Am i 8 again?

I first got a Pokemon game, with a Gameboy Colour when i was around 8/9 as a christmas present from my uncle. I remember playing Pokemon Blue all day, Boxing Day and i was thrilled to bits.

God only knows how many years on and here i am playing Pokemon Fire Red, and the memories are flooding back. If you have played the originals this will be very familiar to you, its the same story with the same Pokemon, just with animations and graphics similar to Pokemon Ruby, but don't let that put you off...

If you played the originals when i did, then this will seem like new to you, the music and Pokemon will make you think back. Yes, i did play the originals but i still find this quite challenging and very compelling and addictive. To be honest, i find myself playing this more than the latest Pokemon versions, diamond and pearl.

If your a Pokemon beginner or a seasoned veteran I'd still highly recommend this very well re-make of a instant phenomenon. There is so much to do on so many levels its accessible by all ages, whether your 8 or 38!!

Sounds like R.P. McMurphy bought a fake...

Pokemon Emerald ROCKS! It's got pretty much everything that a Pokemon game should have...

I'm not here to write a review though, but to say that if you buy this game and the clock does not work (ie, you set it, wait 5 minutes and check to see if it's keeping time), then it is very probably a fake! I have two fake copies of this game- a grey cartridge fake from Korea, and a greeen cartridge one that came (via ebay)from Manchester today (oddly, with a GENUINE copy of Sapphire), which I'm in the process of trying to return to the seller(they are VERY common on ebay, and some of the ads for used ones on Amazon look like people are trying to sell fakes- there are a LOT about-Pokemon is worth BILLIONS of $!) The cartridge should have its own battery powered clock in, so either the battery needs replacing, or there's no clock on the cartridge because it's stolen code on a flash cart(or similar). If the cartridge isn't transparent dark green then it's a fake- if the cartridge is green but the clock doesn't work, and the Nintendo seal on the label isn't metallic gold, and if the writing on the seal is blurry, not sharp, and the label is not on the cartridge straight, then it's a fake- usually these will be masquerading as the USA version (oval Nintendo Seal, code AGB-BPEE-USA).
If someone advertising a used one mentions the box will be sent flat packed, then it's come straight from the printers. Genuine Nintendo games have card inserts in the box to hold the cartridge, and LOTS of documentation- the Trainers guide should be a thick booklet, not just 6 or 8 pages. People selling used games DO lose instructions, yes, but the box should then at least have an insert...

For anyone playing Pokemon Diamond and/or Pearl on the DS, if you try to use a fake GBA Pokemon cartridge in the GBA slot to migrate pokemon to Diamond or Pearl(assuming you've beaten the Elite Four, have the National Dex and access to the PalPark) then the option to migrate pokemon will not appear on the D/P start menu, and your saved game on the GBA cartridge will become corrupted and be erased the next time you play the GBA game! That's exactly what happened to me after playing for about 70 hours on my fake copy of LeafGreen. I'm looking for genuine copies of all the GBA Pokemon games now... and it can be very hard to find them if you don't want to spend too much money!
Please take care not to get fooled, and if you DO, then demand a refund, and report sellers of fake merchandise to the auction/shop site!!

Improved graphics but ordinary (boring) gameplay

Pokemon Ruby/saphire is just another pokemon game for the Gameboy advance: it has the same overhead view as all the other pokemon games, basically the same battle format with a slight addition of using two pokemon to battle (the screen zooms in and shows you your pokemons levels, attacks, health, and how he looks and an choice to change pokemon to one with a better chance of winning. The screen beside the opponent pokemon shows his level and health), basically the same storyline, the same way to catch pokemon (with a pokeball) and the same kind of moves with a around 20 new ones and the same amount of gyms (eight)as pokemon yellow/blue/red. The was 16 in Silver/gold/crystal but for some reason the amount of gyms went back down to 8. The elite four is still rather lame: even if you beat them many times and are training your level 90 pokemon on them, they still say the same thing and still taunt you even though you are the strongest pokemon trainer in the WORLD!

If you are a die-hard pokemon fan Pokemon Saphire is a must-buy, along with Pokemon Ruby. if you are not a die-hard pokemon fan, however, you should start at pokemon silver or gold. If you gave up pokemon some time ago and are thinking about starting to play it again, go ahead and buy ruby, or saphire but not both of them as there is a big chance that you will be fed up with pokemon again.

Pokemon Ruby/saphire (the two are sister games, the only difference between the two is that you can catch pokemon in ruby that are not availiable in Saphire: same the other way around) has improved graphics over Pokemon blue/red/yellow and pokemon silver/gold/crystal. The fact that you can choose to be a boy or a girl is helpful, especially if you don't want to choose a character that is a different gender than you! The battles are more colourful, and the attacks are more realistic and sometimes 3d, unlike the original 2d uncolourful graphics. If you want good graphics in a pokemon game for the Nintendo game boy advance or game boy advanced SP, then pokemon ruby/saphire is a good addition to your games.

However, if you want a game with less colourful or basic graphics but a great storyline and a huge world to explore get Pokemon Silver/gold/crystal. The three games are only for the Gameboy colour so the graphics are less stunning and more basic.

Overall, Pokemon Ruby/Saphire has some nice additions but the storyline is still the same, and still as boring.

great for kids

I bought this as the first game for my 5 year old son. He had seen the film and loved it, so that was a good start.
The game itself is really good. The graphics are excellent, the figures large and detailed enough for my son to recognise clearly and enjoy. The map layouts are also readily understandable, even for young kids.

