Unlike most shoot 'em ups that were released in the 1980s, Fantasy Zone was bright and colorful and the soundtrack mirrored this. Fun fact: A Genesis version of this theme was used in the home port of Super Hang-On.

Victory is Near - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GCN)

We're closing out this week with a track from one of the many Fire Emblem games. Yeah, I know this is a touchy subject with Byleth being the 5th character for the first Fighter Pass, but the salty folks will get over it and some of them may even main the chartacter. Anyway, I never got the chance to play the GCN or Wii Fire Emblem games. This was a ime when the series wasn't doing so well outside of Japan. Obviously, it is a different story today, so I'm hoping we can get some HD re-releases on the Switch

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Byleth Joins Ultimate and the Salt is Realer than Real

At 8:59 AM, my phone's alarm went off. I wanted to be ready for the reveal of the final fighter for the first wave of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighter Pass. Who would it be? Some were speculating that it would be Dante from Devil May Cry. Despite not playing a single game in that series, I thought he would have been a cool addition to the Ultimate roster. However, people's hopes for Dant were quickly dashed when Sakurai revealed the character was Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

How did I react upon seeing this?

Every time I think of Byleth getting revealed, I bust out with laughter. Members of the Smash fanbase have let their disdain for the amount of Fire Emblem reps be known. Byleth's inclusion has given them something else to be salty about. I can already hear some fans cursing Sakurai's name. The really extreme fans are probably saying that this is so bad that they will never buy another Smash game, even though Byleth is completely optional. Sakurai saying "I hope there are no hard feelings" before the final reveal and that smug smile as he put the Byleth posters up? That man knew people were gonna be mad.

Some folks are taking things a bit too far, however. Take this article from ccn. Not only does the writer call Byleth "another wasted slot,"as well as a "mistake," but also calls into question the whole first Fighter Pass as a whole and thinks fans should be hesitant on picking up the second Fighter Pass. So due to one character that "nobody wanted," players that bought the Fighter Pass got robbed and and shouldn't feel hopeful about the next Fighter Pass that will contain six characters? If I roll my eyes any harder, they'll pop out. The writer of that article comes across as an entitled brat.

People wanted Ridley? Sakurai gave them Ridley. People wanted King K. Rool? They got King K. Roo as well as Joker, Banjo-Kazooie and the entire cast that has been in every Smash leading up to Ultimate. To get so butthurt over another Fire Emblem rep when the roster will have close to 90 characters when finished is silly to me. Sakurai and his team have worked so hard, bending over backwards to make Ultimate be the phenomenal game it is so I think they have more than earned the right to add characters they want.

Byleth looks like a slow, but fun character. I like that he/she has three weapons and isn't just limited to a sword, putting a dent in the whole "another sword character" argument. I haven't played Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but Byleth's reveal was a reminder that I need to pick that game up.

Concerning the stuff that isn't about Byleth, the Cuphead Mii Gunner costume is looking super clean and could pass for a full blown character, much like the Sans costume. I'm happy to see Mega Man X Mii Gunner returning as well as MegaMan.EXE. I can't wait to see videos of  Rabbids hats on people's Mii's. You know the montage videos are already coming.

If you feed on people's salt, you'll be feasting for some time to come because Byleth's reveal made the sodium flow like wine.

Oh and I am all about that blue alt for Byleth. That will be the main color I choose whenever I play that character.

EDIT: It turns out Nintendo has a big say in what characters can be added to the game. Regardless, my I stand by everything I said above.

Favorite Tunes #277: Just Friends

The subtitle may sound like a friend zone tune but I've never played the game but even without context, I don't think that is the case. Most of this week's selection comes from games of the yesteryear, but I did include some modern music.

Crystal Man Stage - Mega Man IV (GB)

Mega Man V on the GB is a really good game. It has brand new music, new bosses and was overall, a fine send off to the GB Mega Man titles. But I gotta be honest, I like Mega Man IV more than V. Yes, it remixes levels, has GB versions of the NES themes and recycles bosses but I still love it to death. Hey, if Sonic Mania can be the "best Sonic game ever" (GameSpot's words, not mine) I don't see why Mega Man IV can't be the best GB Mega Man game.

Emergency - Astral Chain (NS)

Cyberpunk, cops, stylish action by Platinum? Christmas came early for quite a lot of Switcher owners in 2019 when this baby dropped. I've only put 10 or so hours into this game but I really need to get back into it. I've heard this theme a lot, but it remains a favorite.

