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Not as good as its predecessor but still top-notch.

Customer Rating:
I am a big Fire Emblem fan, and so this review may be biased. I think this game does a lot of things right, it is very challenging, has a lot of interesting characters and a ton of replay value. The plot is pretty difficult to sum up if you hadn't played Fire Emblem Path of Radiance as this game is a direct sequel set three years after the original and contains all of the characters from that game as well as a group of new characters.

Gameplay: This is a typical strategy game, characters appear on a grid, you move the characters towards the enemy and when you meet them you can attack. Each level has an objective whether it is to defeat all of the enemies, survive for a certain number of turns or seize a space. In between each level you can buy new equipment for each character (weapons wear down and break so this is necessary) award experience points and have conversations. This is a very rewarding but frustrating game, if a character dies they are dead, this means you have to restart the level or start from a save which you can do during the level, if you want to continue to use that character.

Story: The story is a little too complicated, you get several different waring factions you play as several of these factions at different points throughout the game. It is an epic story but almost too much truth be told, I enjoyed this games predecessor more because there was a clear goal from the beginning, and you used the same characters throughout the game growing attached to them. In Radiant Dawn, you use one countries team for a while then use another countries team for a while, eventually they all meet up but it makes it difficult to get very attached to one group.

If you played the original and liked it you should enjoy this game, if you like strategy games, or rpg's you will like this game. I highly recommend it as it is one of the better strategy games out there for a console and certainly one of the best rpg's for the wii.

Radiant Dawn

Customer Rating:
I have finished this game 4 times so far (playing my 5th time currently) and I love it! The beginning is rough because the stats of the available characters are absolutely INFERIOR to the Greil Mercenaries (whom you will get to play later in the game). The story line is continued from the Path of Radiance Game Cube version (which is also a fantastic game that I highly recommend playing before this one because you may be completely lost otherwise). The graphics are far superior to the game cube Path of Radiance. There are many MANY ways to customize the game ending (most changes are only available on the second play through and up) so it is never boring. My basic gripe about the game is that you have limited play time with the Greil Mercenaries because you are constantly switching off between The Dawn Brigade, The Crimean Knights, and (of course) the Greil Mercenaries. However, this issue is somewhat necessary for the (amazingly grand) plot so whatever! Also, the cut scenes are superbly done and well voice-casted (except for Mist and Zelgius). I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good game and for anyone who likes to watch their characters grow.

Best Wii single player

Customer Rating:
In my quest to find a great Wii game that I could play by myself, I stumbled across this one. I had never played a Fire Emblem before, and had never even heard of it (minus the characters from Super Smash Brothers - Ike is my favorite character, which brought me to this game).

But from my first playing, I was gripped. I didn't mind that the graphics were in 2D (even when I had always thought I was a graphics nut), or that the story was pretty bare (I rather liked it) because the gameplay was so engaging.

The game may be difficult, but it's a great challenge, and I loved it. Maybe disregarding all the restarting I had to do to keep all the characters alive...

I was not a strategy fan before this game, but I would say I am now. I would recommend anyone looking for a challenge to play this game. I found this a great introduction to the RPG strategy genre, and I have not found a Wii game to best it yet.

Best Fire Emblem Ever

Customer Rating:
A must buy for people how have enjoy previous fire emblem games, this one will definitely rank first.

Excellent Continuation of the Series

Customer Rating:
Radiant Dawn is the 10th entry in the Fire Emblem series, commonly referred to by fans as FE10. It is, however, only the 4th game of the series available in an officially translated english version. It is the second game of the series to utilize 3D graphics, Fire Emblem having traditionally made use of anime-style 2D graphics. Apart from that, little has changed.

In comparison to its predecessor, "Path of Radiance", Radiant Dawn boasts improved graphics, including notably improved maps with stunning detail. Battles also look better, with units no longer looking exactly the same every time they attack, but with minor changes in movement that give a better flow to the fight.

I've seen criticism that the game lacks customization: this depends on your perspective. The ability to forge and name your own weapons is one excellent example of customization in this game, not to mention the ability to toggle battle animations, map grid thickness, the amount of statistical information shown during battle, and many other options. The game doesn't have any custom characters, but that's the way Fire Emblem has always been. The game is so driven on characters' backgrounds and individual stories that having custom characters would be difficult to accomplish.

Notably different from previous Fire Emblem titles is the support system, which now has support conversations which are generic, allowing a character to support any other character. This does take something away from Fire Emblem's traditional fleshing out of characters' stories through collectible support conversations. There's also the changed skill system, which allows the player to remove and reallocate special skills between characters. This is actually a very nice touch, and increases the strategic element of the game.

For Fire Emblem fans, this game is a must. For others, it depends on what you're looking for. Fire Emblem is not a hard series to get into, but you've gotta know what it's all about. If you just need an excellent RPG for the Wii, I would highly recommend this game.