Pokemon FireRed Version

"Ahhhhh the good old times but renewed"

Introduction
From the moment I got this game it made me feel all warm and fuzzy all over again.The developers who made this game did a great job at keeping the old but also bringing in the new. Going from town to town creating these super creatures that are unbeatable until your Pikachu gets massacred by a level 9 Weedle. Talking to people, beating those trainers who claim they're the best until they get beaten then they cry, accidentally releasing your prized possession Pokemon........*sigh*. Sorry for the reminiscence, its just that is what this game can do to you if you played it before and you enjoyed the earlier ones. Well anyways I think,I shall start the review now before I start doing that whole reminiscence thing all over again.

Story 9/10
What do you expect from a Pokemon game to be. It has a nice simple storyline where you play as a boy or a girl on a quest to be the Pokemon Master by catching little Pokemon and training them to be strong. In the mean time with the main story you get of course side tracked by the infamous Team Rocket who will never give up, but of course you have to first get through all that stuff professor Oak has to say and actually have to get your Pokemon first. Of course like the last one you have a choice of either getting Charmander, Squirtle or Bulbasaur just like the original.

Graphics 10/10
I would have to say the graphics on this game is just pure beautiful. To me it just looks as good as it would if it was for the old SNES or even better. For once unlike it's old versions you don't walk into a town and get one solid color but instead you get a variety. It even looks cool when you when you stop at a standing pond and you can see your characters reflection.

Control 7/10
The controls are good. Nice solid movement and the movements not as sloppy as some of the other games. Even though at first the movement is kinda too slow for me but then you get the running boots which will give you the ability to run, but even though the movement starts off too slow the controls are not so bad. Even when you enter the Safari Zone the control isn't so bad either.

Game play 8/10
It has the basic Pokemon style of battling where your Pokemon appear on one screen and battle then you walk around collecting badges from special gyms all over Kanto. Although to me it would have been better if they added some contests in there just for fun and you don't feel like battling other trainers, but its still good with the old formula also. Also can't forget how fun it is to fish for the Pokemon or to hunt them in the good old Safari Zone.

replay value 10/10
This is the only game that I know that is an RPG style and technically don't have an ending. Of course when you defeat the Elite Four you can always go back and catch all the Pokemon you missed and even the new ones, go to the new islands of Sevii and also breed those Pokemon until your eyes pop out(lol). You'll even be visited by three familiar legendary faces after you beat the elite four but is depends on which Pokemon you choose in the beginning will effect on which Legendary Beast Pokemon you'll get. They even added some interesting feature to the game. Like the difficult Battle Tower which in you have to go floor-to-floor clearing each level against trainers that have pokemon levels the exact same as your highest one. They even have the cool Wireless Union on the second floor of the Pokemon Center. It's fun just sitting somewhere by another fellow Pokemon player while the both of you are talking, battle or trading with each other. Nothing like making enemies because you beat them and they claim you cheated.

Now for the conclusion statement. If you are a Pokemon fan and/or you miss the old Pokemon but want a little new to it I would suggest buying this game, but if your a newcomer possibly borrow or rent this game to see if you like it. As for me, I like it, and I don't regret it at all. Also if you like this game I guarantee that you'll like Leaf Green also.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/16/05