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[SolVanderlyn]

Defend means defend, NOT LIST. Which is the best? Why?

Generally, I find fans fall into one of three camps:

Japan-emblem (AKA games that came out before Blazing Sword)

These people always say how much better the classic games were. The more mature storytelling, the greater variety of classes, the challenge, the subdued artstyle - there's plenty to praise about these games. Out of this group, Fire Emblem 4 seems to be the fan favorite.

West-emblem (Fire Emblem GBA/Blazing Sword -> Radiant Dawn)

These are fans who usually got introduced to the series through Marth and Roy's inclusion in Smash Bros, and picked up Fire Emblem GBA when they heard it was actually coming to the west. Aspects these fans usually praise are the lovely sprite animations, the colorful characters, the well rounded cast, and the likable lords. Hector and Ike are from this generation, after all. Fan favorite seems to be Fire Emblem 7/GBA.

Modern-emblem (Awakening, Fates, Echoes, *retching sounds* Heroes)

Also derided as "waifu Emblem" by its detractors, this is where Fire Emblem came into the modern day spotlight. Pioneered by Awakening, these entries feature new gameplay mechanics such as a world map, a customizable avatar, a marriage/children system that gives you two generations of armies, a pair-up system, streamlined gameplay, and fantastic music. Echoes is the oddball due to it being a remake, but I feel like it still fits here as it's most definitely a 2017 game designed for modern sensibilities. Fan favorite overall tends to be Awakening, but a lot of people praise Fates for its gameplay, as well.

What camp do you fall into? Which is your favorite?

Mine is Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. It's probably the ugliest FE game, with its low budget 3D models on an old system, but it has the most interesting characters, plot, and especially world to me, told over the span of two games. I'm a story first kind of guy, and even if I recognize that playing FE for the story isn't really a thing people do, I loved seeing it done in a more sophisticated and entertaining way here. The game itself is no slouch, either. I loved customizing weapons and giving them their own names, the map design was pretty good, and it was paced well. Just an overall solid entry in a solid series. I like its sequel a lot, too.

 

[CSX]

I loved Radiant Dawn. I remember watching japanese vids on youtube before the game came out in English. Seeing third tier units blew my mind lol

 

[vareon]

Mine is Radiant Dawn. I skipped Path of Radiance at first because I couldn't find a Gamecube copy, but I was blown away by Radiant Dawn due to its sheer colossal size and very story heavy game for a Nintendo game.

Awakening and Fates are fine but I like PoR/RD's story more.

 

[kuroneko0509]

poor shadow dragon & new mystery.... not in either 3 categories you listed......

 

[SolVanderlyn]

poor shadow dragon & new mystery.... not in either 3 categories you listed......

I noticed this while writing and left them out anyway... New Mystery is Japan only/fan translation only and the only good one of the bunch, and they're technically covered in classic FE games too, as there weren't nearly as many changes as with Echoes. Feel free to defend those too, though

 

[RM8]

West Emblem is best Emblem. The first games are not readily available, and the last games... Yes. I like West Emblem.

 

[phaeta]

West Emblem bucket; sort of a tie between Fire Emblem GBA and Awakening for me.

 

[OVDRobo]

As far as tastes go, I definitely fall into 'West-emblem'.

I've never played any entry prior to Blazing Blade (Just 'Fire Emblem' in the west Rekka no Ken) and Blazing Blade was my favourite of the lot. Lyn and Hector remain two of the best characters in the series and the cast of that game was excellent in terms of variety. The sprite animation still remains the best and most fluid the series has looked and the map design and story were decent-good.

Path of Radiance comes in a close second but the dated 3D visuals and the availability of the title (not an issue to me personally, but it is to some) takes it down a couple of points.

The worst Fire Emblem I've played definitely goes to Shadow Dragon. Ugly, archaic and unexciting.

 

[Poor GRIMES]

While I've enjoyed every FE game I've played, I've never...loved any of them? They all seem to miss something that keeps me from loving it.

That said, the first western FE and Path of Radiance are my favourites. I remember having so much fun with them throughout. I loooved Lyn and Hector. I'm sad I only ever rented these two and didn't purchase.

