Fire Emblem

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii): Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
$19.99
I'm a Fire Emblem veteran, so I usually don't go for guides, but my siblings wanted to play, and I thought this would help them. I was wrong, apparently

Just to note, do not confuse this review with a review of the game. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is an excellent game, and well worth playing. Back to the review of the guide:

The guide is basically a diary of the author's playthrough. Each chapter chronicles what HE did on HIS game, with no variation or differing choices. It would have been nice to see different strategies for the different teams a player might like to use. For example, I like to use a party that consists of mages, with a few melee units to back them up. The author of the guide actually advises against mages, while recommending units that are so overpowered, they feel cheap to use. Yeah, they'll win the game for you, but where's the challenge? The game is balanced enough that you can win using anyone, but according to the author, the cheap way out is the only way.

There is also a lot of missing information. There are special conversations, hidden scenes, and a secret ending that are all absent from the guide. I had to find out online about one of the game's biggest spoilers that you can unlock. But is it in the guide? NO! Of course not!

In conclusion, I can't recommend this book. If you want a diary of a guy playing a game, this is it. However, there are better guides for free online. While the artwork is good, it is also available for free.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
$19.99
Being as I've played just about every gamecube game out there since its release, this is by far the best all-around game. The difficulty is at a level that anyone can learn how to play. As you play through easy mode, occasional tutorials will come up that are quite helpful during the time they come up, and present examples that are easy to emulate. Gameplay is pretty straight-forward. Mixing RPG and strategy elements makes this a very enjoyable game. You move your units around each level, fighting other units they encounter and receiving experience as a result. Ways of clearing levels are also pretty simplistic, which include killing all enemies, arriving at a particular location, or surviving for a certain amount of time. Graphics, sound, and the story are all outstanding, and I'd like to make a side note that even though I don't like anime, after playing a few levels of this I completely forgot about the animation.

The only cons to playing this game are the cinematics and conversations between characters that take place between levels. There is little to no voice acting, which doesn't really bother me, but some people might be turned off by the conversations that are very Zelda-like with the once in a great while cinematic. The only other downside to this game is that it is somewhat short, with only about 30 levels. Other than restarting levels due to mistakes, this game takes roughly 24 hours to complete. I wish it was a tad bit longer, but the replay value on different difficulties or forming different strategies each time through has made this game the only one worth playing, for me, for the past 3 weeks.

If you're looking for a game that will provide entertainment for hours on end, and is enjoyable for just about anyone, this is it. Even if you're not sure about Fire Emblem games but might have heard of them, try this one. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
$29.99
The Fire Emblem series has always been a personal favorite of mine, and Sacred Stones is a very good addition to the lineup. Admittedly, not the best Fire Emblem game, but still a rather nice one. The characters are delightful to watch, the battles are fun, and the story, while slightly cliche, can still drive you to tears.

Fire Emblem
$29.99
Fire Emblem (known as Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword in Japan) is very possibly one of the greatest games of all time. What's even better, it's a portable game that you can carry around with you.

Fire Emblem is a game that falls under a category of games called "strategy Role-playing-games" or "strategy RPG". This genre has lots of great games, which includes Final Fantasy Tactics, but Fire Emblem blows all other games in the category out of the water. In a strategy RPG, you move around your characters on a battlefield that has a grid, and you fight your opponents accordingly. Whenever you attack, the game looks like a little cut-scene where the two units do battle. Most of the time you try and wipe out the opposing force or blast your way through them to the target space.

As good as all of this sounds, it's gets even better. Lots of little twists in the battles make you rethink your strategies, if a character dies, they're gone forever, so you try to avoid having one of your own units killed, and certain specifications and requirements force you to change your plot of action.

If that's not a good enough game for ya, there's an INCREDIBLE storyline to the game that is very engaging and keeps you playing until the end, which is epic.

There's a host of characters, topping out at more than thirty, and this game will definitely eat up your free-time. What's even better, it's portable, which means you can pull it out anywhere and keep playing, and keep playing, and keep playing. With three difficulty levels and very helpful first few chapters, this game is never too hard or too easy for anyone.

One of the best games out there, a must have for any gamer, reader, or anyone at all.