• Start out with just 3 Pokemon, and travel across Hoenn to earn badges in 8 different gyms

• Over 350 new Pokemon are here to battle with, collect and trade

• New battle system allows trainers to take two Pok mon into battle instead of just one at a time

• As you play you'll open up fun and exciting mini-games that advance the storyline

• You'll have to become a hero by helping Team Magma stop Team Aqua from flooding the world for control of the water Pokemon!

Some of the best new features of thse games include; a secret base which you can decorate with items collected on your journey, a popularity contest in which you can get ribbons for you pokemon to raise his fame, 2 VS 2 battles (both via link cable and with pairs of characters in the game, including a set of twin gym leaders), and the ability to plant trees to get special nuts & berries. There are at least 7 new legendary Pokemon, and while there are no new types of Pokemon in this game, the new critters have many new abilities to keep gameplay fresh.

These game may not be "all they could be" according to some people, but they are more than worthy successors to the Pokemon saga. We all eagerly await the coming of the Gamecube Stadium game...

73 of 82 found the following review helpful:


Gotta catch 'em all... again!  Feb 18, 2003 By Big Daniel McFoot
Just when you thought it was safe to own a Game Boy Advance, Nintendo announces a brand new Pokemon title.
What we have learned is that -- in addition to a hoard of one hundred new monsters being added, as per the usual -- four player GBA link cable play is being tucked in. How do four players Pokemon at the same time, you ask? Easy: two-on-two battles. With four players (and monsters) involved, the battles get that much more hectic. For that matter, just two players can choose to engage in "Double Battle". That means even with just two trainers present, you can send out two Pokemon at once to battle in a four monster free-for-all.

Beyond that, the Pokedex has been entirely disposed of. It's been replaced with the Pokemon Navigator (of course, it's known as "Pokenavi" for short.) Inside the Pokenavi's copious confines you'll find more than a simple list of Pokemon. You'll be able to see a map of the game's world, and check out what's in different towns you've visited so you can refresh your memory without trekking back there to discover it all again. In a section of the Navi dubbed "Trainer Eye", you'll be able to review your win and loss record, and the inclinations your Pokemon display during battle. You'll be able to check strategies and schedule rematches with other characters.

It seems like Team Rocket finally hung up their hats, because this time you'll be battling two syndicates of Pokemon mischief: Team Magma and Team Aqua. Team Magma will trouble players of Ruby, while Sapphire fans will have to contend with Aqua. The stories of the two games are more or less the same, otherwise, though.

With the addition of new modes, new monsters, and all-new game interface options, it sounds like more than a little care is being put into Ruby and Sapphire to assure fans of an extremely enhanced Pokemon experience.

26 of 27 found the following review helpful:


Pokemon Sapphire is a nice piece of work  Feb 01, 2003 By Amanda
I have been playing the Japanese version of Sapphire for about 20+ hours now, and I believe I might be able to shed some light on what to expect.

Overview: The game starts out with the ability to choose between a boy and a girl character. Like previous games, you may choose the name of your character HOWEVER you can not choose the name of your rival. After taking care of some basic things, you head out to become a Pokemon master. The same aspects of the previous games once again apply, and of course, Team Rocket(in the form of Team Aqua) will once again try to stop you. The game is very easy to follow and manipulate, so even the youngest fan won't have a hard time becoming a Pokemon master.

Graphics: Unlike Crystal, the Pokemon are no longer given an "intro" animation. While this does reduce battle time significantly in the long term, it might be a dissapointment for many younger players. However, the animation for attacks and item usage has been greatly improved. Certain attacks, like "attract" are now given a greater spotlight and have become long-term status effects. This new addition, along with many other new TMs, will greatly delight even the oldest Pokefan.

Music: The music is rather cheesy. This newest release does feature variations of the battle themes that most G/S/C fans are accustomed to, but the variations aren't incredibly good.

Pokedex: Yes, the Pokedex has once again gone a major upgrade and it will not be a dissapointment. The most interesting feature is that your Pokemon will now be shown relative to your character, giving the player a better idea of how large each Pokemon is.

New Pokemon: If you expect the new release to have lots of cutesy Pokemon, you will be in for a let-down. 186 of the "old" Pokemon are not availble in either Sapphire or Ruby, and as you can not trade with the earlier versions of the game, completing your Pokedex will be impossible until further versions are released. The nice thing is that, until Milo Town(3rd town), you won't encounter any of the old Pokemon. This means that you can not longer rely on familiar faces like Mareep and instead you'll have to adapt to new Pokemon like Jigumaguma. There are 5 Pokemon featured in this game that can not be caught in Ruby; Habunake, Hassboh, Latias, Kyogre and Runatoon. Both Latias & Kyogre are "legendary" Pokemon.

Overall, despite the music and the inability to trade Pokemon with previous versions, this is a great game that will keep anyone busy for hours on end. Sapphire is definetely worth the [price].

73 of 84 found the following review helpful:


The bom recomend even for teens  Jan 14, 2003
Pokemon Sapphire has 100 new pokemon. The graphics are some of the brest i have ever seen. when you walk in the snow your footprints stay for a couple of seconds and then fade away. you now have to fish at the exact moment and move your hook instead of waiting three seconds. I have the game in Japanese and have found 43 of the new Pokemon. The best starter pokemon is the fire pokemon he has the most stat increases and learns the most attacks. You will encounter a racoon like Pokemon definetly catch it!!!!!!! It is the 3 rd best electrtic pokemon and learns 2 new attacks lightning strike and electrick kick. Hope this Review helped .

29 of 31 found the following review helpful:


Pokemon Sapphire  Feb 18, 2003 By Michael
Okay, I'm a 12 year-old gamer and started the pokemon saga with the Yellow Version and coudn't stop playing it. Then I got Silver Version and thought the new pokemon was awesome. Then I got Crystal Version thinking it was something new finding out that nothing was different except the choice of being a boy or girl trainer, easier way to catch Suicune, and the Battle Tower. I really didn't care for the Gameboy Advance until I heard of Pokemon Ruby + Sapphire release. I coudn't wait. I'm suprised that I made it this long. I've been checking out every website imaginable to find out information. Here is some things I found out:

1. Ruby and Sapphire will unleash more than 100 new battle-ready Pokemon.
2.You can't have new Pokemon without new trainers, and each game offers up a never-before-seen pair. Gamers can test Landon and Terra in Ruby and Sean and Marina in Sapphire.
3. The intense - and tougher - new battle schemes in both Ruby and Sapphire will satisfy even the most hard-core battelers. Now you can have battle two characters againts your friends two characters, or link up and battle three friends with each player managing one Pokemon at a time.

I also found a couple of tips you can use in your gaming experience:

1.Early in the game, catch a few Zigzagoon! Their special ability can get you a lot of great free items.
2.Make sure to replant berries to keep your berry supply growing.

You begin your adventure inside a moving truck and had just arrived at your new home. Your mom tells you to take a walk. While you are walking you see that Professer Birch is running from a Phoenca and he climbs into a tree. He tells you to pick a Pokemon out of his bag. Once you take care of the Phoenca he notices your talent in Pokemon training so he lets you keep that Pokemon. By the way the new starting pokemon are Torchic the fire Pokemon, Mudkip the water Pokemon, and Treecko the grass Pokemon. After that you start your journey. If you are just starting in Pokemon you should play the other versions first but for all those Pokemon Masters out there you should defenitely buy this game. Just for the the link-up battles, sometime this week I'am going to buy a link cable for Gameboy Advance. This game and it's counterpart Pokemon Ruby will be the best versions yet in the Pokemon saga. I'm definitely going to buy these games when they come out.

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