Haven't I played something just like this before?

User Rating: 6.8 | Pocket Monsters Emerald GBA
By ultima_weapon05 | Review Date:
Well, Pokémon has been a huge franchise for Nintendo for many years now. Nearly every owner of a Gameboy has a Pokémon game, whether it was Red, Blue or Yellow, not forgetting all of the others. I have stuck with Pokémon (even if it may be a little sad to be seen playing it at my age) for the whole time it has been around and now I see Pokémon on it's last legs. I personally felt this game was too much like the Ruby and Sapphire versions, released earlier on the Gameboy Advance. Sure it had a couple of new features, adjustments to the story etc, but that isnt really something I'd spend all that money on. Although it is still a good RPG, with plenty to do and experience, it wasn't anything special like most of the earlier versions were for me.

This game plays fairly well, just like the versions released before. In Emerald, you play as either a boy or a girl. Although they move quite slowly at the beginning, it does get a little more enjoyable once you can actually run with the new shoes you obtain. As always, the character runs around in a vast world containing grassy areas, mountains, towns, caves, you name it. The aim of the game is to collect as many of the creatures called Pokémon across the land to fill in a little machine called the Pokédex. You also have to defeat other people's Pokémon too and collect a bunch of badges to work your way to becoming a champion. Later on the story "gets better", although I wouldn't get excited by that because Pokémon games lack a truly amazing story. The game is simple and easy to pick up and play, but it's one of those games that you have to dedicate time to in order to get good results.

As far as graphics go, the game looks good for a Gameboy Advance game. The scenery is full of colour, which is a nice bonus to enjoy while playing a longer game.

The sound is something I'm not as impressed with. The crappy old noises the Pokémon used to make in the first versions still exist, just slightly tweaked to sound better. I'm not saying they used the EXACT same noises, just the basic sounds that they never made on the tv shows. Sometimes I'm unsure whether it's them roaring or they are yelling in pain.

This game will last you quite a while if you stick with it. Although doing the same thing throughout the whole game becomes slightly tedious over time, there is still plenty of fun to get out of the game. If you have friends with this game or any of the other GBA versions, then you can link up and battles or trade Pokémon. Sometimes it can be a really fun game, but for some people it will suck.
Like I said before, this game is almost exactly like Ruby and Sapphire, if you have these games already, then I would not recommend it at all, save your money for an amazing game, like Kingdom Hearts 2.

Well, Nintendo, let's hope you give us a brand new Pokémon game next time. (Bring back Gold!!! ...and Silver...)

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