A war of epic proportions is brewing, and is threatening to destroy everything in the Tellius continent. Although Tellius is no stranger to war (after all, it was part of one for centuries), everything indicated that it was finally time to welcome peace to the seven nations. Until now. A rift between two races in the continent -- the Beorc humans and the Laguz changelings -- will ultimately decide the outcome of what everyone hoped was the beginning of a never-ending peace. Fortunately, that is where you, the leader of a somewhat unorthodox group of heroes, come in, though it is not going to be easy. The fate of the world is in your hands. Will you stop the upcoming tragedy? Can you prevent the seven kingdoms from facing another deadly war? Are you up for the task?

Facts and Features:

• The classic turn-based strategy series takes on a new dimension in its first GameCube appearance!
  
• Joining the Fire Emblem ranks are new units, such as the shape-shifting Laguz who transform into beasts to attack their foes.
  
• Characters can now learn unique skills as they gain experience, giving players even more ways to customize their strategy.
  
• Beautifully animated cut scenes and 3-D battles.
  
• Dolby Pro Logic II audio support.
  
• Progressive Scan mode.
  

Shall We Play, Lad?
In Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, you take on the role of Ike, a young man who has grown to be quite an intrepid mercenary just like his father, Greil. A surprising turn of events puts Ike – along with one of the most unconventional group of heroes you will ever see – in the middle of a political conflict that could trigger the beginning of an epic battle between the seven kingdoms. When King Ashnard of Daein decides to invade the peaceful country of Crimea, suspicions are confirmed: the flames of war have been reignited.

First impressions from any gamer out there would probably describe Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance as a simple 3-D iteration of the now classic games found on the Game Boy Advance. First impressions – in this case – are correct. Yet before your mind starts wondering whether that is a bad thing, let me assure you that it is not. It’s just not that different from the 2D adventures that Intelligent Systems has created for the Game Boy Advance. But guess what? You won't hear me complaining. The game had me at "Press Start."

Fire Emblem experts will feel right at home with the game's structure. You work your way through chapters, where you start with a conversation sequence, enter the classic grid-based battlefield, kick some butt (hopefully), ending the stage with yet another discussion between team members and enemies, and then move on to the next chapter. Some of these chapters will have you doing different objectives, such as defending your position, or just surviving for a specific amount of turns. Variety is undeniably something you will find in Path of Radiance.

The game is full of our favorite character classes such as Paladins, Archers, Mages, and even Wyvern Riders. And of course, no Fire Emblem game is complete without a great variety of playing fields, such as dungeons, open fields, and forests. These terrains will not only add variety to the gameplay, but will also affect everything about the ongoing battle. Character recruiting is still part of Path of Radiance, and this time, you will have quite an interesting list of characters that are just dying to join the fray, or so you hope.

The traditional “Weapon Triangle” is also part of Path of Radiance, as expected. This feature is essentially a set of medieval “rock-paper-scissors” rules that apply to your basic weapons: Swords, Lances and Axes. Swords are stronger than axes, lances are stronger than swords, and axes are stronger than lances. So let’s say your character has a lance, and your enemy has a sword, the “weapon triangle” will allow your attack to be more powerful, make a double hit, and sometimes it will even grant you a higher “Critical hit” rate. If you have a flying unit, you should also be careful with bow attacks. These are just some examples, but there are a lot of other effects that the “weapon triangle” provides.


The fate of Tellius is in your hands.

Another interesting feature of the Fire Emblem franchise is that death is not cured with a simple “revive” item, or with a trip to the nearest Pokémon Center. In Fire Emblem, “death” is a permanent status, meaning that if you lose a character, be ready to load a previous save slot if you are interested in seeing him or her again. While many would consider this a bad thing, it actually adds a layer of complexity to the already intricate gameplay. Just look at it as a test for strategically challenged brains. I kid, people.

I know what many Fire Emblem fans are wondering: "I already know all of that, what's new?" Well let me tell you, there is quite a bit of new content here. First of all, it takes a cue from the magnificent Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and offers newcomers three difficulty modes: the "Easy" mode, which includes a tutorial of sorts, the "Normal" mode, a.k.a. "This is freaking hard, why is it called normal!?" setting, and the “Hard” mode. Let me tell you, when these guys say “hard”, they really mean it. Want to know an interesting fact? The Japanese version of this game featured a brand new, out-of-this-world, brutally hard "Maniac" mode where you could find even more units, and nearly impossible challenges. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective and taste), this mode got cut from the US version. So if you are a “noob” and you get a chance to play the Japanese version, you better stay away from this setting.