I think most of the negative views merely comes from the fact that, taken all the previous fire emblem games together, changes and all Awakening is still very very different.

Now, I'll warrant, in any series almost every dedicated fan is going to have their favorite game and they will swear up and down that is the BEST and defend it to death and back. For me this is 7. Say what have you, you will never convince me there exists a Fire Emblem game greater and more enjoyable than Blazing Sword.

But generally there isn't going to be a sunstantial amount of people who really hate a game withoug, at least, some rationalization.

And I'm afraid that for Awakening, that basis is how different it is. /u/RedWolke is quite right. Awakening is an enjoyable game overall, but it's really not a very good FIRE EMBLEM game. It lacks the sort of planned and executed structure that veterans who liked the previous games (or they wouldn't be here and talking about it) have come to expect of the series. In comparison both the gameplay and story in Awakening is very loose and experimental. It worked...yeah, but it didn't deliver a Fire Emblem game to those who had been waiting for a Fire Emblem game. The map layouts while not bad, weren't as creative as they could have been and didn't quite require as much of the kind of tactical acrobatics that honestly I've come to be somewhat proud of myself for managing. The plot could have been well aided by a better connection between the three arcs.

I am not a veteran, really. But I've played or watched detailed playthroughs of most of the series (really only missing 1-3? Gaiden and 12 at this point) and to me at least some of the criticisms against Awakening is justified considered in this way.

Plainly put Awakening was a good experience and an enjoyable game....but please let's not do it again.