Emerald - the best Pokemon game to date!

Before I start this review, I should mention that I am older than the age group the Pokemon games are usually geared at. I am 18, and my boyfriend who has also been playing these games is 19. I have tried to give a good all-round opinion of the game, but please bear this fact in mind!

If you have played any of the previous Pokemon games or watched any of the cartoons or movies, you already know the idea behind this game. Pokemon Emerald features you as a pokemon trainer, travelling the land whilst collecting and battling Pokemon as you go. The idea behind the games are pretty simple, and it's easy to catch on as to what you're supposed to be doing after just a few minutes of game play. Though at face value the game is very simple, it can also be seen as a game of strategy. For those of you who already own Sapphire or Ruby, this game is pretty similar, the main difference being the addition of a few new areas and the ability to catch all of the legendary Pokemon. However, my boyfriend who owns Sapphire still recommends getting Emerald on the basis that the graphics are much better.

Basically, you must explore the world of Hoenn, attempting to become the greatest Pokemon trainer. This means catching a good variety of Pokemon along the way, training them up and giving them the best abilities, and putting them into battles to earn gym badges. The story is simplistic and there isn't very much to it, but that doesn't make the game any less fun. You are never forced along in the game - if you would rather stick in one area just training up your Pokemon you are able to. There are a good variety of Pokemon and evolutions, meaning that the user is able to create the team of their choice. Whilst my boyfriend prefers picking the tough looking Pokemon with the better stats, I tend to just go for the ones I find cute! You can go any way you choose and still succeed within this game, and the large selection of Pokemon means almost every game is different.

Catching and training Pokemon is very simple. In order to catch one, your character has to wonder around in patches of grass until they are attacked by one (which isn't time consuming at all. You are attacked often, sometimes annoyingly so!) Once the wild Pokemon has been weakened, throwing a Pokeball at the wild Pokemon usually catches it. You are able to have a total of 6 Pokemon on your team at a time, but can store many many more and are able to change with some of your stored ones at any point. In order to train your Pokemon you must battle against wild Pokemon or other trainers (which are scattered throughout the game). When your Pokemon successfully defeats another Pokemon, they gain points, and when they've reached enough points, levels. Increase of levels enables your Pokemon to gain new attacks (though they can only know a total of 4 at a time), and in certain cases, evolutions. Again, all of this becomes very clear once you begin playing the game, and is no different from any of the previous games. Though there are a lot of characters etc to remember, the game isn't really very difficult at all and it's easy to learn the controls and what you're supposed to be doing within a matter of minutes.

Basically, this game is very similar to Sapphire and Ruby, though with a few improvements that allow for better gameplay. Though I personally can't comment as Emerald is the only one of the trio I own, my boyfriend is often attempting to steal my version as he enjoys it more due to the added features. If you have played Red, Blue, Gold, Silver or any of the other previous games and enjoyed it - you're going to enjoy this as well. I definitley find it to be the best of all of the games.