Pokémon Emerald

Pokémon Emerald
Developer(s)	Game Freak
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Satoshi Tajiri (executive producer) Shigeru Miyamoto (director) Junichi Masuda (world director) Ken Sugimori (artist)
Released	JPN September 16, 2004 NA May 1, 2005 AU June 9, 2005 EUR October 21, 2005
Genre	Console role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Ratings	ESRB: E USK: Unrestricted OFLC: G8+ PEGI: 3+
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance
Media	128-megabit cartridge

Pokémon Emerald, released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Emerald (ポケットモンスター　エメラルド, Poketto Monsutā Emerarudo,^?), is a title in the Pokémon series of video games. It was released for the Game Boy Advance in Japan on September 16 2004, in North America and Hong Kong on May 1 2005, in Australia on June 9 2005, and in Europe on October 21 2005. It features the Dragon-type Legendary Pokémon Rayquaza on the cover. The game is an enhanced remake of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, adding to the third generation of Pokémon games. Like the games it was based on, the player controls a Pokémon trainer, whose general goal is to traverse around the Hoenn region and conquer a series of eight Pokémon gyms to earn eight Gym Badges, then take on the Elite Four, defeat the Pokémon League Champion and succeed him/her. Like Ruby and Sapphire, the game features the third generation Pokémon, but also adds some second generation Pokémon that were once limited to Pokémon Colosseum. The National Pokédex is also available without trading. The game follows the same storyline as Ruby and Sapphire, but adds new elements such as the Battle Frontier, where the player can enter a variety of areas with different Pokémon competitions.

Story

In Emerald, the protagonist moves to Littleroot Town of the Hoenn region from Johto. Upon rescuing Professor Birch from a wild Zigzagoon, he or she receives the Pokémon the player used to fight the Zigzagoon (either a Treecko, a Torchic or a Mudkip) and begins a journey. Like the previous games, the player's goal is to collect eight Gym Leader badges so he or she can challenge the Elite Four and become the Pokémon Champion. In these games, the rival is of the opposite gender and is more of a friendly helper, checking the player's progress at various times and giving items to help the player advance through the game. The protagonist's father, Norman, is the Gym Leader of Petalburg City. The player will meet him in the city's Gym. Shortly afterwards, a young boy named Wally enters, who wants to catch his first Pokémon before he has to move away from Petalburg. The player accompanies him out into wild grass, where he catches his first Ralts. Wally is overjoyed and thanks the player. Later on, the protagonist faces him again in Mauville City, where he is seeking to challenge the Gym Leader there. After the player defeats him (or if he defeats the player), he reconsiders and decides to improve his team.

Screenshot of Pokémon Emerald.

Every so often, the player runs into a man named Scott. Scott is a man looking for a strong Pokémon trainer. The player first encounters him in Petalburg City where he thinks the player might not be strong enough. After that, he starts to recognize the player's strengths and abilities. The main antagonists that the player faces are Team Magma and Team Aqua. Emerald is different in that both teams are the villains in this game: in Ruby and Sapphire, one team was the antagonist and the other was the protagonist, trying to stop the other team. In this game, both teams are the antagonists. Instead of one team awakening a legendary Pokémon, both teams succeed in awakening a legendary Pokémon each. Team Magma's hideout is located at the base of Mount Chimney and is also the location where they awaken the legendary Pokémon Groudon. Team Aqua's hideout is east of Lilycove City, and they awaken the legendary Pokémon Kyogre at the bottom of the sea. The two Pokémon do not obey either team and begin fighting at Sootopolis City, and the weather alternates between sunshine and rain. The player must awaken the legendary Pokémon Rayquaza at the Sky Pillar, after which Rayquaza will swoop down and force the two combatants to stop, returning Hoenn to normal.

A battle between the protagonist and his rival commences.

After the player acquires the eight badges, he or she is given entry to Victory Road, a location with high-level Pokémon and experienced trainers. The Pokémon League and the Elite Four are stationed in an area north of Victory Road. Near the beginning of Victory Road, Wally catches up to the player and demands another battle. His team has improved and after the player defeats him he vows to retrain until he triumphs. After defeating the Elite Four, the player may battle him again. Once the player defeats the Elite Four, Norman gives the player the S.S Ticket for the S.S Tidal at the player's house. A news bulletin appears and it says a colored Pokémon is in flight through Hoenn. When the player's mother asks the player what color the Pokémon was, the player has a choice of the running legendary Pokémon (Red for Latias and Blue for Latios). A little later, the player receives a phone call from Scott whereupon the player will be allowed to enter the Battle Frontier through the S.S Tidal, where more Pokémon and more battles await.

