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Doing battle with Fire Emblem

Posted Aug 17th 2008 2:00PM by Alisha Karabinus
Filed under: Screens

The latest Fire Emblem is out now for Japan, which means we can get a closer look at the franchise's first outing on the DS. Not only have we tracked down a new set of screens -- mostly featuring battle animations and menus -- but if you want to get a peek at the opening cinematics without blowing everything by watching a full video, you can check out some captures here. If you're only interested in the screenshots, check out the gallery below. Some of them are full screens (both top and bottom) from glimpses we've had before, while others are totally new. All, of course, are in Japanese.

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

Get fired up about Fire Emblem after watching video footage

Posted Jul 25th 2008 12:30PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Video

If we lived in Japan right now (or had enough Japanese skills to import it), we'd be able to play Fire Emblem: New Dark Dragons and the Sword of Light in two mere weeks. Since that's not the case, though, we'll just have produce puddles upon puddles of drool while watching video footage (seriously -- we're that excited). We're sure that many of you don't need to be convinced to join the hype train, though, and are anticipating this one as much as we are.

The two videos (one is posted after the break) are in Japanese, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what's being highlighted. For one, you can see that the game will utilize the stylus to move around the grids. The announcer also talks about a few of the different classes, as well as features in the game (like class changes), but those are all things that Fire Emblem fans will be familiar with. Lastly, you'll get a glimpse into the Wi-Fi battle system, which put to rest our fears about the dreaded countdown timer. As it turns out, the dwindling clock is only a factor when it comes to online play.

After the break, check out the Japanese TV ad which makes us want something else entirely -- Fire Emblem: The Board Game.

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

Continue reading Get fired up about Fire Emblem after watching video footage

Eleven seconds of Fire Emblem beats eleven seconds of anything else

Posted Jul 10th 2008 9:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Video

Anyone who's ever played a Fire Emblem game knows that what's shown in the video above is the most basic of scenarios -- a simple battle, with no alarms and no surprises. On the other hand, if you've played a Fire Emblem, there's a good chance you're as in love with the series as we are and found yourself ecstatic after watching this clip, even if it was nothing but a big tease.

The other wonderful thing about this short but sweet video is that we now have an idea of what the game will look like in motion. Not a completely accurate idea, since the resolution is a little out of sorts, but an idea nonetheless. While New Dark Dragons and the Sword of Light doesn't include super-wow graphics, we do think it looks better in motion. Granted, the mage is masking his face and the armored knight is wearing -- well, armor -- so we didn't have to be creeped out by any faceless sprites. Even so, we're warming up to the aesthetics bit by bit as time goes on; especially since the gameplay is going to rock us hard.

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

[Thanks, Kane!]

Fire Emblem DS wants website visitors to get over initial disgust

Posted Jul 9th 2008 11:00AM by Phil Larsen
Filed under: News

What better way to judge the aesthetic appeal of a game than by seeing it in action? If you thought the "it might not be good" style of Fire Emblem DS wasn't up to your impeccable standards, you can now get up close and personal with the official Japanese website -- and make some critical decisions regarding the fate of that cash roll in your pocket.

Despite the incomprehensible script, the artwork and snazzy designs are easy on the eyes. Head on over to the official page for the standard introductory animations, and the page filled with extra information and videos can be found here. On top of that, extra pieces of charcters artwork are ready for staring at here -- though they won't be official in-game models of any kind.

So, what to do now? Hope that the classic Fire Emblem gameplay holds up against the villified art direction? Pretty much. Besides, we all went crazy for ugly, ugly Advance Wars, so why should this be any different?

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

[Via NeoGAF]

Fire Emblem looks better in screens than scans

Posted Jul 8th 2008 5:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Screens, Imports

While we're still not completely sold on the look of Fire Emblem DS, we have to admit that the screens do the game much more justice than the scans we were basing our opinions on before. While we're forced to sit here and gawk at such temptations, though, lucky gamers in Japan will get to nab this title in one measly month. If anyone needs to get this game more, it's those of us outside Japan who never got to play the original NES title in the first place. Not that we're bitter or anything ... really.

Putting all our envy aside (or at least most of it), we have to say that we're really looking forward to New Dark Dragons and the Sword of Light. While we love the console versions, too, having Fire Emblem back in handheld form just feels right. What about you, though? Do you prefer the series on consoles or handhelds?

In any case, until the glorious day that localization is announced (and the even more glorious day of its actual international release), you can check out the newly added screens in our gallery below.

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

Fire Emblem looks hideous, we still want it

Posted Jun 27th 2008 5:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Screens

When we first saw screens for Fire Emblem DS, we weren't too worried. They may not have been the prettiest screens on the block, per say, but there was plenty of time for Intelligent Systems to fix things up. But now that the game is set to release in, oh, six weeks, uneasiness has started to settle in.

The new Nintendo Dream scans of Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken, for example, are more like a nightmare. While we've seen many of these images before, Nintendo Dream shows some comparisons with the original Famicom game that Fire Emblem DS is based on.

Yet, just because it looks better than a NES game doesn't mean it looks nice. Check out the image above -- those battle animation sprites? Many words come to mind, but "ugly" is the predominant theme. We're not sure if Intelligent Systems realizes that Nintendo's hardware has improved since the GBA days.

