@NotAceAttorney: I agree with you about how FE Fates was handled, and IMO all three paths should have been available from the get-go within one cartridge (the lack of any sort of physical release of Revelation outside of the hard-to-find Special Edition guarantees that I'll never play it unless I decide to invest in a larger SD card....). I feel like Birthright would have been my ideal game there, but the characters and classes available in Conquest swayed me towards that game instead. I'm hoping to play it kinda soonish. XD
Having played a couple of the older titles, I can see why some don't like the newer titles for having more of an anime look. The difference is kinda small and insignificant, IMO.
I've heard great things about both of those series and hope to try them at some point. I've already expanded my SRPG horizons a little recently with my first Shining Force title. I've also been told that I should try Advance Wars; I might, but I'm not sure if I'll be into the modern setting.
@Heavyarms55: Yep, I tend to take the same stance with online FE discussions. I'm probably somewhere in between the hardcore and casual fans; I appreciate the difficulty and tactics that the series offers, but at the end of day I'll usually opt for easier modes just to expedite my limited playtime a bit. During my Shadow Dragon playthrough, I probably spent a good three hours on one map trying not to lose any characters. I finally gave up and allowed one of my (kinda useless) rangers to die. With Casual mode in later games (though I refuse to use Phoenix Mode in Fates), I haven't had to worry about that too much. On the other hand, I'm not too bothered with some extras that some casual fans like.