Pokemon Emerald Version

"A local gamestore said this game was sold out of the nintendo warehouse in a matter of hours."

Train. Battle. Train some more. Win. If thats all you think you're getting out of this pokemon game, then you are SO wrong. To the "casual" gamer, that is all you're compelled to accomplish within this game. Obviously, a light bulb went off in the minds of the publishers. Lets open this game to hardcore gamers. What an amazing idea!!! In emerald, there is so much more to do then battling. In my review I will try my best to lay it all on the playing field for set ready. Let's get started.

Story-6/10
As most gamers know, you cannot have a good game without a good story. Apparently, this doesn't curse the name of pokemon emerald. You see, the major plot is for your trainer (girl or boy) to fill your pokedex, and become a pokemon master. A little more is thrown into the field. You will encounter two teams, Magma and Aqua. Each team represents a different nature-based process. Team magma wants to expand the landmass, and team aqua wants to expand the sea. They will go to great lengths to try and reach their opposing goals, but to what extent? That my friends, you'll have to find out for yourself. Also, this story has something to do with rayquaza. This is a different angle, as the other games portrayed him as a overpowered dragon. The reason this game scored so low (in my opinion) is because its very linear.

Game-play-10/10
Ah, the cream o' de crop. Now, for the "Casual" gamer, basically you will catch and train wild pokemon to defeat the elite 4 and become a pokemon champion. This is still present in emerald, but their is more. After you beat the game, you may question yourself. Whats next? I have all the pokemon. What CAN I do? Well, you can explore battle frontier! my friend! Unlike ruby/sapphire's battle tower, Emerald sports the Battle Frontier! It's a place where only elite trainers met set their eyes on. Here, you have 7 different tents. You do battle within these tents. Of the tents, are the Battle Dome, Battle Factory, Battle TOWER, Battle Pike, and 3 others. Here, overpowered monsters aren't essential to win. Your pokemon need great stats, and smart and well-planned movesets. Be careful, battle frontier requires very skilled pokemon. If you went through emerald depending only on power, stay away from the battle frontier. The point of the BF is to battle. You get battle points (they vary within the tents.) You can use these points for AWESOME prizes! This is without a doubt the core of pokemon emerald.

Sound-8/10
Not much to say here. You get a different tune in each city, but they can get slightly annoying. If you have a problem, simply turn off the sound. The cries of pokemon, not realistic, are interesting. I find the music and cries unique.

Graphics-10/10
Tee-hee. A step up from R/S. Everything is so...vivid! The pokemon look amazing, along with their moves. Eyecandy, this game is! Although don't buy it for that reason ;) Everything is so detailed in its own respective way. Trees resemble trees, Pokemon resemble their counterparts, and so fourth. Very purrrty.

Overall-10/10
This is an awesome game. Period. With so much to offer, who could turn it down? I know I couldn't, and frankly I wouldn't. So, if you're a fan of RPG's, or love pokemon,g et this game. It is worth the 34.99. I would recommend it to anybody. It's replay factor is limitless.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/17/05