I apologize for not making this RetroActive...my part of the segment was eliminated due to technical difficulties.
I really like Sacred Stones, much more than I thought I would. I figured I "knew" all there was to know about Fire Emblem, having assumed that it was merely a fantasy version of Advance Wars (which I never really got into, despite really trying). However, I wound up enjoying how it eased the player into its various mechanics, with the mechanics themselves not being overly complex (pretty much rock-paper-scissors). I found the endless walls of story text fairly tedious, though.
The option of rescuing a character and taking them out of harm's way is awesome, as is the fact that you get a Pegasus Knight right at the start. It gets you thinking in a long-range, strategic fashion right out of the gate, rather than pigeonholing you into a "find the choke point and stay there" mentality. You're pretty much presented with the majority of your play options really early, which is nice.
Overall a great game. For me, a total Fire Emblem noob, it was a great introduction to the series. I had played a tiny pit of Path of Radiance and was completely uninterested, so this was a nice surprise.