Pokémon Vega is a Japanese ROM hack of Pokémon Fire Red Version for the Game Boy Advance. Though originally in Japanese, a team of dedicated writers decided to make an English version of this hack. I am ever thankful for the team behind the translation, because unlike the prequels Altair and Sirius where you could get through the game just fine without a guide, Vega has a new region, and thus you would need a guide if you were playing it in a different language. Does this hack live up to the hype it has built up as the "Best Japanese ROM Hack?" If you just skipped to the rating or have already played this, you would know the answer to that question already. Without further ado, let's get right into it.

Graphics: This game is graphically based on the original game, though some sprites are taken from RSE. I have always loved the overworld sprites from FRLG, so the choice of Fire Red to do this hack was a positive. The region is cold and snowy, yet beautiful at the same time, and you can feel that in the map design. Even without the animated battle sprites of Emerald, the Pokémon still feel alive. The Fakémon that populate much of this game also look amazing, and while they do not always feel official, they are still interesting creatures. The new sprites, overall, look amazing, and the game continues to be one of the best-looking on the GBA.

Sound: Yes, the red health sound-effect is still in the game, don't bother asking. I am going to be focusing more on the music for this section, anyway. How does the music hold up? Spectacularly. Each piece of music perfectly fits the setting. I could listen to all of these tunes on their own, if I wanted to. Believe it or not, you actually can, because you can download the OST on the translation project's PokéCommunity page. One of the best soundtracks on a ROM hack.

Addictiveness: I would say this is a success. No matter how frustrated I would get, I would still come back for more. I even had incentive to grind, something I rarely ever want to do (we'll get to the issue of grinding in the difficulty section). I want to see what the game throws at me, I want to see all of the new Pokémon, I want to discover new areas and beat all of the gyms. I want to be the very best like no one ever was. Like a normal Pokémon game, this had me coming back for more.

Story: The story is not too different from that of a regular Pokémon game. You still have a "To Be The Best" story line, you still want to complete the Pokédex, you still want to beat the evil team, that's all the same. On the other hand, the continuity with Altair and Sirius really makes the story stand out. You might want to have played those hacks first before diving into this, but on the other hand, you could get filled in fine while playing through the game. If you want a basic rundown, you, the champion of Hoenn, have moved to the region of Tohoak, and must beat that league, whilst simultaneously taking down Team Dark Hole, a bunch of bad guys formed from the remnants of teams White Hole and Black Hole. It's surprisingly interesting, and the characters all help make it even better. Mosmero is still one of the best characters in written existence, so that's a positive.

Depth: This ROM hack is not as in-depth as many other ROM hacks that are currently still being developed. Still, it manages to be great without any insane engine tweaks. The post game is rather simple. Complete the Pokédex, rematch the Gym Leaders and the Elite 4, and explore the new dungeons. While you're doing that, the game is still throwing its trademark difficulty at you (we'll get to that in a minute), so you never feel too powerful, but at the same time the scaling slows down quite a bit after beating the champ, so you don't feel too powerless, either. There's a decent amount of depth here, overall.

Difficulty: If you are the type who is turned away from something due to its insane difficulty, then my friend, this ROM hack is not for you in the slightest. It gets easier after the third badge, but up to that point the game is absolutely punishing. The game gives you over-leveled boss fights and tells you, essentially, to use all of the Pokémon you have up to that point to try and take them out. It is a very strategy-oriented game, and encourages Smogon-level playstyles and team compositions. Or, if you're dumb like me, you can just grind. Grinding for the first three gyms is horrible, but once you get to the fourth one, you have access to the Vs. Seeker, which allows you to grind for both experience and money. This allowed me to buy 99 Max Potions by the time I made it to the Elite 4, with enough money left over to buy a ton of Full Heals and Revives as well. Basically, what I'm saying is that there are two styles of play, and neither one is wrong. Use strategy, and the fights are more difficult, but less tedious. Grind, and it's more tedious, but you can speed through the bosses. It is a decent balance that works, but still, if you're not prepared for insane difficulty in a Pokémon game, then I recommend you stay away.

