[General Discussion] What is so special about...? HEY ASSHOLES, POST MORE IN HERE.

This is quite a nice idea. (And after reading your say about Atelier Iris, I feel happy to have picked up this game.)

So let's try this...

What is so special about Fire Emblem?

Obviously, this isn't a game for everyone, but if you're a fan of Strategy RPGs and good stories involving political strife and war-torn countries, you can't possibly pass this series up.

For starters, Fire Emblem is a very traditional Strategy RPG, in that it is a series that has withstood the test of time and has changed very little from game to game. Some games introduce some differences, but more or less, it's the same gameplay slapped on different plots and characters, which ultimately makes it feel very familiar, and yet, simultaneously, different. For this reason, instead of writing about a single game, the entire series can be clumped together.

I will not lie, this game is not for everybody, especially considering the difficulty level of most of these games. These are challenging games (depending on which you play, some are harder than others.) and depending on how much of a perfectionist you are, you will be pressing reset a lot. The main difference that sets Fire Emblem apart from other Strategy RPGs is a) The lack of a time-sensitive battle system, and b) The finality of death.

People will inevitably compare Fire Emblem to other Strategy RPGs, most of which have some kind of time system where enemy turns and player turns intertwine (whether it's known to the player (Final Fantasy Tactics, for example) or not (Shining Force, for example)). Fire Emblem doesn't have any of that. Instead, you move all of your characters at once, and then end your turn and the enemy moves all of his characters. It's simplistic in nature, but it works well in a game like Fire Emblem. Fire Emblem is VERY mathematical. Very little is left to chance. In fact, the only chance there is in the game is relegated to hit/critical percentages. Outside of that, you can plan every aspect of your army's advance and set up formations without fear of objection from your enemy. Instead of worrying about any input from enemies during your turn, however, you must make sure that your ending formation after your attack is rock solid as any surviving enemies after your turn are guaranteed to attack your weakest link. And this is where the second point comes in.

Lots of people complain about death being permanent, but it does put a lot more emphasis on your strategy. If you go in with a wishy-washy strategy, things will not end well for at least one of your characters, and to prevent you from doing that, you will eventually run out of characters if you continue to do so. In this case, you absolutely must think through your plan before you act.

As I mentioned before, in all Fire Emblem games, the story is a big draw for many players as it generally features a serious story involving some political tension and war-torn nations. The story is told in sections after each battle. Possibly the weakest point of Fire Emblem is its stubbornness to adapt to a better form of story telling. Even recent games keep the static bodies and dialogue boxes to tell the story. The story has always been top notch, however, so this somewhat compensates for it.

All in all, it is a damn good game, but not one for everybody. Again, if you fall into the crowd who loves Strategy RPGs and coming up with complicated strategies on the battlefield, as well as great game plots involving some kind of political tension, you're really missing out if you pass up this game.

Jam it back in, in the dark.