While not a perfect game by any means, Fire Emblem is challenging, entertaining, and easy to recommend.
The game progresses through a strictly linear mission-style of advancement. You don't usually have much time to explore, as you spend all your time in your base of operations, or actually on the battlefield. That's not to say that every game will unfold in exactly the same way either. You can convince some foes that you encounter into joining up with your mercenary company. Sometimes you can gain very formidable allies this way, so if you suspect that a character has a connection to someone in your group, you should try to talk with them.
Visually, the game is pretty low-frills. There are 2-3 pre-rendered movies, but most of the game takes place from a top-down perspective. You seldom get close enough to the characters to get a good look at them, which is good, because they don't look all that great.
There is essentially no voice acting in the game, so if you don't care about the story you can skip almost all of the expository bits. However, depending on your tastes, these can be some of the more interesting parts of the game.
One of the great things about this game is the level of challenge. This is at times a strength, but at others a point of criticism. Because you don't have 'lives' exactly, once someone dies they are really dead. Unfortunately, all this usually means is that you're going to have to restart the gamecube. It is entirely possible for two scrub enemies to critical hit your main character and kill him. Sometimes the dice fall your way, and others you get screwed.
The game lasted me about 26 hours in 'game time'. I probably spent a good amount more than that re-trying levels due to character death, though I often charge in when I should hang back and think. Fire Emblem is a great RPG, and especially if you're not normally a fan of the japanese style, it can still be great fun. The best RPG I've played in the last year.