Awakening deserves a mention, too, even if, in retrospect, I don't like much of the changes made. I was really impressed with the game when I first played it. The soundtrack is still great. I like the idea of exploring relationships and fleshing out the characters, something I always felt the series fell short on (the only time I used to ever see the majority of FE characters talk is when they're recruited), but I feel Awakening (and Fates) did it in a very...shallow and low-effort way. I'd love to see a FE that does a better job at this that isn't just characters having back and forths about dropping their tea or some shit.

 

[DragonGirl]

Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn for me. Those games have my favorite stories and cast of characters, and scenarios I enjoyed playing. The cut scenes were gorgeous too. I've been pining for a remake that updated these two and packaged them together. Echoes gives me hope. I'd love them on the Switch.

 

[KO Traveling Hobo]

The Radiant duology. They were like a mix of visual novel, god-tier strategy game, and epic RPG. In addition to the reasons already posted:

-so much more self-respect than modern Fire Emblem, but they aren't as bland as the older games. They found a sweetspot that the series is likely never going to land in again.
-the limited funds was balanced so well, partly thanks to the weapon forging system. Resource management is a legitimate gameplay element, but it never feels oppressive or unfair.
-I love customization like weapon forging, equippable skills, and varied equipment loadouts, but the set class progression and lack of reclassing makes each unit feel much more unique.

 

[pla-pla-place holder]

West emblem. The stories were interesting especially of your a fan of the genre.strong main characters and supporting cast. DID I MENTION THOSE ANIMATIONS

 

[CannonFodder52]

Well I just finished my first Fire Emblem game today, FE:Awakening.
Very much enjoyed it. Also I guess it's my fav by default.

 

[SkyOdin]

I generally fall into the "Western Emblem" camp, with the exception that I am generally fond of Shadow Dragon and liked its cast. I also really like Echoes so far. My first exposure to Fire Emblem was actually a Nintendo Power article that covered Fire Emblem 4, so that awareness of the earlier games has broadened my interest in the series past the games I played first.

I don't really like Awakening, I am sad to say, mostly because the pacing and story really suffer after a point. I find myself getting too distracted by grinding and not progressing forwards like I would prefer. I do like some of the various gameplay mechanics introduced in Fates and Heroes, though, as well as some of the experimental class design.

Path of Radiance might be my overall favorite in the franchise, currently. Ike is a great lead, the Black Knight is a great villain, Laguz are cool, Cavaliers who can move after attacking and use a variety of weapons are awesome, and base conversations should be in every game. Path of Radiance was very accessible and player-friendly, too. I would have picked Radiant Dawn for its amazing finale, if the game would have actually let the player use a more stable team.

 

[MillionVolts]

I like all games in the series to at least some extent, but I definitely fall into the West Emblem camp as my personal top games in the series can be summed up as:

1. Path of Radiance
2. Radiant Dawn
(big gap)
3. Blazing Blade
4. uhhh idk, Awakening maybe?

 

[spiritfox]

I'm here to defend Heroes. Seriously.

It's a mobile gacha game. That's already a serious red flag. But it surprisingly plays like what a Fire Emblem would be if you strip out most of the fluff and the story. Mechanically, it's a solid FE, and I don't mind the lack of evades as it provides more consistent results. The limited amount of units fielded on both sides also make the game pretty player-phase focused unlike the real games. This might be the only game in the series where armor knights are actually good, as movement skills makes them more mobile than they ought to be.

The gacha mechanics suck. Period. Boon and bane should not exist at all, and a lot of strategy is thrown out of the window when you can power through it with 5* top tier units. The story is non-existant. But there are moments where the strategic nature of the game shines through, and when it does, it's pretty good.

Also you get to play as all your favorite characters from all the games man.

 

[SalvaPot]

Awakening is the only one I ever finished, so I guess its that one?

Its pretty accessible and fun.

 

[SephLuis]

West emblem represent.

Fire Emblem Path of Radiance is the one that I keep going back to after all these years and different games in the series. It has a great story, great characters and there's plenty of challenge and strategy options to go through the game.

