So the Mario series isn’t the only series to resort to remakes to cash in on the success of previous games. Pokémon went right ahead and did so with Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, which on the surface look like Super Mario All-Stars- an older game with updated graphics and sound, on a new system (in this case, the Gameboy Advance). Actually, however, there’s more to it- new items, new areas, Pokémon not in the original game... but does it make the game worth buying?

This Review is on the usual 0-4 star scale. 0 is as weak as a Magikarp, while 4 is as strong as Mewtwo.

Graphics: **½
The graphics are obviously improved off the original game’s graphics. Otherwise, they’re nothing great- though not anything to really complain about either. It would be nice for there to someday be a (real) Pokémon RPG with 3D graphics (note I don’t include the GameCube games, which were a departure from the usual Pokémon gameplay).

Sound: *
For whatever reason, this game’s music found a way actually to go down in quality from the original music. In fact, I’d rather listen to the 8-bit original music than these updated remixes in almost every single case. Maybe it’s nostalgia, and the original sound brings back good memories to me. Or maybe it’s that the people in charge of the music got too cute and messed up a good thing. And by the way, Pokémon still make those sound effects, instead of saying their names, so you’re not getting any improvement in sound there, either.

Difficulty: *
This game is about on the same difficulty level as the original. I consider it easy now, but that’s after lots of experience with the Pokémon series. This game won’t really challenge you much, and I even tried to be challenged, by making a Pidgeot my most powerful Pokémon, but apparently even relying on Pidgeot can work well in this game.

Controls: ****
There’s nothing to complain about when it comes to the controls. They’re completely simple to understand and use. They usually are in RPGs, anyway.

Story: ***
The story is the same as the original, for better or for worse, except for an additional side story involving the Sevii Islands. This means that you won’t have any surprises, although the game gives a hint about Giovanni’s son, which is not really related to this game’s story, but interesting nonetheless. The Sevii Islands story involves Lorelei of the Elite Four and Team Rocket, which I think is a way of connecting the storyline of these games to the subsequent Gold/Silver/Crystal story arc. It’s actually pretty interesting, if you care about how the storylines are connected. It still gets on my nerves that I’m always in control of a 10-year-old non-talking brat, but I guess that’s something you’ve got to play through.

Gameplay: ****
It’s still the same as the original. Sure, there may be new features added in such as holding of items (not in the original), but it’s virtually the same. You’re still battling other Pokémon, trying to capture wild Pokémon, etc. I doubt you are reading this Review without any knowledge of how a Pokémon game works, but just in case you don’t, my Reviews of Pokémon Yellow and Sapphire should explain this to you.

And yes, the gameplay is still as excellent as it always was. It’s still fun, it’s still addicting. In fact, I was almost embarrassed to enjoy it so much- I’m usually so opposed to remakes, yet I was enjoying this remake so much. But that’s not why I’m opposed to remakes- the reason I don’t like remakes is because I’d rather be playing something brand new that also is a lot of fun.

New Features: ½
If you’re looking for something new, for some brand-new experience, something that makes Pokémon LeafGreen different from its Gameboy counterparts, well, you’re pretty much out of luck. See, all the Pokémon in this game outside of the Sevii Islands are exactly the same as they were in the original games. They are even found in the same locations! You would have thought that maybe they’d mix up the locations of the Pokémon, but no, they’re all in the exact same places as before. So, no, you can’t capture Johto or Hoenn Pokémon and bring them into battle against gym leaders, because you won’t see a single Hoenn Pokémon in this game, and Johto Pokémon are only found in the Sevii Islands. Okay, okay, I get it, these Pokémon don’t live in Kanto, so they shouldn’t be there… but weren’t there some Johto Pokémon in Kanto back in Gold/Silver/Crystal? And don’t Johto and Hoenn Pokémon show up in Kanto in the animé? My main question is, why couldn’t this game have different Pokémon  from the original adventure? If it did, it would feel like a new game, but instead, it feels like the same game.

And if you think the Sevii Islands are something else, think again. Sorry, but they’re not that big, for the most part, and although they do have some interesting things to them, they aren’t all that great. I would have rather had some real twists in the story and new things added in to have to do, instead of just having a little sidequest in the Sevii Islands as the big addition to this game from the original games.

Replayability: **
The game can be played as long as you want to keep on collecting Pokémon and/or improving your team of Pokémon. So it’s really your choice. Unfortunately, with the main storyline being pretty much a breeze to get through, this game may not last you as long as you’d like. Of course, that’s from playing the Red, Blue, and Yellow versions and having it nearly memorized, but it still probably won’t last all that long.

Fun Factor!: ****
One thing this game has, that I can’t deny, is a real fun factor. Just like the original games, it’s a whole lot of fun to play through. I really don’t know why it is, considering I knew practically everything about it already, but still, it turned out being a lot of fun for me, again.

OVERALL: ***
Yes, this is a good game. However, I can’t recommend it for purchase if you’ve played the originals. Why not? Unless you really are a huge fan of Pokémon or feel like experiencing the original games in a slightly new way, this game doesn’t really bring much new to the table. You’ve played it all before, and this isn’t anything new. It’s pretty much what the Super Mario Advances were to the Mario games they remade- not much new, and not really worth it if you already own the originals. Although this game doesn’t have the original Mario Bros. included.