It's not all doom and gloom, though. The backgrounds are definitely an improvement over what we've seen before, and we like the more serious tone of the artwork. Not even all the sprites look terrible (the armored knights look fine, for one, since you can't see their facial features). But really, Marth? They couldn't have done a better job with the game's protagonist?

We have complete faith in Intelligent Systems when it comes to delivering a great gameplay experience, though, so we'll swallow whatever distaste we have for the sprites and buy the game when it comes out here, probably on day one (whenever that may be).

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

Online battles ahoy for Fire Emblem

Posted Jun 16th 2008 1:15PM by Phil Larsen
Filed under: News, Nintendo Wi-Fi

Fire Emblem fans must be fidgeting a bit too much these days, given the lack of details surrounding the upcoming DS instalment (lovingly tagged as New Dark Dragon and the Sword of Light). They want their turn at turn-based strategy, and are right to demand it. Advance Wars isn't enough! Settle on down, we have a hot new tidbit of information ready to satiate those hungers for fire! And emblems.

As a remake of the original NES Fire Emblem way back when, what's the most obvious option for developing a fancy new version in this day and age? You guessed it -- online play! No longer will strategists be forced to sit close by and trade blows. The game will utilize Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection, with players choosing five of their best units from the single-player campaign and pitting them against a real life opponent. This is the first time online multiplayer has been introduced to the Fire Emblem series on any console, so progress is on the cards at Intelligent Systems.

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

New Fire Emblem scans both excite and worry us

Posted Jun 12th 2008 5:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Screens

There are only fifty-six days until Fire Emblem releases for the DS in Japan (not that we're, uh, counting), and yet we still don't know too much about the title. Aside from the fact that the game relives Marth's glory days and includes Wi-Fi battles, details on Shin Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken (New Dark Dragons and the Sword of Light) are surprisingly scarce.

One thing that we find slightly worrisome: is that a time limit in this Famitsu scan screen? You know how we feel about time limits. We can't be sure, since the timer might just be recording how long you're taking on a map, but the whole thing makes us a little uneasy. Are the rest of you Fire Emblem fanatics troubled as well, or would you appreciate the extra difficultly that a count-down might add to the game?

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

Rhythm Tengoku Gold, Stafy announced, Fire Emblem dated

Posted May 28th 2008 8:45AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News, Imports

Nintendo of Japan's July release schedule has some pretty high-profile DS games on it that are total surprises to us. First, on July 10th, Nintendo plans to release a new game in Tose's Densetsu no Stafy platforming series, called Densetsu no Stafy: Taiketsu! Daiiru Kaizoku-dan (Legend of Stafy: Confrontation! Daiiru Pirate Squad).

On July 31st, there is a listing for Rhythm Tengoku Gold, which is a sequel to the WarioWare team's amazing GBA rhythm minigame collection, Rhythm Tengoku. According to the announcement posted on the Rhythm Tengoku site, the new game uses the stylus (of course) and features many new rhythm games.

Finally, though it doesn't appear on Nintendo's schedule (the August calendar isn't up yet), their page for the Fire Emblem remake now shows a date: August 7. There goes any fear that Nintendo didn't have anything planned for the second half of the year!

[Via NeoGAF]

2008's Biggest Blips: Part III

Posted Feb 11th 2008 12:00PM by Alisha Karabinus
Filed under: Features

Over the past two weeks, we've previewed more DS games than you can shake a whole pack of sticks at, and we're not yet done. In the final part of our look at 2008's most interesting upcoming titles, we're going to zip through a few last intriguing titles. Some of them haven't settled on anything close to a release date, and for others, there's little information available, but for one reason or another, they're all exciting enough to get us to sit up and take notice.

Unfortunately, they're probably also going to have a serious impact on wallets everywhere. As though we weren't already faced with the prospect of buying tons of games! We've never been happier that DS games are at least cheap.

Continue reading 2008's Biggest Blips: Part III

Guess who loves Marth? This girl

Posted Nov 6th 2007 3:40PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Fan stuff

However hilariously fitting Elyssa's initials might seem, this personalized DS Phat looks leagues better than the previous project we featured. Nintendo actually threatened a recall after seeing that deformed system.

Working under her deviantArt alias, Fruitsexual (lol), Elyssa spent three hours decorating her handheld with plastic paint, immortalizing her favorite video game character and Fire Emblem hero Marth. She must have been really happy to hear that Fire Emblem DS would be a remake of the first game in the series, Marth's debut.

But probably not as happy as Kitanara, who commented on the customized Nintendo DS, "Uuuhh ... *moans and shivers* Marth is the best ... I luff him." Having a name like Fruitsexual must attract strange company, we suppose.

Fire Emblem's handheld return

Posted Oct 10th 2007 10:40AM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News, Screens

Having established its SRPG dominance on the GameCube and Nintendo Wii with its past two entries, Fire Emblem is finally returning to the portable field with its next title. Intelligent Systems -- the Nintendo's internal development studio behind the Fire Emblem and Advance Wars series -- hasn't published any specifics about the game, but we suspect that there will be plenty for us to talk about by the time Fire Emblem DS's 2008 release charges into view.

Word on the street is that it is a remake of the first game, Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryu to Hikari no Tsurugi, and will star Marth.

Jeux-France posted a number of screenshots for the newly-announced title, and they appear just as expected -- zoomed-out battlefield displayed on the touchscreen, combat/data/conversations shown on the top. Enjoy them all in the gallery we've set up for you below.

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

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