You just can’t hold those old Pokémon down.

When the Game Boy Advance came one of the first questions on the minds of millions of portable gamers was ‘When will a new Pokémon be released?’. Not one to disappoint its rabid Pokéfans, Nintendo released Ruby and Sapphire in early 2003 to the delight of Pokémon Trainers everywhere. Being the first Pokémon game made specifically for the GBA, the game reignited Pokémania all over the world. With tons of interesting new critters, fun mini games, and of course its nearly unrivaled addiction, Ruby and Sapphire were great additions to a fun franchise. Still, as players progressed through the two titles one major question remained. Where have all the old Pokémon gone?

Bulbasaur? Charmander? Squirtle?! Where had so many of our old favorites went to? Had some catastrophe happened on the world of Pokémon and driven many species to extinction? Were they hiding, afraid of the skills of their brand new Pokémon kin? Of course not, the missing Pokémon were merely hiding deep within the coding of the little red and blue cartridges where they would remain, out of reach, out of sight, until now.

The first information came in early September 2003 in the form of rumors: There were new versions of Ruby and Sapphire in the works that would give players access to more of the Gotta Catch ‘Em All animals. Before the end of the month Nintendo made the news official, but the rumors, as usual, had not been completely accurate. Nintendo of Japan officially announced Pokémon: Fire Red and Leaf Green editions, but they weren’t just enhanced versions of Ruby and Sapphire as many had thought; Fire and Leaf were remakes of Red and Green, two of the original Pokémon titles for the Game Boy, and Game Boy Color.

Information on exactly how the games will turn out is scarce at the moment, Nintendo has yet to release any information on additions or changes that will be made to the original games story or game play mechanics, but there are at least two things we know of for sure. Graphically Fire and Leaf will strongly resemble Ruby and Sapphire, as evident by the single screenshot released thus far. Although no battle screens have been released yet, it can be assumed that Nintendo will use the original 150 Pokémon sprites that they already created for Ruby and Sapphire. Other than graphics, Fire and Leaf will ship with a brand new Game Boy Advance peripheral, a wireless adapter which will allow GBA users to link up with other GBA without the hassle of a link cable.

Another feature of these remakes of classic Pokémon hits is compatibility with Ruby and Sapphire, meaning you can now finish that incomplete Pokédex that’s been driving you crazy for months. Through trading with a friend who has one of the new titles, or even by getting a copy and trading with yourself, you now have a way to obtain all 386 Pokémon in one little cartridge and become the ultimate Pokémon Trainer.

Fire and Leaf, along with Ruby and Sapphire, will also be compatible with Pokémon Colosseum which will be released in 2004 on the Nintendo GameCube. As in Stadium on the Nintendo 64, linking any of the four GBA Pokémon titles up to Colosseum will enable you to battle the little 2D critters in the third dimension.

I’ve been a Pokémon fan for quite some time now, and I’m anxious to get my hands on a copy of Fire Red or Leaf Green when they come out in 2004. Although the exact release date hasn’t yet been announced, I’ll certainly be ready when it is, and any other Pokémon fans out there should be as well. The chance to unite the Pokémon from both versions into one army of crazy little animals is just too interesting to pass up. Personally, I’m itching to get my old buddy MewTwo back in action.

- Luminus