This is a really fantastic game on a portable platform that is a great introduction in particular for players new to the Fire Emblem series or who are new to strategy-games more generally. Although certain features were much maligned by many long-time fans of the previous Fire Emblem games, such as casual mode, these modes actually make this game really approachable for players of all ages and players who don't have much free time to devote to video games. The levels are varied and challenging, especially on classic mode, the storyline is solid, and the characters are compelling and interesting.

TL;DR: \naesthetically what I needed, but quality is lacking else where. I will be going with a different seller for future DS/3DS case purchases. \n___PROs___ 1_Cover print is good, with detail and rich colors. 2_It's a case that holds the game I want, and the same dimensions as original cases ___CONs___ 1_The build quality of the plastic (both the case and sleeve that holds the cover) is weaker and more brittle than an original. 2_Packaging contained less protection than cases I've ordered from other sellers (though I appreciate the Fragile sticker, handlers aren't always in a gentle mood). The case I ordered was partially broken, I assume this is a combination of this point and my previous. 3_Clip is serviceable, but compared to an original case, much ... MoreTL;DR: \naesthetically what I needed, but quality is lacking else where. I will be going with a different seller for future DS/3DS case purchases. \n___PROs___ 1_Cover print is good, with detail and rich colors. 2_It's a case that holds the game I want, and the same dimensions as original cases ___CONs___ 1_The build quality of the plastic (both the case and sleeve that holds the cover) is weaker and more brittle than an original. 2_Packaging contained less protection than cases I've ordered from other sellers (though I appreciate the Fragile sticker, handlers aren't always in a gentle mood). The case I ordered was partially broken, I assume this is a combination of this point and my previous. 3_Clip is serviceable, but compared to an original case, much weaker\n\n\nI'm curious on the durability of this case.

This is the first FE game that I have ever played and beaten, and it has left me as a huge fan of the series! The gameplay is fun-- strategizing with where to position your army on the grid, abilities/skills to teach alongside weapon and class config; makes this a very diff. game! The characters and storyline are appealing, along with customization, dialogue between army members, and choosing a spouse makes it an interesting game. You will put out a lot of hours with this game!The only downside was that I wish you could select the Jpnese audio with subtitles -- which some games graciously allow. Plus, being forced to marry Chrom was not part of the plan! I wanted Stahl... lol.Recommend regardless of my forced marriage mishap!

Fire Emblem: Awesome

Fire Emblem: Awakening is a turn-based strategy game that takes place in a fantasy world consumed by war. You play as a brilliant tactician with a case of retroactive amnesia, weilding powerful magic against a group of mysterious and dangerous creatures known as the Risen.As you fight to protect your friends and country, your tragic past is slowly brought to the light, the truth a shocking revelation. With high-quality cutscenes and battles viewable from several perspectives, this story, as dramatic and heart-racing as any motion picture, is revealed, its twists and turns ensnaring you in rapt attention.Weapons, characters, and game difficulty are all adjustable, making for the perfect replayable game. You can even choose berween the Japanese and English audio ... MoreFire Emblem: Awakening is a turn-based strategy game that takes place in a fantasy world consumed by war. You play as a brilliant tactician with a case of retroactive amnesia, weilding powerful magic against a group of mysterious and dangerous creatures known as the Risen.As you fight to protect your friends and country, your tragic past is slowly brought to the light, the truth a shocking revelation. With high-quality cutscenes and battles viewable from several perspectives, this story, as dramatic and heart-racing as any motion picture, is revealed, its twists and turns ensnaring you in rapt attention.Weapons, characters, and game difficulty are all adjustable, making for the perfect replayable game. You can even choose berween the Japanese and English audio for narration and cutscenes, both of which are amazing. This game also combines mechanics for level, equipment, and stat-based games, allowing for the ultimate fighting experience.Hard-core gamers, casual players, and otaku alike will all find in this game something incredible to enjoy.

