Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire Version ( known in Japan as Pocket Monsters Ruby and Pocket Monsters Sapphire,ポケットモンスター ルビー·サファイア, Poketto Monsutā Rubi / Safaia ) are the first two games of the third generation of Pokémon. The games were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. The games were released first in Japan in late 2002 and in 2003 in North America, Australia and Europe. The Emerald Edition, a special edition appeared two years later. These three games ( The Ruby Version, the Sapphire Version and the Emerald Edition), together with the Fire Red and Leaf Green Edition Edition the third generation of the Pokémon role-playing game series.

The game mechanics has barely changed over its predecessors; The player controls the protagonist from a bird's perspective and has the goal to catch all the Pokemon and defeat the Elite Four. For the first time, there are also fights in which two against two Pokémon fight.

World and act

The Ruby Version and Sapphire Version play in the fictional region " Hoenn " based on the Japanese region of Kyushu. In this region there are 16 towns and villages and other locations that are connected by routes.

The Ruby Version and Sapphire Version also play very linear; all the important battles happen in a predetermined order. The protagonist / The protagonist of the Ruby Version and Sapphire Version is a child who has just moved with his mother to root 's home. At the beginning of the game you get a Pokémon from Professor Birk. One can choose between the three Pokémon Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip. The child of Prof. Birk is also a Pokémon Trainer and the rival of the main character, the one fights in the game frequently. The two main objectives of the game are to win the eight - religious arena to defeat the Elite Four and complete the Pokédex by trapping all 200 Pokémon or obtained by exchange and development.

In addition, there are numerous side quests in which the player can help other non-player characters, and thereby gets new items. There is also a large and more profound action with Team Magma or Team Aqua, who want to change the climate of Hoenn. In the Ruby Version villains of Team Magma want to use the legendary Pokémon Groudon to dry up the oceans Hoenns. In the Sapphire Version, however, Team Aqua tries to use the legendary Pokémon Kyogre, to flood the continent.

With the Item eon ticket, which was distributed by Nintendo, you can reach the island of the South, where you can catch a Latias / Latios.

Game mechanics

The basic elements of the game mechanics is largely identical to that of the predecessor. It controls the main character from a bird's perspective. The player / the player starts the game with the selection of a Pokémon and can catch more through the use of Poké Balls. The starter Pokémon and the captured Pokémon can now be used in battles against trainers or wild Pokemon. If you get into such a Pokémon battle, the screen changes to a turn-based battle screen. One has to also use the opportunity Items during a fight next attack or flee. If the force points (CP ) of a Pokémon fall to zero, the Pokémon is Knocked Out and can not continue to fight, unless the player places an " animator " one. If you defeat the opposing Pokémon, receives own experience points (XP ) and you get money if necessary. Once you have collected enough EP, which rises to a level Pokémon and evolves at a certain level.

In addition to the Pokémon battles which is catching Pokémon is the most important element of the game mechanics games. During battle with a wild Pokémon, you can use a Poké Ball to catch the Pokémon. If one is successful, the Pokémon will be added to the party or it is transferred into a box of the coach, where you can pick it up later, since you can only have a maximum of six Pokémon with him. The chance of a Pokemon to catch increases if you previously cut him by KP attacks or uses a stronger Poké Ball, for example, a super ball. In addition, you can also change the state of the wild Pokémon by attacks, eg that it is sleeping.

Innovations

The most striking innovation over its predecessors are the " double battles " in which the opposing players or characters with two Pokémon at the same time fight. In addition, have the Pokémon from these games one of 25 beings that certain advantages and certain disadvantages in the values ​​offer ( eg Hastily provides more points for initiative for less points on defense ). In addition, now every Pokémon has certain special abilities, which gives it both advantages and disadvantages in and out of combat ( Poison Point eg can the enemy in contact poison ).

Also, there are so-called competitions in which you are fighting for the beauty of the Pokémon in different categories. For this, there are new values ​​, which you can increase with Pokériegeln, and new values ​​for attacks that you can perform. THe competitions, however, are not relevant to the story.

