I think FEs like 6 and 7 are clearly tighter more balanced games than FE:A but I still prefer Awakening as a total package. There is just so much to love, it felt like a dream game to me the entire time I played it.
Speaking of FE6, I was playing that earlier this year, I need to pick it back up. I got to a side chapter in the teens (can't remember for sure) where there are magic users everywhere with long range attacks, berserk, etc. I'm not just talking one or two guys either, I'm talking all over the map, and on top of that more will come in as reinforcements throughout the fight and peg you from about 10 tiles away. It's not that I can't beat it but damn is it annoying as hell, one of the few times I've felt that way about a FE map.