Fun game with lots of options

So far I've enjoyed this game, and will probably play it again after beating it. This is my first 3DS game, so I can't compare to others for this console. It's also my first Fire Emblem game, so I can't compare to the rest of the series. However, I've been playing RPGs since the 90s, including FF Tactics.I've been looking for a game similar to FF Tactics for awhile, and this compares well. You move around a network map, although you aren't charged for days when you move, and there are no random battles; you choose the extra battles you fight. The battles involve strategy on a grid, with each character allowed one movement followed by one action. You start with a nice variation in job classes. Since I haven't played this type of game on newer consoles, it was ... MoreSo far I've enjoyed this game, and will probably play it again after beating it. This is my first 3DS game, so I can't compare to others for this console. It's also my first Fire Emblem game, so I can't compare to the rest of the series. However, I've been playing RPGs since the 90s, including FF Tactics.I've been looking for a game similar to FF Tactics for awhile, and this compares well. You move around a network map, although you aren't charged for days when you move, and there are no random battles; you choose the extra battles you fight. The battles involve strategy on a grid, with each character allowed one movement followed by one action. You start with a nice variation in job classes. Since I haven't played this type of game on newer consoles, it was pleasantly surprising to see the high quality attack animation.I was also impressed with the ability to design your own character at the beginning (within the options they provide, of course). I get tired of playing male characters.The game dynamics are fun, with a quickly moving storyline. How cool is it that some of your characters marry, have kids, and then the kids join your battles?? I also appreciate the many options for difficulty; both general difficulty, and the repercussions of characters dying in battle. I'm playing in "casual" mode, and I think I need to increase the general difficulty because I always win. It's nice having casual mode as an option though (characters revive after battle if they die), as I don't have much time to play games and this allows me to work through the story faster. Later when I'm more familiar with the game mechanics and classes I may replay in Classic mode (where characters disappear permanently if they die in battle) to get a better challenge. It seems like it is a game that is worth a second play through.I wish I had more information on the different classes up front though, and it's a bit disappointing that each base class basically has 2 advanced class options and that's it. It is really missing the class complexity that made FF Tactics so different for many play throughs.

Great Game, Good service

The game itself is one of the best in its franchise and one of the best DS/3DS games available. While the storyline itself is nothing special, the characters are written well and interact with each other in unique ways that make the story more engaging.The service from the store was overall very good as well. I recieved the game faster than I had expected and in excellent condition. The slot in the case that holds the cartridge isn't as tight as it should be but it still holds the cartridge just fine. It's just a knitpick as everything else was like buying the game new.

Great game for advanced gamers

This is a wonderful game in many aspects, however I would caution some people from buying it for other reasons also.Pros:- It is a beautiful game graphically; the cut scenes and the artwork make great use of the 3D feature- It has a vast array of characters throughout the game that you will have the opportunity to get to know, build relationships with, and learn how to choose them wisely during your fighting strategy- The story line is amazing; it has great moments, drama and excitement, and it gives you the choice to make important decisions throughout the game that will affect the outcome of the plotCons:- The game is too short for one playthrough, but too long for multiple playthroughs (I would like to have more time to develop relationships with other ... MoreThis is a wonderful game in many aspects, however I would caution some people from buying it for other reasons also.Pros:- It is a beautiful game graphically; the cut scenes and the artwork make great use of the 3D feature- It has a vast array of characters throughout the game that you will have the opportunity to get to know, build relationships with, and learn how to choose them wisely during your fighting strategy- The story line is amazing; it has great moments, drama and excitement, and it gives you the choice to make important decisions throughout the game that will affect the outcome of the plotCons:- The game is too short for one playthrough, but too long for multiple playthroughs (I would like to have more time to develop relationships with other characters in the game, but the game is too long to go through again just to do that)- The game is somewhat difficult (even on the easiest setting)- Very time consuming, so that means if you're looking for a game that is low maintenance and easy to get into, then this is not your gameIn short, if you are a fan of JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Games) and strategy games, this is the perfect game for you. However, this game is only for hardcore/advanced gamers, so it would not be a good fit for beginners are those looking for a quick, easy, and fun game.

I died 36 times

Or something like that.On the heels of Fire Emblem Fates being released in the west, I received an onslaught of gaming news mentioning Fire Emblem Awakening. I was unmoved by proclamations of it being the best game ever, and resolutely held out on purchasing it. However, notice after notice of brand new news eventually wore on my will, and I ended up picking up a copy when Best Buy restocked their inventory.So! My first ever Fire Emblem!Let's get one thing outta the way real quick: Having to turn on the Japanese VA work after each session of turning your 3DS on is annoying. I know it's been a long-known glitch, and I wish it'd just be patched already. While the english voicework isn't bad, you'll never pry Tomokazu Sugita away from me so long as his voice is ... MoreOr something like that.On the heels of Fire Emblem Fates being released in the west, I received an onslaught of gaming news mentioning Fire Emblem Awakening. I was unmoved by proclamations of it being the best game ever, and resolutely held out on purchasing it. However, notice after notice of brand new news eventually wore on my will, and I ended up picking up a copy when Best Buy restocked their inventory.So! My first ever Fire Emblem!Let's get one thing outta the way real quick: Having to turn on the Japanese VA work after each session of turning your 3DS on is annoying. I know it's been a long-known glitch, and I wish it'd just be patched already. While the english voicework isn't bad, you'll never pry Tomokazu Sugita away from me so long as his voice is in a game.So that detracted from the score...Moving on, I actually was surprised by how much I enjoyed this game. Though the translation takes quite a few liberties (some cringeworthy in how notable they are), I found the story solid if a little cliche. But my true love was the avatar builder. Choices are still incredibly limited and I found myself dissatisfied with several options being build-exclusive, but I found the option to build your own avatar very liberating and agonized over it for a good several minutes.The characters are a delight, and without mentioning names I can say I see several notable ones that really shine due to their given accent/speech patterns.The gameplay was the hardest learning curve for me, as strategy games had never been my forte, but given the difficulty option, as well as casual mode (the mode that doesn't have perma-death) this can all be breezed over if you're a beginner (like me!).I can't express much into this review, as from what I've glanced other reviews have summed up my thoughts nicely, so I'll leave you with this: Fire Emblem Awakening, more than any other FE game aside for possibly fates, is incredibly inclusive and you should definitely give it a try--even if you usually don't play strategy games!

