Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright - Nintendo 3DS

I've been waiting for this game ever since I finished Fire Emblem: Awakening, and it did not disappoint! Highly recommended to anyone who loves Fire Emblem, strategy, dating sims, or waifus lol It's a really neat story and every playthrough of the game can be quite different! I really can't recommend it enough. The game comes in 2 variations (and a 3rd through dlc), Birthright and Conquest. I played through Birthright first, but also bought Conquest. Fantastic! My one thing I'll mention that Best Buy doesn't tell you, if you bought one of the games physically, and then the other as DLC you will NOT be able to use the DLC code through the regular 3ds store code redemption. You will need to play the game through Chapter 6, then you will be able to enter the code once you visit the Dragon's Gate. I had a few headaches about this system at first, but definitely past that now. Again, I can't recommend this game enough!

This was my first time with the Fire Emblem series and I was not disappointed. I had heard that this was a good starting point for newcomers to the games and they were right as since playing this game(which I put a lot hours of my life into) I've since bought several of the older titles to play through as well. So if you thought about getting into the series and weren't sure where to start I'd suggest starting with this game, while easier than the others it's still a lot of fun and a great intro into this series, of course it'd still probably be a lot of fun for the long time fans as well just not a lot of challenge for them but that's why they made Conquest right? :)

This game has it all. Good voice acting, animation sequences , controls, graphics, and story. Anime sequences is good enough to make a movie on. Battling graphics are top notch and flashy special attacks. This one is more forgiving than Conquest. Birthright is easier to play and a "hero of light" feel. Conquest is more battle-driven and "dark" plot. "Conqueror of lands" feel. Plus resources are scarce. So it makes you think and you have to be careful to survive. I recommend Birthright over Conquest. Birthright a friendlier version. Conquest if you're a skilled rpg veteran.

Alright, first thing is first. This game is pretty hard. Not when compared to a lot of other Fire Emblem games, (like Conquest, the other side of this story) but I wouldn't expect to jump in and handle things without some thought. Thats kind of the appeal of the series. Its a slow moving, tactical, turn based game, with an interesting story. If that sounds good, it's probably going to be interesting. I think this might be a good place to jump into the series with, but just be aware... Tough battles within.

This game is a great purchase for anyone who enjoyed Fire Emblem: Awakening, or is looking to try out this series. This game is geared more towards newcomers; as opposed to Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest, which provides a challenge more akin to older games in the series. This game provides good graphics, gameplay, and story. The combat itself is great, but the interactions between the many characters keep you coming back for more.

Fire Emblem Fates Birthright will feel instantly familiar to fans of Awakening, the previous game in the series, while offering meaningful improvements. These include a better base management system, an expanded weapon triangle (the game's equivalent of rock/paper/scissors) and branching story lines. On a side note, to see both storylines you will need to purchase Fire Emblem Fates Conquest. I will avoid commenting on whether that split was a wise decision or not by Nintendo, but is widely agreed that the games offer different experiences and are both fully fleshed out in their own right. Birthright maintains Awakenings relationship building, side quests to continually level up, and the ability to turn off permanent-death (though my preference would be to leave it on in order to keep the stakes high). For newcomers to the Fire Emblem franchise, or those that have played previous entries but are picking up these first Fates game, this is a solid starting point. The difficulty is reasonable, and there is always a joyful moment when beating a mission with all troops surviving (again, this is enhanced with perma death on). Story line is adequate. It has its twists and turns, but is fleshed out nicely by Post-battle interactions between troops. I found those to be charming, and certainly increased my attachment to the characters. Overall, this is a good buy for anyone looking for a strategy game with well-rounded RPG elements.

To review just Fire Emblem Fates Birthright, I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. It builds upon the Fire Emblem Awakening gameplay with a handful of balance tweaks and a couple of new abilities, such as Dragon Veins, which allow certain characters to permanently alter areas of any given map in real time. While the writing is characteristically good for a Fire Emblem game, the story fails to maintain any real interest, and is flat out cringeworthy at times. Thankfully, the strategic gameplay is as solid as ever, and doesn't detract from the game all that much. Those looking first and foremost for a rich story in an RPG won't find it here. Fire Emblem Fates Conquest brings with it a different approach to the same conflict presented in Birthright, with a marginally better story/plot, and trickier gameplay. Enemy units are more often outfitted with skills that will trip you up if you aren't mindful, and some map objectives present a higher difficulty than that found in Birthright. Fire Emblem Fates Revelation serves as the ultimate version of the branched storyline in Fire Emblem Fates, bringing both games' casts and gameplay together to bring the story to a full and proper conclusion. I've yet to beat Revelation, but so far it is shaping up to give Conquest (my favorite) a run for its money. For those looking for a no-frills Fire Emblem game out of Fates, I'd recommend starting with Birthright. For those who are already familiar with Fire Emblem and/or want a challenge, start with Conquest. The music is absolutely excellent in all three games, and the gameplay is generally solid. Overall, I'd give Fire Emblem Fates in its entirety 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Very enjoyable gameplay with lots of usable characters. It's on the easier side, but I found hard mode to be sufficiently challenging as most my mistakes often were punished. Great storyline which had some fantastic surprises that idiot see coming. Definitely recommend it if you like these styles of games (tactics/strategy based RPGs)