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waitwaitwait, I want to change one of my answers.

I want to change my choice for "best" to FE13.
I've been talking about it with another friend of mine, and I realize that I gave FE13 the short end of the stick in two areas it deserves more credit in.
One being the depth of its gameplay. While the game on the whole might not be as even-feeling as FE7, the gameplay has far more depth to it than FE7 or any game prior. It has some of the greatest ideas from past FEs, combined with the new pair up system and changes to reclassing, which stand out to me in particular as I said before. But what I didn't give adequate thought to was the marriage system and the fact that it is also possible to make pretty much anyone usable in this game. The marriage system combined with supports and skills offers far more gameplay depth than just a surface look at the minute-to-minute gameplay would suggest. It is possible to go through this game in a number of different ways.

The second is gameplay and story integration. Yes, it is true that story should not be the single deciding factor in choosing which game is best. However, story still matters, since it is a large part of the game. The gameplay often serves as a means to that end. The best game stories are the ones that use gameplay to tell their stories, instead of just keeping story and gameplay in separate rooms, as I said last post. One of the best things about the overall experience of FE7 for me is the different modes, which shake things up in the story and the gameplay, not going into needless detail. I feel as though I shouldn't judge Awakening too hard for having lower lows, especially since FE7 sort of gimps itself for the sake of tutorial in the beginning. Not to mention, I feel like FE13's low lows don't gimp its high highs as much as it could have. FE13, while not all of its conversations are winners, has some very immersive parts, most notably Chapter 10, and the various aspects of gameplay such as marriage and multiple supports adds to the different character interactions and character combinations one could use each playthrough. There are a lot of personal touches in this game that go beyond the inclusion of MU (and damnit, the bad MU dialogue doesn't help integration at all! It hinders it!). I don't know if FE7 surpasses FE13 in my favorites list just yet, but I do want to change my answer here. Both games still seem to me like the most all around great FE games. I still do think that FE7 has the better overall story, but FE13's story works with the gameplay in a different way (sometimes not always for the best, but what are you gonna do) even though it sort of takes a nosedive in Valm.

Speaking personally, I know that FE9 is definitely not best FE, despite it being my first FE and my favorite to this day. I tried to separate myself from my bias in that way, though of course there's always going to be bias, even if you recognize that it exists. Like you said, I'm uncomfortable giving it best exactly because it is new and I feel I need to experience it again before judging it like this, though the newness factor can go both ways (tentativeness vs. freshly played and impressed). FE13 also has some obnoxious writing quirks which really do dampen the overall experience for me. FE7 is all around high marks from me, as opposed to FE13 which reaches high heights (including polished and varied gameplay that brings some of the best aspects of various games together at last), but also hits lower lows, I think. It's a reasonable issue. Or at least, that's what I think on the topic.
Not going back on it, though.

I haven't even played 13 but I've gotta give it best just for the things I've heard.


WORST WAS 11 HANDS DOWN ******** IT I'M OUTTIE *Flips table*

Yeah he's right, but I will give brownie points for a table flip for FE11. I laughed at that.

Yes I can. I never used Wolf but I recognize he was probably the best unit in Shadow Dragon....


Gimme a moment.

*Sets up a table* I HATE THAT GAME *FLIPS THE s**t OUT OF IT*

Suppose someone watched LPs of said game, though. Or watched someone else play it. Or knows of how certain features function in said game and considers them good enough to warrant them better than something they've actually played. Where does the line have to be drawn? This whole thing of what can and can't be objectively judged without firsthand experience becomes one big slippery slope.

Especially since it could be argued plenty of people's choices for best and worst for lots of things aren't objective, even if they do have experience with the subject (I can certainly recall a lot of things in the original thread people posted that I found more than just disagreeable).

...No. He hasn't played. He hasn't watched LPs. How do I know? He doesn't want spoilers. He knows very little about the game. His vote does not count. :/ Not that it matters anyway, FE13's going to win. But I am dumbfounded by how his vote could possibly count. There's nothing hypocritical about it. At all.

There's no slippery slope. I don't doubt people make plain wrong, nonobjective votes in this thing, but they're making that vote based on what they actually know- not what they don't. People need to base their votes on their own knowledge. This can still be done without playing the game, yes, but the person needs to become informed well enough on their own. This means if Dylan wants to watch an LP of the entire game's playthrough, he'll have enough knowledge in which to judge if it is truly best or not. Even then, I could argue he's not getting a fair basis to judge, since first hand experience in games is so important.

For rounds about archetypes or characters, I highly doubt we've all used every single character in even just one game. So then, how can we rightfully judge? We do research. (probably through credible sources like Serenes) We gain knowledge on our own. There's nothing wrong with how we've been doing this game, but in this particular instance, I know for a fact that he has no basis in which to properly vote 13 as best. That's all I'm saying and you know I'm right.

Point is made. Point stands. Peace.

Does it matter? Do you want to tell people what they can and can't vote for based on what you know of their experience?

I agree that to truly experience a game, you need to play it yourself. It is a game, after all, and games are meant to be played, and not simply listened to, read, or watched, in order to get the full experience (though of course this varies in degree depending on how the game in question is made). But no matter how much experience is had with the game in question, is it right to tell someone they can't vote for it? Best/worst is great, but it is hardly the biggest event of the season. Just let him vote for what he wants, though you can question if you want, of course. That's what revotes are for. Not to mention bias exists in many forms.

-cradles copy of Shadow Dragon-
I'm so sorry... I just hurt you because I love you...