Overall: So, does Pokémon Vega live up to the hype it has built up over the last few years. Absolutely, it does! There is nothing terrible about this hack whatsoever. It is aesthetically pleasing, highly motivating, and gives you enough challenge so a veteran fan of the serious can be challenged by it. If you are looking for something new, interesting, challenging and, most importantly, fun, go ahead and give this ROM hack a try.

SCORE: 9/10

But I'm too stupid to be able to defraud someone, let alone over the internet!

This is the police! You are under arrest for repeatedly calling us over various silly matters.

janus : Action RPGs and strategy RPGs are ultimately similar, yet vastly different. Each game has the traditional RPG stuff, like weapons, leveling, etc. Unlike Tales, where the battles are apparently in real time, this game is very turn-based. You don't really get a good idea of the gameplay of the Tales series from this hack, since it is a Fire Emblem hack and all that. Still, the two genres blend well thanks to the shared RPG elements.

Tales of the Fire Emblem is a hack of Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. It replaces all playable characters with ones from the Tales series of role-playing games. There are also new items and old, renamed items, being able to recruit bosses, plus an increased difficulty. Of course, there's a problem: I have never played a Tales game. I am unfamiliar with the characters, settings, items, etc. I did a little research, though, so don't worry. I understand the basic premise. Without further ado, let's review Tales of the Fire Emblem.

A user of this : Granted. However, you will only ever be able to speed run and thus can never achieve 100% on any game.

I wish I had some pizza.

I feel like replacing the R with a V to make it SHAVED, so that's what I will do.

I would not know if I did not like eating mushrooms because I have never eaten mushrooms.

 The person below me is sick of Frozen.

Not that great to be honest. It's a bit too long, and I kept skipping through waiting for something to happen. Technically decent, but not my thing. 5/10.

 Now, listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6Kspj3OO0s

enanoide : Maybe a high-tech spy with a taste for lemons?

False. I have eaten and loved fudge.

The user below me owns a Daft Punk album.

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Well.

I liked it. It's pretty exciting, I could totally jam to it. 4 out of 5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkV5709EG5M&ab_channel=BMTHOfficialVEVO

zanderlex : Thanks . No questions so far, but you never know.

asdren : Thanks

Oh, Wobbuffet. THAT thing. It's only good for TWO moves; Counter and Mirror Coat. It's not even good at attacking; all it can do is counter. It's so bulky, too. Plus, with Shadow Tag, if you ever find one in the wild, you HAVE to make it faint! It's going to take your entire evening! Unless, of course, you want to catch it, but you don't want to catch fifty Wobbuffet! It's tedious and hard to use!

Next... Gardevoir.

Mine is at the very end of the school day, so I usually just use it to get homework done. Once I do that, I either pretend to read whilst napping, or stare off into space and think about life.

Oh, I have several. The Minor Agenda, Blue Necks, and Chiropractor all come to mind first, though.

One I enjoyed quite a bit of is Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. Many people call it the worst in the series, but I'd toss that in the very original game's direction. Shadow Dragon is bare bones, yes, but it provides a little bit of history into Marth, the character who no Western players had ever seen in a Fire Emblem game up to that point. Plus, it gives you pretty much everything you need for a basic Fire Emblem adventure. There are very few useless characters (the worst is only ever 3 or 4 out of 10), and the bonus characters can make challenge runs all the more entertaining. The game is easy where it counts, and even harder when it comes down to it. It's not the best game in the series, with its lack of character development, but it gives you a basic story, with many of the elements that made Fire Emblem good to begin with.

Espurr is weird. Look at those eyes! It creeps me out, man! Totally better when it evolves, but when it isn't...

Next up is Qwilfish (have fun)

When she started, a man jumped through her window via motorcycle, urging her to come with him. "We're going to Disney Land to find a real Pokémon!" he said.