Post by Mage on Apr 8, 2009 1:29:47 GMT -5
Ive been told from time to time that I power through games so quickly I could possibly review them, so I thought "why not?". For now I'm just doing this for fun, nothing too solid planned. So here we go.
Review: FIRE EMBLEM: SHADOW DRAGON
As a fan of the Fire Emblem series, this is one of the biggest titles Ive been waiting for a while now. And while Shadow Dragon isn't a bad game, I wouldn't consider it a revolutionary like previous titles. I know what you're thinking "Mage! I can't believe a devilishly handsome man like yourself is complaining about your favorite franchise! Shadow Dragon is just like the titles before it isn't it?". The answer is yes in some views and no in others, ill list why...
Story
Shadow Dragon takes place in the continent of Archanea, a land filled with chaos as the Shadow Dragon Medeus strikes fear in the hearts of man when he sends armies to conquer kingdoms. But at the world's darkest hour, Anri the great stood before the evil dragon, wielding in his hand the divine sword Falchion. He was victorious in defeating the dragon and restoring peace to Archanea, your typical RPG back history. Anyway, years and years and years later, the world is once again in danger as a union of kingdoms has attacked Altea, the shield of Archanea. The young prince Marth (our hero) escapes his kingdom and to the helpful island nation of Talys, where he and his small militia stayed to wait and train. And eventually, Marth saves the continent from the revived Shadow Dragon and becomes king of Altea.
As a story, this was pretty fantastic in the Famicom days, but in an age with beautiful RPG plots this is simply an unpolished gem. It's not going to enthrall you if your a gaming vet.
Gameplay
But gameplay is REALLY where this game shines. Strategy is fairly simple, you select a unit with your stylus or Dpad, move them wherever you want, and either have them take an attack, use an item, trade with allies or whatever. This is probably the most user friendly FE game yet, as it's one of the rare ones to come with a tutorial at the start of Normal mode. Units are fairly balanced, each with his or her own class. From uniques like Marth the Lord, to common soldiers like Cain and Abel the Cavilers. The most mobile units are on horseback/pegasimounts/wyvernmounts, but potentially stronger units are on foot, like Myrmidons and Archers. New to the FE series would be the Reclass system, you can take whichever character you want and change them into another character class. For example, if you want to say...change this guy...
Wrys the Priest
Into a deadly swordfighter, then your in luck! Of course, Wry's here doesn't have the talent required for frontline combat...or healing for that matter. Changing classes is honestly not an option I'd truly dive into, since every default class seems best suited to their respective characters; but it's handy to have around when you lose units. Speaking of which, there's also a strict penalty for losing units in this game. Once a unit dies (save for Marth) they're dead for good, no Phoenix Downs or Life Potions in this world. You DO have to option of getting a staff that brings back a fallen ally, but this only comes later in the game and it's one of the few in the series to let you have it. But honestly, a lot of the characters in the game show very little personality in the game. I felt no desire to even bother keeping people other then my top 8 alive, nor did I feel regret for letting them die and move on with the story. A few features have been removed, like rescue and shove, but these are minor complaints. Fire Emblem is still strong in the gameplay department.
Presentation
If your looking for some really smooth and great graphics to push your DS above and beyond the limit, well you might not find it in Shadow Dragon. White it uses 3D sprites in combat scenes, most of the game is told through art, beautiful art mind you though. The music is well done, as always in a Fire Emblem game. Let me tell ya, I felt a wave of nostalgia when I head Deadly Test of Might from Path of Radiance X3. Characterization is not this game's strong suit, sadly. Past games portrayed characters so well they sparked a lot of fanbases, but most of the characters are pretty much cut from the same carpet of cliches. Some characters get less lines then Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars Episode 2, and that's pretty damn embarrassing for the series. Although, a few characters did strike me as interesting. Like Athena the swordswoman, who thinks she's more then "vun voman" and talks like a corny vampire. Still, you think after all these years they'd fix the game up to fit today's standards. But they just copied it straight from the original game, added very minor extras and a graphical change, then shipped it off for a few quick backs.
