Pokemon Ruby Version

"Good, but not spectacular."

Introduction- Yes, its another Pokemon game. This is the third kind of the Pokemon games after the Blue/Red/Yellow and Gold/Silver/Crystal Series together with Pokemon Ruby. The story, like the others, is the same in the different versions its released with, except with slight differences in who is your enemy and certain Pokemon and items that are only obtainable through a certain version. There are new characters, and a whole new region to explore, together with a new set of legendary Pokemon. Its the first, together with Pokemon Ruby of the Pokemon games to be launched solely for the game boy advance.

Gameplay 8/10- Just like every Pokemon game, its very easy to learn and I found it rather quite enjoyable. But sometimes, being too easy can hurt the game itself. There are few points in the game when you really have to level up in order to defeat a gym leader. It actually is the easiest Pokemon game there is available. In the other games, especially the Blue/Red/Yellow series, it takes a lot of patience and time to level up in order to defeat a certain gym leader. But here, even though there are many different kinds and types of Pokemon available, you can easily find something that would beat a gym leader in no time. In other words, there is less challenge in this game compared to the other games. Not all Pokemon from the previous games were included, which came as a real disappointment for many who were eager to catch more Pokemon than before. There are a few interesting additions to this game however, like the bicycle, which is quite controversially given to you for free this time around, in where you can perform tricks such as a wheelie and a bunny hop, depending on what kind if bicycle you choose to get, although you can return there anytime to change models. If you ever played a Pokemon game before, this might come as a disappointment since it was way too easy, and the controls were the same, although slightly tweaked in order for you to fully enjoy it with a game boy advance console.

Story 7/10- Hey, there's nothing new in this area. They practically just changed the names of the people and the certain side quests to get the legendary Pokemon. You start off moving into a new country, as what I call it because your father became a gym leader in that area. You came from the Johto area(yes, that's from the Gold/Silver/Crystal series.) and moved into a new town in the Hoenn Region(which is basically Pallet Town in the Yellow/Blue/Red Series.) After learning that, I was looking forward into going to Johto again after I beat the usual eight gym badges and beat the elite four, but to my great disappointment, there was no way you can do that, unlike the Gold/Silver/Crystal Series where you can collect a total of sixteen gym badges. Surprisingly enough though, there are at least seven or eight legendary Pokemon to collect, and which are obtainable only after you beat the elite four, except for a certain one. Hey, I'm not saying anything more, you have to find out for yourself.

Graphics/Sound 8/10- They have quite improved in this area, mainly because its for the game boy advance capabilities, compared to the game boy color versions. But I was disappointed because you can't set the time the same as your own, unlike in the Gold/Silver/Crystal Versions, where there is even a night time. But overall, graphics have improved a lot, although not as good as current gba games out there. The sound fits your gaming experience quite well. Gym battle music has improved, and makes you eager for a fight. And, of course, the events music does fit the overall outcome of the game. This part of the Pokemon series have been improved greatly, but then again, like most people would say, it could have been better if it wasn't rushed, which is what it seemed to me after I finished playing it.

Play Time/Replayability 7/10- If you played the Gold/Silver/Crystal Series, then you will be very annoyed at the short length of this game. If you follow the entire story without leveling up and catching a lot of Pokemon, it will take you less than 15 hours to complete it. But if you are an obsessed Pokemon fan who likes to level up, gather all the legendary Pokemon, and all those other things, then you will enjoy a lot of this game and could take you well into 100 hours. And then there is always the link option, where you can play against your friends and see how well your party competes against theirs. If you plan to catch all the Pokemon in this game, then you have to link up with a friend who has the Ruby Version since like all other Pokemon games, not all can be found in one version alone. You can also trade items such as berries, and there are even some Pokemon that will only evolve if you trade it with a friend. So overall, there is a lot of things to do in this game, although its very easy compared to the other Pokemon games. I'm not sure if I'll pick up this game again from my shelf and play it over once more.

Final Recommendation- If you like Pokemon, then it would be good for you to get this game, although most will agree that the older versions were better developed than this one. For those who haven't tried Pokemon before, you might want to rent it first before buying this game cause the relatively short length of this rpg might end disappointing you big time. This game appeals more to little kids, and as for the rest of the population, its up to you to find out and make a decision. Hey, I believe that Pokemon games will always be popular, but that should not make developers go easy on the newer versions' developments. Who knows, if one can rival the great Pokemon legacy, then maybe, just maybe, Nintendo would wake up and spend more time developing great games, since that's what they're really famous for.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/04