In this remake of the classic NES title, Intelligent Systems seeks to successfully integrate the spirit of the original with nearly twenty years of subsequent gameplay refinements.  Fortunately, what they've come up with is enough to please nearly any tactics fan.

Fire Emblem is one of those franchises that was popular in Japan long before it ever hit Western shores. One reason for that is probably that it’s such a challenging game (if you’re familiar with the series, you are well aware of the once-they’re-dead-they’re-gone game design). But nevertheless, several years ago, we saw the very first Fire Emblem hit American store shelves, and since, the franchise has managed to maintain a respectable cult following of hardcore strategy enthusiasts. While it makes for a perfect portable franchise, the first American console-based entry in the franchise arrived on the GameCube a couple years ago, and although it didn’t set any new standards within the genre, it carried the torch forward.