Honestly, I prioritized EXP. I didn't need to spend all that much gold on Lunatic, but Chapter 26 was annoying because none of my characters were leveled enough.
Radiant Dawn was great and had excellent 3D models. Nothing like the abhorrent ones for the 3DS versions. Unfortunately, I don't think the story was quite as good as Path of Radiance's, so I'm not sure which to call my favorite, to tell the truth.