You do get more than a bit OP towards the end, but it isn't really a problem with this gem of a SRPG.

Radiant Dawn was a game that I wanted to like more and, I would, if it were spread through 3 complete games. They clearly had a lot of interesting stories to tell, but they had to rush everything for one single game (since the series would be buried until Awakening came).

RD was also the title where losing a unit actually felt like a big loss because, holy shit, those maps were gigantic. You could reset a battle after losing someone, but you would lose A LOT of time by doing so. It's even worse towards the end where 2/3 of your army is weak as hell.

I also didn't liked how they handled the ending for Ike. It was a "that's all folks" and cut to the end.

My second favorite is FE7 because of the reasons everyone will tell you about again and again and again and because that's a damn beautiful sprite work. First FE too and having a swordmaster Lord screams badass and OP. Good times.

 

[Anura]

Hmm... I can't think of one game or era that I like the most. FE titles each seem to have different strengths and weaknesses from each other.There's games I hate (like the newest remake), but none that I love above all others.

 

[rexpro]

Fire Emblem GBA/Blazing Sword.

Mostly because of critical hit animations were way more impressive to see, when FE became 3d the animations for critacal hits also became so dull (IMO) that i had no interest to keep playing it.

 

[HawthorneKitty]

I'd rather like to know if you had your first FE in 1 era, but have your favorite in another (excluding if you were Japan-emblem first though).

 

[Cow Mengde]

I don't fall into any camp. My favorite is Thracia 776, and my second favorite is Radiant Dawn. While I don't think too highly of Fates' story and presentation, the gameplay in Conquest is excellent.

Thracia is special because it's my first FE and also got me to make friends online.

 

[Vashzaron]

West emblem. The stories were interesting especially of your a fan of the genre.strong main characters and supporting cast. DID I MENTION THOSE ANIMATIONS

That's fan made dude.

But still yes.

 

[afreaknamedpete]

For real, Fire Emblem Conquest. I haven't played any of the Japanese only FE games but I've done all the US ones and there is nothing comparable to Conquest's level design in any other FE.

It has some misses but it tries to do something cool and interesting in each specific map, and it's challenging enough to demand that you play around it. I vaguely remember other FE maps for story beats or rarely general themes, but virtually never for the strategy behind them. Before Conquest Radiant Dawn was my favorite FE, if only because I remember things like 13-3, Geoffrey's Charge, the climax map with the counter; while otherwise not having a clear recollection of almost any other map in FE.

Conquest however is FILLED with amazing maps that made you rethink your entire strategy. The moat map, the wall map, the map with the pots, the map where you have to play around a well protected mage with status staves... and even the shitty maps were shitty in a memorable way. Conquest gave me faith that the designers can make really cool strategy/puzzle type maps, something I'm sad to not see in SoV.

 

[PensivePen]

I have pretty much only played the western released Fire Emblem games. Of them my favorite is FE7. In general I feel it has great map design throughout, and I really love the GBA Fire Emblem aesthetic. Possibly my favorite element of it though is the ranking system, which I am disappointed hasn't carried on through the series. I feel like playing to achieve a perfect rank helps to alleviate a ton of the balance issues that most entries in the series have, nullifying or mitigating the player's ability to rely on grinding overpowered units, turtling tactics, and spending excessive amounts of money on overpowered weapons.

I would say that Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn follow closely behind it, having excellent gameplay in general as well, plus what I feel is the best overall story and cast of characters in the series.

 

[Allan Holdsworth]

I only played 7, The Sacred Stones, Shadow Dragon and Echoes to completion.

I couldn't stomach playing a Fire Emblem on the TV. Dropped Path of Radiance pretty early, and when I looked into the Wii one the prices had already skyrocketed.

The art style of Awakening/Fates really put me off. If I were a huge fan of the series I could have looked past that; besides, my sweet spot is one FE per generation as they're fairly time consuming games.

I honestly never got all the hate towards Shadow Dragon. Yes, the pre-rendered sprites were uglier than the beautiful GBA ones, but the 3D models from Echoes and past titles are even uglier.

If I had to pick a favorite it would be 7. Being the first obviously helps, but looking back it was stronger all-around than the ones I played later.

