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Fire Emblem DS to have online battles

New details suggest it's out in Japan this year.

Fire Emblem DS will be the first instalment in the long-running series to boast online battles.

The exciting prospect spilled from the pages of Famitsu (translated by IGN), and will apparently be available in Japan as early as this August.

Subtitled New Dark Dragon and the Sword of Light, the game will be a remake of the original Fire Emblem that appeared on NES in 1990, but only in Japan.

Original developer Intelligent Systems will be bringing the adventure up to date by adding stylus battle-map controls and stretching the action out across both screens.

The biggest invention is the ability to cobble together a group of five fighters from your single-player game and take them online to fight against your friends.

On top of this, artwork will be re-done, there should be some fresh faces to meet, and apparently Weapon Ranks have replaced Weapon Skill, for those who worry about things like that.

The story tells of prince Marth who is on a quest to rescue his sister and win back his kingdom.