Have you played an FE game before? Because my basic opinion is that it's great for newcomers, but kinda lacking in the core gameplay if you're a veteran of the series.
Either way, it has quite a bit of content even without DLC, so it'll probably last you quite a while if you try to get Support conversations and stuff. Support conversations are talks between characters that are unlocked by using them together, and there's like 50~ playable characters, so that's a lot of dialogue to read. Other features include how characters can change to different classes to learn different Skills and use different weapons, as well as how stat gains are randomized for each character. This adds up to a lot of replay value, since a character might be great one playthrough, and subpar in another, and the whole re-classing and Support aspects let you experiment and try something new with each playthrough.
Aesthetically, the graphics are great and the music's phenomenal. Voice acting's really well-done too, and it even has Dual Audio (or you can even mute the voices). Story-wise, the main plot isn't too remarkable overall, but it still delivers in some key moments. Also, the characters themselves and their interactions with the rest of the cast are pretty entertaining.
Side-note about the graphics: The 3D is really good. Like, one time, there was a bird flying around on the map, but I wasn't paying much attention, so I thought there was an actual bug flying around the screen. >_>
When it comes to the actual gameplay... Well, the engine's great, with the menus and UI being the best in the series. Even just watching the battle animations is kinda fun due to the voice acting for the characters, and the fighting's dynamic since you can pause/fast-forward the battles, or you can change the camera angles, such as in a first person view.
As for the actual strategic component, it's one of the easier games in the series, and there's even a Casual/Newcomer Mode to appeal to an even wider playerbase. Casual Mode is where if your character is defeated, you can still use them in future battles, unlike in Classic Mode, where the character gets killed or too injured to fight again. So for newcomers, it's really accessible, and is in my top two in the series to recommend newbies to start off with. On the flipside, for experienced players, the game might not deliver on giving a real challenge. Even the hardest default difficulty (Lunatic) is pretty easily broken, with most of the challenge only lasting the first few chapters (although, it'd probably be hard if your first playthrough of the game is going into Lunatic blind). Fundamentally, map design isn't up to par, since most of the maps are just big open areas with some enemies littered about, as opposed to previous games' maps, which had more meaningful terrain to utilize and maneuver around, chokepoints, fog of war, etc. Awakening lacks those kinds of things, but at least the maps look nice.
I'll mention a bit about multiplayer and DLC too. All multiplayer is local only, and the only real interaction is in a co-op mode where you fight teams of enemies with your team's units (no maps though, just pure battling with your units' Weapon/Skill setups). The rest is through Streetpass, where you can send your teams for other players to fight. Your Avatar (custom character) can also be recruited, and the other player can buy items off of your team too, so it's also a supportive system as well as a competitive one.
When it comes to DLC, it's mainly fanservice. The first series is mainly about fighting characters from previous games, so long-time fans can have fun with that, while unfamiliar players get a sort of introduction to the rest of the series. The second series mainly elaborates on the main game's story and characters, with more dialogue between them, as well as offering challenging side-story scenarios. Rewards for DLC include recruiting characters from previous games, special exclusive classes and Skills, as well as being able to get multiples of rare items that you would otherwise only have one of. There's a good variety, with each set of DLC offering something different whether for story expansion, grinding opportunities, or new gameplay options. It's pretty costly though, at about six dollars for three maps, with 25 maps total.
tl;dr it's a good game, and I particularly recommend it to players who have never played Fire Emblem before. At the very least, try out the demo.
