Fire Emblem - Few Questions

[Words Of Wisdom]

Soriku said:
I've played a FE for the GBA once. I liked it but the lack of adventuring and just battle after battle seemed kinda lame to me. That was the only FE I've played and after that experience I didn't feel like buying a FE as my own.

My questions:

1. Is the battle after battle stuff in ALL FE games?  Battle after battle?

2. How long is the typical FE game?  Usually between 20 and 60 hours per playthrough.

3. If I like mostly turn-based and action RPG games where you adventure a lot, would I like this game/series? Does the same apply for Paper Mario?  You might like Fire Emblem if you like turn-based RPGs or you may not. It really depends on how much you like playing the turn-based sRPG battle system.  The stories are always great so that part won't let you down.

4. How tough is it (I like games tough, but how tough REALLY is it?)?  Radiant Dawn is the hardest I've played not including the SNES/NES ones but even RD that wasn't that hard if you play smart.  Unit death is permanent though so if you lose too many units you could be facing unwinnable circumstances down the line as well as missing lots of side-stories and treasure.  You'll like your units and won't want them to die though.

5. What am I getting myself into?   A lot of fun.

If the answers above meet my expectations, answer this one:

6. Which one should I buy first? (I will only buy console versions, no handhelds).  Fire Emblem Blazing Swords (#7) for the GBA is the most friendly game for "new players" and arguably has the best cast of characters (too bad you said no handhelds :P).  That really only leaves you with RD and PoR.  Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn has the most new and nifty features though so you can go with that.

Thanks for answers!!

There you go.