Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire (Game Boy Advance) Review

In a sequel you are always looking for improvements. The graphics for one have been vastly boosted compared to its 8-bit brother. Things are sharper and portray an overall happier view, as the graphics are brighter and more detailed. But the new improved graphics don't seem to have reached all of the game, as the battle scenes still don't create the feeling that you are in a very dramatic fight, a more a play ground scuffle with a small insect. They feel like they have been forgotten and don't compare to the amazing fight scenes in Golden Sun. No need to worry. Whilst the battles look so poor they could make you cry they are still very well balanced and the range of attacks available and the tact you have to use to beat your opponent into the ground makes the whole thing great fun.

Talking of battles Ruby and Sapphire implement a new two on two battling system. Though this is fun it is severely underused as you get very few battles that implement this style of fighting which is a shame as the system works very well. Another addition to the game is the inclusion of berries; the fruit is used for different things such as curing paralysis and poisoning. They can also be re-grown as well as being fed to your Pokemon in preparation for "Pokemon Contests". These contests are also another new idea bought into spice up what could have become a stale title. Judging your Pokemon in different areas such as how 'cool' they are, their beauty, as well as cuteness, smartness and toughness this is an interesting edition to the title. One thing that has been removed though is the ability of the game to make certain events happen at specific times. So the collecting of certain Pokemon on certain days has now been wisped away which does get rid of some of the charm that the game was loved for by millions.

The time specific events are not the only thing to go. Though the game does boast a large array of new Pokemon as well as some old ones it has less than Gold and Silver which is a major let down. It makes the game feel like it is missing something that the original had as standard, which seems to us that we are paying for the same game with less of the extras. But still the overall atmosphere of the game proves that these are not really needed to make this game stand out. The gameplay still proves to be relatively simple but effective none the less as it is very easy to use. Nintendo have balanced this title perfectly and it is a joy to play. The music in the game is still mildly memorable and fits the appropriate situation well whilst not doing anything all that special. The only major problem with it is that most of the tunes are just revamped versions of the tracks in the originals this shows very little effort in the musical area which is a disappointment.

This game is certain to take up at least one hundred hours of your time. Clear the week this will eat your free time up like Pac Man and those sodding gobstoppers. Worth buying? Yes. Even if you don't like Pokemon? No. One for the fans and the people on the borderline. It won't persuade the doubters but will keep the fans more than happy.