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Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Nintendo ---- E 10+ ------ Ds
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Gameplay: 8.5/10
I must say, Fire Emblem has proved to be one of my favorite series of any game. However, out of the 2 I've played, this has been my least favorite. Not bad, but not awesome. Basically, the game revolves around you, Marth, leading an army to vanquish evil while gaining recruits. It's a turn based strategy game, and requires tactical thinking well over skill. It provides a good challenge and my first run through provided about 20 hours (I think). It's also impossible to get all the recruits in one or even 2 games, so you'll have to go through a couple of times to get everyone. A staple of the series is that the death system is harsh: if one of your units gets beaten in battle, they they are out permanently (there's a small exception, but I'm not going to talk much about it.)
As I said, this has been the least enjoyable game of the series so far. First, there are much fewer classes and weapons than other FE games. The story is also pretty weak: Your land has been taken, you lead a rebel army, and you defeat an evil magician and dragon to free the world. How original! The majority of recruits don't have much of a story, and the game doesn't really pick up towards the end.
However, there are a few better things. First off, you can change your units classes around, which can be quite useful for training specific stats. There is also an online shop with rare items and weapons. You can also create a 5-man team and fight others online, but I haven't tried it much yet.
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Graphics: 7.5/10
The graphics weren't too hot in this game. The maps looked fine, though you could clearly see the tiles, as they were a shade unmatched. On the overview map units of the same class looked identical, and in battle they only had different hair colors. The portraits and battle scenes were nice enough, though it doesn't make up for the rest.
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Music: 7/10
The music was... fine. The music expressed each moment quite well, but you heard each one so many times, and after the 30th time of the "Prepare for Battle" music got old. The sound effects were good, but not revolutionary.
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Overall, I'd give Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon an 8/10.
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Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