One of the best strategy role playing games.

Fire Emblem Awakening is a turn based strategy game with a mideval/fantasy setting. You play a strategist giving orders to the characters in your small band of warrior/magic wielder in order to defeat opposing armies with their own sets of warriors. There are many different classes of characters you can recruit, and each character has a distinct personality that provides gamers with emotional connection to the world events. Dependent on the class, the character has the ability to only use specific subsets of weapons and/or magic, and most weapons/magic can only be used a certain number of times before being used up making the player strategize about resource management as well. In addition, characters can advance in level, usually increasing several of 8 different ... MoreFire Emblem Awakening is a turn based strategy game with a mideval/fantasy setting. You play a strategist giving orders to the characters in your small band of warrior/magic wielder in order to defeat opposing armies with their own sets of warriors. There are many different classes of characters you can recruit, and each character has a distinct personality that provides gamers with emotional connection to the world events. Dependent on the class, the character has the ability to only use specific subsets of weapons and/or magic, and most weapons/magic can only be used a certain number of times before being used up making the player strategize about resource management as well. In addition, characters can advance in level, usually increasing several of 8 different attributes that affect the characters effectiveness on the battlefield, and support one another to further give small attribute boosts on the battlefield.Of all the turn-based strategy RPGs out there, the Fire Emblem series stands above the rest for hard-core gamers largely due to its inclusion of death (a character in the game is permanently lost if the character dies in battle). This adds meaning to the decisions made in battle since characters you become attached to can easily disappear from the story if you are not careful. With the addition of the satisfyingly complicated support system (opposite sexed characters can even marry, have children, and then their children can join your army), the story and additional support conversation provides insight into and attaches the player to all of the characters providing further emotional impact on the death of a character.While this classic option of character death can be turned off for the casual gamer, I think such plays lose on this fantastically simple device; however, this provides an easier interface to the strategy novice that doesn't want to replay levels --- just to make sure that no-one dies --- or who just wants to play the game for the story alone. With the inclusion of 3D graphic depth, a couple animated sequences, awesome class-based skills, and just the immense amount of customizability of your army, Awakening is among the very best of one of the best series of games.

So many features that the fans will love

The best part about this game is the amount of content it contains, from the ability to create an avatar, the ability to marry and have a child to even being able to include character from previous games in the franchise to use in your army (through paid DLC).Graphics: standard 3D models. They contain lots of detail which is great when you change classes and you get to see your new and shiny unit all decked out in cool clothing. The backgrounds and environments are stunning as well.Story: Full of twists and shocking moments that will leave a huge impression, especially for characters that you got to know and like.Sound: The sound effects and voice clips are great and well acted but the music is phenomenal! You will definitely find many tracks that you will ... MoreThe best part about this game is the amount of content it contains, from the ability to create an avatar, the ability to marry and have a child to even being able to include character from previous games in the franchise to use in your army (through paid DLC).Graphics: standard 3D models. They contain lots of detail which is great when you change classes and you get to see your new and shiny unit all decked out in cool clothing. The backgrounds and environments are stunning as well.Story: Full of twists and shocking moments that will leave a huge impression, especially for characters that you got to know and like.Sound: The sound effects and voice clips are great and well acted but the music is phenomenal! You will definitely find many tracks that you will love.Gameplay: Standard Fire Emblem fare, take a turn for your entire team then the enemy does the same. Leveling up as a class gets you abilities that you can keep even when changing classes. Some might not like the fact that the magic trinity is absent in this installment. Magic tomes still exist of course, they just don't have an advantage of disadvantage over other magic. The grid based maps are easy to navigate anf the over-world map can let you go to easier areas to fight enemy armies for easy experience. Shops are in the world map as well. Streetpasses nets you player created teams to battle or buy from. There's online battling but the only co-op feature is local wireless.