A great installment to the FE series. The best in certain aspects.
The gameplay, however is what sets it apart. Fire Emblem added a dual support system that really makes the game work well. It has almost no learning curve and it adds to the gameplay dynamically. The combat system sees the return of skills but the removal of the magic triangle (boo). Overall the gameplay is better than nearly any fire emblem game because a character can reclass (retaining any skills and much of their stats, i.e. they may lose 1 spd and 2 skill but gain 2 str and 3 res) Now, someone might say HEY! Spd is the best stat ever. It is, and that doesn't change, but when you have 40 spd you can afford to beef up your atk.
The only beef I have with the game is the fact that the story line progresses far to quickly. 90% of the game you have no idea what you're fighting against, and sure, it lines up in the end but there's no real goal for most of it other than the usual JRPG "lets help people!" (something I appreciate games like Baten Kaitos and Xenosaga for not falling into) Also a few key plot moments are a bit forced, like when main characters are forced to marry out of the blue, and some of the support conversations that lead up to marriage left me scratching my head.
It doesn't get a 9.5 simply because the game didn't beat FE:rekka no ken (the first one in America) in the line of plot and ran dead even with it in regards to graphics and gameplay. (I love the sprites, just fyi). There was no moment that made me clutch the gameboy or yell @@@@@SPOILERS@@@@@ NO NINIAN!
This shouldn't dissuade you from picking up FE13. It's a great game worth every second I put into the game and can be beaten on four different difficulty levels. Have fun!