I'm a huge fan of the Fire Emblem games on the Game Boy Advance, so it would be an understatement to say that I was excited when Nintendo announce a GameCube version. However, after digging my hands into Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, I have to say that I found the game to be a bit lacking. It's everything I could ever want in a GBA Fire Emblem, but that's just it, this isn't the GBA.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Fire Emblem series, it's your standard issue strategy RPG that focuses on a rock, paper, scissors based gameplay; swords beat axes, axes beat lances, and lances beat swords. You have to manage a large party, use the environment to your advantage and keep a careful eye on the weapon triangle. It gets a bit deeper than this, but you get the point. Magic also has a triangle all its own, and various flying units also have special attributes that must be taken into account during combat.

The gameplay in Fire Emblem is certainly spot on, but the problem is simply that it feels too much like the GBA Fire Emblem titles. With the exception of a few minor additions, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is a GBA Fire Emblem game with a slightly better looking of paint. Now don't get me wrong, I had a hard time putting the game down, but the simple fact of the matter is, if I wanted a GBA Fire Emblem on my GameCube, I'd put in my GB Player and go to town.

Moving from handheld to console I expect a few basics that just aren't present in Path of Radiance. First off, the visuals are below average for GameCube standards. They aren't Nintendo 64 levels or anything that bad, but they could easily be much improved. The battles are now in 3D, but what's there is very bland. In addition, there's very little voice work in the game, and what little voice work there is, is pretty bad. In all honestly, I would've been happier with another GBA title instead of this lackluster GCN version.

That said, I can't knock how addicting the game is, which is really the only saving factor here. No matter how much the game plays like its GBA counterparts, the gameplay is still top notch. The new additions are few and far between, pretty much consisting of a new character type called the Laguz who can transform into beasts to attack enemies. However, the Fire Emblem gameplay has always been top notch and Path of Radiance is no exception.