TheChez.net

Before I get started, let me introduce the video game reviews section. As with all reviews on TheChez.net, the rating system is backwards. it’s completely originally and I thought of it. If you take my idea I will sue you, so don’t try it. Anyway, I thought I’d kick off the reviews with “Kickin’ It Old School.” I wanted to review an older game to get started. I’ll probably do Punch-Out!!! once that comes out. I don’t have the cash to get it yet, but I will, I love those games. So, here is the review.

*Spoiler Warning: Do not read if you plan on playing, because I will ruin the ending*

Wow. That’s the one word I would use if I someone asked me what I thought about Fire Emblem. Instead, I have an entire blog so I can write a lot more about the game. So, I guess I’ll say some more.

I played this game a long time ago and only ended up halfway through before I quit. Recently, I decided to give it another shot to finish it off and put another notch in the belt of video games completed. I started only a few missions in. I had to go read up on how the game started to refresh my memory. So, here it goes.

Elibe is a land where humans and dragons coexisted, until a few humans decided to be douchebags. The humans and dragons waged war in an event known as the Scouring. Humans won and dragons were banished from the world forever. This all happened a thousand years before the game’s timeline. When you start, you are Lyndis of Sacae. Lyndis wants to prevent her greatgrandfather’s brother, Lundgren, from ascending to the throne of Caelin. After her success (or rather, your success), the main character completely switches to a man named Eliwood. Eliwood has to stop a guy named Nergal who is using these two kids, who are actually dragons, to open to the dragon world and free all these dragons and cause all these problems blah blah blah. It’s a long confusing story with LOTS AND LOTS of characters. It would take me forever to just describe it all, so I won’t.

The gameplay is a traditional turn-based strategy RPG. It has one little twist – IT’S IMPOSSIBLE. Character move around a grid and you attack enemy units. You can equip weapons, level up, evolve, and buy items. It’s mechanics are great. The game  is just so damn unforgiving. One wrong move can lead to a huge disaster that wipes out some of your troops. No big deal right? They’ll just respawn next mission. WRONG. They’re dead forever. Some just get “injured” and retreat for the rest of the game, but most flat out die. It’s ridiculous because you have to start most missions over because one unit died. You can’t spare these units because you only get what you have left in the next mission. So, if a lot of good people die, you’re screwed for the rest of the game, which is extremely difficult in itself.

One thing I really commend the game for is character development. These characters all have developed personalities. They really grow on you as a player, while others just get on your nerves. The use of emotion in the game is profound. When a character died, I really got sad. He’ll usually go out with a one liner about how he’s sorry that he could not fight better for me. These guys are dedicate soldiers, dedicated to me. It makes me sad that I’m losing all these good men out there. This game sucks you in, frustrates you, and utterly wins you over with it’s compelling story and tremendous characters. It’s a fantastic game that I highly suggest to any gamer. It really give you a sense of accomplishment after you beat it.

At the end of the game, the difficulty just gets out of wack. Nergal, the bitch, opens the portal and a dragon comes out. That’s big deal, he’s just one enemy, right? WRONG. He’s gigantic and killed all my character in two hits. WTF. If I didn’t have this one sweet guy named Harkin, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. Pick him up if you play the game – that’s another thing I didn’t mention. Some character are bad a join you. You never know which ones will or won’t because specific characters need to talk to these fickle enemies in order to make them switch. You just have to figure it out too or else there going to kick your ass. Anyway, not only is the dragon tough, before him you must fight EVERY SINGLE BOSS IN THE GAME ALL AT ONE TIME. It’s just ridiculous. I had a shitload of characters die due to lack of judgment and at the end of the game I was calculating what moves worked and didn’t work. I must have played that last level over 100 times before I beat it. YES, I BEAT IT, SO EAT THAT FIRE EMBLEM, I BEAT YOU!   … and your stupid dragon too.

OVERALL: ONE OUT OF FIVE CHEZWICKS just because it was so DAMN HARD.