Okay, so we all know that Pokemon went out of fashion a LONG time ago, but it doesn't make the games any less addictive, does it? So start saving, buy this game and have a go at it. You won't regret it! Unless maybe the coolest person you know sees it when they go round to your house, but just keep it hidden well!
Like everyone who has played this game and had other Pokemon games before will understad, the biggest con is that it's not compatible with ANY of the other games! I mean, they could have at least made it work with Crystal! You have to start from the VERY beginning, and, like I'm sure you all out there realised, it can be almost torturing at times. Having to battle with pre-level 10 Pokémon for the first stages of the game is perhaps the most frustrating part. (If you haven't played on any of these games before, this may be hard to comprehend). However, when your Pokémon begin evolving at an average of level 16, the game picks up its pace.
But let's start again. There are SO many improvements to the graphics, sound, map…you could go on forever. The new added features are endless, some of which I will add later on in this review, and at the beginning it is painstakingly difficult to get your head around the whole thing, but, believe it not, you actually do get the hang of it eventually.
This review will be based on the Sapphire game, because that is the version I have. I do know a little about Ruby, though, so there may be a few references to it in the review.
You
start your Pokejourney in Littleroot Town, after having had Professor Birch's long intro, and setting your gender and name. In the game you and your mum are moving into a new house, and your dad is away at his gym, as he is a gym leader. As the character of the game you are mean to be ambitious and end up beating your dad after you have gained four badges I think it is.
When you head up from your new hometown, you bump into Professor Birch who is being chased around by a wild Poochyena (sounds stupid but it's very exciting at the time!). You choose one of three Pokemon, either a Treecko, Mudkip or Torchic (all three are good!), and beat the little black dog very easily, and are made to follow Prof. Birch back to his lab. You meet his son or daughter (opposite gender to the one you chose for yourself) and are challenged to a battle. Just like in the old games, your opponent has the type advantage, but, with a little luck, you can beat your rival for the first time, and carry on with your journey.
Having to start all over again seems terrible when you first find out, but you soon realise it's not that bad. Also, it's quite good as you have a whole new world to explore-Hoenn. There are many, many more ideas features are graphics, you will be blown away each time you enter a new city. The cities range from being built on trees, on the water, and more. I won't list any more as it will ruin the surprises!
The graphics are much better than any of the other games, and with the new Gameboy Advance SP, you can actually see the graphics without having to sit under a lamp in an uncomfortable position all the while you're sitting there. The colours are much better as well, and with all the different shades the graphics actually look 3D! There are many little things which just add to the whole effect of the game, like reflections in the water, and bridges wobbling when you walk across them. The sounds have improved a bunch too, and are sometimes actually enjoyable to listen to, whilst the old ones were just irritating repetitive tunes for which you only turned the volume up to annoy your brother or sister.
There are more new Pokemon, including some of the old ones, but there is a con here; there are only 202 (I think it is…about that many). I personally think they should have kept all the old Pokemon in AND added new ones! It would make it more challenging and, I don't know about you, but I find it nice to meet my old favourites all over again.
As for the gyms and just general battles, they are just as much more advanced as the rest of the game, and MUCH harder. You will have to train and think about tactics for what seems like forever, but, trust me, if you stick at it you'll eventually get there! They have taken out the mobile phone device, but have a more efficient way of letting you know when a trainer wants to give you a rematch; there is a new gadget called a PokeNav, which has a map, the condition of your Pokemon (used for contests-I'll explain later), 'Trainer's Eyes,' and your ribbons (also to do with contests). Trainer's Eyes is the bit which lets you know when you can battle a chum of yours; it has the name of the trainer, where they are located, a bit about them, and, if they want to rebattle you, a little mark which looks kind of like a square Pokeball will appear next to their name.
Now for the bit you've been waiting for, all the other amazing new features! · You can plant your berries and grow your own trees! You can see each individual stage of the tree growing, and they are loads of different types of trees, which make them nice and colourful to look at! · Another thing to do with berries-you can make them into candy for your Pokemon. These are used for making your Pokemon look more impressive in contests, there are different stages of contests and you go up the ranks! This is quite a cute feature, but is a bit of a waste of time in my opinion. · There are new evil teams for you to fight against! On Sapphire you fight against Team Aqua, who want to cover the world with water, and on Ruby you are against Team Magma, who want to increase the world's land. · There is a better PC system for storing your Pokemon on. It is so much easier to change boxes and you can specially arrange them in types, which makes it very easy. You can even change the wallpaper of the box to match the type of Pokemon it contains! · You can get two different types of bike-the Acro and the Mach. They are both useful in different ways and let you get to different parts of the map.
I could go on for a LOT longer than this, but I don't want to ruin the whole thing for all you other gamers out there, but, I can tell you, this game is great! Sure, you will miss your old Pokemon and a lot of other things about your old Pokemon games, but this has a lot of different qualities to keep you entertained for ages!
The biggest flaw, as I've already said, is the fact you can't connect it up to the other games, but hopefully with the new games they've bought out they've fixed that little fault.
As always, Thanks for reading!
~Mipsie~
Pictures of Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire (GBA)
Pokemon Sapphire
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Simply brilliant, An improvement on the previous, Lots of new features & things to do Disadvantages: Gameplay, Story and Plot remains largely the same, Past it's prime
Advantages: Simply brilliant, An improvement on the previous, Lots of new features & things to do Disadvantages: Gameplay, Story and Plot remains largely the same, Past it's prime
Oct 5th, 2004
(Nov 3rd, 2007)
exceptional by (4%):
very helpful by (96%):
