Could be one of the toughest games you've played recently, but that's also possibly its greatest strength...
Gameplay: Fire Emblem is a tactical role playing game. You take turns with your enemies moving characters and attacking. Your objectives can occasionally be repetitive as they alternate between seize gate A or defeat enemy B, but it never feels like you're doing the same thing over and over. As I've already said, this game is very, very difficult. When characters die they don't come back to life between missions...period. There is absolutely no way to revive characters which will often leave you turning off your DS as you watch one of your strongest characters fall to the might of the very sharp AI. However as you reach for the power switch on your DS, you begin to think, "What if I had done (insert battle tactic here)" and proceed to reload the chapter from the start to try it out. This gives the game an incredible length as you will often repeat missions while having fun, amazing huh?
Graphics: Probably the lowest point of the game. They aren't bad by any means, but for those who have played either of the previous GBA releases or even the Japan only Fire Emblem 6, you will quickly find yourself missing the incredible, detailed sprites. All of your characters will feel like generic soldiers outside of the cutscenes. Even Marth, from Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl, looks like every other soldier as you can't see any faces or facial expressions, though they are all rendered in 3D.
Story: I won't spoil anything for people who have yet to pick up this game but the story is quite excellent. The cutscenes are all quite interesting; filled with snappy dialogue and well done character portraits. Suffice it to say, this is a lengthy tale which is well worth following and the original beginning of the series.
Bottom Line: This game will take you quite a bit of time to beat, and the excellent online mode adds to the longevity. If you're in for a challenge then pick this up, however if you're used to games being very easy then you might want to approach with caution. This masterpiece is definitely worth playing as long as you can be patient with it and look at the consequences of all actions before you make them, then you should definitely pick this game up.