Pokemon LeafGreen Version

"Pokemon's Gone and Updated Their First Act"

Pokemon remakes their hit games, Red and Blue version as Fire Red and Leaf Green. At the first look, not much has changed besides the graphics, the sound, and of course the fact that you can have the new pokemon, but go along and you'll see some ver ydifferent changes. For one thing, there are new items like the VS Seeker and the Fame Checker. For another, there are 9 new islands, 7 you go to and some point in the game, and 2 more secret ones. Also, many new trainers hang around and in the course of the game, you fight the elite four twice, the second time them being stronger than ever, as Crystal version started, you can choose to be a boy or a girl, and the locations of some pokemon have changed. On one of the Islands ia a Trainer Tower like in Ruby and Sapphire. You can battle trainers as many times as you like, with their pokemon's levels matching that of your strongest pokemon on the team. Also, these trainers are the strongest of all trainers. You can set what kind of battles you want like 1vs1s, 2vs2s, and fighting three trainers in a row nonstop. The point is to make it to the top of the tower by getting past the trainers in the room.

Like every part of the series, things differ between the versions in the set. There's actually only one notable difference between the games. That is, like each set of games before them, Fire Red and Leaf Green have differences in Pokemon you can catch. For example, you get Scyther in Fire Red and Pinsir in Leaf Green.

Storyline-9/10
The storyline is the same as the classic versions, with some add-ons. You collect and raise Pokemon to beat the Elite Four, twice even, and try to fill up your Pokedex. You have a rival in the game which you constantly fight. His team mostly depends on yoru starter Pokemon. Also, when you choose your first Pokemon, your rival will always choose the one you're weak against.

Gameplay-8/10
It's a classic RPG of battling about everyone you meet on your road to being a Pokemon Master. The battling system has not changed a bit since the first games besides the 2vs2 battles introduced by Ruby and Sapphire, although there aren't many of those battles. You can use the Wireless Adapter to battle or trade with other people who have Pokemon Fire Red, Leaf Green, and Pokemon Emerald. You have to use the link cable if you trade with Ruby or Sapphire, and you need the GBA-GCN link cable to trade with Pokemon Colloseum. Also, you have to unlock the feature to trade with anything besides other Fire Red and Leaf Greens through an event that occurs through the game. Also, the use of the union room to chat with people or trade or even battle is even funner. The wireless adapter can reach up to 30 feet or so unfortunately, and that's only when there is absolutely nothing interfering with the signal. On normal circumstances it's only a mere 10 feet. That makes the chat feature, pretty useless if you ask me.

Graphics and Sound-9/10
The graphics have been improved from the original versions as I stated before. They match Ruby and Sapphire graphics. The pokemon sprites look as if they were real. Well... as real as a pokemon would look.

Fun Factor-10/10
The game is fun. Very fun. And despite what people say, the game is not completely kiddie. Behind the dialogue, pictures, and the like, there are very complex and intelligent factors determining what happens. Like calculating damage for attacks.

Replay Ability-2/10
Well.. unless you are willing to give up all the work you would have put into the game to beat it by restarting or waster money buying a double of the game... there's not much replay ability. If it wasn't for the VS Seeker being able to make some trainers battle you again after you beat them, I might have given this a 0/10.

Overall-8/10
The game is fun to play when you have free time. It's pretty long and with the fact that you can battle other real-live people who own the game to test your skills as a Pokemon trainer, it gets fun.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05