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So this is where Ike comes from...
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Graphics
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This being a Gamecube game its graphics were pretty good for its time. During battle sequences the graphics are quite impressive,
but once it goes back to the movement screen, the graphics aren't quite as amazing, and a lot less detailed. Very rarely there
will be these cutscenes to move the story along, and I have to say that these are some of the most amazing scenes ever seen
on a Gamecube. During these cutscenes, they showcase breathtaking graphics and all of the characters are fully voiced, but
they are truly few and far between. Overall the graphics in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance are nice, but in some areas of the
game there leaves a lot to be desired.
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Control
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Basically each character can move a certain number of steps on the playing field per tern, as well as perform an attack or
special ability, shove a player one step forward, use an item, rescue, etc. There are tons of regular and special attacks
to perform, lots of magic abilities to use, and special characters to learn to use. For example a person riding a dragon will
be able to fly over obstacles when others cannot, and a person on a horse will be able to travel further than a person on
foot can per tern. Each character is control using the Control stick, and attacks are selected using the A button. The shoulder
buttons are used to zoom in and out, and the C-Stick is used to change the camera angle. After a few battles the controls
will become second nature to even to a novice gamer, but unlucky for them, the difficultly will not. If a character dies in
this game, then they are dead for the rest of the game, unless you restart the level. If Ike dies, than it's an automatic
gameover screen.
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Gameplay
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This game is a tactical/strategy game, and plays exactly as it sounds. You and your enemies take turns moving around the map
attacking each other until one wins. Simple enough right? Well thats not the whole game. The game delves quite a lot deeper
than that, and has a very compelling story if you take the time to read it, and trust me, you will be reading this story for
a long time. It's a lot of text and a complete epic story all in one package, oh and did I mention it comes with a game as
well? Well anyway this is a really fun game for fans of turn-based games, and if not, lucky for you the game allows you to
turn up the speed of the battles. The battles in the beginning of the game are short enough, but later in the game they can
range all the way up to over an hour in length, so if you really want to get into this game, make sure you clear your schedule
for a few days at the least.
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Music
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Some of the music like the "battle music" and a few of the "text heavy talking background songs" are pretty
good sounding, but sadly overall it's largely forgettable. This game is text heavy, and I seriously mean heavy. There is a
lot of reading in this game, and little to no voice overs anywhere to be found, except for in the random but amazingly voiced
cutscenes. So this game is a mixed bag music wise, but I can proudly say that even though some of the music is forgettable,
it never once felt out of place, and always played at the right times.
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Fun Factor
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If upgrading characters, equipping new weapons, and hiring new troops for your army sounds like Christmas presents under the
tree to you, than this is your game. It's a pretty fun game overall and it's really interesting to play even if the only reason
you want to play it is to see the back story behind Ike, who is featured in the new Smash Bros. Game. I can't stress this
enough and I'm going to mention it again for the sake of your enjoyment of the game; This game is really TEXT HEAVY. If you
skip the text you will have no idea what is going on, and if you don't follow every word everyone says than you might miss
a key point of the game, so be warned, read everything and enjoy the adventure, because it's a good one.
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Replay Value
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Well for starters, this game boasts a 50+ hour long story. This game will take a long time to beat, even if you have a major
cramming session. Beat the game 15 times and you'll unlock a bonus playable enemy from the story to have on your team. Also
another incentive to get this game is that once you beat it you can transfer your stats to the new Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
game for Wii, for increased starting stats. The game is worth your money, and besides it's getting rare nowadays, so go pick
it up today!
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-Review by Laz Moreland (12/7/07)
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