As before in the Golden Edition, the Silver Edition and the Crystal Edition, is also available in the Ruby Version and Sapphire Version a built in clock, which depends on the real local time. This affects, among others High or low tide and the growth of plants. However, no distinction is made in the Ruby Version and Sapphire Version between day and night. Therefore, the time has no influence on the appearance of certain Pokémon. After a year of playing time in the Ruby Version and Sapphire Version, the time -related events do not work anymore, which then must be the berries update.

Pokémon Emerald Version

Pokémon Emerald Version is a special version of the third generation of the Pokémon role-playing game series. It is a bolstered version of the Ruby Version and Sapphire Version and appeared on 16 September 2004 as Pocket Monsters Emerald (ポケットモンスター エメラルド, Poketto Monsutā Emerarudo ) in Japan; In Europe, the game was released on 21 October 2005.

Although the game mechanics of the Emerald Version is almost identical with the the Ruby Version and Sapphire Version, the game offers many new features. So you can, like gold and silver, with different enemies encountered on the road, on the phone. The plot was somewhat modified. So Team Magma and Aqua are in the game this time two rival gangs, which must fight the protagonist. When Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre fight, you have to awaken Rayquaza, which soothes the Pokémon. After the Elite Four is defeated, the player can not repeatedly compete against the Gym Leader, but this time in a " double battle ". The most significant innovation over the Ruby Version and Sapphire Version is the " combat zone ", an extended version of " Battle Tower " from the Ruby Version and Sapphire Version.

In addition, several events have been added:

• With old card you can get on the remote island and catch a Mew there.
• With secret ticket you can get on the needle rock and a Ho -Oh and catch a Lugia.
• With the Item Aurora ticket you can reach the island formation and catch a Deoxys.

The Emerald Version generally received good reviews. GameSpot awarded 7.5 out of 10 points; IGN gave the game an "impressive " rating of 8.0 out of 10 possible points. EuroGamer.net awarded to the Emerald Version only 6 out of 10. Although Euro Gamer praised the Emerald Version for better graphics and a challenging gameplay, you criticized that it does not even changed to half compared to the previous version was, but rather a "Director's Cut". The Emerald Version was the second best-selling game in the U.S. for the Game Boy Advance in 2005.

Development

The Game Boy Advance games Ruby Version and Sapphire Version were developed by Game Freak and Nintendo. As director Junichi Masuda worked. In addition acted like in the predecessors, Ken Sugimori art director. On the question of where the ideas for all the new Pokémon would come, replied Sugimori, they came from childhood experiences in nature and collecting insects as well as from the media. The process of creation of new Pokémon described Sugimori so that " first the ' design team ' selects an insect and so many important elements adds that it looks like a Pokémon. " Masuda stated that communication, the basic philosophy of all Pokémon games; this comes in the games by swapping Pokémon but also by fighting with other players expressed. The " double battles " Ask a " new challenge " is, but the focus will continue to be on the original one-on -one battles.

The two games ( the Ruby Version and Sapphire Version ) were the first Pokémon games that did not contain all of the Pokémon predecessor. Sugimori said that the team has tried to include all the new Pokémon as well as the older generation Pokémon in the game. They wanted to use any Pokémon wanted to give three different " cries ", whose use depends on the mood of each Pokémon. But this innovation could not be realized due to the limited technical possibilities.

Music

All audio content of the Ruby Version and Sapphire Version consist of game music; there is no speech output, the dialogue is to read the "Text". The music was composed by Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, Morichi Aoki and Morikazu Aold and is out of the pieces, " Trick Master " and "Slate Port City " instrumental. The soundtrack for the game was released in Japan on April 26, 2003 by Media Factory. The CD landed for a week on the 297th place in the Oricon charts.

Review

The role playing Ruby Version and Sapphire Version received mostly positive reviews, especially the graphic was better than that of the predecessor. However, criticism was that the gameplay has not improved since the previous parts, but is still the same. Nevertheless, were " the new Pokémon title [ ... ] very good role-playing games ".

Even if the games were not as successful as their predecessors, they were sold at least 13 million times, making them the best-selling games for the Game Boy Advance.