Pokemon Sapphire Version

"Good, But nothing major"

Intro:
Back in the mid 1990s Nintendo unleashed, possibly the biggest Game boy franchise to date, Pokemon Red and Blue. The games sold great and kids everywhere, myself included, began coining the phrase, ''Gotta catch 'em all, Pokemon!'' I'm not here to talk about popularity of Pokemon, but I think it's important to inform those who were not part of the Pokemon craze. The next series in the franchise was Pokemon Gold and Silver and, like the previous enstallments, it sold very well.

Since the release of Game Boy Advance fans of the franchise were already dreaming about the possibilities that the series could achieve on Nintendo's new hardware.

In 2003 the fans prays were answered and Pokemon Sapphire and Ruby was released. Although the game, in my opinion, was not quite what I was expecting. It is still a great game and I'm about to tell you why.

Gameplay:
The best part of the game. The gameplay of Pokemon is like no other, and maybe that's were some of the flaws come from. Although the Pokemon formula is great, it is also repetitive as well. Come on Nintendo, the battle system in this game is like all the previous titles! Give me something new, please! Basically if you've played any of the other games, you've played this one.

There are some subtle new changes, but it's nothing major:
-Easier interface(more user friendly)
-A lot more Pokemon (although a lot of the original favorites are unobtainable)
-Some new items and options
Score-7/10

Story:
Same old story. Just substitute Rocket with Aqua/Magma. One plus is that there are small differences in Ruby/Sapphire, but not much. Heres the story in a nutshell. Team Aqua/Magma is attempting to capture a ledgendary Pokemon and rule the world...nothing to original here
Score-3/10

Graphic/Sound:
The graphics aren't bad, but they fall short of Game Boy Advance's abilities. I'd like to see some cooler looking moves and a better looking overworld. I'm not overly impressed after seeing what it could have looked like.

Sound is sound. Some nice tunes. Same old battle music. Same old victory music. I'm not complaining, it sounds pretty nice.
Score-6/10

Play Time/Replayability:
One area where it has no equal. The main quest will probally last you 15-40 hours. Once you're all done with the Elite 4 you'll have plenty to do. 202 different Pokemon to collect. Some side quests that are pretty cool. I'm you can get at least 100-200 fun hours out of this game, there's plenty to do.
Score-10/10

Final Recomendation:
If you're a Pokemon fan, you probally already have the game. If you hate Pokemon, the highest score in the world won't change your mind. If you've never played a Pokemon game before, buy it. If you've played all the Pokemon games and are considering buying this one...buy it.

Final Score-8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/15/04