Boy has it been a while since I've played a Fire Emblem game. In fact, the last one I excavated through was Path of Radiance for the Nintendo Gamecube. The series has been around since the beginning of time (1990 to be exact) and has helped pave the way for Tactical Grid Based RPG's, a somewhat niche market that I happen to have a certain affinity towards. The gameplay is sometimes tough and calls for deep tactical strategy but the core mechanics are extremely gratifying and call for you to use that thing inside your dome called...your brain.With the recent downfall and demise of my XBox 360 I was thrusted into a dark void that seemed daunting at first. However, after a while of pontificating and deep meditation I realized something...I have a Wii. It had been a while since I used the "old guy" so I was a little rusty as to where to start looking for a game. The it hit me. I needed a game that was going to last at least a couple weeks to keep me preoccupied until my 360 got back. Well, I found one and it was so fun it lasted me 5 days. Enter: Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn.
{wiki} The Fire Emblem series of turn-based tactics games centers around moving units through
a map grid in order to defeat the opposition. Players use strategic movements and positioning to complete mission objectives such as seizing a base,[8] surviving for a number of turns, or defeating a boss. Many conventions of traditional console role-playing games are also present; for example, there is extensive use of scripted cut scenes to advance the story, units gain experience points and grow stronger over the course of the campaign, and the player can visit shops to outfit characters with weapons and equipment.[9] Depending on the game, these events may take place during or in-between battles.Another great point to mention is that of "unit death." Basically, if one of your characters dies that's it, he or she is dead and gone for the entirety of the game. So tactical placement, management and battle preparation is of the utmost importance. There's nothing worse than leveling up a character that you enjoy using and then seeing him die because of poor planning.
Ok, enough background and history. Having played the hell out of Path of Radiance a few years back I was extremely excited to find out about the direct sequel (Radiant Dawn) released on the Wii. The game features the same mechanics, structure and core gameplay that its predecessors have; pretty much picking right up after Path of Radiance. The story is pretty much "mehh" at best but the Fire Emblem series hasn't really ever been acclimated to the "ohh my goodness this story is brilliant" kind of mentality. It's all about the gameplay and this installation is nothing short of great.
Radiant Dawn retains the gameplay mechanics of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, with turn-based battles taking place on a square-based grid. The fights are somewhat fast but not d
aunting and the animated fight sequences that play out when you attack the opposition makes for a good balance/break. A few oft he maps can be a little hard to maneuver due to the fact that each location has it's own set of rules, i.e. holes in ther ground, dessert sand, spikes etc. This can get frustrating at times but adds to the stigma that the Fire Emblem makes you "think before you move." I found myself at times getting agitated at the fact that my Thief (Soeth, the bad ass) could traverse the sand with ease but my Paladin could not.Balance wise the game does a pretty good job. Some fights are harder than others, some fights are extremely easy and the there's the occasional skirmish that makes you wanna pull your hair out. If you've played a Fire Emblem game you know exactly what I'm talking about. Example: About a third of the way into the campaign it took me nine tries at one battle (approximately 2 hours) to complete the fight without any casualties. Lets just say I stopped playing after that.
Graphically, Radiant Dawn looks solid. There are, however, a few texture pops from time to time as well as the occasional blocking of the character animations. I know, I know...it's a Wii game not a 360
game. There is one other thing I want to mention as it played a big role in my grading decision; color saturation. I felt as though the game lacked color and almost felt bland. There was basically no color differentiation between maps making everything almost look yellowish/gold. This actually at times took me out of the experience and made me wonder if the artist for the game were color blind.Radiant Dawn couldn't have come at a better time for me. My love for tactical grid RPG's has led me to play just about every title in that niche corner. And though non can really touch the true champion of the genre (Disgaea Series) Fire Emblem sure does fill the void that I've been missing for a while. Solid core mechanics and sound structure makes Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn a welcome installation into the venerable series.
Radiant Dawn Gets a 8.0 out of 10
-GAME HARD-
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