Fire Emblem on NGC and Wii

[F0X]

famousringo said:

MohammadBadir said:
pretty good i guess, not good as Awakening or the original GBA one, but still good.

I disagree. Awakening is better in a lot of respects — better combat flow, better characterization, better customization — but the Radiant games win in one particular aspect that trumps everything for me:

No grinding.

It keeps the challenge nice and steady and keeps decisions relevant. Also, area control feels more important in the Radiant games and damage is less bursty, both traits are more rewarding to careful planning.

The Radiant games have their problems too, of course, but the lack of grinding feels so right, that I was sad to see Awakening backpedal on it. Awakening was successful enough that I expect future FEs will all be grindy. It's a shame.

I'm the opposite. The customization and general freedom of Awakening makes all the difference. In fact, it makes Awakening a fundamentally different experience than previous FE games, because it essentially follows the same formula that makes Final Fantasy Tactics popular: start with a handful of low level units barely getting by, and end with a full, highly-cuztomized unstoppable legion. Does this come at the cost of balance? Yep. For those who think that FE's greatest strength is its ultra-refined, linear take on the genre, Awakening borders on blasphemy.

But I think Awakening combines the best aspects of two wonderful SRPG franchises into a strange, yet fascinating middle ground. FE's near-perfect interface and surprisingly accessible gameplay merged with FFT's penchant for class-based experimentation, and I can't stop playing the result. I just beat Awakening for the fifth time, to put things into perspective.