 

[YBdisk]

PoR/RD.

An epic, political complex story that incorporates alot of different elements like revenge (ike),
Racism/slavery (laguz) and loyalty/ideals (fighting the wrong battles for your country).

Gameplay is fantastic, especially in Radiant dawn with great map design and objectives.

Characters where pretty interesting for the most part. They felt very involved in the story and some had really good backstories.

I never did mind the weaker Dawn Brigade units. They felt realistic to me because they were a small and young group of freedom fighters.

So yeah. A few reasons why these entries are the best FE games. It also helps that they don't have any animu incest/pedophelia. Not to my knowledge atleast.

 

[dreamlongdead]

This one's kind of funny, because Binding Blade is probably my favorite game after Fates: Conquest. It's a strange one to classify. It was not officially released in the West, but its UI and mechanics are basically the same as Blazing Blade and Sacred Stones.

Binding Blade is better than its GBA successors simply because it doesn't pull any punches with the difficulty. While the ambush spawns are admittedly bad design, this game is overall very fair. I really love the cast of characters here, and the Elibe continent is intriguing.

It was really refreshing for this to come after Thracia 776, which ultimately suffered due to some straight up bad design. It's literally the only game in the series that I would describe as unfair. I would still like for this and Genealogy of the War to get remakes that will smooth out the rough edges.

 

[Blues1990]

For myself, I really, really like Shadows of Valentia:

-Shifting the focus from character interactions to more gameplay mechanics was a huge deal for me, along with a story that feels like it’s developing with you, rather than happening in the background.

-Speaking of which, while the overarching plot beats of Fire Emblem Echoes are predictable, the execution, tone, & characters of Echoes is very well done. Alm and Celica in particular are both endearing characters, and I was engaged in the narrative even if I could point out the crucial plot points from a mile away.

-I strongly came to appreciate how the dungeon & town areas mix things up just enough to keep things interesting. It gives the game a different sort flavor and of pace, and I'm glad Intelligent Systems decided to revisit a seemingly weird idea.

-Mila's Turnwheel is a great addition, as it allows players to not only fix your mistakes, but it also allows experimentation with bold (even reckless) strategies. Even if it doesn't work out, you can turn back the clock and try something else.

-Despite the limited class variety, there are still some really cool strategies that come out of the units available.

-I didn't like the game's reliance on summoned enemies. At first, it was an interesting mechanic that forced the player to take things a little more slowly and manage a persistent flood of enemies as they progressed towards the map boss. But it worn out its welcome, especially when most of the final stretch of the game is marked by these sorts of battles.

So, yeah. If IS could take Conquest's map design, the GBA final finishers, & the unique mechanics introduced in this remake, it would hit all the right spots for me.

 

[vareon]

I'm here to defend Heroes. Seriously.

It's a mobile gacha game. That's already a serious red flag. But it surprisingly plays like what a Fire Emblem would be if you strip out most of the fluff and the story. Mechanically, it's a solid FE, and I don't mind the lack of evades as it provides more consistent results. The limited amount of units fielded on both sides also make the game pretty player-phase focused unlike the real games. This might be the only game in the series where armor knights are actually good, as movement skills makes them more mobile than they ought to be.

The gacha mechanics suck. Period. Boon and bane should not exist at all, and a lot of strategy is thrown out of the window when you can power through it with 5* top tier units. The story is non-existant. But there are moments where the strategic nature of the game shines through, and when it does, it's pretty good.

Also you get to play as all your favorite characters from all the games man.

With the recent updates there's enough reason to play Heroes everyday. I tried some of the harder lunatic maps for Quests and it's really challenging.

 

[EndlessSky]

I've spent like 250 hours doing all kinds of different runs of Radiant Dawn. I liked the world building (which admittedly is also attributed to Path of Radiance) and the character designs were just amazing. The laguz being treated as subhumans and seeing both sides of the war were done very well.

Two of my favorite characters of the series.

That's fan made dude.

But still yes.

Lmao, I was gonna say as a big Fire Emblem fan I've never seen that team up animation before and was very confused.

