Fire Emblem
- October 23, 2003 00:00 AM PST
Somewhere between Advance Wars and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance lies this fantasy strategy/RPG.
Japanese gamers have been playing Fire Emblem games since the dawn of the modern gaming era�over there, the series is essentially synonymous with tactical fantasy RPG gaming. Now Fire Emblem is finally coming to America, filling up the Shining Force�styled fantasy niche that�s been feeling pretty empty in recent years.This Fire Emblem is technically a prequel to an earlier GBA game that was released only in Japan, but don�t be worried that you�ll be dropped into the middle of a convoluted story line; the game was specifically developed with the intent to branch out to an American audience. The gameplay in the preview version lies somewhere between the speedy, easily accessible Advance Wars and Square-Enix�s more complex, slow-moving Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. As in Advance Wars, the battles take place on a top-down grid with turn-based battles that move along at a very fast pace. As in Final Fantasy Tactics, your units are able to level up, swap equipment, and participate in the much more involved story. Characters can equip themselves with three kinds of weapons�swords, spears, and axes�that work in a sort of rock-paper-scissors fashion and switch between them as the situation demands. One important thing to note: If a character dies in battle, he or she is gone for good�a little quirk that either adds a layer of strategy or cranks up the annoying factor, depending on your perspective.