The game is clearly linked to the plot of the film and the in screen clips are very high quality and great fun. I must admit, I enjoyed helping him with some of the puzzles, but the music drove me mad (it can be switched off).

All in all, a good buy for younger kids, perhaps best for the 5-8years old age group.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

This cartridge does not do exactly what it says on the tin, i cant use it to get any new pokemon, it often crashes and many of the items and warp to location cheats dont work. ive tried it on two games so far and checked the online support which is non-existant, furthermore is the call helpline charges £1 an hour. if you want deoxys or anything else you'd be better off getting a ticket to japan.

one of the best!

I bought one of these the day it was released and I had so much fun with it and had some cracking games for it, notably Zelda! The handheld looks gorgeous, even today, its light and can easily store it in your pocket when not using it! I sadly no longer had it as I got a psp and a DS Lite, and I got to say, for a upgrade from the GBA SP, you got to get the DS Lite, as that can play the GBA games too as well as the many great DS titles that are available to own, but the GBA is still a greta buy today if you just want a handheld with no special features like touch screen. The GBA has a lot of games from all different types to offer and so you can't go wrong with this beauty!

A must have for Tetris Fans

I was lucky enough to get hold of this prior to it's UK release on a recent visit to America, and it was money well spent!
Tetris Worlds has a number of clever variations on the basic game, plus the opportunity for head to head play with another Advance via a link cable.
The game is much enhanced by the incredible graphics in the background, which include undersea, fire and air based settings amongst others in beautiful detail, and by the quirky little cube like character who puts in regular appearances to approve or (in my case!) disapprove of your performance.
I must get more practice, and will enjoy every minute of it!

classic

hurrah! a way to play the classic snes game on the move. the people that have given it one star are probably too young to remember how great games were before fancy graphics and silly controllers. its all about the gameplay kids... and this is the game to play.

Reasons why old GBA is better at home.

I have own the old GBA for about 2-3 years now and I have been happy with it. Even with the SP coming out this didn't make me what to trade it in for just a backlight, rechargeable batteries and a new style because I only play the Game Boy at home using a adpator or rechargeable batteries and that's probably why I have never needed the SP.
If this is how you would use your GBA then the old style would suit you. It is also cheaper as well, has better sound (including a headphone jack and a better sound controls) and you can use the TV tuner for it as well.

this game was the love of my life for months

This is the best rpg game I have played on a handheld console, (although breath of fire and golden sun were pretty good) It has brilliant graphics, is alarmingly addictive and the weapon/armour selection is one of the most impressive I've seen. Sure, it may seem repetitive to some, but personally it never grew boring for me, with endless missions to complete, a great story line and don't forget originality. This is a great game, don't miss out!

everything you need to know.

FIRST GLANCE: this sp is coated in a non reflective silver plastic,it has L + R shoulder buttons which are a little small but work fine,in between these buttons is a link cable port and a power port.to the left of the sp is a volume slider which is very sensitive and to the right is of course the power switch.facing you is the cartridge port which supports all gameboy cartridges,but gameboy/colour cartridges stick out considerably.

UNFOLDING THE SP AND TURNING IT ON: their is of course a dpad to the left and a+b buttons to the right with start and select below.in the middle of all that is your speaker and above is a small button to turn on and off the light.the actual buttons feel very nice its hard to explain.right turning on a game ..KERBLAM! THEIR IS LIGHT!! its taken for granted now but finaly been able to play your gameboy games un-aided in the dark was a much needed upgrade.

PLAYING THE SP: now the screen isnt backlit its frontlit which isnt as good the light shines from the bottom of the screen and and lights it up,it produces a milky color becouse of this.its not that bad though im just nitpicking,but consider this milky screen when choosing between the beatiful backlit gameboy micro or the even better nintendo ds lite.

CLOSING THOUGHTS: the sp is a superb handheld,to be able to play your games in the dark was worth its weight in gold,the sp also has a long battery life and is the only handheld you can play gameboy and gameboy colour games with light.but if your just wanting to play gameboy advance games i highly recomend either gameboy micro or dslite. ^_^

Disappointed

Was a big fan of Sonic on the Megadrive and so tried this for my GBA, was very disappointed and returned it the next day for Super Mario Advance 4!!! Game play is very fast and it takes luck not skill to progress. I think you could move as quickly through the game with your eyes closed. Often, completely unavoidable spikes and other obstacles appear in your track. Using the springs etc that are in the levels often plunges you to your death, leaving the player not trusting the tools that the game provides. Again, this game is more about luck than skill. Pointless. Suitable for young kids. everyone else, I recommend Mario!!

Appalling

If you're considering getting one and you have a Nintendo DS, don't bother. They don't even have any cheat code options for the Nintendo DS whatsoever. All you can do is back up your saves and your game. It also doesn't tell you on the box or item description you NEED to own a GBA game and insert it in to the unit to get the DS version to work... or so you would think.

You can allegedly connect to your PC to back up files. I say allegedly as firstly the on/off switch on mine was broken making it extremely difficult to get it in to USB server mode. When it did, it managed to connect to my computer twice for half a second each time in an hour of trying to link it with my PC via USB cable (the cable is very loose in the USB port on the unit). THEN when I got it to connect for the third time it told me I had no game card inserted and then refused to connect again even though it was inserted correctly. Sigh. The manual is rubbish and the codejunkies.com site"support" is even worse.

Too long and didn't read? In short, don't waste your money on this junk.