The argument of not liking Game & Watch, Olimar or Nes/Lucas don't properly compare to Corrins situation because not only is Fire Emblem not as big or significant a franchise as these other series but there were already 5 other characters from his respective franchise. To remove the possibility of a new player from either a under represented franchise or a new one just to market a new game can certainly rub players the wrong way.
Pikmin has had only three games, and Earthbound hasn't been relevant since the SNES. Fire Emblem has 12 games, one current gen title and another on the way. I don't see how Earthbound and Pikmin are more significant compared to an older series with more games that is currently popular. Let's say I give you the benefit of the doubt and agree that somehow, Fire Emblem is less significant...as others have already pointed out, two are clones. Thus we can consider Marth, Roy, and Lucina to be one character, bringing the rep count down "Maroyina," Ike, Robin, and Corrin. That is less than the Mario and Zelda characters, and equal to the Pokémon games. Coincidentally, all of those are currently Nintendo's hottest franchises afaik.
Even if I got a step further and say that the clone characters aren't basically one character, that makes Fire Emblem two down from the Mario characters and puts it only one ahead Zelda (two if you count Link/Toon Link a clone) and two ahead Pokémon: all of which are at the top of Nintendo's charts. They are getting about as much representation as the other popular series. Of course it is going to get preferential treatment compared to Punchout or Earthbound, and games like Pikmin don't have the roster to add more characters. Who would they use as a character? A Bulborb?
If Fire Emblem didn't already have 5 other characters representing it then you MIGHT have a point,
Anti-Corrins might have a point if they were equally upset about 9/38 characters (w/o DLC) being from the Mario games. That's almost 1/4 of the roster. Why isn't there the same level of butthurt over the Mario games adding more characters even though they are already a good head and shoulders ahead of any other franchise in terms of representation in Brawl? People don't seem to mind favoritism with certain franchises. It's the exact same principle, only a different series. This is why I say it's a matter of people simply not liking FE. There are no champions of equality parading the streets with Mario taking up a fourth of the roster.
This argument holds more water than you are willing to give it credit for. The problem is the similarity of the sword fighters from FE as well. Robin is actually unique and Corrin is too but the same cannot be said for the rest. The other ranged and brawler characters again are all different and have abilities and gimmicks that make them completely unique from each other in some way. Captain Falcon, Little Mac and Ryu are all brawler type characters but play so differently that it would be ridiculous to say they are the same.
Not really. There's a good deal of difference between Ike, Marth, Pit, Link, Meta Knight, and Robin, so the idea that there are too many sword users really doesn't hold water if we're talking about variety. There are only three clones that are sword users. There are plenty of brawler clones as well, yet people don't seem to be concerned about it (save for Cpt. Ganon).
So, in a way, you are right: this argument holds as much water as people want to give it. I believe they give it too much. It would be very easy for me to say "brawlers are all the same. All they do is punch and kick! Look at all the brawler clones there are!" That doesn't mean it's accurate. It's also rather amusing that, despite people complaining about generic sword users, people actually wanted Roy (a Marth clone AND FE character) in the game.
I cannot reiterate enough that this has more to do with the number of series reps than with the series itself.
So where are the complainers about the Mario series getting more characters? Why bring Peach back AND add Rosalina instead of just making one a skin of the other? Why bring in Bowser Jr./Koopa kids instead of making them Mii outfits or Bowser skins? You can make this complaint with any of the "big three" franchise rosters in this game. It has a lot to do with whether or not you like the characters/franchises.
Also, these DLCs are optional, so blacklash from representation is still a poor explanation. These characters aren't being forced on anyone in any way. I could see it if they were being patched to the main game, but players don't have to buy them. If you don't get the DLC, they aren't in your game and the whole representation issue becomes completely meaningless because these characters aren't in your copy of the game if you don't get them. If you would have preferred someone else, that's fine. Don't make it seem like the devs are ruining the game just because you wanted a different character.
On that note, people actually WANTED Roy back despite FE apparently dominating the roster AND the overflowing number of "generic sword users." Roy was a clone in Melee. It's not like people weren't aware he'd be another Marth Clone. So it's okay to bring Roy (a Marth clone) back even though there are too many FE characters and generic sword users? That is why I feel it's more a matter of people simply not liking Corrin or the new FE games instead of any game balancing or design issues. The backlash is purely arbitrary, as pointed out before.
1.I don't care for Corrin so I simply won't buy the character.
Praise Raptor Jesus, someone gets it!
Awakening focused more on romance and casual play than more players were comfortable with while the main game seemed to suffer. Before going to the internet to see peoples opinion on the games overall quality I had been jokingly been referring to Awakening as 'Waifu Emblem' myself.
I think critics of the game blew this way out of proportion. You can play the entire game without marrying anyone (save for Chrom). It's a legacy feature of sorts handed down by Geneology of the Holy War intended to add some level of customization and stat optimization to a few characters. In that sense, it's not too different from breeding for perfect IVs and natures in Pokémon: it can make for some powerful party members, or a person can completely ignore it. The only difference is window-dressing and the fact that one is Pokémon and the other is Fire Emblem. I'm honestly surprised (and rather amused) that people have no problems with a game basically encouraging eugenics (pairing characters up to create ubermensch children), but the dating/support convos are too much to handle.
People keep throwing the "long time fans" thing around, yet seem to keep forgetting about Geneology (which was before FE crossed the Pacific) and also appear to be completely oblivious to the fact that "support relationships" have been around for most of the series. Granted, these aren't exactly the same as the Love system, but FE:A's love system is the next step in FE's long-time mechanic of pairing certain units up for combat boosts. I suspect most these self-proclaimed long-time fans haven't touched a Fire Emblem game before the GBA, which leaves out over half of the series.
Lastly, the game was made more accessible to casual players, but kept the option for more hardcore play. There are people who can breeze through Lunatic mode after countless hours of practice and developing optimal strategies. I'd be very surprised if someone could pick up the game for the first time and blow through it. Frankly, I think FE:A did a great job of keeping its hard-core qualities while making the game accessible to casual fans. In my experience however, hardcore fans seem to think they are entitled to special consideration from developers but that is a rant for another day.
