Fire Emblem (Game Boy Advance, 2003)

Fire Emblem is a very good Strategy RPG from the makers of Advance Wars. This is actually the 7th game in the series and the first to be released in the US.

What separates Fire Emblem from other SRPGs is its difficulty level. All of your characters are unique and if they die, it is permanent. As a result, if you want to keep all your characters alive you will have to restart levels every time someone dies. While this may be (too) frustrating for some, I found it refreshing as if forced me to really focus my strategy on making sure my characters survive. There is enough information available to you to accomplish a perfect game if you choose to pay attention to it and think out your moves.

Fire Emblem also has incredible replay value. The game is divided into chapters. The first 10 are mandatory tutorials and you're given control of one of the game's 3 main characters. Starting with Chapter 11 though, the game goes into its main story with a new main character and that takes you through to the end of the game. Once you have completed the game you can then play Chapters 11 and on with a 3rd main character who gives a different perspective on the game's story and also offers new challenges and a few extra Chapters. And beyond that, there is a hard mode for all 3 main characters and other features that keep the game interesting after several plays.

Most importantly, the game is fun. It has a compelling story line and pops into your head when you don't have time to play. You might get addicted to this series if you buy this game and fortunately at the time of this writing there is another Fire Emblem game (8) on Gameboy Advance and yet another (9) on Gamecube (with a 10th in development). If you're up for a serious challenge and a very fun game, try Fire Emblem.