Douglas's procrastinated game until he isn't sick: Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green

Sim Kid · #1

Okay, sorry I've procastinated the Game of the week for awhile-I've been addicted to Leaf Green, had homwork, and was feeling a bit under the weather. Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green is the new version of Pokemon-Well, not new really, as it is a remake of the first two games that started it all-Pokemon Red and Blue. (Red and Green in japan) For some people here, it is the first RPG game they played knowing it is an RPG.

The graphics of this game haven't changed much since Ruby and Sapphire-There are some different character models and all the pokemon sprites are the same, but the biggest change graphically is the new Female character-Who is vastly suprerior to the Female player in Ruby and Sapphire. (And might I point out that when she ran, she looked like Betty Butt because of her pouch?) Some trainers now look different, and including your rival-And his stupid attitude hasn't changed since the original either. Also, when you enter a dungeon, it shows you a picture of what you're entering. While some are original, others seem to be pallette-swaps or slight-edits of previous ones. While some people may laugh at how these don't meet up to the GBA standards, I must say I rather liked these sprites as they looked pretty anime-ish. Plus-Dewgong is simply adorable!

While the game's plot is still the same as in the original, Nintendo added the Sevii islands, (There are actually 9 though) where you can catch some G/S/C pokemon for the national dex you get after beating the l33t four. After you get the Ruby and Sapphire items, you can trade to Ruby and Sapphire and Collosseum. Of course, Nintendo took steps to insure the failure of the Gameshark by making it so that hacked Pokemon can't be traded. Seeing as most people wouldn't really hack too much Pokemon, they may not be too much of a problem. And while we are on the subject of Gameshark-Birth Island (Where you get Deoxys) will probably be the most hacked place. Deoxys's forms vary per version-In Leaf Green, you get the Defense form while in Fire Red you get the attack form. At first you fight its regular form though.

The music has definatley improved-Some of the musics I still don't really care about, but the way they remixed the Gym-Leader/l33t four theme simply rules. It is, without a doubt, my favourite music in the game besides the Battle with Champion Gary. Most of the sounds have been recycled from Ruby and Sapphire though.

The controls have been improved from the first versions, which was filled with menus, and having to open a menu just to use Surf or Cut got EXTREMELY annoying after awhile-And having the number of items in yout backpack also get pretty annoying late in the game, because Key Items take up a slot, and most of which are only used a few times. Like in the previous versions, you backpack is divided into pockets, so you won't be finding yourself using your PC as often as you did in the orginal. (And isn't it amazing how much the girl player can fit in her purse?) Still though, it's a bunch of Menus, but they are less annoying this time around.

They also added some other features-You get the Running shoes, which'll probably be your most used item, the Teachy TV which is used for people just being introduced to Pokemon, (You can also bring up the in-game tutorial by hitting the L and R buttons) the Fame checker which I never really found too much use for, and the VS seeker-Which seeks down people you beat who want a rematch. The Fame checker and VS seeker recharge when you walk.

The controls are rather well-They are basically the same as Ruby and Sapphire, only the L and R buttons bring up the tutorials. It's also rather nice to use the SELECT to register something-And that will most likely be the Bike.

Like in Ruby and Sapphire, 2-on-2 battles are also present. They aren't very numerous in Kanto but more are found in the Sevii Islands. They still work pretty well, only I forgot that Earthquake affects your pokemon too-Stupid stupid me. They are still enjoyable.

The Wireless adapter is a new toy to the GBA by nintendo. While some people thought that they only put that there just to get people to buy it, I must say that it's rather ingenius. You can use it to link with up with numerous trainers (I don't know how many), you can battle them, register pokemon for trades, and can even chat with them. Chatting doesn't really seem like it can be too much use, but it is just SO fun to spam eachother's chat screens. I've only used the Wireless adapter a few times and with only one person, but we had so much fun cussing eachother out or just saying random crap. Hey, you gotta spam somewhere! And if you have Two gameboys, two wireless adapters, Pokemon Emerald, and Both Fire Red and Leaf Green, you may be using those wireless adapters to death. It's also a bit more convienent than using a game-link chord, which may sometimes get in the way of people, get tangled on something, or become your pet cat, ferret, or rodent's next victim.

It is quite fun to go back to old days and give your rival mean names or give your pokemon funny names for the kid in you and even funner to collect all the pokemon for the collector fiend in you, and if you like Pokemon, then you will definatley like this game. It has all those nice features, but if you ask me, Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal still remain the best versions. 8.50/10

Pros:
-=The female player=-
-=The sevii isalnds=-
-=Dewgong is adorable=-
-=Giving funny names to your pokemon and rival=-
-=The remixed gym leader and Champion musics=-
-=Having fun with the wireless adapter.=-
-=Menus have been improved=-

Cons:
-=The game puts too much emphasis on leveling up near the end=-
-=You can't get Deoxys, Ho-Oh, or Lugia without the special tickets. GAMESHARK TIME!=-
-=Menus have been improved, but may still cause some annoyances=-
-=Some of the pictures of what you're entering are pallette-swaps or slight edits of a previous one=-

Codiekitty · #2

I didn't like this game very much at all. Yes, I enjoyed finally getting a Nidoqueen (and a few other favorites) into my Ruby, but that's basically all I enjoyed doing with this. I've poured over 300 hours into my Ruby/Sapphire and I'm still going, but only 20 into my Fire Red and I'm already bored with it.

Oh, and the soundtrack is really irritating.

And the item usage/TM learning screen was as irritating as Magi Nation's music (it starts off not that bad and even kind of cool, but after a while I started wanting to throw the game across the room because of it).

Although the real reason I kind of quit playing Magi Nation was because I was paranoid about missing the Ormagon (The first step of the walkthrough as well as everything about the Ferryman all make very little sense. How do I know if the guy I'm about to talk to is the Ormagon hunter until I talk to him? The rest of the walkthrough makes sense, though). I absolutely am NOT going to miss the Ormagon, even if it means stopping gameplay.

Who is vastly suprerior to the Female player in Ruby and Sapphire.

I personally thought the girl in Fire Red/Leaf Green was really dopey looking.

I'm probably going to restart my Fire Red using the boy and select a different starter to give to my Ruby.

Where are these lemmings going? The Super Nintendo Super Shire! Hop in line and follow them there!

[ October 02, 2004, 06:32 PM: Message edited by: CodieKitty ]

#3

Sorry I'm late... it's still in active topics so there!!! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Pokemon FR is pretty cool so far. I never listen to the music for long periods whilst playing... if at all. The chat screen is entertaining... LOL ...AND again, I'm naming all my Mons after various VGF people... I guess I should have asked what everyone wanted this time round, though! *shrugs*

BTW... all gals fit amazing amounts of interesting stuff in their purses. It's taught to us at a young age.

Sim Kid · #4

Name me after a Seel or Dewgong!

And trade a Skitty to Fire red and name it Codiekitty.

And yeah, most of the music's annoying, though I like the Gym leader and Champion music. (And I do NOT like how they remixed the Gold, Silver, and Crystal music on the Sevii Islands)