A nice return of an old RPG, but with good extras. A good game for both new and old time Pokemon fans.
When Pokemon Red and Blue versions were released back in the late 90’s for the Game Boy, it quickly became popular and helped recognize on what Pokemon was all about. Now in 2004, (last year for the date of this review) Game Freak, the developers of Pokemon RPG's for the handheld systems, decide to return those games, but renamed them as FireRed and LeafGreen versions. (In Japan, the original Game Boy games were called Red and Green versions, not Red and Blue elsewhere) Thankfully, Game Freak makes enough new extras to keep both old and new Pokemon players satisfied.
Like in Red and Blue versions, you start your adventure with one of the three Pokemon Prof. Oak offers you, which are Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. You also have a rival, which he will pick a Pokemon that's strong against the Pokemon you choose. After all the introductions on the basics, than you’re off on your adventure. Like any Pokemon RPG released for the handhelds, you go out into fields to get to towns. But on the way, you'll encounter numerous amounts of Pokemon. You can ether weaken them and capture them, or you can terminate it to get more experience points, or you can just run away. Ether way, you'll be doing this quite often. You'll also have to get used to the amount of battles you encounter with other trainers. But this is a good way for your Pokemon to get stronger and way for you get some money. Also like any other Pokemon RPG for the handhelds, you will have to go to many different towns to defeat Gym Leaders, so then you can get badges. You continue this process throughout the rest of the game; however, there will be a couple interruptions in your adventures, such as Team Rocket, a gang of crooks and Pokemon thieves, who will try to stop you. For old time Pokemon gamers, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen versions are basically a return of Red and Blue. However, Game Freak has made a few extras and changes to these new versions to make sure they are enjoyable for any Pokemon fan.
Firstly, I'd like the point out that they changed the technology of the RPG, (graphics and audio) which I'll discuss later. They also made a couple minor changes to the gameplay so that it can stay fresh. For example, they added a couple gameplay elements from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, such as running around in fields and 2 on 2 battles, so the game won't feel too outdated. All of the old Pokemon from Red and Blue return, but this time, they also get new moves, such as ones introduced in Ruby and Sapphire. Game Freak even added some key moves and items that were introduced in games released after Red and Blue. So it's very nice that Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have these features to stay fresh. There are a couple secrets that Game Freak also added that weren't in the original versions. However, despite these minor changes, most of the game focuses on what Red and Blue was about. So, if you're a new Pokemon fan and never played the Red and Blue versions, than you will definitely enjoy this. For old time fans, this might be enjoyable only if you haven't played Red and Blue for many years. (which I haven't)
Graphics:
As said before, Game Freak changed the technology of the game, which includes the graphics and the audio. Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen look better than Red and Blue, no doubt, but Game Freak decided to use the same engine that was first made for the Ruby and Sapphire versions. So If you played Ruby and Sapphire, the graphics here will be very familiar. They make a few tweaks in the engine, but they aren't enough to consider this better looking. Also, the graphics are a little dated now that we've seen better looking GBA games. So Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen look good, but not as good as GBA games seen today.
Sound:
Old time Pokemon fans will notice that Game Freak returned all the music tunes from Red and Blue, but remixed them to sound similar to Ruby and Sapphire, which isn't a bad thing. Some of the remixes are better then the original tunes, but some of the original tunes are better than the remixes, in my opinion. But ether way, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen still have good tunes for anyone. The Pokemon make a return, along with their GB cries. So Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have a good enough audio system to appeal to most Pokemon fans.
Conclusion:
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, while mostly containing stuff from Red and Blue, prove that the Pokemon formula still works and is still enjoyable. Any new Pokemon fan will do well to give this a try, same for old Pokemon fans. Though, there really could have been drastic new extras to make it more like a classic, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen delivers what Pokemon fans want. And that's a return of an old game, but with extras to be as much fun as it was years ago.
RPG Length: 20-30 hours
Pros:
-Return of a classic RPG
-New minor extras are worth checking out.
-Upgraded graphics and music from the original Red and Blue.
Cons:
-There could've been some more extras