Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
New dawn, or old dawn?
Fire Emblem is the best in its class at what it does, which is very in-depth fantasy-based strategy. Its basic premise has been refined over the course of eighteen years into something wonderfully balanced and rewarding, but the series' complete refusal to adapt with the times gets very frustrating. As it gets more and more complicated, it gets less accessible, which further alienates newcomers from the series - especially as the difficulty is unrelenting right from the first mission. It's undeniably a great game in its class, but it's the same great game we've been playing for at least five years. You'll have to make your own mind up as to whether that will bother you.
Worse than that, though, is the completely horrible presentation. The environments are drab and fuzzy, the 3D character models completely bland and lifeless. The battle animations are laughably basic, and there's not a pretty lighting or water effect of which to speak. The 2D storytelling looks nice enough, but the 3D graphics really are very substandard. The worst thing is that it doesn't need to be like this - occasionally the game throws out a lovely cel-shaded cut-scene with beautiful style and gorgeous effects. Why can't the entire game incorporate that sharp, cel-shaded style? Why can't the battle sequences use those lovely flashing swords, show those devastating final blows with panache? Why is there absolutely no use of the Wii remote in a game that actually could put pointing and clicking to perfect use?
As with many of Nintendo's best-loved franchises, you could see the Fire Emblem series' refusal to alter itself either as commitment to good design or as unimaginative re-treading of old ground. But Fire Emblem has never had the spark and giddy light-heartedness that makes most of us forgive Mario and Zelda for occasionally repeating themselves. The fact that the core game hasn't changed at all is excusable because it has been honed to strategic perfection over decades, but the fact that it hasn't even received the most superficial of makeovers for the Wii is less forgivable. A Wii Fire Emblem with pointer controls, beautiful battle sequences and a cleaner, more stylistic graphical style would definitely delight fans, and would draw in far more new ones than this will.
So, good as it is, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is not something I can unreservedly recommend. For anyone who's ever loved this series, or Shining Force, this is a no-brainer - buy it immediately, and enjoy its perfect balance and enormous wealth of strategic complexity. If you've never played Fire Emblem, then this instalment's appearance and difficulty might prove dispiriting; the four-year-old Fire Emblem on the GBA is a prettier, more bite-sized introductory alternative. Radiant Dawn's core of creamy white strategy nougat does shine through its horribly drab exterior, but only just. We've seen it all before, and this can't help but seem like a wasted Wii opportunity.