Official Fire Emblem: Awakening thread- European DLC 16/5 out now!

[F0X]

I haven't played Radiant Dawn, but if it's roughly as good as Path of Radiance, I'd still likely prefer Awakening.

First of all, the characters are awesome. Actually, they can't be topped. The Support system revamp is awesome and I feel free to let character relationships develop naturally, except for marriages. Thankfully the Support conversations for lovestruck units are uniformally entertaining and ultimately rewarding. Also, I have a new favorite Fire Emblem character. Not because she's unique by series standards, but because she sets a new benchmark for awesomeness in her archetype. Finally, I have yet to meet a recruitable character I didn't like. However, I haven't delved into the StreetPass concet or DLC yet (and I purchased all the DLC, even the cheater ones because I didn't pay attention), so that could change.

Second of all, the plot moves fast. Interesting plot twists happen before the game technically begins, and they never seem to stop. And I love the moments of raw emotion in the storyline. Chapter 10 alone is a good example of how the series can realize its potential for storytelling, though the cutscenes are more than welcome so characters can better express their emotions (Chapter 13 cutscene <3).

Thirdly, I love pairing. At first I wasn't keen on the concept, but now I'm uncomfortable when not pairing units. My entire approach to Fire Emblem has changed, where my strategy hinges on units that complement each other's stats and abilities as opposed to primarily making unit selections based on class. To no one's surprise, it's also a godsend for training weaker units. In any other Fire Emblem game, I can't see myself bothering with a unit like Donnel the Magikarp. But in Awakening, he has a place in my army right at Nowi's (Gyarados) side (man those support conversations were funny). Also, as a tip for anyone like me who would only consider a hard mode playthrough if a gun was pointed to my head, the pairing of Chrom and Sumia will solve the vast majority of one's problems.

Tl;dr version - this particular FE game more or less focuses on everything I like about the series and makes it is less frustrating/more fun.