New Fire Emblem scorches the Cube

As gaming enters its next generation, checking calendars for the origins of popular series more commonly yields ages older than a decade. One such franchise is the Fire Emblem series, which first appeared on the Famicom system 15 years ago. Today, Nintendo announced that the latest chapter in the franchise is now available on its latest entertainment system: the GameCube.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance continues the role-playing gameplay and epic storytelling and includes 3D graphics for the first time in the series. A vast array of characters includes knights, monks, cavaliers, and the Iaguz, a race of half-man, half-animal beings that can take the form of cats, dragons, and more.

The game was released in Japan in April and is the first North American release of the series not on the Game Boy Advance. Gamers who connect a GameCube with Path of Radiance to a GBA with either previous Fire Emblem games will unlock special Fire Emblem character art and challenge maps for Nintendo's current console.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is rated T for Teen and retails for $49.99. For more info on the game, check back later today for GameSpot's full review.