Another game review, this time it is on one of my favorite Pokemon Hack games: Pokemon Emerald 386.

Summary: Imagine a game where you could get all the Pokemon you wanted without having to trade your Scyther or Onix to a friend, only for that friend to refuse to give it back. Well this is half true in case of Pokemon Emerald 386. Despite the fact that you can get the trade-required evolution pokemon (Scizor, Golem, Steelex to name a few) and harder trainer battles, Pokemon Emerald 386 is more of the same old Pokemon journey with the same old ending.

Graphics: Much like its sister games: Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald; Pokemon Emerald doesn't change much of the Graphics that you find in those games. The graphics are still pretty good for a Game Boy Advanced Pokemon Game. The Game makes use of real-time weather events (like a sandstorm when you enter the desert area and rain when you enter the forest area). The Game also attempts to make the areas appear real (like the addiction of lava when your overlooking the Volcano or the addition of seaweed when your diving in some of the dive-able areas.) Overall I give the Graphics a 9.

Sound: Sadly Pokemon Emerald 386 still uses the same generic music that you find in most of the Pokemon games. Everytime you enter the town; you hear the same "happy fun-loving" type of music. When you fight a trainer the music picks up and becomes almost a rock n roll type music (particularly when your facing the Champion or the Leader of Team Aqua or Magma.) After a while the music remains the same and can get pretty annoying after a while. I wished the Hacker had changed some of the music to make it a more unique Pokemon Hack. Overall I give it an 8.

Addictiveness: One of the most addicting Pokemon games you are ever going to play. Most if not all the Pokemon are capturable and can be leveled up to level 100. There are a lot of Pokemon moves that your Pokemon can learn and most of the optainable TMs can be bought in the Marketplaces in the nearby town where you got the TM. Most trainers that you face, you can rematch again and will have more powerful Pokemon (infact they are actually more powerful since the Trainers' Pokemon levels increased.) The is however some frustrating parts. If you chose the starting Pokemon Cyndaquil, be prepared to be frustrated by the fact that when you first face May (your rival), her Mudkip knows Mud Slap which can 2 shot your Cyndaquil if you don't grind Cyndaquil enough. Also like any other Pokemon game after a while of battling the same Pokemon Trainers, with the same Pokemon, with the same moves 1-shoting his or her Pokemon can be quit boring after a while; but the fact that their Pokemon gives more EXP then the non-hack Pokemon games should at least make you want to grind your Pokemon in battle instead of just doing the cheap, easy method (which involves the Pokemon Daycare, A Mach Bike, the Route the Pokemon Daycare is on, and the Fastfoward button). Overall I rank the Addictiveness a 10.