Just Friends [Secret Area] - Gimmick! (NES)

An visual and audio marvel released late in the NES life cycle, not many have played Gimmick! but those who have will be quick to point out that underneath the cute graphics lies a very difficult game. Maybe someday this will get a digital re-release but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Player Phase 1 (Friendly Fight) - Langrisser (GEN)

I've seen artwork and heard some of the music from the Langrisser games but never got to play them. That will all change in March when Langrisser I & II releases on the Switch. The games are getting the modern touch and updated music but I wouldn't mind if we had the option to listen to some of the older soundtracks.

Arctic Caverns - Battletoads (GEN)

I love Battletoad's soundtrack on the NES, but man, the Genesis just kills it with some tracks. Theme has so much more energy and I really love the way Ragnarok's Canyon sounds with the Genesis synth. Still not sure which version of Arctic Caverns I prefer between the two. They both sound sooooo good.

Staff Roll - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

Ending this week's Favorite Tunes with a staff roll piece. Seems like a nice way to go out. I never did play my copy of Skyward Sword. Perhaps Nintendo could give the game an HD re-release and do some quality of life changes. Even without having played the game, this is one magnificent staff roll theme and I like to think that even those that had issues with Skyward Sword could agree that this track is out-friggin'-standing.

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"Switch Version When?"

Not long ago, the Switch surpassed the SNES's lifetime sales. We are coming up to the third year anniversary of this fast selling system and I have no reason to believe the Switch won't top the NES sales and keep going after that.

The Switch is everywhere. Not everywhere like everyone having a phone, but a lot of people own a Switch. Kids own a Switch, adults own a Switch and the reason for the dang thing being such a huge hit is for two reasons. 1.) In addition to being a home console, the Switch is also a handheld and the handheld market is something Nintendo has dominated with since the days of the Game & Watch. Phones, tablets, iPads; portable devices are a part of our every day lives and Switch just feeds into that. 2.) The Switch has games. Lots and lots and lots of games.

First party support for the Switch is strong as is always the case with a Nintendo system but the support from third parties is overwhelming. I don't think Nintendo has enjoyed this kind of third party support with a console since the SNES days. Developers that wouldn't come anywhere near Nintendo have been banging on their door to make games for the Switch. Indie support is also insanely high with numerous titles that hit PC and later the PS4 now come to the Switch first with a PS4 release following months after and sometimes even later. The fact that the Switch has gotten games like Doom 2016 and The Witcher 3, games that never would have come to the Wii U have made this question a frequently asked one: Switch version when?

When I first bought my PS4 in 2017, one of the first games I bought with it was the Witcher 3. I never did get around to playing it due to Yakuza 0 and the wealth of Arcade Archives titles that were on the PSN store. So when I heard that The Witcher 3 was coming to the Switch with all of the DLC, I figured, why even bother with the vanilla PS4 version? I hear some of you saying better performance but I will gladly put up with a 30 FPS game if it means I can play it whenever, wherever. Some titles I've bought on the PS4 I've bought again on the Switch just so I can play them on the go such as Jamestown+. Shoot 'em ups and the Switch go together like peanut butter and jelly so the system has become my platform of choice for the genre.

I was close to buying A Hat in Time for my PS4 when it arrived on that console but held off when I found out it was coming to the Switch, and a physical version to boot! Hotline Miami and it's sequel intrigued me and I had considered getting them on the PS4 but then the Hotline Miami Collection was announced for the Switch, sooooo, yeah, bought.

The Switch has become my primary system for gaming and I've found myself holding off on buying certain games on the PS4 because the possibility that the games could arrive on the Switch. In a lot of cases, this has happened. Under powered as the Switch is, the portability helps the thing sell, which has made the thing too big for anyone in the business of making, selling or buying games to ignore.

I realize that there are going to be some games the Switch won't get. Just as there are some games that will never be on a Microsoft or Sony console or even PC, the Switch won't have everything. However, what it does have is a ton of games, awesome games and I don't see the flow letting up anytime soon. As long as there is money to be made, you best believe developers are gonna keep supporting it.

Favorite Tunes #276: Catroidvania

The first Favorite Tunes of the year and I actually got 'em posted on a Saturday. We're starting the year off right.

