Pros: Cute pokemon,fun and deep gameplay great replay value
Cons: There is not much to complain about
The Bottom Line: I don't see why people don't like these pokemon games, because they are very fun and enjoyable. Anyone can have fun with this game if they just try the game.
alicia9n26's Full Review: Pokemon Emerald for Game Boy Advance
Before I got Pokemon Emerald, my favorite pokemon game was Pokemon Ruby. My first ever pokemon game was Pokemon Blue for GameBoy Color. Once I got Pokemon Emerald it immediately became my favorite pokemon game. It is a game everyone can play and enjoy. To find out why read the rest of my review.
Storyline:
The story in Pokemon Emerald is like all the other pokemon games. You star as a young pokemon trainer who has just moved to the city of Littleroot. This is where you begin your journey as a pokemon trainer. Your goal is to travel through the hoen region catching and building a team of six pokemon while battling other trainers and even Gym Leaders. When you beat a Gym Leader you recieve a badge, and once you collect all 8 badges you will be eligible to compete in the Pokemon League. Throughout your journey you will also run into Team Aqua and Team Magma. Both Team Magma and Team Aqua are trying to get their hands are some very rare and powerful pokemon, and its up to you to stop them from succeeding. You will also run into your rival a couple of times while on your journey. Once you beat the Pokemon League you have beaten the game, but the fun doesn't end there read on to find out.
Gameplay:
Of course the main goal of the game is collecting all of the pokemon you can. There are about 351 pokemon to collect in the game, but you can only have six in your party at a time. You use the pokemon to fight other trainers pokemon and wild pokemon. The battles are on turn-based system, which means the pokemon take turns attacking each other. In order for a pokemon to faint another pokemon they have to reduce its HP or hit points to zero. Every time your pokemon knocks out another pokemon they gain experience points. In order for your pokemon to level up they must gain experience. When a pokemon levels up some of their stats increase too. HP increases every time a pokemon levels up, but attack, defense, speed, special attack, and special defense only raise some of the time. Also when a pokemon reaches a certain level they may evolve into a stronger pokemon.
Each pokemon has a nature and an ability. Sometimes two of the same species of pokemon will have a different ability. Each pokemon has 4 moves it can use, and when your pokemon levels up it may try to learn a new move. The problem is when you already have 4 moves you have to make them forget a move so they have room to learn the new move. Each move has a certain amount of pp. Once your pokemon runs out of pp for a move they can't use it any more. The only way to recover pp is use a pp up item or take your pokemon to the Pokemon Center, which is where you take your pokemon to heal and revive your fainted pokemon.
Each pokemon has one or two types and there are 17 of these types. The types are: Fire, Electric, Water, Grass, Normal, Psychic, Fighting, Flying, Bug. Poison, Ice, Rock, Ground, Dragon, Steel, Ghost and Dark. Each type has advantages and disadvantages.
There are things you can do with your pokemon other than battling. You can enter your pokemon in a contest if you want. There are 5 different contest you can enter them in and these are: Cuter, Beauty, Cool, Tough and Smart. There are some things you can't do until you beat the game though. These involve new areas to explore in the Safari Zone and you will access to rare items. You also will be able to gain access to the Battle Frontier.
The Battle Frontier is a new area in the hoen region, and it is exclusive to Pokemon Emerald. it is a island off the coast of the mainland, and it is dedicated to Pokemon Battling. In the Battle Frontier there are seven contest to test your skills as a Trainer at. The seven battle areas are: Battle Tower, Battle Dome. Battle Palace, Battle Pyramid, Battle Arena, Battle Factory and Battle Pike. You don't get any money or experience for winning these battles, what you do win is Battle Points (BP). You use the BP to get prizes at the Exchange Service Corner in the Battle Frontier. Each area has to entry categories L50 and Open Level. It would be obvious that L50 matches are only open to pokemon Lv 50 or below, and no matter what the opponents pokemon will be level 50's. In Open Level matches you can use pokemon that are Level 60 or higher. Your opponent matches the highest level pokemon you enter. One final thing is once you beat the game you will be able to trade with FireRed, LeafGreen and XD Gale of Darkness.
Controls:
The controls in Pokemon Emerald are simple. The d-pad is used to move the character around in the game. The d-pad is also used to scroll through menus. The A button is used to select things and talk to people. The B button is used to exit menus, go back to previous menus and if you hold the B button you can make your person run. Select lets you use a registered item easily.
Graphics:
There is not much to say about the graphics. The pokemon are shown as little sprites in the game and they are supposed to move but they really don't move much. The graphics for the rest of the game are decent, but overall the graphics are simple. Like I said there is not much to say about the graphics.
Sound:
Just like the graphics there is not much to talk about. The music in the game isn't all that great. There are a few tunes that are catchy and nice to listen to. If you like the way the pokemon sound on the show you will be disappointed with when you play the game. Because the pokemon on the game don't sound the same as they do in the show. The sound effects for the attacks are pretty decent though.
Overall it is a fun game for all ages. Although it will prove a little challenging for young kids it will be fun for everyone. I recommend this game for anybody who likes pokemon and people who are just getting into pokemon.
Collecting, trading and battling is what traditional Pokemon games are all about. This game offers kids and teens an opportunity to hone their skills ...More at Buy.com
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