Advance wars is FAR from a knock off. It's totally different even for just one thing: the fact that you can lose units without starting the battle over or deciding to continue...with tears in your eyes that is...
Yea Advance Wars is no knockoff. actually, isent Advance Wars made by the same people who make Fire Emblem? So it cant be a knockoff, just a different seris.
I absolutely loved Fire Emblem except that it's a war strategy where you can't afford to lose any units. One guy dies and you miss out on his storyline for the rest of the game. Plus there's a limited number of fights, so you lose all the experience that could have gone to another character. If you only lost the guy for a few rounds, I'd love the game.
I all of them but these two are my favorites, Radient Dawn and Sacred Stones (eventhough the graphics aren't really great, its considered a favorite as it's the first Fire Emblem game I got)