E3 2012 | Nintendo Confirms Fire Emblem 3DS for US

By Adam Riley 07.06.2012 12

E3 2012 | Nintendo Confirms Fire Emblem 3DS for US on Nintendo gaming news, videos and discussion

The game currently known by Western gamers as Fire Emblem: Awakening on Nintendo 3DS is all set to head to the US. Fire Emblem: Kakusei is currently storming the charts over in Japan, with sales of over 400,000 units now, steering it ever closer to becoming the second biggest selling game in the long running series that began on the NES / Famicom back in 1990. Following Nintendo's specific 3DS conference, many were sad to see that no word of the Intelligent Systems-developed Strategy RPG was uttered. However, since then, good old Reginald Fils-Aime has been informing all and sundry that it is in fact heading to the US this year. Why no Press Release has been dished out yet, though, is unknown, but the news is great nonetheless.

For reference, the Japanese sales are so impressive that some recap of its performance compared to other entries needs to be driven home:

  • Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (Super Famicom, 21/01/94) - 776,000
  • Fire Emblem: Holy War Story (Super Famicom, 14/05/96) - 498,000
  • Fire Emblem: The Sealed Sword (GBA, 29/03/02) - 345,574
  • Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (Famicom, 20/04/90) - 329,000
  • Fire Emblem Gaiden (Famicom, 14/03/92) - 325,000
  • Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem - Hero of Light and Shadow (Nintendo DS, 15/07/10) - 247,248
  • Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword (Game Boy Advance, 25/04/03) - 265,286
  • Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Nintendo DS, 07/08/08) - 252,309
  • Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (Game Boy Advance, 07/10/04) - 246,719
  • Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii, 22/02/07) - 171,924
  • Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 (Super Famicom, 28/08/99) - 158,695
  • Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GameCube, 20/04/05) - 156,413

 

Clearly to reach the dizzy heights of the Japanese-only Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem would be quite difficult, crawling towards the second position target of 498,000 is definitely possible given its current steady pace. Last week it sold 9,654, according to Media Create, bringing its total so far to 400,999.

Could Fire Emblem: Awakening climb the list into second position before the US, and hopefully European, release comes around?

Box art for Fire Emblem: Awakening
Developer

Intelligent Systems

Publisher

Nintendo

Genre

Strategy

Players

2

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  10/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  9/10 (9 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now    Also on Also on Nintendo eShop

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Comments

Yeeeeaaaaayyyyyuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh!!!

SmilieSmilieSmilieSmilie

I loved Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. I hated Shadow Dragon.

Give more in the style of PoR/RD!!

Canyarion said:
I loved Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. I hated Shadow Dragon.

Give more in the style of PoR/RD!!


Shadow Dragon was only 'bad' in comparison to other recent FE games because it was essentially a remake of the first game, which lacked a ton of elements and refinements that were introduced in later titles. This is a new Fire Emblem game, so it's definitely going to be in the style of Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. Smilie

No wonder FE: Awakening sold so much in Japan, it was the first new Fire Emblem game since Radiant Dawn after the two DS games were both remakes. Plus, it's on a handheld unlike Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn and that greatly helps in Japan as well.

You say that, but I disagree - I believe the DS versions have paved the way for an FE revival in Japan. The sales say it all - the GC and Wii versions really let the side down.

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses

Hmm, could've sworn this was confirmed for a EU release already.

Ah well, good for the US fans that wanted it. Smilie

Adam Riley said:
You say that, but I disagree - I believe the DS versions have paved the way for an FE revival in Japan. The sales say it all - the GC and Wii versions really let the side down.

Not that I think that your take on it is completely out of question either, but the three GBA games which came out in 2002-2004 sold very well and Path of Radiance came out in 2005, so it's not like there was a long period without any game in the series for the popularity to drop drastically. To me, it all seems more like the Japanese prefer the series on handhelds.

THANK GOD!

This is what I was waiting to hear the whole time at both conferences. And yet, it gets confirmed by a conversation and then via twitter?

Not the best E3 for me. Smilie

"Do a Barrel Roll!"

It's good to see this Fire Emblem break the downward trend for the series. A Fire Emblem revival would do wonders for the series -- bigger budgets maybe and higher priority.

It kinda says everything about how highly Nintendo regard the series that they didn't say anything about at E3. Just a sort of "Oh, yeah, right, Fire Emblem" after Rich from IGN prodded him about the game..

Jacob4000 said:
It's good to see this Fire Emblem break the downward trend for the series. A Fire Emblem revival would do wonders for the series -- bigger budgets maybe and higher priority.

It kinda says everything about how highly Nintendo regard the series that they didn't say anything about at E3. Just a sort of "Oh, yeah, right, Fire Emblem" after Rich from IGN prodded him about the game..

Actually it was Kotaku who grilled The Regginator for the FE scoop. Not that it matters... I gotta say it really made my day and E3 hearing about this. I was feeling really blue after that software showcase and not even a sniff of FE news.

But good things come to those who wait I suppose. I feel bad for those of you who are waiting for Monster Hunter. Capcom's been dangling that carrot over your heads for more than a year now? Yeah, this is why I boycott them.

Ahh, you are correct, Ike. Not sure why I thought it was Rich!

Pretty sure Rich did too, he posted it on his Twitter very soon after the show ended.

Looks like Fire Emblem wasn't just on one or two peoples' minds eh? Fire Emblem was also trending on Twitter worldwide that night, quite something.

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

SuperLink said:
Pretty sure Rich did too, he posted it on his Twitter very soon after the show ended.

Looks like Fire Emblem wasn't just on one or two peoples' minds eh? Fire Emblem was also trending on Twitter worldwide that night, quite something.

Word on the interwebs is Rich overheard Kotaku Editor Stephen Totilo speaking with Reggie. But again, its neither here nor there.

I get that little feeling of warmth that FE was trending... on twitter. TWITTER! I firmly believe this game will have one million LTS. Mark my words, C3 8)

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