Pokemon Emerald 135 Review by: madmonk_adam - 8/10

So this is my review for Pokémon Emerald 135. Now my favorite era of Pokémon had to be Generation III despite the lack of Eevee and Eevee evolutions so I shall try to keep bias out of it.

Graphics:

So the graphics on the game are actually very good and the hacker didn't do much at all to change it from the original. For the GBA at the time the Pokémon games are actually in the top ten for graphics. The colors fit in well with the area, the characters aren't square or bloated or two dimensional, and you can differentiate between different characters based solely on how they look and it matches the anime and manga versions of the people. It is better than quite a few games for GBA that came out around the same time and I never once saw a graphical glitch in the game. The opening sequence is also very nice with the selected Pokémon an the character riding the bike looking very good and detailed. Also the sequences with Rayquaza, Kyogre, and Groundon are very well done and detailed. I really felt like I was in the game while playing with the great graphics and I enjoyed the vibrant colors.

10/10

Sound:

I really enjoyed the sounds of the game and the hacker didn't change any sounds from what I have seen. However it doesn't take away from the score because of how great the original music is. The music always fits in well with what is happening. From the upbeat traveling sounds to the frantic battle music it really draws you in. The background sounds of Pokémon cries while in the grass really add to the game. The sounds inside caves also really fit in with the setting and the catchy tunes stick in your head. The sounds really made me feel like I was on my own Pokémon journey and travelling the gyms. The applause during Contest also really helps you know how well you are doing and gives a great feel to the game.

10/10

Addictiveness:

Like all Pokémon games it is very addicting and the hacker actually added a bit to make it even more addicting. Emerald actually compounded onto this by adding more to do. Like most trainers I always try to catch all the Pokémon available. Mainly so I have a variety to choose from when facing certain gyms or the Elite Four. Trying to "catch 'em all" is surprisingly addictive. This hack actually helped in that area by making it possible to catch all 135 Pokémon in the Hoenn Pokedex. The game also offers a lot more than just a straightforward gym battle then elite four and champion game. Generation III is the first generation to add in contest for five categories, Tough, Smart, Cute, Cool, and Beauty. It was addicting trying to get the highest rank in each category and finding the right Pokémon with the right moves for the job. Emerald also added a whole new aspect in the Battle challenges from the battle domes to the battle tower and the battle frontier with varying challenges. I had a great time trying out each of them and doing my best to find the frontier brains and beat them. Of course it was a very straightforward game still with not much replay value to people who didn't want to try out everything or try out different team combinations. So the score gets hit a bit there. Still it is a very addicting franchise and Emerald added a lot when it came out. However I didn't like the fact that they cut out the Generation II addition of going back to the previous region and challenging those gyms.

7/10

Story:

Sadly all Pokémon games lack in story and the hacker didn't improve on this at all. It's a sad fact but true. They focused on making everything else better and pretty much gutted the story portion. However Emerald does offer somewhat of a story. You are a plucky young trainer going on your Pokémon adventure and along the way you meet a mysterious stranger who's looking for strong trainers to compete in something big. You also have a dream of surpassing your father, a gym leader, who says that you may challenge him after you have collected four badges giving you a goal to chase. Then you have your neighbor, the son/daughter of the area professor who becomes your rival. Sadly your rival is a bit sub par who doesn't appear much and never gets the final evolution of their starter. Then there is the subplot of Team Magma and Team Aqua. In Ruby/Sapphire you fight only one of the teams but in Emerald you are up against both. The leaders of Team Magma and Team Aqua, Maxie and Archie respectively, are trying to resurrect the legendary Pokémon Groundon and Kyogre to expand either the land or the sea and it is up to you to stop them! The story, while not very great, also added to the game by drawing me in that much more. I found myself anticipating what would happen next and trying to guess on events to come. However the story still isn't that great and it's more like you keep running into Team Magma and Team Aqua instead of deliberately going against them.

5/10

Depth:

There is actually a lot of depth in Pokémon games and the hacker did add on to this by making it possible to complete more of the game. From trying to complete the Pokedex, to the contest, and the Battle frontier there is a lot to do. There is also a bunch of hidden items and hard to get Pokémon and TM's, plus the addition to the safari zone after beating the Elite Four and Champion. The addition of Match call also added more by letting you fight trainers you had already beat again. I put in a considerable amount of time just trying to do everything possible and still haven't. There is easily a couple dozen worth of hours to just beating the gyms and Elite Four. Add in the rest and it could go from a couple dozen hours to over a hundred. With so much to do it is no wonder the Pokémon franchise has done great. The depth of the game also drew me in. I found myself scouring every patch of grass and the endless blackness of the caves to find all the Pokémon and items. Having a Zigzagoon/Linoone in the party also helped with the items with that handy pickup ability. And several abilities helped with finding those rare Pokémon. Like lightning rod making electric Pokémon appear more often. I also found myself training endlessly to level my Pokémon to beat the repeat battles and the battle frontier.

9/10

Difficulty:

Since it is mostly straightforward most Pokémon games aren't that difficult and the hacker didn't do much to up the difficulty nor did the hacker do much to make it less difficult. However there are several things that make them harder. If you just try to coast through by only fighting what Pokémon and trainers you run into and don't spend anytime training you'll find many battles difficult and hard to get past. And trying to get past the Elite Four without training? Forget it. Finding all the Pokémon is also difficult since some are so rare there is only one to six of them. Take Feebas for an example, it only appears on six water panels in route 119 out of all of them. Getting through several of the post game challenges are also difficult. For example in one of the Battle Frontier areas you have to win several times before the Frontier Brain is even in the area and then you have to find and beat them. I found it mildly difficult, but not too hard since I took the time to train and catch a variety of Pokémon. So while it isn't too difficult it can be.

7/10

Overall:

It is an amazing game with great graphics, awesome sound, a sub par but still good story, great depth and is decently addictive with mild difficulty. From the great colors and graphics to the realistic and catchy sounds, from the decent story and deceptively deep depth, and from the mild difficulty and strange addictiveness I don't think you'll find many reasons to not like the game. While I can understand and see some of its shortcomings it has many good points that more than make up for those shortcomings and the hacker helped in several of those good points but also didn't do anything about a few of the shortcomings.

8/10

8