Story: The story in Pokemon Emerald 386 still uses the same generic Pokemon story about a new trainer setting out to conquor the Gym Badges, Elite 4, and the Champion. There is however some additions to Pokemon Emerald 386 that makes it slightly more unique then Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire (if you have played Emerald then you won't notice the changes that much). You first start out in the back of a truck (how you got inside that truck and why your parents left you inside remains a mystery...better call Child Protective Services lol.) and after jumping out, your mother greets you in your new hometown. So instead of letting you explore the town and meet people, she sends you up to your room to take a look at your room (and to also set the clock). After doing that you notice the Television is doing an interview with Norman (your father), but before you can pay attention to the interview, the interview ends. Now you can finally see the sights around town (which just happens to only have 1 other house and the Pokemon Lab.) You enter the house, meet May's mother and May, and try to leave the town only to discover Professor Birch getting attacked by a Poochyeta. You "borrow" one of Birch's Pokemon inside his bag, defeat the Poochyeta, and as a reward Birch allows you to keep that Pokemon you just selected. After getting your Pokemon you decide to seek out May, have a Pokemon battle, defeat her, and meet Professor Birch to recieve a Pokedex and Pokeballs from May. You leave the town (but not before your Mom gives you soon new sneakers) and decide to visit your dad to tell him about the recent events. When you meet him however you find that another trainer, Wally interrupts your conversation and your father sends you out to teach Wally how to capture Pokemon. After you defeat Wally you decide to head out to the first gym, but you are stopped by a mysterious man wearing black glasses who after first trying to start a conversation walks away (how rude). On your way to the first gym you meet a Devon Researcher who is ambushed by a memeber of Team Aqua and you must defend him from the ambush. You defeat him but not before the Aqua memeber drops a hint about his next intentions with the Researcher running back to Headquarters after hearing this. After you defeat the Gym Leader, you see the same Aqua memeber running out of a nearby building and the same Researcher running after him. You track the Aqua memeber down (who has taken a Winguil hostage), defeat him, and give the Winguil and the stolen goods back to their rightful owners. While you continue your advanture, you later meet Steven who becomes a friend after delivering a letter addressed to him. After that you notice that a bunch of Aqua members have taken over a building attempting to rob another Researcher. You defeat the two Aqua members and meet the Aqua Leader who tells you the reason for their actions. After some more journying, more battles with May and Wally, you come across another Researcher getting robbed by Aqua memebers again for a Meteorite. This is when you meet the other bad guys Team Magma who you later join an "alliance" to stop the Aqua leader from casuing a nearby Volcano from erupting. After the battle you deliver the Meteorite back to the Researcher, earn more Gym Badges (including beating your father), another friendly battle with May, you come across a weather station being taken hostage by Team Aqua. You save the people taken hostage, have another battle with May, encounter Steven again, earn some more Gym Badges, and head to the Safari Zone. Along the way however you encounter some memebers from Team Aqua acting weird heading to a building south of the Safari Zone. It is here that you find out that Team Aqua and Team Magma have stolen the Blue and Red Orbs and are planning to use them to unleash the two Legendary Pokemon: Groundon and Kyorge. You face off against May one last time and fly over to Slateport City to discover that Team Aqua has stolen a submarine and has left to head back to HQ. You eventually discover Team Magma trying to take over a space station and with the help of Steven you defeat the Leader of Team Magma. You find the Headquarters of Team Aqua, but the Aqua Leader escapes  with the sub and plans to find Kyorge. You track down both Team Aqua and Team Magma, defeat both Leaders, but both Legendary Pokemon awaken and go on a rampage. They clash inside a city when the Champion Wallace (who was the 8th gym leader in Ruby and Sapphire) tells you to find where the other Legendary Pokemon Rayquasa is. You find Rayqyasa, awaken him, and he stops Groundon and Kyorge's battle. Both Leaders from Team Aqua and Magma apologize for almost destorying the world, leave to give back the orbs they stole, and you earn your 8th gym badge. You then head to the Elite 4, defeat all 4, face off against Wallace, and win. You get congradulated by May (who arrives late with some advice), Professor Birch, and Wallace (but not Mom or Dad). You and your Pokemon team get uploaded into the hall of fame and the game ends in terms of story. Overall I give it a 9.

Depth: Something that Pokemon Emerald 386 excells at. You can capture all the non-Legendary Pokemon without having to trade some Pokemon for evolution. The only downside is that nearly half the Legendaries can not be captured as some of them appear on Mirage Island (which as you know is hard to get). So far the only known Legendary Pokemon that you can't catch are Mew, Susicno, Moltress, Zapados, Ho-Ho, Lugia, Lathios/Lathas (which ever one you didn't select on the TV), and Deoxys. So while you can capture alot of Pokemon, it is not the whole 386 Pokemon that the game states you can in its title (you can capture the other Legendaries, but it will take a lot of time). Overall I give it a 9.

Difficultly: Something that Pokemon Emerald 386 accels at. As I mentioned before if you selected Cyndaquil be prepared to become annoyed by the fact that May's Mudkip can 2 shot him if you don't level up. The Gym Leaders are also pretty touch (particularly your father, the Flying Pokemon Gym Leader, and the Psychic Twins.) The Elite 4 and Champion are also pretty tough, but I have a thread deticated to explain an easy way to defeat them easily. Overall I give it a 10.

Closing Points: While this is one of the best Pokemon Hacks your ever going to play on Vizzed, the game is slightly incomplete and the title is miss-leading if you don't get to Mirage Island. Still, Pokemon Emerald 386 is a fun, challenging hack that everyone on Vizzed should at least give a playthrough. My final verdict: 9.5