If you’re like me, you love getting more bang for your buck and are easily excited when a company announces a bundle for a new game they’re releasing. Not all bundles are created equal, though.
When pre-orders began for Mass Effect and Injustice 2, their respective companies enticed their fans with the promise of additional add-ons or character unlocks to enhance the playing experience. These are all well and good, but giving fans things to enhance the game are only as good as the game itself.
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Preferably, physical items and DLC’s that add more stories to the games are better. For Mass Effect 3, they gave fans a new character and DLC for the character if fans pre-ordered. That’s enough about those games though; the big take away is that Nintendo has grasped the right way to do pre-orders and game releases with the latest game to be released for 3DS, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
Nintendo delivers with a limited release version of the game that includes an Artbook, Soundtrack, reversible packaging that looks like the original Famicon game this is based off of, and pins of the two main characters and Marth that are 8-bit as a throwback to the original game. Each unique piece offered by Nintendo makes this bundle worth far more than pre-order packages that only offer in-game bonuses.
Having a lot of things come with a game isn’t always a reason to go out and try a game, though. Why should anyone get this new Fire Emblem game? After all, it’s just a enhanced version of an older game…
This latest installment in the popular franchise was originally only released in Japan. Nintendo’s decision to enhance the graphics and release it worldwide will bring a larger fanbase to one of the original games in the franchise.
The main characters, Alm and Celica, will also be added to the game in amiibo form so that 3DS players can summon them into battle. Nintendo went even further as well by doing something new with the amiibo feature of the 3DS…
According to Nintendo, “As Alm and Celica get stronger, their stats can be saved to their respective amiibo, allowing their summoned unit to grow in strength alongside them. In addition, all Fire Emblem amiibo from the Super Smash Bros. series can be used to summon an illusory hero of that character, allowing players to seek assistance from spectral visages of Marth, Ike, Roy, Robin, Lucina and the upcoming Corrin amiibo.”
Being able to bring a character into the game and having them level up with your own is a unique new feature that sounds promising as Nintendo expands the versatility of things they can do with the amiibo feature.
Depending on the character you choose, you get to play through a unique story in Shadows of Valentia as you take control of their army in a quest to bring together the two different factions and bring peace to Valentia. Play through either storyline in the JRPG style of Fire Emblem as you tactically move units to beat your enemies and every mistake can leave units exposed to enemy attacks.
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Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia releases May 19 and follows the two stories of Alm and Celica.
Collegian blogger Kevin Avis can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com.