Jeeze can't believe you found that old post. Well okay I'm a "fan" of the series. If it makes you feel better that I don't like it as well as other, more progressive, SRPGs for me to remove the word "huge" because I don't play on hard mode that's fine with me. It doesn't change my opinions.
I hate being brutally punished for thinking outside the box, and Fire Emblem's style of strategy, at least on normal, does that to you. I suppose I prefer more forgiving games because it allows me to be more creative with my approach to battles, and while I understand there are multiple options to most Fire Emblem maps they are still very constricted by, as you yourself just pointed out, how well you level and use a small amount of preset classes without as many gameplay options of adjusting your strategy in the field.
Basically for Fire Emblem to be fun in any variety of strategic styles you have to completely master the gameplay mechanics to a T, and absolutely understand every minutia of the game's structure and design. Whereas with Valkyria Chronicles the myriad of options available to you on any map and the massive amount of customizable class upgrades and equipment allows you to complete maps in any variety of strategies, while still forcing you to take some time to plan and prepare.
