Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance [GC]

Nintendo's Fire Emblem series has made an indelible mark on the GBA library, and is widely regarded as some of the hit-filled system's finest titles. Trading portability for technological muscle, the series heads to consoles for the first time in the U.S. (it's been around since 8-bit in Japan). The shift leaves us with what must still be considered a great game, but one that doesn't parallel the series' portable success.

There's a definite novelty to playing the game you know and love in vivid 3D, with a booming orchestral score backing it up. Still, Path of Radiance follows the same trail blazed by its predecessors: tactical role-playing at its best. Your party -- this time, made up of the most thoughtful band of mercenaries you've ever seen -- is filled with specialists and different units. Use their skills to win battle after battle, but beware: If someone gets taken out, they're gone forever.

Ike is the son of the mercenary company's leader, and he's finally been allowed to go to work. Strangely, his father Greil also gives him command of missions almost from the start. Is this blatant nepotism, or does daddy know something you don't? The sailing is far from smooth as your home country is decimated in war, and Greil's Mercenaries end up with a runaway princess in their midst.

The gameplay is your typical turn-based affair. Pick a soldier, and maneuver them around the gridded battlefield. Run across an enemy, and choose to attack them. Some troops can fight from afar using magic or projectile weapons, while others are merely around to heal their comrades. The tactical RPG genre has always been an evolution on chess, and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is no different.

You're almost always outgunned, but fortunately you're able to scout the enemy in fine detail. Being able to see just how far they'll be able to travel on their turn helps you strategize the best course of action. Going gung-ho into things will only lead to your party being thinned out like Donald Trump's hairline -- and there's no comb-over option available.

Though there are several conditions to battle, the general direction is as such: Fight your way through heavy numbers of troops. Reinforcements will come, leaving the situation even bleaker. All of a sudden, someone will appear to back you up, and you cruise onto victory. The difficulty level is laughable early on, but things quickly start getting tougher. It doesn't help that leveling up doesn't always give you the boost you'd hope. "Oh look, my RES went up one. And... that's it."

The weapon triangle system was used in previous Fire Emblems, but it didn't seem like as big of a focal point. It's like rock/scissors/paper, only more deadly. Axes have an advantage over lances, but are weak against swords. Lances are good against swords, but falter to axes. You get the idea. Offensive magic has the same triangle. Remembering this can spell the difference between victory and reloading your game to replay that 30-minute battle all over again.

Even with the gameplay mastery, it feels like something's missing. There's just not a big innovation to usher in the GameCube Fire Emblem arrival -- no double-team moves, no weapon or unit mergers. Maybe it's just the spoiled gamer who's played through all of NIS' PlayStation 2 tactical RPGs talking, but while Path of Radiance is just as deep as the GBA games, it lacks new shine.

Production-wise, this game obviously blows away its predecessors, but it still doesn't make the best use of what's under the GameCube's hood. Sure, it has stunning cutscenes with spoken dialogue and great graphics. However, these are used far too sparingly, and most of the time you just look at still art of the characters while an annoying beep fills in for voices while they talk.

Even in the heart of battle, the camera is pulled back way too far to get a good look at the action. While that's a staple of the Fire Emblem series, it was more a necessity due to the lack of graphical power as much as a stylistic decision. Now that you're on the console that spawned the eye-popping graphics of Resident Evil 4 and Zelda: Twilight Princess, why not let us a little closer to things?

Graphical and audio gripes aside -- let's face it, the game would rock on the Atari 2600 -- Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is a must-have for tactical RPG fans. That's something you've never been able to say about a GameCube game before. It's got an epic quest that will keep you glued to your 'Cube, and will challenge all who step up to it. The only flaw is that it didn't go the extra mile -- but with a series of this pedigree, that isn't much to complain about.