Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)

This was my first venture into the Fire Emblem series and I have to say... wow.
For those of you who (like me) are new to the series, picture Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights, only turn-based. Now make your party about 15-20 people and you've got a fair idea.
Details like weapons only having a fixed number of uses and particular weapons being more/less effective against different types of units make strategy the main emphasis of the game.

I'd recommend this to anyone with the patience for turn-based combat. Also great value - good to see a game with 40 hours of play time on a single play through. Those are getting pretty rare lately.

In case you don't know the history of this gaming gem, Fire Emblem began in the 1990's with the release of Fire Emblem 1 on the NES. This tactical role-playing experience has developed through Nintendo's history into a true prize in the Wii's extensive treasure chest. The gameplay mechanics follow a turn-based tactical role, where you manage a group of characters through a map grid in order to defeat the enemy and ultimately complete the chapter objective. Created by the same team which brought us Advanced Wars, Fire Emblem follows suit in the strategic gameplay style. However, in my opinion, with a more broad character development setup than in any game I have ever played, Fire emblem surpasses her sister game in almost every aspect.

However, onto what you're all here for. As always in Fire Emblem games, Radiant Dawn takes place in the mediaeval period. Following from the Gamecube great `Path of Radiance,' Radiant Dawn tracks the tale of two intertwining characters from the previous game. Three years on from the defeat of "Mad King Ashnard" Tellius has once again erupted in war. I don't want to go very in depth with the plot so much so that I spoil the story for you, however what I will say is that this game features one of the most enjoyable and intense storylines of any game I've ever played!

"Why is this game value for money?" you ask yourself. Well along with a healthy 42 chapters to accomplish, this game takes the average gamer well over 40 hours to complete on the medium setting. As I've only just started my outing on hard, I can't say exactly how long it takes to complete in this mode, but judging by the medium mode I would think it takes roughly 50 hours+. Additionally, this game has brilliant replay value. Once you have completed it once you want play it through again to train characters you couldn't do the first time round.

Of the game's few negative points, the limited use of the Wii's motion sensing capabilities ranks as the most disappointing. Essentially, the controls reflect those of the Gamecube outing almost exactly; they have not created a control method which utilises the wii-mote at all. In fact, when playing, I found it easier to simply plug in my old Gamecube controller and use that instead. This kind of made it feel like a Gamecube game again, (albeit one with a more substancial feel and story than what the Gamecube was capable of). This did detract from the experience, however it did not ruin it. What I have always liked about Fire Emblem - the immersive character development, the cunning strategy, and the forgotten blend of mediaeval warefare, (that of which has been replaced with constant shooter games in recent times) - is not affected by the control's. Whilst it most certainly would have advanced the game further, I can forgive the developers for not changing what is, essentially, not broken. This was the reason that I gave the game four, as opposed to five, stars.

"Why should I buy this game?" you ask yourself. This game does not exactly push the Wii's capabilities to the limit, however much like the previous games, they are enjoyable, immersive and entertaining to play. Moreover, the addition of 'full-motion-video cut scenes' (that separate key chapters) make the game play more like a movie in parts, entrancing the people watching, as well as those playing.

As well as this, Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn allows you to transfer data from the pre-instalment `Path of Radiance.' This means that statistics, items, coins and support conversations are transmitted to the Wii to give you subtle advantages during the game. If you haven't played the prologue game to this - Path of Radience - then don't worry; at the start of this one we are introduced to the characters again and we receive background information on every character.

One thing I should mention is that this game can be extremely difficult. Luckily, it includes three difficulty settings - Easy, Medium and Hard. If you're new to the series I would recommend starting out on easy because it incorporates a tutorial mode as you play. But once you understand the basics everything falls into place easily.

To summarise, I believe that this game includes all the originality and flair that any good game must have and is most definitely the best RPG/Strategy game on the Wii so far. Whilst it failed to utilise the capabilities of the Wii to the full - missing out on the motion sensing aspect - it does incorporate a richer, more substancial, and more developed story than the Gamecube could provide. Well worth the money, go for it!

'Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn' is the latest game in the series, and this time it's on the Nintendo Wii.

GAMEPLAY - 4/5
The style is exactly the same as the excellent GBA and Gamecube versions where you have a group of warriors, magicians and other skilled fighters and must take turns with the enemy to move around the map until your objective is complete. Sadly there is no new way of playing this using the Wii's innovative remote and nunchuck, instead you simply turn the remote side ways to use it as a NES pad and use the directional pad and the 1 and 2 buttons to control it. A bit of a wasted opportunity there and a lazy move by Nintendo in my opinion as the motion sensor would have worked perfectly by pointing the remote at the characters and moving them about, but not this time. The difficulty goes from fairly straightforward and easy to a real thinking man's game later on, as one wrong move could be a fatal mistake. And as once a character dies in the game, they are dead forever, this could make it extremely hard later on if a specially skilled character has been killed but is needed for a particular task.

GRAPHICS - 3/5
Although they aren't the best graphics on the Wii by a long shot the map is very clear to recognise your characters and see where everything is clearly. The cut scenes have very impressive cartoon animations with really sharp images and are great to look at.

SOUND - 4/5
Atmospheric tunes that are very similar to the ones from the old GBA and Gamecube games andt all fits very nicely with the setting.

LIFESPAN - 4/5
Some of the maps are really big and the enemies do get tougher as the games goes on. There's plenty of tactics to learn but I imagine once you've finished the game theres not much that will make you want to play it through again. Still, it is an amazing game while it lasts.

OVERALL- 4/5
Although this is a great fun game I really feel like this is a completely missed opportunity as it could have been so much better. The lack of Wii controls as I mentioned before, no multiplayer or online modes and the so-so graphics made me feel quite let down with the whole game as my fondness of it is overshadowed by it's faults. The dialogue between levels will also have you pressing the + button to skip it in no time as it does seem to go on and on. It is still an excellent and involving game that will take a while to get through and is without a doubt the best strategy game out on the Wii so far. Lets just hope they make a sequel and sort the other issues out.