Pokemon Emerald: - Once More Onto the Bandwagon

Each generation of Pokemon titles has seen not one or two, but three releases of the same game. The third version always comes later, and while still being the same story in the same world will feature a few slight differences. Recently my Pokemon Sapphire cart has turned up missing, and rather than re-buy the game I decided to upgrade to the third version from that generation - Pokemon Emerald. Do the changes make it worth romping through the world of Hoenn once more?

In case you didn't already know, Pokemon is a game series that has existed primarily on Nintendo's handheld gaming systems. The main games are role playing titles which have you travel around a landmass capturing animal/insect/fish like creatures named Pokemon. These pokemon are used in battle against other trainers like yourself or pokemon in the wild. Each new generation of games features it's own unique set of pokemon for you to catch. The ultimate goal is to obtain every single Pokemon, and to become the very best trainer.

Pokemon Emerald takes place on the vast continent of Hoenn. Your character (either boy or girl) is moving with their family to Littleroot Town all the way from the Johto region. The father of the family has just become a Gym Leader at Petalburg Gym, and as his child you set out to also become a pokemon trainer. This sets you off on a journey to collect all 8 Gym badges, after which you can challenge the strongest trainers in the region - the elite four. Beating them will land you with the prestigious title of "Pokemon Champion", but we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves here.

On the outside Pokemon Emerald may seem like a rather cheap and shallow game, but that is most certainly not the case. The game spans well over 300 pokemon (you will need to trade with other versions of the game to obtain them all). These creatures range from small caterpillars to daunting dragons - all ripe for the catching.

The battling system is very well done. At first things start out a bit shallow, but as your pokemon develop you will find a truly deep experience to be had. The battle system plays like your typical Japanese role playing game - upon encountering the enemy (in the form of a wild pokemon or trainer) you will send out a pokemon, at which point both creatures will take turns bashing each other in until the opponent runs out of hit points. It's quite simple to grasp.

You can carry a part of up to six different Pokemon with you at one time. The creature at the top of your list is the one which will automatically be sent out to battle, and if it loses you can send out another, and another until you run out of creatures. Upon defeating a wild Pokemon they will faint and you will simply win the fight, but when it's a trainer you're up against you'll have to take out all of their creatures in order to win.

This brings me to the double battles. One of the big innovations this generation of Pokemon titles brought to the table was the ability to send out two pokemon into battle at once when the opponent decides to double his creatures up too. This adds a new dynamic to the concept, and also leaves room for more strategic input during these fights.

Emerald makes it's own addition to the series though. A new type of double battle will occur in the storyline, aptly named the Team battle. This will pit you, and another pokemon trainer on the same team against an opponent. You can each send out only one creature at a time and you have no control over your partner's actions. These battles are actually quite a bit fun and add more life to the game.

The majority of the fun had here is in making your own team from scratch. Sure, you get a starter pokemon, but it's not a requirement to actually use it. The emphasis here is in making a widely diverse team from pokemon that you've either received via the storyline, traded with a friend, captured in the wild, or even hatched from an egg. There are endless possibilities for making your own team, and that's a big part of what makes Pokemon such a deep experience.

Pokemon don't always turn out the way they start. What I mean by this is that they greatly change over time, not only in what special moves they learn, but also in their physical appearance and statistics. Through the process of evolution (which occurs naturally when your creatures reach certain experience levels) they become stronger and bigger. It's a very rewarding experience to evolve your team of small creatuers into huge and powerful beasts by the end of the game.

Adding further strategy to this is the fact that all the Pokemon are different. They learn different moves with varying effects, power, and types and a big part of being successful in the game is knowing what works best against what. On top of that the pokemon themselves are labeled with types and have weaknesses to certain elemental moves. Furthermore you've even got a deep and varied ability system which gives your pokemon certain skills inside and outside of battle. It's obvious that a lot of thought was put into the pokemon concept.

No role playing game is complete without a villain, but Pokemon Emerald actually has two. In Ruby and Sapphire you were forced to deal with either Team Magma or Aqua depending on the version of the game you were playing, but Emerald pits you against both. There was content involving each of the teams that were different between the two previous editions, but they combine quite nicely in this version making Emerald the complete package.

Ruby and Sapphire each featured their own exclusive legendary pokemon to capture (Groudon and Kyogre respectively) but you catch them both in Emerald. Furthermore, you're also give the option to capture a third legendary pokemon creature unique to this version - Rayquaza. The ability to catch all three legendary pokemon alone makes this the definitive version of that generation.

Nintendo went back and changed more subtle stuff too. The eighth and final gym features a completely different leader, and the last battle in the entire game has also been completely changed. Also added to the Pokemon Emerald are in-battle animations for each and every single one of the pokemon. The final, and probably most signficant addition is the ability to obtain the starter pokemon from the previous Gold/Silver/Crystal generation. There's a catch though - you have to completely fill up your pokedex first.

One thing the series has always been known for is it's heavy emphasis on linking up with friends. Thankfully Pokemon Emerald fully supports the GBA wireless adapter that came packaged with Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green. The standard link cable is also perfectly fine to use. Pokemon are exclusive between the different versions of the games so in order to obtain them all you will have to connect with a friend to trade but also to battle. Linking up is a big part of what makes Pokemon so fun, but the game is so strong that it can be perfectly enjoyable if you were to overlook the feature.

When it comes down to it Pokemon Emerald is still a very fun game. The series may be lacking the freshness it once was known for, but it's still a high quality and thoroughly engrossing idea. Pokemon Emerald is one of the (if not the most) deepest RPGs on the market. On top of already being a long game you've also got the possibility of trading and battling with friends. There’s also the beauty contests and even the option to breed pokemon to keep you busy. Besides that you'll probably find yourself wanting to play through again and again with a different starter each time just for the experience. The replay value is almost limitless.

Graphically Pokemon Emerald is fairly solid for a GBA game. The world is vibrant and about as detailed as your standard 16-bit RPG. On top of this the pokemon designs are pretty well done. Most range from average to good, but there are some moments of real inspiration. The new animations for the pokemon are surprisingly impressive even given how simple they are. Visually this is a pretty solid package, but it doesn't really manage to push the GBA in any way.

The music is pretty catchy and Emerald features among the best of Pokemon soundtracks. Nothing has really changed from Ruby/Sapphire but that's not a problem considering this is pretty much the same game. The only real problem is that you'll be hearing some of the songs, such as the main battle theme, far too often and it's easy to get tired of it. The sound effects are decent and it's cool to note that every pokemon has their own distinct battle cry. The downfall to this is that the older pokemon's effects were never updated from the Gameboy Color versions, and so some of them sound absolutely archaic.

Controls are quite simple and very easy to get used to. The d-pad moves your character around outside of battle and is also used for browsing menus. The A button is confirm, and B is cancel. So simple that you really shouldn't have any trouble getting going. The menus are equally as simple and the main menu even shows icons representing your various pokemon which makes for easier management.

Final Recommendation
Pokemon Emerald is easily the best of the Ruby/Sapphire generation, and it even compares favorably with the newer Pokemon Diamond/Pearl. There's enough changes to warrant playing through even if you've already beaten Ruby/Sapphire. You just can't go wrong with such a meaty and deep game, especially when you've got friends handy to challenge.