Fire Emblem: Awakening – Best 3DS Exclusive 2013
Platform: 3DS
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Intelligent Systems
The 3DS went on an unbelievable hot streak to prove portable gaming’s continued relevance in spite of iPhones and Androids, but the handheld’s lead-off home run allowed Nintendo to maintain absolute pressure for the rest of the year. Fire Emblem: Awakening didn’t just capitalize on renewed interest in strategy games; it made you more connected and invested in your characters than ever before thanks to the multi-generational lives they led. Pairing up less-than-noble farmhand Donnel with regal beast warrior Panne remains one of my favorite moments in gaming in 2013.
Characters pass their stats on to children with varying classes, but watching the budding and often awkward romance that, years down the line, would result in your greatest asset on the battlefield made Fire Emblem: Awakening so engrossing. Second-to-none writing and localization from Nintendo’s Treehouse group and extensive DLC meant the latest adventure from Intelligent Systems never had to end, even after the hundredth hour.
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