If you didn't like Fire Emblem 8, it's time for you to give Fire Emblem another chance.
Story [9.0]
I'll only explain the first few parts of the game to you, otherwise, I'll spoil it. So the story is about Ike, the son of Griel, who manages a mercernary group. Your job is to help people, and accept jobs from your employers. You also have friends to help you out, which are also in your mercernary group. As the story progresses, Ike grows stronger, and even meets something he never heard of. Now that's when the Laguz pops out. These guys are different than beorc(humans), they transform into beasts, depending on thier tribes. But anyway, the addition of the Laguz in this game makes the story much more better.
Gameplay [9.0]
First of all, this isn't your typical turn-based RPG. It's more like a stragety game, grid-based game, where you move your units and attack. The battles can vary depending on which weapons you use, and how effectively you use the weapon triangle. The weapon triangle has always been in the fire emblem games, which is about which weapon types power which. So for example, Spears best Swords,but Axes best Spears, which Sword bests Axes. Same can go for the magic, which is called Anima. So because of this, stragety is an important must in this game. To clear the maps, you'll have to do objectives, such as clearing out all enemies on the map, or making one of your units arrive to a specific spot at the far end of the map. In every map of the game, you'll always be thinking and moving every one of your units to the best spot as possible. There are different kinds of classes in this game, which range to a Cavalier, to a Healer. All of these classes are unique to thier own way, and each have thier pros and cons. Healers for example, can heal your units, but they cannot attack. You can also promote your classes by using a special item, OR by raising thier lvl up to 21. For example, Mist is a healer, so when you promote her, she turns into a Valkyrie, which is a class that can attack and heal. So overall, the gameplay in this game is awesome.
Sound/Music [8.0]
The soundtracks of the Fire Emblem games have always been great, and this one is no exception. The music is very nice, and it fits the game perfectly. It's like a soundtrack for a War Drama. The voice acting, which are presented in CG like cutscenes, are fairly well done, and not bad at all. It fits the characters well and thier personality. Now the sound, is also good. You can hear the ferocious winds from your wind spell, or the clash of your spear against your enemy's armour. Overall, the music and sound are top notch.
Graphics [7.5]
Now the graphics aren't that stunning as people said they were, but they're not bothersome either. The sprites are amazingly detailed though, which appear in conversations. The CG cutscenes are amazing too, and overall, I didn't dislike the graphics.
Final Word -
If your craving for an RPG with a good story, great gameplay and music, this game is your definite choice for the summer. It's also a definite buy to any Fire Emblem fans out there with a gamecube. It's too bad that this is the only fire emblem game for the gamecube, and it just makes you wonder why there weren't many rpgs for the Gamecube.
Overall [8.5]