I've played them all. I've only talked to a few people that have played FE in real life, but they all speak well of the series (except this one kid who disagrees with me on just about every conversation topic ever. Kind of a troll).
Actually, I first heard of Fire Emblem about six years ago, when I was in Australia with a youth ambassador group. One of the kids I roomed with was playing one of the GBA games (Sacred Stones, I think), and I remember being really intrigued. When I got home, I asked my dad if I could get it, but for whatever reason I didn't for a long time. Then a couple years ago I got Radiant Dawn, and now it's my favorite series. Go figure.
But yeah, it's a shame that not very many people know about it. And now because of that, FE12 is at the bottom of NoA's priority list. I still have hope, but an English release doesn't seem too likely.