Final note
Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon is by no means a bad game, I had complaints but that's not to say I didn't have fun with it. The series I love is still alive and well, but for long time fans this game does not live up to all the hype built up and feels like a downgrade from the brilliant Radiance series. For newcomers however, it's a really nice start. The story is simple and easy to follow, the gameplay is fun and easy with a tutorial, and online modes make for quite a few playthroughs. It's good training for the stronger games if nothing else, and a nice way to bring Marth's story to the US. I recommend it for those who are hankering for some SRPG action and a little FE history lesson. ^^
Ratings:
Story: 2/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Presentation: 3/5
Originality: 2/5
Characterization: 2/5
Final Score: 3/5
Review: FIRE EMBLEM: SHADOW DRAGON
As a fan of the Fire Emblem series, this is one of the biggest titles Ive been waiting for a while now. And while Shadow Dragon isn't a bad game, I wouldn't consider it a revolutionary like previous titles. I know what you're thinking "Mage! I can't believe a devilishly handsome man like yourself is complaining about your favorite franchise! Shadow Dragon is just like the titles before it isn't it?". The answer is yes in some views and no in others, ill list why...
Story
Shadow Dragon takes place in the continent of Archanea, a land filled with chaos as the Shadow Dragon Medeus strikes fear in the hearts of man when he sends armies to conquer kingdoms. But at the world's darkest hour, Anri the great stood before the evil dragon, wielding in his hand the divine sword Falchion. He was victorious in defeating the dragon and restoring peace to Archanea, your typical RPG back history. Anyway, years and years and years later, the world is once again in danger as a union of kingdoms has attacked Altea, the shield of Archanea. The young prince Marth (our hero) escapes his kingdom and to the helpful island nation of Talys, where he and his small militia stayed to wait and train. And eventually, Marth saves the continent from the revived Shadow Dragon and becomes king of Altea.
As a story, this was pretty fantastic in the Famicom days, but in an age with beautiful RPG plots this is simply an unpolished gem. It's not going to enthrall you if your a gaming vet.
Gameplay
But gameplay is REALLY where this game shines. Strategy is fairly simple, you select a unit with your stylus or Dpad, move them wherever you want, and either have them take an attack, use an item, trade with allies or whatever. This is probably the most user friendly FE game yet, as it's one of the rare ones to come with a tutorial at the start of Normal mode. Units are fairly balanced, each with his or her own class. From uniques like Marth the Lord, to common soldiers like Cain and Abel the Cavilers. The most mobile units are on horseback/pegasimounts/wyvernmounts, but potentially stronger units are on foot, like Myrmidons and Archers. New to the FE series would be the Reclass system, you can take whichever character you want and change them into another character class. For example, if you want to say...change this guy...
Wrys the Priest
Into a deadly swordfighter, then your in luck! Of course, Wry's here doesn't have the talent required for frontline combat...or healing for that matter. Changing classes is honestly not an option I'd truly dive into, since every default class seems best suited to their respective characters; but it's handy to have around when you lose units. Speaking of which, there's also a strict penalty for losing units in this game. Once a unit dies (save for Marth) they're dead for good, no Phoenix Downs or Life Potions in this world. You DO have to option of getting a staff that brings back a fallen ally, but this only comes later in the game and it's one of the few in the series to let you have it. But honestly, a lot of the characters in the game show very little personality in the game. I felt no desire to even bother keeping people other then my top 8 alive, nor did I feel regret for letting them die and move on with the story. A few features have been removed, like rescue and shove, but these are minor complaints. Fire Emblem is still strong in the gameplay department.
Presentation
If your looking for some really smooth and great graphics to push your DS above and beyond the limit, well you might not find it in Shadow Dragon. White it uses 3D sprites in combat scenes, most of the game is told through art, beautiful art mind you though. The music is well done, as always in a Fire Emblem game. Let me tell ya, I felt a wave of nostalgia when I head Deadly Test of Might from Path of Radiance X3. Characterization is not this game's strong suit, sadly. Past games portrayed characters so well they sparked a lot of fanbases, but most of the characters are pretty much cut from the same carpet of cliches. Some characters get less lines then Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars Episode 2, and that's pretty damn embarrassing for the series. Although, a few characters did strike me as interesting. Like Athena the swordswoman, who thinks she's more then "vun voman" and talks like a corny vampire. Still, you think after all these years they'd fix the game up to fit today's standards. But they just copied it straight from the original game, added very minor extras and a graphical change, then shipped it off for a few quick backs.
Final note
Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon is by no means a bad game, I had complaints but that's not to say I didn't have fun with it. The series I love is still alive and well, but for long time fans this game does not live up to all the hype built up and feels like a downgrade from the brilliant Radiance series. For newcomers however, it's a really nice start. The story is simple and easy to follow, the gameplay is fun and easy with a tutorial, and online modes make for quite a few playthroughs. It's good training for the stronger games if nothing else, and a nice way to bring Marth's story to the US. I recommend it for those who are hankering for some SRPG action and a little FE history lesson. ^^
Ratings:
Story: 2/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Presentation: 3/5
Originality: 2/5
Characterization: 2/5
Final Score: 3/5
