Heyo! It's me, Jr. Troopa, writing my third Review, this time of Pokemon Emerald! I just bought the game, and tought I'd make a Review of it. The game is basically a remake of Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire, but with some new twists. The graphics have been greatly enhanced, the plot is a bit different, there's a new Battle Frontier, and... well there are a lot of changes, which I'll list throughout the Review.

Story: 8/10

Well, this is a Pokemon game, so the main concept here is to aim to become the world's greatest Pokemon master, but there's still a plot. During the beginning of the game, the plot is pretty much the same from Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire, but later in the game, you'll encounter some great plot twists. The biggest change in the storyline is that Team Aqua and Team Magma have awakened the two legendary Pokemon, Groudon and Kyogre. Now, the two have engaged in a cataclysmic battle, and just when the end of the world seems nigh, Rayquaza comes down from the skies to put an end to their furious battle, thus saving the world. Then you can go catch them if you want. I find this storyline much more interesting than from previous Pokemon games, so I had to give it some points. The intro movie is cool too!

Graphics: 9/10

Like I said, the graphics have been greatly enhanced. For instance, the ground and flooring have been changed in most cities and towns, including the caves, and the two heroes now sport different outfits. They're not completely different, but they do wear a lot of green now; the new outfits look cooler, too! The Pokemon look the same, but there's one new feature: the Pokemon now move! Okay, this feature isn't completely new, as it was first introduced in Pokemon Crystal, but for some reason, they took out this feature in the later Pokemon games, which was a shame because their movements gave them some personality. Well, the Pokemon are once again moving, so I can't keep arguing! Overall, this game sports some of the best graphics seen in a Gameboy Pokemon game ever! I still wish the attacks had more animation to them, though.

Gameplay: 10/10

This is Pokemon game, so the gameplay hasn't really changed that much. You travel around the land of Hoenn, battling trainers, catching Pokemon, collecting badges from Gym Leaders, and so on. But just like the storyline, the batle system has its own new twists. Sometimes, two trainers will spot you simultaneously. Two things can happen here. You can battle the first trainer that spotted you, and then immediately battle the other trainer, or the two trainers can team up to take you down in a double battle. Talk about unfair! Also, just like in Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen, you get the National Dex when you beat the Elite Four, so you can go catch some old school Pokemon! As for the Gym battles, they're still the same, except that the Gym Leaders have different rosters. For example, Roxanne from Rustboro Gym now has two Geodude, and Brawly from Dewford Gym has added a Meditite to his team, so the Gym Battles are much more difficult than they were before. There's also one new Gym Leader, but I will not say his name, as I don't want to spoil the fun. Also, when you beat the Elite Four, you'll gain access to the Battle Frontier, a cool place for you to challenge your skills as a Pokemon trainer! Here you can battle with skilled trainers that are maybe even tougher than the Elite Four!

Controls: 10/10

The controls for this game could not be easier, since you basically only press the A and B buttons, along with the D pad. Anyone can master these controls in just a matter of seconds, even 5-year-olds!

Sound/Music: 6/10

Nothing in this category has changed, or even been remixed! The sound and music is completely the same! What I liked about FireRed and LeafGreen was that they remixed the music from Red/Blue/Yellow, but they failed to do that in Emerald. The music can get a bit boring and repetitive some times, but the music is still good, and the Gym Leader theme rocks! So the music isn't all bad. As for the sound, well, the Pokemon still blurt out those strange cries. I really wish they could change this, but whatever...

Characters: 7/10

Brendan, May, Professor Birch... meh. Same old, same old. We have the Gym Leaders, but they really don't play such an important role in the game, except for Norman, who is your dad, and maybe the eighth Gym Leader, who's name I won't mention because he happens to be the new guy. We also have Team Aqua and Team Magma, better known as the villains of the game. They did unleash Groudon and Kyogre, so I suppose they do play a very important role. We also have Steven, the former Champion of the Elite Four (yes, there is a new Champion). Steven does appear from time to time in the game, so he may well be considered an important character. Let's see who else... Well, we have your mom, but she doesn't really do anything important, and that Scott guy, who always seems to be following you around in his search for tough Pokemon trainers. Oh, and who could forget Wally, the frail boy who also has aspirations of becoming a great Pokemon trainer? He is your friend, so I guess he is important. Basically, these are the same characters from Ruby/Sapphire, but hey, this a remake so what did you expect?

Replay Value: 10/10

Most Pokemon games seem to get a good score in this category because there's just so much to do! There are over 200 hundred Pokemon out there just waiting to be caught, and I wouldn't be surprised if this took you a while, a long while, that is. Also, even if you beat all the Gym Leaders and trainers, you can still get rematches with them! You see, there's this new feature to the PokeNav called Match Call. With this, you can call trainers to see what they're up to, and maybe you can even have a rematch with them. This is just like the PokeGear from Gold/Silver. Oh the nostalgia! You can even register the numbers of Gym Leaders to have rematches with them! And last but not least, we have the Battle Frontier, where you can battle super skilled trainers to test your own skills as a Pokemon trainer. There are also Battle tents and Pokemon Contests. Can you take the challenge?

Fun Factor!: 10/10

What can I say, Pokemon Emerald is quite the unique and fun Pokemon game. Sure, battling trainers can get repetitive, and even annoying, but training your Pokemon is actually great fun! Anyone who truly loves Pokemon will enjoy this gem of a game.

Recommendation: 7/10

Well, in the end, it all really depends. If you're a fan of Pokemon, you'll probably like this game, and if you like the Ruby/Sapphire versions, then you'll have an even greater chance of liking this game! So, don't buy it because you want to. Think for a second. Do you really like Pokemon? Did you really like Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire? If you're able to answer yes to both of these questions, then you should go ahead and buy the game, otherwise go rent it, or try it out from a friend. If you like it, go for it!

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