Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is only the second FE game to make it to the US, but is the 8th game in the series (the rest -- other than the original FE for the GBA -- only available in Japan).
For those who haven't played the first (American) FE, don' worry -- this game won't spoil anything for you. The storylines are comepletly different and unrelated.
What ISN'T different and unrelated are the gameply mechanics. At the beginning of the game, you can choose to play on easy, normal or hard mode. Easy mode will walk you through the first few missions, teaching you the ins and outs of combat, rescuing, item shuffling, and so on.
If you are a FE vet, then skip the easy mode and go on to normal or hard.
Gameplay unfolds like many strategy or tactical RPGs out there -- you accquire a few characters at first, learn the back-story, and then fight baddies and recruit goodies. FE is different in that when your fighters die, they are gone for good -- you can't use them anymore thoughout the game. This can be kind of frustrating, because, if you're like me, you want to keep a hold of all of your party members.
Leveling up your characters in this FE installment is much easier, as there is a world map that you use to direct your army's path, and can revisit most battlefields periodically to fight in skirmishes. There are also a couple of permanent battle arenas that you can travel to at any point in the game after you unlock them to level up some of your stragglers, or make your powerhouses even deadlier with the rare weapons you can find in those arenas.
As you level your characters, you are alo presented with a few choices, depending on how you want to progress. After reaching level 10 (or whatever is required) and having the necessary item (if required for that class) you can choose, for example, to have your Recruit(lance) class character to progress as a Kight(lance) or Cavalier(lance and sword). The Knight can evolve into a General(lance, axe, and sword) or Great Knight(lance, axe, and sword). Cavaliers can grow into Great Knights as well, or choose to become a Paladin(lance and sword). Recruits, Knights and Generals are foot soldiers (where Knights and Generals are more heavily armored than Recruits), while Cavaliers, Paladins, and Great Knights are on horseback.
This system most definitly leads to very customizable parties, which equates into massive replayability.
For tactical/strategy RPG fans, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is an easy game to reccommend. For those on the fence, FE:TSS helps newbies with a wonderful tutorial system, and draws you in for a wonderful ride.
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