For many gamers, Prince Marth is just another sword-wielding guy in tights in "Super Smash Bros."
However, he has an intriguing story of his own that you can learn all about him in "Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon." The game is a remake of an old NES game that wasn’t released in America. The new version was developed by Intelligent Systems for the Nintendo DS, taking advantage of the handheld system’s touch-screen controls and better graphics.
The E-10-rated title combines elements of role playing and strategy games. Your primary hero is Marth, exiled prince of Altea. His goal is to defeat the evil Medeus, king of the dragonkin.
However, Marth’s quest isn’t a lonely one. He quickly amasses a small army of knights, footmen, clerics, thieves and more.
The game progresses through numerous missions, most of which involve a running battle that ends in a confrontation with the local boss.
Before most missions, you can select and equip your warriors. Once on the battlefield, you’ll generally wind your way to your destination, battling numerous pirates, bandits, soldiers and other baddies.
Combat is turn-based. You move to confront your foe, click on what weapon you’d like to use and then click on the foe. If you win, the character earns experience that can eventually enable him to increase his skills and attributes. If you lose, the character’s gone for good. If you lose Marth, the game ends.
Although basic combat is similar to titles like "Advance Wars: Days of Ruin," the role-playing elements make the game deeper and even more enjoyable. You can level up each of the characters and their weapons, making them more interesting and worth keeping alive.
If you think you’ve built an awesome army, you can take it online via the DS’s Wi-Fi connection and do battle with another player.
And if that’s not enough Marth for you, check out "Super Smash Bros."
Platform: Nintendo DS
On the Web:www.fire-emblem.com
