Pokemon was originally released in 1998 for the Game Boy. Since then it’s had a number of “sequels”. Pokemon Sapphire and Ruby are the first Pokemon games released for the Game Boy Advance. Even though the fact that they are released for the Game Boy Advance, they don’t show the graphical upgrade that you would hope to see. They are practically identical except some Pokemon are available only in certain versions, just like the past games in the series.

Graphics



The first thing you’ll notice while playing Pokemon Sapphire/Ruby is that the graphics aren’t really that much different from the games predecessors. There are no major changes to the graphics, in battle and out. The games do feature a lot more color and do look better then their predecessors, but the games could look so much better. When graphics in other GBA RPG’s for in game battles, like Golden Sun, show outstanding graphics and effects, you just feel like there was no real effort put forth into the new Pokemon games when you play them.

The games do however feature some effects that remind you that these are GBA games. For instance if you walk by water you can see your reflection in it, or if your walking on sand you’ll leave footprints, which will stay there for a few seconds then start to fade, and the same for riding a bike on the sand. Also later in the game you’ll be near this volcano and there will be falling ash from the sky. If you walk through the tall grass, which is covered by ash, the ash will disappear leaving behind you a trail behind you.

Gameplay



The gameplay is basically the same. You get to choose one of three Pokemon available to you at the beginning of the game. You can collect Pokemon, then get their levels up by getting experience from battles, and try to win gym badges. After you get all 8 gym badges you can go and try to take on the Elite Four. There are 350 Pokemon that you can obtain through collecting them in battle, trading and evolving them. However you wont really feel the need to go out and collect other Pokemon since it should be fairly easy for you to go throughout the whole game with your first Pokemon and beat it. And that’s really the only thing that hurts the gameplay, its really easy. However, the battles are way too fun and addictive to have the easy difficulty ruin them.

The battle system is fairly simple. You have your Pokemon fight other trainers Pokemon or wild Pokemon. Your Pokemon can only hold up to 4 moves at a time. The battles in the games are mostly 1 on 1, but there is a new addition: 2 on 2 battles. They are pretty much like other RPG’s where you pick your Pokemons attack then choose which of the opponents Pokemon you would like to use it on. Although these 2 on 2 battles are very fun, there are just too few of them to really make that much of a difference in the gameplay.



There are some mini games within the games. The Casino is back where you can test your luck on slot machines then use the money won to buy prizes and whatnot. There is also Pokemon Contests that you can enter your Pokemon in, which is new to the series. In these competitions you use your moves to try to impress the judges.

Sound
There’s not much to say about the sound. It does have some high quality music similar to SNES quality. The sound effects in battle are also fairly nice. The sounds for the Pokemon aren’t that great, in fact they are unchanged, but hey it’s a GBA game, not a Gamecube game.

Replayability



The main quest will take you about 30 hours, and even after that the games not done. You’ve got plenty to do like trying to go and get all the Pokemon, or go have fun with the games mini games. There is also GBA Link Cable support that will allow you to battle up to 4 of your friends, which can be really fun. Or you can trade Pokemon with your friends, which is a must if you want to have all the Pokemon in the game since you can only find certain Pokemon in certain versions, and some Pokemon will only Evolve if you trade them.

Overall
Even though the games are easy and don’t have that big of a graphical upgrade, they are still really additive games. These games are a must if you have a GBA, simply because it’s to fun of a gaming experience too miss out on. If you’ve never played Pokemon, now is the perfect time to try it out. If you’re a fan of the series, despite it not having drastic changes, it is still a great game worthy to be part of the great Pokemon series.