[PaulHoule]

Advance Wars, Joan of Arc, Hyperdevotion Noire, Fire Emblem...

And Nobunaga's ambition -- which I didn't start because the setup screen (in English) looked so complicated I figured it would be easier to just play the game in Japanese (or for that matter, play Assassin's Creed with Slovenian voices and Cantonese subtitles... Doesn't make it any harder to make the fall off that tower...)

[icompetetowin]

Thanks for all the recommendations! I've seen Joan of Arc on PSP, lots of really good reviews. Same thing for the Fire Emblem series.

Out of Advance Wars, Joan of Arc, Hyperdevotion Noire, Fire Emblem and potentially Nobunaga lol, which would you recommend to a beginner in the strategy genre?

[PaulHoule]

Platform choice.

Advance Wars and Fire Emblem are based on the same game engine -- but Advance Wars units have fixed strength while Fire Emblem units gain experience as an RPG. Thus you can grind your way out of situations you might need to think your way out of.

I like Fire Emblem Fates on the New Nintendo 3DS, the parallax graphics makes it a unique visual experience.

Joan of Arc deserves more fame.

As for HDN it depends on how you feel about the "Neptunia" series. I think it's a solidly good SRPG with extreme replay value (both the Japanese and English voices are worthy of a playthrough.) If you think the jokes in "Neptunia" are funny then you should run not walk to play it; if you don't like that sense of humor, try something else.