manga? oh this thing....

not really a new news....
As mentioned in three different regions Nintendo Direct (yes I do watch all three)
JP -> Summer 2015
Rest -> somewhere in this year

Your Family

Each side will leave you with two brothers and two sisters. The oldest brother seems to be in command in both cases. Your avatar is related by blood to the Hoshido family, but was raised by the Nohr family.

Hoshido:
Oldest brother (Ryouma)
The older brother appears to be a Myrmidon of some sort. His sword is often seen crackling with lightning.
Other family
The brother is an archer, the younger sister, Sakura, is a Cleric or War cleric, and the older sister, Hinoka, is a pegasus knight.

Nohr:
Oldest brother (Marx)
The oldest brother appears to be a Paladin or Great Knight.
Other family
The younger brother appears to be a Dark Mage and the youngest sister is a cleric. Kamira, the older sister, is confirmed to be a Wyvern Rider. Her skirt seems reminiscent of Grima's horns, which may imply that this nation worships a dark dragon compared to the white dragon of the Hoshido. Grima obviously can't make a return, but it could be similar.

The game is set to release on 25th June 2015 in Japan and 2016 in North America. The different storylines are being released as two separate games in Japan, "Fire Emblem If: Hoshido" and "Fire Emblem If: Nohr." The two-game format will probably carry over to the rest of the world as well. Purchasing one game will give you a significant discount on the other. A "Third Path" DLC is rumored to be in the making, which will come with a special edition of the game that includes all three storylines. Details on the different versions are still coming in and are subject to change. Here are pricing details:

Buy one version: ~$39.29
Buy one version and DLC of other: ~$54.78
Buy one and DLC of other +3rd DLC: ~$70.26
Buy special bundle with BOTH games +3rd DLC: ~$77.33

The special bundle is rumored to come with an artbook.

Interestingly, Nintendo wasn’t lying when they said the Nohr path would be harder. It seems as if there will be a world map or some other facility in the Hoshido path that lets you level up characters outside of the story like in Awakening, The Sacred Stones and Gaiden. But not in the Nohr path.

that reddit post has few mistakes... i'm too tired atm to update this thread with stuff since the direct was aired midnight at my place

ala pokemon fans tak bising pun lol. atm the separate version applies on Japan side only.

The bundle, which will include the New 3DS system, Fire Emblem: If faceplates, and a 16GB micro-SD card, will sell for 18,500 yen, while the game itself is not included. The faceplates will also be available for purchase separately for 2,500 yen. Both will launch alongside Fire Emblem: If in Japan on June 25.

Fire Emblem If will come in two different versions that have their own unique stories and difficulties, but the games will also bring a few new features and changes to the series. This week’s issue of Famitsu provides the latest details. [Thanks, Hachima]

The male protagonist is voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki while the female protagonist is voiced by Satomi Sato. Similar to Fire Emblem Awakening, though, you’ll get to freely customize gender, looks, voice, and more. The unit type the protagonists will be are called “Dark Prince” and “Dark Princess”.

Fire Emblem If is split into two factions of the White and Black Kingdom. The White Kingdom has key characters such as Ryoma [CV: Yuichi Nakamura], Hinoka [CV: Kaori Nazuka], Takumi [CV: Yuki Kaji], and Sakura [CV: Hisako Kanemoto].

Meanwhile, the Black Kingdom has Marx [CV: Katsuyuki Konishi], Camila [CV: Miyuki Sawashiro], Leon [CV: Mamoru Miyano], and Elise [CV: Ayaka Suwa].

Fire Emblem If will have a the “Casual” mode that will allow your fallen units to return to your party after clearing the map, and will have an even easier mode called “Phoenix” mode, which revives fallen units on the following turn. This should make it easier for those that want to play the Black Kingdom story without the harder challenges holding them back. Keep in mind, however, that once you change a mode or difficulty setting, you will not be able to change it back.

Characters from the royal families have the abilities to make different changes on the battlefield with something known as the “Dragon Pulse”. Some examples of this include building bridges on the battlefield, causing earthquakes, flattening mountains, and all kinds of different changes to the maps.

There’s a total of nine save data slots, and with each additional DLC scenario, it will increase by three more save slots. Additionally, the limited number of times a weapon can be used has been abolished, so that means you won’t have to worry about keep buying the same weapon, or holding back on powerful or useful weapons, and you’ll mainly have to worry about which weapons to equip for certain fights, when given the choice.

Fire Emblem If will release in Japan on June 25, 2015 for Nintendo 3DS.