 

[Some Nobody]

I don't know about any camps, I just play Fire Emblems because I love the franchise. Having said that, I haven't really touched the GC/Wii ones, or the 3DS ones. I've beaten 4, 6, 7, and 8 and played a lot of 5 and 11 (which is basically the first one).

Of the ones I've played, 4's easily my favorite. Aside from dat plot twist, I loved the art design and those enormous maps. I'd spend minutes planning things out before doing the actual battles, and enjoyed every second of that game.

I really hope Echoes didn't do so poorly they're afraid to go ahead and remake the 4th one for the Switch.

 

[Kyuur]

Currently in the beginnings of a series (localized only though) playthrough so I'll get back on this. Only on chapter 26x or something of Blazing Sword so it'll be awhile (plus these later chapters are kicking my ass jesus these long range magic instakills).

I'll always be partial to Sacred Stones though, which is basically the precursor to modern FE. Loved the branching classes and world map, grind tower. I think the modern games took it too far with versatility (swapping characters to completely different classes) and open design, preferred it more subdued like in SS. I also can't forgive them for abandoning the 2D animations.

It also had the awesome noob-trio

and my favorite Manakete.

 

[Brandon F]

West-Emblem here too. Lyn and Hector's game is the only one I have ever finished.

Awakenings and Fates kept me busy for a bit, but I fizzled on both way too fast. I really started to loathe how much my attention shifted to the meta-game stuff like relationships and pairings which often stifled combat efficiency.

Echoes seems good so far, but other games have stolen away my playtime.

 

[Cipher Peon]

My first Fire Emblem game was 7, but the 3DS era of Fire Emblem has been its Golden Age. Absolutely brilliant games that made the series go from excellent to something even further. Supports were always where the series shined, and Awakening saved the support system from extinction and made it better than my wildest imaginations.

My favorite is Path of Radiance, however. Best character in Ike, best story, best themes, excellent base mechanics, and a wonderful progression that ends in what really feels like a siege on a true final level. Excellent game, one of Nintendo's very best.

 

[Aters]

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

Gameplay wise, the huge maps really make you feel like a tactician. It makes maneuvering your troop as important as actually engaging in combat -- just like real world wars. The process of sacking one city after another offers a sense of continuity, it makes a war feel like a dynamic flow, not an aggregation of static segments.

Story wise, it's the best story in the series hands down. The plot line is bold even in today's standard. Chapter 5 is unexpected, but totally reasonable. As a classic revenge story, the game successfully carries the weight of it, it never feels cheesy. The characters are drawn in broad brush, but they really stick with you, especially the villains. Alvis and Trabant share the title of best villain of the series. More impressively, each of them has less than ten lines. The writing is a beauty of its time (depends on the translator). You don't see this classic play writing style often in videogames (latest example is probably Odin Sphere).

 

[redcrayon]

I've played all the ones that have released here, but my favourites are definitely Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn. Map variety, good stories, an economy that isn't broken and a huge choice of units, in-battle conversation isn't a huge loss to me compared to the games being well-balanced elsewhere.

 

[Dark_castle]

All you Radiant Dawn fans, I have one thing to say.

PoR and RD are the best for me. RD in particular. It had some serious issues with how it's unforgiving with the gameplay and character availability (player can potentially be screwed for long term depending on their decisions or even RNG), some people have problems with certain story element like the blood pact, but whatever. I just like how epic the story is, how multiple lords come together and face their own crisis, it's such a wonderful ride. And the OST is amazing. I also liked the art style and the visual/animation is great.

Having said that, I'm going through Echoes right now and it's my 3rd favorite FE thus far.

 

[CazTGG]

Boot Radiant Dawn from West Emblem, it shall share the corner of shame with Shadow Dragon and New Mystery known as Dark Age Emblem.

Spoiler

For the record, I do like Shadow Dragon and New Mystery.

Westblem is the bestblem. It has superb animation with a ton of character to it (sans the 3D games eyesore of a jump to 3D), the music is memorable and magnificently composed and the writing ranges from one of to the best story the series has ever told. It really makes you wish the series would take more from the bright ideas introduced in those entries rather than rehashing ones from Seisen No Keifu as well as the striking yet simple animation it employed.

