Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance Official Topic

I you haven't done so already go and read the review here.

The main sticking point I had with the game is that its no different to the GBA incarnations. Take away the blow par 3D graphics and the FMV and what do you have left? Should we be happy with a glorified GBA port?

A quick explanation of some of the markdowns for the game.

Lazy sequel: Within three Western releases this game has progressed nowhere, any changes have been cosmetic and good or bad are replaced with different ideas for the next game. FIFA football has demonstrated a greater ability to change and improve yet its only considered a yearly update.

Its for Fire Emblem fans only: Once again FIFA has improved itself to try and draw ProEvo fans into its fold, whether it succeeds or not is irrelevant that fact is that EA are trying. Intelligent Systems have not made any moves to try and make this game accessible for those who were turned away from previous Fire Emblem games. I'm not talking about a Prince of Persia 2 style of change but just including an option to turn off permi-death would make this more than a game for Fire Emblem fans.

This is not a GC game: Batallion Wars and even Zelda: Four Swords has shown us what we can expect of a GBA going to the GC, that the gameplay and not just the graphics can be improved and make use of a home consoles power. Intelligent Systems and Nintendo have decided that porting a game and giving it some upgraded graphics which aren't even of this generation makes it a home console game. If I wanted a game like this I'd happily play it on the GBA or DS but the GC is a different beast, it opens up more options to the developer and that in turn should provide more options for us. When buying a game for the GC I shoudl be overwhelmed in that I couldn't have played this game on a GBA or DS not underwhelmed because I already have.

i never had a problem with the graphics in fire embulem POR i thought they where fine, and POR is my favorite game on the gamecube at the moment i loved it.

Grumbler's FE: POR Summary
Pro
+Fantastic story
+Well above average dialogue that put any shitty Final Fantasy game to shame
+Good range of characters
+Decent and appropriate level of difficulty
+Good music
+Superb MIDI
+Some good sound effects
+Jolly good FMVs

Con
-Dated Dreamcast/PS2-esque graphics
-Some dull sound effects
-FMVs dubbed rather than re-animated for English version

Debatable
=n00bs perhaps alienated by permi-death, but remains authentic to series
=Not much evolution from the GBA games, but remains authentic to series

( Edited on 16.02.2006 13:36 by grumbler )

I found the game too easy, the onl reason I restarted as much as I did was because I spent time classing up al my troops. If I'd stuck with a core 16 and leveld them up naturally I would of had considerablly fewer restarts.

The range of characters is not that good. Myrmiddons and Swordmasters are still second grade troops, even with their high crit skil they can't do enough damage against most upgraded classes and are far too vulnerable in defence. A Sage with a decent stave skill far outshines a cleric in general usefulness. Archers and snipers are outclassed by warriors and paladins with a bow skill. There's a lot of classes which don't pull their weight and the number of each class is unbalanced.
Lord - Ike
Mounted Knights/Paladins - Titania, Oscar, Kieran, Astrid, Makalov, Geoffrey
Fighter/Warriors - Boyd, Largo
Priest/Bishop - Rhys
Archer/Sniper - Shinon, Rolf
Knight/General - Gatrie, Brom, Taureneo
Mage/Sage - Soren, Ilyana, Tormod, Calill, Bastian
Myrmidon/Swordmaster -Mia, Zihark, Stefan, Lucia
Cleric/ Valkyrie - Mist
Pegasus Knight/ Falcon Knight - Marcia, Tanith
Beats Laguz - Lethe, Mordecai, Muarim, Ranulf
Thief - Volke (assasain), Sothe
Soldier/ Halberdier - Nephenee, Devdan
Wyvern Rider/ Wyvern Lord - Jill, Haar
heron Tribe - Reyson
Bird Tribe - Ulki, Janaff
Princess Crimea - Elincia
Dragon Tribe - Ena or Nasir (you only get one)

Paladins have more units than any other class in the game and Sages are the highest number of infantry. The balance between classes and the ratios of them are more screwed in this game than the previous two.

Playing and loving both the GBA versions, PoR was in some ways a disappointement. First, the graphics weren't as good as i hoped. You might say that it's gameplay over graphics, but at this stage of the Gamecube's life,its quite disappointing. Also i found PoR to be the easiest out of the FE that have come out in the west, only chapter 27 proved to be frustrating and annoying. The lack of classes and how unbalanced they were also annoyed me, though the addition of Larguz was something i liked.

Neitherless, the gameplay still stays true to the GBA version and is still as addicitve, with a great storyline and good character development. I also wish they have more FMVs, the one in PoR, though not many, were brilliant.

only chapter 27 proved to be frustrating and annoying.

Great, guess which Chapter I'm just about to (like in the next few minutes) have a crack at...

Anyway I'm really loving PoR, having not played the GBA games it's a real treat - might even give a more positive C3-2-1 of it!

I'd welcome that 10do, i didnt enjoy the C3 review so much, you said things like because it didnt have multiple endings it made it worse, now multiple endings wouldve made it better but just because it didnt have multiple endings doesnt mean it makes the overall game worse. I dont think the game should lose marks just because it was more of the same. I understand what you mean when you say the battalion wars expanded the advance wars series but i dont really see the point in that, battalion wars should really have absolutely nothing to do with advance wars and should be recognised as a completely separate IP with no links to advance wars at all. "soundtrack was just ticking boxes", i didnt really understand what you meant by that, ive never heard a finer soundtrack in a game ever before, so im guessing that the reviewer must of heard many a game soundtracks in his/her time.

Myrmiddons and Swordmasters are still second grade troops,

i beg to differ, i levelled up Zihark and gave him the Gamble skill and a killing edge which means that he has a 100% critical attack and no-one could touch him too.
while POR didnt vary the classes too well i still had a very balanced squad, i had no more than two of the same class in mine.

( Edited on 19.02.2006 18:45 by Erotic_Spider )

A 100% critical means nothing when you are only doing a base damage of 3 against armoured foes.

PoR didn't loose marks purely for the lack of multiple endings it was part of a greater problem in that this is just a GBA game. I've played through both of the GBA games and the GC version is just about on par with them and thats only because of the strength of the storyline. GC owners deserve a GC game not a GBA game.

i like it i've completed it once i recently got sacred stones on the GBA and liked both