Changes

While Emerald’s relation to Ruby and Sapphire is similar to that of Pokémon Yellow to Pokémon Red and Blue and Pokémon Crystal to Pokémon Gold and Silver, it also adds more dramatic changes and revamps than its two predecessors. In Emerald, the player will receive a National Pokédex from Professor Birch after he/she defeats the Pokémon League. After completion of the Hoenn Pokedex, Professor Birch will give the player a starter Pokemon from the Johto region. Emerald introduces several changes in battling. In Ruby and Sapphire, 2-on-2 battles were clearly marked, and those trainers would not challenge the player unless the player turned and talked to them. 2-on-2 battles are now more sporadic, with two separate trainers coming together to battle as a pair. Paired trainers will also challenge the player if the player gets too close to them as well. After the Elite Four is defeated, the Gym Leaders may also demand a 2-on-2 rematch with the player, and each will now possess about two or three Kanto/Johto pokemon. In previous games, once a Gym Leader was defeated, he or she would not demand a rematch. Also, within battle, Pokémon sprites are animated similarly to Crystal, which are usually stationary in its predecessors. Some of the Pokémon are lower in levels and are changed, an example being the first wild Pokémon being a Zigzagoon instead of a Poochyena. The Gym Leaders also have different Pokémon at different levels.

The playable characters of Pokémon Emerald, in their altered outfits.

The game includes many aesthetic changes. For instance, both Brendan and May now have green outfits with sleeves shorter than their Ruby and Sapphire outfits. Some routes and areas have also been redesigned with different layouts and more trainers to allow for more random 2-on-2 battles. Some Pokémon locations have been changed as well. In Ruby, the player could only capture Groudon, while in Sapphire, the player could only catch Kyogre. In Emerald, both Legendary Pokémon can be caught in separate caverns (Terra Cave for Groudon, Marine Cave for Kyogre) after defeating the Elite Four. The player can also choose which running Legendary Pokémon to catch (Latios or Latias). Previously, the player could only catch Latios in Ruby and Latias in Sapphire. The Safari Zone also has new areas that allow the player to catch many Pokémon that originated from the Johto region, many of which were only previously obtainable by breeding Pokémon found in Pokémon Colosseum. Also, Emerald features a new area called Altering Cave, where Pokémon in this cave alter when the player uses a Wonder Spot in real life.

Battle Frontier

One of the most significant changes is the addition of the Battle Frontier, an expanded version of the Battle Tower that was present in Ruby and Sapphire. During the game, a man named Scott will meet the player frequently. As the player progresses through the game and wins more badges, Scott will become more impressed. After the player defeats the Pokémon League Champion, Scott will call and invite the player to the Battle Frontier. The Battle Frontier is divided into seven areas, six of which are new (the seventh area being the Battle Tower). The player's trainer card is expanded to a Battle Frontier Pass. When the player wins matches, he or she gains Battle Points, which can then be used to buy vitamins, obtain rare items, or use move tutor services. After several consecutive victories, a player will face the facility's Frontier Brain, who will award the player with a Frontier Symbol (the Frontier equivalent of a badge), which come in silver and black.

Reception

Pokémon Emerald has been generally well-received by both gamers and reviewers alike.^[1][2] Gamespot gave Emerald a 7.5 rating.^[3] Similarly, IGN has given Emerald an "Impressive" rating of 8.0 over a possible 10.0.^[4] Emerald has also received an aggregate rating of 77% on Game Rankings.^[5] However, Eurogamer gave Emerald a score of 6/10, praising it for looking better than either Ruby or Sapphire and for having harder and longer gameplay, but criticizing it for being more of a "director's cut" than a half changed update, with most of the game still resembling that of Ruby and Sapphire.^[6] The changes and additions in the game have been considered by many to be major ones, and the popularity of the Pokémon franchise has seen the game meet commercial success. Emerald was 2005’s second best-selling game in the United States, and went on to sell 6.32 million copies, making it the third-best selling game for the Game Boy Advance.^[7]

References

External links

• Pokémon Website
• Game Details for Pokémon Emerald at Pokemon-Games.com (requires Adobe Flash Player)
• Official Japanese site’s Pokémon Emerald page