You know something I'd like to see?

[FrostyFireMage]

I'm pretty damn sure Westbrick liked Awakening a lot more when he was playing the Japanese version and didn't get the details of the story.

I think he got butthurt after he failed to complete a no-reset run of Lunatic mode, actually.

[Faye]

What could possibly be said in a "scathing" review that hasn't already been said? We know Awakening's good points, and we know Awakening's bad points. 8U At this point, all you can really do is just keeping playing Awakening 'cause you like it, or just put it down on the table forever, ya know?

[Interceptor]

What right gives you the means to say this?

I've been playing games longer than some of the people on this forum have even been alive.

I've seen people say this before and I really don't get why. A video game like FE should aim to have a good story. These types of games are more like interactive novels than anything else, imo. Of course, a game like Angry Birds is a different story, but I do see FE as a little bit above Angry Birds.

It DOES have a good story, unless your expectations are completely unreasonable for a game of this caliber. People coming into FE expecting Shakespeare are 1) insane, and 2) going to be disappointed. A story like Awakening's as a novel or a TV series would be cause for torches and pitchforks, but for a Fire Emblem game, it's perfectly fine.

Whatever you think about it, the stories here have always been window dressing for the mechanics.

*Raises hand*

I can honestly say that Fire Emblem has the deepest, most complex storytelling of any game I've played.

You need to play more games, then. This is thin gruel. Even the meanest mass-market RPG can generally kick the crap out of your average Fire Emblem.