| Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green |
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| If you didn’t think that these games were going to be released after realizing only 65 out of the 251 R/B/Y/G/S/C Pokémon were in Ruby/Sapphire, then you obviously don’t know Pokémon. Now, don’t be confused into thinking that Leaf Green is a brand-new version, because it isn’t. These are the GBA remakes of the original Red and Blue versions (or Red and Green versions in Japan.) But before you go rush off to go buy this to prove who is better among the 3 sets of starter Pokémon, let me tell you about this game. Graphics: 3.5/5 - Don’t be confused by the score of this, for these games do look good. The graphics on these versions are a big improvement over the original GB versions, and the games look just as good as Ruby and Sapphire. However, that advantage is also a big disadvantage, since the graphics in FR/LG haven’t improved upon the previous Pokémon games, not that there was a whole lot needed to be improved upon. In any case, the colors are vibrant and crisp, and now every Pokémon has their own tiny graphic in the menu. There are special pictures shown when you enter a new area that adds to the RPG effects a bit, and you can now see an item being used on a Pokémon, though they could’ve done better on resizing the Pokémon when it zooms in. Sound 4/5 - Of course, with better graphics comes improved sound. All of the original Pokémon sounds are back, and the music has been remixed to give an effect of newness to the games. The music is still a bit childish, but it really fits in with the premise of the series. It would’ve been nice to have the 4Kids voices for the Pokémon, but maybe we’ll have that “luxury” in the DS games. Gameplay 3/5 - It’s really hard to rate these games properly in terms of gameplay. While it is understandable that the games are remakes of the original Red and Blue versions from over 6 years ago, it would’ve been nice to see some of the cool things in Fire Red and Leaf Green that were introduced in Ruby and Sapphire, such as the Contests, and the very few, but very fun 2 on 2 matches. Fortunately, the option to play as a girl is still available. While the options for a 2 on 2 fight are available in multiplayer, they aren’t in the main game. Still, these games are fun, even though the gameplay hasn’t changed at all. You still catch and raise Pokémon, travel around the region collecting Gym Badges and other Pokémon to fight the Elite Four, while taking the time to take on an evil organization and your rival, who always seems to be one step ahead of you despite having only a few Pokémon with him. Control 3.5/5 - Just like gameplay, it’s really hard to rate control for these games, though it isn’t because the game is a remake. Several of the new innovations, like the Running Shoes and registering key items to the Select button, are now available in these games, but I can’t really give a turn-based RPG a high score in control, since it’s kind of like giving a lazy, out of shape man the same prize as a skilled athlete in a race. Story: 2.5/5* - Like I said before, the story in Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green is pretty much the same as the other Pokémon games. You start off as a young Pokémon trainer, and are given a Pokémon by a professor, then sent out to complete the Pokédex by catching every Pokémon. Meanwhile, you travel from Gym to Gym to collect the 8 Gym Badges necessary to fight the Elite Four and become a champion Pokémon Master, but you still take the time to defeat an evil organization bent on world domination and fight your rival. It works for the target age of these games, but for more mature RPG gamers, it’s not really that good. Multiplayer: 3.5/5 * - Fortunately, as in the other games, you have the ability to trade your Pokémon or battle with them against another person. Now, of course, you can link up to 4 games to play cool 2 on 2 matches. Unfortunately, you still have to buy 3 link cables to do this, making multiplayer a bit pricey. Replay value: 4/5* - The games do offer a good deal of replayability after defeating the Elite Four. You can still try to go and catch all the Pokémon, or raise your team to level 100 for multiplayer matches. Of course, unless you do a lot of trading, you’ll probably need to restart the game in order to catch them all. While this does allow you to choose a new starter Pokémon, unless you either have another version you can trade your Pokémon to, or Pokémon Box, you’ll lose all your Pokémon. Overall - This game offers a lot of nostalgia, and finally will allow you to catch all 387 Pokémon. Pokémon fanatics will probably buy this regardless of what I say, but my advice to you is this: If you are only an avid Pokémon fan who already owns a copy of Red and/or Blue and is not concerned with catching them all and using them on one game, or if you aren’t a fan of Pokémon, don’t get theses game, since you aren’t really missing much. However, if you’re new to Pokémon, a huge fan of them, or just a fan looking for some nostalgia, you should get one of these, though I must discourage you from getting both. I did enjoy this game, but, in all honesty, I must say this: If you’ve played one Pokémon game, you’ve pretty much played them all. *: This score is not applied to the main average. Overall Average: 3.5 out of 5 Overall Average + *:3.5 out of 5 Personal Score: 3 out of 5 |