Pokemon FireRed/LeafgreenPublisher: Nintendo
Developer: Game Freak
System: Gameboy Advance
Release: September 7th, 2004, US
With their great gameplay mechanics and replay ability, Pokemon Red and Blue proved that the series could be more than just a fad. In 2004 they received remakes - FireRed and LeafGreen, but do they stay true to the originals and add enough to make us want to play them again?In FireRed and LeafGreen players take control of a small town kid getting ready for his first Pokemon. FR/LG don't feature a gripping tale like most RPGs usually have, staying consistent with the rest of the series. Players will go on an adventure around the Kanto region collecting the 8 Gym badges, taking on the Pokemon League, and saving the world from the evil Team Rocket throughout it all.
The bulk of the games are battling Pokemon and catching Pokemon. Battles are straight up turn based affairs with type advantages and disadvantages. The types are all based off of common sense; fire is super effective against grass, electric has no effect on rock, and so on and so forth. There are a multitude of Pokemon types in the game, ranging from water to ghost to dragon. Some types are super effective against multiple other types, and vice versa. Some types are double super effective on one type while another might be only regularly super effective on the same type. A Pokemon's strength is determined on it's stats: HP (hit points), attack, defense, special attack, special defense, and speed. Stats are increased when a Pokemon levels up, which is accomplished by defeating either wild Pokemon or a trainer's Pokemon in battle and gaining experience points. Pokemon attacks are split up into two categories: physical and special. The damage of a physical attack depends on the attack's own strength combined with the Pokemon's attack stat, the same being true with special attacks only dependent on the attack's strength and the Pokemon's special attack stat. Pokemon attacks also have the same types as Pokemon do; with every Pokemon type also an attack type. This is where the concept of super, regular, or hardly effective comes in: the attack's type to the Pokemon's type.
Pokemon are caught by weakening wild ones in battle and using a Poke Ball to catch them (you can't catch a trainer's Pokemon). There are different types of Poke Balls that increase the chance of a Pokemon being caught. Different Pokemon have different catch rates, so a really rare Pokemon will be very difficult to catch as opposed to the neighborhood Caterpie. If a player's Pokemon has fainted in battle or lost HP, then they can take them to a Poke Center to get them rehealed. Healing items like potions and revives can be purchased at Poke Marts and can be used in and out of battle.
If this all sounds strangely familiar, that's because it should. FR/LG don't introduce many new gameplay aspects for them to feel unique from other Pokemon titles, even Red and Blue. Luckily however, there are some new things.
One new gameplay feature in FR/LG is when players load a saved game; the game shows them the last four most important events that occured. It's a pretty cool little feature, but really only useful if players have taken a long break from the games and forgot what they had done prior. A few other notable ones are a couple new items, such as the VS Seeker, which allows players to find trainers that want a rematch. This is a bit of a rehash of when trainers could call players for a rematch in Silver/Gold/Crystal, but nice to have nonetheless.
While the gameplay hasn't changed much at all compared to Red and Blue, there's one area that has: the graphics. They're obviously a huge change from Red and Blue because of the GBA's increased power over the Gameboy, but it doesn't use the full power of the system. The overworld looks nice and colorful, but it's very simple and just not amazing compared to other titles on the Gameboy Advance. Pokemon battles are a mixed bag graphically; the Pokemon sprites look really well done even though they're modified from Ruby and Saphire (the previous GBA Pokemon installments), but the backgrounds are just plain colors depending on the area players are battling in. For example, an indoor battle prompts a white background with a few designs, a battle in a forest has a green background with a few designs, etc. The soundtrack is more of the same, with a couple cool remixes such as the Trainer Battle Theme. For the most part though, you've heard all these tunes before.
The biggest pull factor to FR/LG is one that has stayed completely true to the Pokemon series: You Gotta Catch 'Em All. All the Kanto Pokemon are in split between FireRed and LeafGreen, and a good number of Johto Pokemon can be caught after players obtain the National Dex. After the Pokemon League is beaten, players can do optional side quests on the Sevii Islands; seven islands exclusive to FR/LG. On those islands is where Johto Pokemon are caught, as well as the Kanto legendary bird Pokemon Moltres. When the Sevii Islands are completed, players are given the opportunity to catch Mew Two in the Cerelean City cave. For additional replay ability, the levels of the Pokemon League's Pokemon are elevated and the Elite Four and Gary have some Johto Pokemon the second time through.
The VerdictSound8/15- A decent soundtrack with a couple cool remixes. You've jammed to all these tunes before, though.
Graphics10/20- Colorful but very simple graphical style. The engine is a modified version of the one used in Ruby/Saphire, so everything looks very similar. Backgrounds for Pokemon battles are bland when they could have had some great detail and variation.
Appeal21/25- The main quest is the same you've played in Red and Blue, which is good for those of you looking for a remake that stays true to the originals. For those of you who are looking for a little more, there's seven extra islands to explore after the main game is beaten. Catching all the Pokemon will always be the biggest pull factor.
Gameplay32/40- If you feel yourself thinking "this all feels so similar", that's because it is. FireRed and LeafGreen bring little to the classic Pokemon gameplay, but this is a gameplay mechanic that still works to this day with little new added.
Overall71/100- If you're new to the Pokemon series and want to play the games that started it all, FireRed and LeafGreen are good substitutes. If you're looking for something that changes the Pokemon series on the graphical and gameplay fronts, however, you're not going to find that here.
