Pokemon FireRed

I have never played a Pokemon game. Phew! That wasn't so hard, confession is good for the soul! Seriously, while I haven't played any of the previous Pokemon releases, I have experienced Pokemon mania vicariously through my children and other young friends and relatives over the years, and have always wondered just what it was about the series that made the games so popular and addictive. Knowing that my youngest would love to have this latest edition, I was excited to receive Pokemon FireRed Version for the GBA to review.

FireRed and LeafGreen are actually remakes of Pokemon Red and Blue, with some new creatures and features added. As stated above, I haven't played the originals, so this review will mostly concentrate on the game experience as a whole, rather than comparing the originals to the new versions.

While it is true that this is a remake, there are also new Pokemon to capture and new areas to explore. Of course, as this is a twin game, players will have to play LeafGreen as well in order to catch 'em all.

The game begins with an animated movie starring Professor Oak, who has made studying wild Pokemon his life's work; this movie introduces the theme of becoming a Pokemon trainer. After the introductory movie, the player will choose to play as either a boy or girl trainer, and name the character. The game then begins in the trainer's house. After exploring the house, it's time to move on to the town, where careful questioning of the various townspeople encountered will furnish the interesting information that Professor Oak needs to see the trainer before he or she leaves town. It is here, at Professor Oak's, that the trainer's first Pokemon creature is selected from a choice of three Pokemon.

The game is all about "catching them all", just like the old saying. To do so successfully, trainers will need to spend a lot of time battling their collection of Pokemon against either wild Pokemon or Pokemon kept by other trainers. This will cause the Pokemon to level up and learn new fighting moves. The battles are turn based, and offer trainers a choice of battle moves, or whether to catch the creature or run away. Capturing the Pokemon requires the trainer to have a Pokéball to throw at it. These can be purchased or sometimes found lying around the ground. The wild Pokemon are hidden in grassy areas, water and caves, so are hard to avoid except by avoiding these areas totally.

Gameplay begins on an easy level, and increases in difficulty as the game progresses. The creatures encountered in the first areas are very easy to defeat and capture, and there is a handy hospital nearby that will rejuvenate all the Pokemon in the trainer's party. Handy trainer tips are located all over on signposts, characters are chock full of advice, and early on in the game, a Teachy TV can be added to the inventory. The battles become tougher and more strategic the further abroad trainers travel, but the increase in difficulty is gradual.

Up to 6 Pokemon can be in a trainer's party. After capturing 6 Pokemon, all other Pokemon will be stored in "Someone's PC", which is capable of holding up to 30 Pokemon in each of 14 boxes. Access to these Pokemon can be obtained by using the PCs found in different locations around the towns. To raise a Pokemon (increase its abilities), it's necessary to use it in battle. All Pokemon used in a successful battle will level up. Pokemon can also be left at a daycare, which will raise the Pokemon for the trainer, one at a time.

Besides the regular fighting moves, special items can be used to either heal the Pokemon or to power up. These items can be bought at a Mart, found lying around or even be given by friends. Special Hidden Moves that are learned by accessing Hidden Machines are also available, but won't be usable until specific Gym Leaders are defeated. Thereafter, the Hidden Move will always be available, if it has been learned. These special moves are needed to gain access to new areas and to avoid wild certain areas.

There are many ways to enjoy this game with friends. Multi-player options abound for either trading or battling Pokemon, and mini-games can also be played once the Game Corner becomes available later in the game. Each player will need a separate game cartridge, and connectivity can be achieved by using either the included wireless adaptor, or by a GBA cable. The wireless adaptor is a cool addition, but players will still need to be close to each other to play.

The game interface is very intuitive and easy to use, PC games should always be this easy! During battles, the options are super easy to access, and during the rest of the game, the menu index is only a Start button push away. The main menu will display the choices of Pokédex, Pokemon, Bag (inventory bag), Your Name (view game progress), Save, Options and Exit. The Pokédex displays all the Pokemon captured or defeated with sortable information, the Pokemon choice shows the stats of the trainer's party, and the Name choice displays the amount of money, badges, the number of Pokemon caught and battle and trading records with friends. The included manual has an amazing amount of information, again, PC games should be this well-documented. This is probably one of the best manuals I've seen lately in terms of organization and detail.

However, I have one main beef with the game's options, as there is only one save slot. This means that kids will not be able to share this game, but families with children close in age will have to have more than one game cartridge. I realize that storing the game information on more than one save game may have been problematic with so many stats and creatures to store, but surely there could have been room made for 2 save slots.

There is a lot of strategy involved, mainly in battle modes. Each Pokemon has special abilities tied to its habitat, such as fire or water, and each Pokemon is countered by its opposite in habitat. Trainers will need to experiment with different combinations of Pokemon in the party for the best outcomes. While this sounds simple, it's not that easy, especially when encountering new Pokemon.

On a visual level, the graphics are slightly above average. The inhabitants and Pokemon are cutely drawn, but the town inhabitants could use a bit more detail. The Pokemon are attractively designed, though. The buildings and locations are adequately drawn, but are somewhat muted in tone. Brighter colors in the background would have added to the appeal.

The music is pretty much the same as in most GBA games. The tunes are catchy enough, but there isn't anything here that will necessarily have players humming along.

I'm glad I can now say that I've truly experienced the Pokemon world. Playing this game has been very enjoyable, and the strategy is deep and satisfying. The creatures are really appealing in appearance, and even in name (which are all similar to real creatures and abilities). The game has lasting power, as ending the quest doesn't end the game, there are still more Pokemon to capture. The interaction with characters and buildings makes the game more fun, and finding the items around the towns is also fun to do. It would have been even more enjoyable a game experience if more interactivity on the lines of Harvest Moon had been available, but there is still plenty to do. The only drawback to the whole game is the lack of multiple save slots, which really limits the family game aspect. This is a shame, as this game is otherwise the epitome of a family game in terms of appeal and ease of play, and especially the multi-player capabilities.