If I had to rank them, this is how it'd go:
1. Westblem
2. Awakened Emblem (aka. 3DS-Switch)
3. Japan Emblem
4. Dark Emblem

Japan Emblem is brought down by the first game in particular when not factoring in historical significance and a whole lot of wonky execution in Seisen No Keifu.

EDIT: As far as individual entries, I already spent some twenty minutes gushing about my favorite one, Rekka No Ken so i'd rather not repeat myself here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwP0uKxCiSI

All you Radiant Dawn fans, I have one thing to say.

Barely. Y'all are loud about it, mind.

 

[Xbro]

Radiant Dawn is definitely my favorite.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1081555

 

[Fruity Insanity]

FE12.

I've never played FE for the story, so mechanics are what's most important in my eyes.

And of the FE games I've played (7 - 14, sans Radiant Dawn), FE12 definitely has the most balanced mechanics. No gimmicks. (Aside from MU, perhaps.)

Also Lunatic Reverse was a genius take on a even higher difficulty. Makes you rethink the game and strategies ground-up.

 

[dragonlife]

I fall under West-Emblem. Sacred Stones was my first Fire Emblem, and I fell completely in love with it. The dialogue, the music, the characters (and design), the gameplay--it set a strong precedent in my mind for what Fire Emblem was. I then bought FE7, and beat that; then PoR. I then bought RD close to release.

Every single game was a joy to play and experience, and I couldn't be any happier with the quality and enjoyment the series was providing.

The Tellius Duology are my favorite out of the bunch, but I prefer RD because of the sheer volume and scope of it, along with the excellent music and fun (and sometimes long) maps. I really enjoyed the journey a lot. Not that PoR doesn't deserve props, of course, but RD just blew me away so much more. It's a shame about the Support conversations, though.

RD > PoR > SS > FE7 for me, but they're close together.

I remember the reveal for Awakening and how excited I was for it. Finally! A new FE! It had been so long, my excitement was through the roof. Then the game came out (bought it digitally day one since the stock situation was bad already), and the more I played, the more my joy became undone by the soullessness of it all. Awful, one-dimensional characters that even 8-4's good writing couldn't save; an art style that was subjectively inferior and boring to previous entries (even though I love his work on NMH. Double disappointment); and finally, a story/journey so awful without any intrigue or charm that I couldn't believe this came from the same devs as the previous games. Also, the music wasn't as memorable, which was one of the most tragic things for me as video game music fan--especially because Rei Kondoh worked on it. He's basically a god. I was more than disappointed with the whole package.

I don't participate or lurk in OTs until I'm done with games, so when I finished Awakening, I thought, "Man, I wonder how many others were disappointed with this like I was," and there was almost universal praise that confused me. Then it was obvious most people were new to the series, and that Awakening was their first foray into it. Then news that "Awakening saved the series" started creeping out and I was just... I felt like that guy that's talking to a friend, and suddenly a friend of my friend comes along and they eventually get into a deep conversation I can't possibly join, so I'm just sitting there like, "Hmm," and eventually leave them to it.

I have no interest in the Fates games whatsoever because of Awakening. It looked like more of the same, and going by some of the more obvious negativity surrounding it (the localization stuff isn't even crossing my mind), I'm not totally off the mark.

As much as I shit on Awakening every chance I get, I am glad it saved the series. It's just not for me anymore for what could be a while (I'm wary and very curious about Echoes, though, and I want to get it. But $$$, etc., and I don't want to risk getting burned again. Plus, other games).

Honestly, the marriage/children stuff just isn't all that appealing, and neither is the attitude these mechanics inevitably bring along. Like the following fact:

Lucina is trash, and her best look is rocking a body bag. Great design and premise foiled by her boring-everything, down to being voiced by Laura Bailey. But it makes sense, since her father is the worst Lord I've ever experienced in FE. They're both terrible, boring, and basically worthless. Lucina having fans I can understand, but Chrom? I don't want to understand that one.

