Eh, the boxart is pretty boring, despite the cool map in the background. Screens don't look particularly special either. This is the same studio that did Advance Wars: Dual Strike and Days of Ruin, so I know they could have made the battles look better than this. I guess looks aren't everything though, so I'll have to wait and see how this turns out.

Xenigma

my only gripe is that the battle sprites could have been more detailed.

shinko

@fire ze missiles: I'm hoping due to the popularity of Fire Emblem on more of a worldwide scale since Melee that we'll see this remake make it everywhere.

It's way, way up on my "Do Want" list.

mjn328

I wish they'd just release games all over the world at the same time. Maybe that's just the disgruntled European in me talking.

fire ze missiles

Also, this calls for my epic Marth pic.

Green-clad Gamer Dude

I wish they would have made it look a little better then a GBA game, but ah well. I'm still very excited for this, as I love Fire Emblem.

Primed

@dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased: I didn't beat the first GBA one because it made me use a character I'd been ignoring all game because of his poor range, and made him royal to boot, but the GCN and Wii ones didn't have that problem.

Torgen got his apology faceplate but not his fixed GH3 disc

As awesome as this kind of is, I have yet to finish a single Fire Emblem game. There's this weird point in every SRPG where the story takes a turn and slows down before it gets awesome again and that's normally where I simply stop caring to play. :(

dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased

WiFi?! This is gonna be awesome!

Green-clad Gamer Dude

@th2:

WARNING WARNING IGNORANT USER ALERT.

Terance: All you have to First question.

marth looks way to gay

th2

Ah... if only they'd thought to call it Dragons Shadows instead of Shadow Dragons =3

I love fire emblem but I tend not to finish them as I refuuuuse to continue if a single person dies and will retry over and over again until I do it without losing a character XD

Geminosity

One thing I've wondered about this game (which I don't think has been specified)...
The first Super Famicom Fire Emblem was a remake of the Famicom original, but with a second "chapter" added on. So, is the DS remake only the first chapter of the FC version, or includes the second chapter from the SFC version?

@fire ze missiles:
Nintendo (like many publishers) translates a game once the original release is finished (in this case, Japanese).
And usually, the US English version follows. Afterwards (sometimes simultaneously) is the UK English (if they decide to retranslate)/French/Spanish/German/etc. version for Europe. All that translation work needed results in a much delayed release.
What's baffling is why Australia has to wait for the European release, since they only speak English...

It'd be nice if Nintendo would work on all translations while the game is in development. This would lead to simultaneous worldwide releases. It'd be beneficial as it would result in less people importing games to have it earlier.

@Green-clad Gamer Dude:
And I counter with an epically disturbing picture of Marth!
Linked, instead of displayed, because it is slightly mind-bendingly disturbing.

BPMν

Yeah, Fire Emblem games are kinda frustrating for the completionist side of me, meaning I have to restart a mission if I lost even ONE character. However, they are too darn fun so I can't stop playing them.

Its a vicious cycle.

Sigh.

TheBojangles

Haha, when did Marth not look gay? :P But we love him despite (or for) it anyways, amirite? So excited for this remake...now if only I can finish Sealed Sword!

Pammeh

@BPMν: *Barfs*

Green-clad Gamer Dude

Ok, for a second I thought this new Fire Emblem game would be like the previous GBA version, what with the fantastic 2D animation and what not for the fight sequences, which is what I loved about the game.

THIS thing looks like it's using pre-rendered cgi sprites, or something. I really hope that's not the case.

Atheist Jew

@TheBojangles: I'm much more of a masochist with it, and I trudge on like a good soldier when I lose a character. This may have resulted in me fending off that army on the cliff level in Radiant Dawn using 4 characters from Micaiah's party when I should have had, oh I don't know, 13 or 14 to fight off the invasion.

Beating that was one of my prouder gaming moments, so that's something.

mjn328

Being painfully small, the screenies are cool. Got a month to learn Japanese.

Stanium

damn, now I have to go learn japanese...

eskimo-bob

@Atheist Jew:

Agreed, one of the main draws of the GBA games for me, was the pretty anime portraits and detailed sprite animations. This prerendered stuff looks goofy and amateurish.

I hope the writing/translation will be as enjoyable as the GBA games.

8MegsOnly

Wait this is a remake of the first game? But aren't classic games kind of short in length? Especially with strategy/RPGs? Nintendo must've upped the side quest quotient or stretched out the story and made it more convoluted.

Angryrider

@Geminosity: @TheBojangles: Agree completely. I'm almost done with the GC game - I've usually been making myself beat the previous one before I get the new one, but if this is a remake of the first one, I can make an exception. Right? Right?

Saxboy

@Angryrider: Not really, SRPGs have always been pretty long. They've had enough space on the carts because the graphics were always generally horrible and the data relatively simple. Pick up the original Shining Force off VC and give it a whirl . . . it's a pretty long game.

Fnor

Hooray! Too bad it took them forever to localize Radiant Dawn, and then it came with game save loading problems because Japan didn't have an Easy Mode. Hopefully they don't shrug this one off.

I need to finish Sword of Seals. Every time I play, it's only for a little bit, then I move onto another game. I'm at like Chapter 20 I think, so it's not too much longer. I've also been meaning to replay Radiant Dawn.

formina

@Torgen got his apology faceplate but not his fixed GH3 disc: @TheBojangles: I'm even worse. I love Fire Emblem, but my perfectionist side demands the best level ups. Damn random stat increases on level ups. I'll restart a mission if a few of my characters level poorly, much less die.

I'm going to get back to Path of Radiance one day, I swear.

Tiber

Radiant Dawn was a damn long game, which is why I think there was a 9-month gap between the Japanese and English (American) releases of it.

FE DS is probably more like the GBA FEs in terms of length, and the GBA FEs had a 7-month gap, so expect the American localization in March 2009...

Paviel

Are those screenshots to scale?

Okay Nintendo, now hurry up and localize it. I must have more strategy gaming crack!

Rebochan

I'm crossing my fingers. Hope it gets released in North America.

Soriya

Sold. Buying this game when it comes out in Japan. All I care about if you are still able to move after an attack because attacking and forced to stay there is a bit of a pain especially with 2 other enemies close by. Anyways, almost done with the VC version.

mikes_stalker

Japan always have the best boxes.

Willy105

Son of a bitch. I didn't want to get a DS but lloks as though I might have to.

Majpain007

I was just looking for a good starting point to the Fire Emblem series =P

namesRhard

Sweet. I only played the GBA one but I'll definately pick this one up.

@BPMν: That thing's gonna give me nightmares. WET nightmares.

Jason144