Same Game, Different Colour (Pokémon: Ruby (GBA))

Member Name: RayWhitney

Product:	Pokémon: Ruby (GBA)
Date:	19/08/08 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some nice additions to the classic Pokémon gameplay

Disadvantages: More of the same

One of the many forms that the Pokémon game has taken over the last decade, Ruby and Emerald are pretty much more of the same. The games are sister titles, by the way, meaning that they have exactly the same gameplay experience but some of the Pokémon that you are trusted to collect are different. Like all Pokémon games, if you want your trainer to be able to capture 'em all, you need a friend with the other version of the game. You buy Ruby, he'll buy Emerald.

Sorry if I've skipped ahead. If you're not sure what Pokémania is all about, the game is a basic role-playing experience. Your character has only one desire in life - to collect, train and breed a variety of pocket monsters. To do this, they must explore their world, taking on rival trainers and wild monsters.

It's more advanced than the original Gameboy games before it, having a fully-functional clock (which changes the gameplay slightly, for example certain Pokémon only come out at night), compatibility with the E-Card Reader, and loads more extras. The graphics are more advanced but the animation is still pretty pitiful, with the monsters hardly ever moving in battle.

Bad points are that it's pretty much still the same game as all of the games in the series before it, despite the (mostly pointless) tweaks. If you're passionate about your Pokémon, you'll lap up this new trip into an unexplored world with gusto. The hundred or so new Pokémon will excite you too. For everyone else, it's not worth getting this if you've already explored the Pokémon world. The new monsters are pretty boring and nowhere near as charismatic as the originals, and it's a very repetitive experience.

This is not to say I don't recommend the genre, and to someone who has never picked up a Pokémon game in their life, I would gladly recommend this, Emerald, Sapphire, LeafGreen or FireRed.

(A version of this review has been posted on Ciao)

Summary: Check it out if you haven't already!