 

[AdventureRacing]

West emblem seems to represent me best. I love the graphics and animation and I enjoyed the gameplay. Personally I haven't been a fan of where the franchise has went since and I've been lost as a fan of the franchise. I'm keeping an eye on where they go with the switch game but generally I can't say I'm confident.

 

[Lord of Ostia]

FE7 is the best Fire Emblem imo. Has a great cast of characters, a traditional yet well told story with lots of character growth and interesting villains. Has varied chapter objectives, good map design, multiple routes through the game and multiple difficulty levels which provide meaningful changes. Some of the best world building in the series, some of the best sprite work in any 2D game, especially the battle animations. I've played it through 20+ times and it never gets old to me.

 

[Makai]

Mystery of the Emblem for SNES

Best animations - GBA ones are cartoony and the 3D ones are weird.

 

[dtm808]

West Emblem for sure. Specifically Sacred Stones is my favorite of all time but i also loved blazing blade. Great animations/characters/music/sound.

 

[pla-pla-place holder]

That's fan made dude.

But still yes.

Oh i know

 

[Hollycat]

Awakening has a gay marriage mod with dialogue, therefore what was already the best game in the series is six times better

 

[Erheller]

Radiant Dawn is by far my favorite, even though I think it's an incredibly uneven game. RD takes the fantastic cast from Path of Radiance and throws them all into a war. It's a setup that's vastly different from most other FE games - there's no clear villain

Spoiler

until the relatively weaker Act 4, anyways

, you control three or so parties, and units will drop in, drop out, and change which party they belong to. It's a game that tries to tell a story where there isn't one true "good" side

Spoiler

arguably it doesn't do a great job at that, relying on the blood pact and a convenient god to resolve the conflict and moral ambiguity

.

But where I think the game's narrative succeeds the most is in its characters, or more specifically, the characters who are conflicted about their role in the war. The game does a great job of expanding those characters through narrative and gameplay mechanics. Throughout Radiant Dawn, there are characters who have friends fighting on the other side of the war, or find themselves fighting for a cause they don't believe in. You can talk to them with certain characters. Sometimes, they'll join (Haar and Jill). Sometimes, they'll be more stubborn (Ilyana and Jill). If you attack certain characters with others, you get different dialogue. And sometimes you're not even given the option to attack (Meg and Brom). All of these flesh out the cast and make them feel more human - they're uncertain, they don't want to fight, and you get to see how they react when they're forced to fight someone they know. This is a typical conversation:

Ilyana vs Jill

Jill: Ilyana? You're with the Laguz Alliance? No, I mean the Greil Mercenaries?
Ilyana: Yes. Muston and the others are with me, too.
Jill: I see... We fought together in Ashnard's War, and in the war to liberate Daein. We didn't spend much time together, but you were a trustworthy comrade.
Ilyana: Thank you... I wonder why we're here. Why is Daein attacking us?
Jill: I don't know. The occupation soldiers left Daein. But Daein still cannot refuse a request from Begnion. Liberation was only a dream.
Ilyana: Yet you continue to stay with the Daein army? Why do you do that to yourself?
Jill: Because I can't abandon my comrades.

(Ilyana attacks, but Jill doesn't)

There's a ridiculous amount of optional dialogue in Radiant Dawn, so much that you're likely to never see them all in a single playthrough (there are some conversations that are pretty much impossible to see, due to the map layouts, but the developers put them in anyways). It sucks that RD lost support conversations, but the base and battle definitely partly make up for it.

Also, there are some pretty cold one-liners:

Levail: He is the last true knight. I will die for him.
Haar: Yes, Levail. You will.

I'm also a fan of FE12 and FE8 (probably nostalgia, it was my first FE game), and I'm planning on replaying FE5 later this year (when I first played it almost a decade ago I had no idea what was going on)

 

[Reset]

West Emblem. Map designs are great, the stories aren't awful, no forced marriage system, likable cast of characters, no embarrassing trash like face petting/cutscenes, one game isn't split into three, and the battle animations (well at least for the GBA games are great). Yeah, I wasn't a fan of Fates id you couldn't tell, and I only played FE 4 enjoyed it. It had unique maps, haven't played the other SNES/NES FE games.

Only exception is Radiant Dawn, not a fan of that game.