So i'm in two minds as to whether to buy radiant dawn when it's released in the uk in a couple of weeks especially after watching the teaser trailer featuring two little kids playing it, it kinda put me off a bit.I've never played a fire emblem game so My main questions are whether it is a very kiddy franchise and also whats the battle system and control scheme like, is it a very deep game with a compelling storyline or is it saturday morning cartoon fare?? all opinions whether negative or positive would be appreciated, thanks.

It is about the exact opposite of a kiddy franchise. Fire Emblem games are some of the toughest SRPGS out there. (aside from the ones made by the guys who made Stella Dues and Ruining Blue Earth.)

Kids could play it... but they'd have to be fairly smart kids... as it's the kind of game that would probably piss off your average gamer cause it usually requires thinking.

The battle system and control scheme are well... that of a SRPG. Though a little deeper since you have to worry about weapons breaking and similar things. Less customization then other games but that's one of the reasons why it's gameplay is go deep.

I like em.

I'd say it has a compelling storyline. It certainly isn't kiddy. If you leave one hole open in your defenses, you're either reloading the game or playing with a character that's permanently dead.

My main complaint with Radiant Dawn is that it has probably the worst music I've ever heard in a Nintendo game. Just turn it off for half the levels and you should survive.

I'm on chapter 8 on radiant dawn and I'm pissed at the fact that each character can only live once, if you die its gone forever. The worst of it all is it dont take more than one enemy attack kill certain character, frustrate you when you are enjoying winning then suddenly have to restart the game because one of your character just died one hit.

yeah i heard about the characters staying dead thing, i dunno if thats a cool idea or not though, lol, from looking at screens and trailers it reminds me of a game called mystaria on the saturn (if its the game im thinking of)i used to spend hours playing that game over and over. glad to hear there's a lot of depth to it although it's strange that they would put a trailer out showcasing two kids playing it. I'm also liking the idea of breakable weapons, sounds like a very engaging game.

@famousringo- is the music really that bad then? after hearing how awesome the smash bros brawl tracks sound i thought an srpg like this would have epic beautiful music

Yeah, I'm as mystified as you. The music was fine in Path of Radiance, but half the tracks in Radiant Dawn are these wandering, formless abominations. It's not that hard to deal with, and some people might not even be bothered by it. I still love the gameplay and how the story is seamlessly integrated with it. Just turn down the music in the options until the level is over and listen to something else.

Fire Emblem is my favorite series, and I almost didn't buy my first FE game because I felt the same way you do.

So definitely pick it up, though to be honest, I'd recommend Fire emblem 6/7/8 over the GC ones.

It's definatly a great series, the only thing really to say once you've played one you really have played them all.

Not that thats a horrible thing because the combats complexcity is very deep

Fire Emblem is definitely NOT a kiddie game.  Its a strategy game that requires you to use the right units in the right situations and at the right time.  The enemy AI is really good at exploiting ANY weakness you have.  You need to pay attention to how many sections both your units and your enemy units can move and whether they have ranged attacks or not.

You also have to choose which units to use/train and how to equip them.  How to spread experience around, and how to spend gold on weapons/spells.

There are really so many different aspects to this game, its really hard to summarize.  Just know that winning battles and completing the game is very satisfying.  Then you get to do it again on "hard" mode.