Title - Gato Roboto (PC, NS)

Describe Gato Roboto in five words. Metroid with a cat, cute. From the level layout/design to the bulky shoulder power suit Kiki wears, Gato Roboto proudly displays wears the Metroid love on its gun arm. Some of the music can be more on the ambiance side but some tracks go pretty hard.

Gumos Hideout - Ori and the Blind Forest (PC, XBO, NS)

What can I say about Metroidvania games? Indies love them. Maybe a little too much, but I digress. Ori and the Blind Forest, like Cuphead, was exclusive to PC and XBO but Microsfot has been all buddy buddy with Nintendo, so the Definitive Edition of the game came over to the Switch. There's a plethora of calming, soothing music to listen to as you make your way through the forest and die a lot.

HQ - SaGa Frontier (PS)

You'd be forgiven for thinking SaGa Frontier was the first in the SaGa series to be released outside of Japan. In truth, the GB Final Fantasy Legend games are SaGa titles released under the FF name to give them a more broad appeal. For some 20 years now, Square Enix has been more confident to release the SaGa games under the original name. That said, some of the SaGa games can be really freaking difficult, strangely designed and are not for everyone. Kenji Ito's music on every SaGa game he's worked on is a high point for the series.

Big Blue (F-ZERO) [New Remix] - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)

The latest entry in the Super Smash Bros. series was jam packed with so much content and characters on launch day. And yet, the game continues to get more content with free updates, and even more characters to be added throughout the 2020. My favorite of the new F-ZERO arrangements have been the glorious F-ZERO Medley and Sand Ocean tunes, but I gotta admit, this new Big Blue remix is fire.

The Hard Corps Blues - Contra: Hard Crops (GEN)

Even for the standards of the series, Hard Crops is ridiculously brutal. Stages are littered with mini bosses, endless waves of mooks and you only get a measly 5 continues to help you beat the game. That is, in the American and UK versions. The Japanese version gives you a life bar and unlimited continues. If you want to play Contra: Hard Crops, I recommend buying the Contra Anniversary Collection, which lets you play the Japanese and American versions of every Contra title on the arcade, NES, SNES, GB and GEN, with the exclusion of Contra Force. Even some UK versions are in there. Hard Corps has a lot of hype, high energy music so a much more laid back track like The Hard Crops Blues is unexpected but welcome.

2PM - Animal Crossing (GCN)

The excitement for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is real. Giddy with anticipation for the game, I thought I'd post a track from the first Animal Crossing game I played, the enhanced GCN version of the N64 title that never made it outside of Japan. Despite being a night owl, I would always play Animal Crossing during the day time so I heard all of the PM and sometimes sunlight AM jams. Realling looking forward to the new game's soundtrack in March.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate wallpaper by Cat with Monocle

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons JPN Box Art/Ad and Screens

Happy new year! We made it to 2020. I thought we'd kick off the new year with a post about a game I am very much looking forward to, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Sure, I don't have a wealth of stuff to talk about in this post and to any big Animal Crossing fans, they've more than likely seen this stuff already, but I am jazzed for this game and it has been six years since the last (proper) Animal Crossing title. If you're anything like me, this tidbit of material will have you licking your lips with anticipation and might make make the wait for the game a little more bearable. Or it could make the wait that much more difficult. As Mario would say, here we go.

First off, we've got a Japanese ad for New Horizons where Tom Shnook, Crook, Nook takes the stage to present the island where the game will take place to the residents. Among the animal crowd is everyone's favorite dog and mayor assistant, Isabelle. I would say that I miss her since I haven't touched New Leaf in forever, but I see her all the time in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Marshall was also in the audience. I had hoped to get him as a resident back in New Leaf but it was never meant to be. Here's hoping he shows up as an island resident for me in New Horizons.

The Japanese box art for New Horizons has also surfaced. North American box art for Animal Crossing games has matched the Japanese versions for nearly 20 years and outside of a logo change,  I have no reason to doubt the box art will be any different for this release. Every version I've come across on the interwebs has been blurry except for this one that was posted on reddit. It doesn't have the Nintendo Switch red and white logo in the top left corner but it is the cleanest image I've seen thus far, so I went with it.

Finally, we've got some new screen shots thanks to the folks at Nintendo Life. The simple, yet charming visual style that series is known for is still on display but the Switch makes the character models look a bit more crisp and sharp. That first image where the dude is staring at his phone when he's on an island surrounded by nature? Man, if that doesn't sum up how people are today, I don't know what does.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons launches March 20, 2020 on the Nintendo Switch and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.