VGM Fusion

Review: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)

Although I seem to play a lot of RPG’s, I’m not really an RPG-kinda gamer. Yeah, they’re fine here and there, but I really don’t have enough time to sink into them, and even some of my favorite RPG’s usually go unfinished when it comes down to it (Star Ocean 3, and Dragon Warrior VIII are still sitting at around 60-80% complete, boo).

It may come as a surprise given that, that I was excited to play Fire Emblem – I’ve actually never played one before. Yes, somehow I’ve managed to dodge playing a 19-year old series covering almost every Nintendo console from the Famicon onwards. At least most of them were Japan only. A small consolation.

So onwards with the game… Fire Emblem is widely known as a difficult tactical strategy game with an involving story. Some out there are saying that this version is too hard, lacks innovation, and has a weak story. Thankfully being new to the series, I really felt none of these things.

The story takes a 4 pronged-approach, and gives you a chapter from each side of a very involving conflict. I found this actually quite innovative, and yes some characters you could see through like cellophane, but I’m used to that from all the “great” media out there nowadays.

The battles, while difficult, were given just the right amount of gravity by making it possible to have almost any character wiped out with a single devastating blow – hey, if you’re a friggen archer in a medieval battle, and some dude 4-times your size on a horse with an axe the size of a picnic table walks up to you and cleaves you in two… yeah, you’re going to die. I always hate the way games let you have “hit points” and take blow after blow from swords and what-not… yes, I know they’re pretty much required, but at least in this strategy game it gives you a little dose of reality. Rainbow Six: Vegas did the same thing and got blasted for it too.

So where I was going with that was, if one of your players dies… they die. No more fighting with them ever again. Finality in a video game, how novel. The battles do have the addition this time around of a battle-save feature which does make things a little less stressful.

As far as innovation goes, this game is not going to make you think “next-gen!” No, apparently it’s exactly the same as the GC version called Path of Radiance, although it does have 480p and 16:9 display modes this time. But it also doesn’t take advantage of anything Wii-y – no online, no wii-mote stuff, nuttin. Another fault in my opinion are the oodles and oodles of dialogue screens. Just give me voice acting Nintendo!!! Every damn game on N’s systems have this fear of doing voice acting for an RPG… whatever. It’s way past doing a text based game now, move on!

To wrap it up, the experience is going to be very similar to that of the last version on the Gamecube. Basically the series needs a refresh, but I still found it very enjoyable, and if you’re new to the series or genre, you just may get a kick out of it. It’s something on the Wii that isn’t full of Mii’s and cutesy graphics… There is killing, and strategy and it seems mature. Nice change.

Game Details:
Available: November 5, 2007
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Genre: Strategy RPG
ESRB: E 10+
VGM Rating: 4/5