Pokemon Fire Red ~ Review **Spoiler Warning**

[HyperionX]

Got my copy today! And I decided to review it.

This game is a graphical remake of the original Red/Green. Everything is all nice and colorful and the music has been remixed brilliantly. The basic menus seem to have disappeared and the game starts you off with a controls tutorial before Oak this his Pokemon Introduction. Ok, got into the game now, and walked around for a bit. Everything is still the same, except for the graphics. They probably talk more here too, the text seems to drag on for a bit.

Done the basics and went and chose my Pokemon. Note that Red [Ash] and Blue [Gary] look way cooler than before, the detail on them is amazing. I picked Charmander [heehee] and Blue picked ... of course, Squirtle.

Battle commenced

The music is VERY good here. It's very upbeat and it gets you in the mood for things. A heavy remix of the original theme. Shame though that the sprites of the Pokemon are STILL static, and they don't move or anything when performing attacks, quite sad really. At this point in technology I would've expected something Golden Sun style, but then again, I can't complain, as there would be a lot of stuff to fit in one cartridge. Done my first attack, and a load of other text came up, probably stating the damage and experience, PP/Moves and stuff, and the same happened when I got hit. Well, this is a first battle, and I guess they wanted to get everything down to the player, all nice and clear.

On my 3rd turn, just for fun, I went and tried to view my Charmander's stats. When I did, I actually got a bit of a shock. The layout of the area where you choose/change Pokemon is exactly the same as R/S. Quite annoyed, I decided to mash B until I got out of the menu, as there was more text there, probably explaining how the system works. One neat thing also to note is that the japanese version of the game supports English characters. I renamed the Japanese Charmander to English, it was selectable on the re-name menu. Kinda neat!

Defeated Gary [I thought about losing, then I wanted to Level up], talked a bit more, and we were out.

Went out, went to Vivridian, got the stuff, went back, picked up Pokedex. It's much better than before and it allows you to display Pokemon in different "areas" I guess. Land, Water, or numeral, cave, sky, grass, stuff, you know ^_^!

Went to catch a Pigey [no, I didn't bump into Ho-Oh] , same interface as before, same sound effects too. Nothing new there.

EDIT: hit POST by accident

To continue, this game is very promising, but it's all the same again. It feels like as if Nintendo has been using us to just test Ruby/Sapphire to fish out our likes and dislikes, as if it was a Prototype Pokemon Game. And now us consumers by the "complete" product. Just feels like that to me anyway ...

[HavoX]

Ah, brilliant review!

So I guess Pokémon FR/LG would be more of an enhancement to R/B/G/Y rather than a new game, huh?

[DannyBoy]

That was well done. I also got it to today. I think they changed the attacks. I don't know a lot of japanese but it seems like charmander gets metal claw at 13. He turns all silvery and then slashes. I will take some pixs with my web cam and i will try and post them. So far I like it, its kinda the same but it feels new with all the graphics.

[Razola]

Just got my ROM a few seconds ago. I like how they redid the opening of the old games. Graphics seem a touch better than Ruby/Sapphire as well.

Look forward to playing when I get some time.

[SWAMPERT1]

its a great game for vets but i was woundering..how do u use TM's?

[DannyBoy]

Raz dont say the ro...word. You wll just get yourself in trouble and possibly close this. And Swampert1 what do you mean, good for vets? And the TM's are the same. It is really cool how they show the pokemon learning it. Also Charmander does learn Metal Claw. It is really useful in the first battle.When you heal a pokemon with a potion, it shows the pokemon getting sprayed with it. The graphics are amazing!

[Razola]

Originally posted by IloveX-TINA
Raz dont say the ro...word. You wll just get yourself in trouble and possibly close this.

Heavy discussion is prohibited, mainly telling people where to get them and asking for them. I did neither.

Graphics are as expected, sub-par. Do not give me excuses for Nintendo, the graphics could be better. But I was not expecting a huge change with Fire/Leaf anyway, so it's alright.

I do like that all items have a picture now. Much much easier for us non-japanese speaking folk. But was a cutscene of me spraying a static image of Squirtle needed? I'm glad it only happens once.

For those trying to get TMs: go to vital items pocket (it'll be the one that doesn't have a quanity for each item and select the yellow cylinder (looks like a battery) and choose the first option. Done right, and you'll have a submenu of all your TMs (you'll know because every item in that menu has a number).

So far the game has reached expectations. Nothing to get very excitied about, but it is nice to go through the ol' stomping grounds again.

[Pewter City Geodude]

Nice! One mistake though, the trainer and his rival are not Red and Blue. There's a male and female trainer you can choose to play as and they're completely new characters.

[HyperionX]

Nice! One mistake though, the trainer and his rival are not Red and Blue. There's a male and female trainer you can choose to play as and they're completely new characters.

Er .. what?

Yes I know they're not rivals. Red = Ash and Blue = Gary, I just like to refer to the Japanese names. I chose Red and I had to name Gary. I think I mashed the buttons too quick to be able to choose whether I wanted to be girl/boy, so they gave me Blue. It could be different I guess, but due to Japanese text it's quite hard to know what is going on.

This game is yes, an enchancement of RBGY ... it's good, but I feel like it's a waste of money to buy it again. I got to a point in playing where I feel like I shouldn't do any serious training yet until we can settle with "THE" game, so I could get all serious.

All in all, R/S's programming is in the game with enchancements and differents bits here and there, it's RBGY in R/S basically. Even -some- of the graphics are pretty much the same.

[Pewter City Geodude]

What I meant was, you can choose between a male and female trainer now. I don't know if there's a separate rival or not but anyway the main male character is definitely not Red.

[Animelee]

Shigeru/Green's clone = Leaf (the in-game rival)

Satoshi/Red's clone = Fire (the male trainer)

Blue's clone = Water (the female trainer)

That's what I call them, anyways...

Here's a list of their default names I hacked from the ROM data:

Fire:"Red", "Hiroki", "Teshio", "Kei", "Zak", "Takashi", and even "Satoshi"

Water:"Kyoko", "Hisae", "Michiko", "Norie", "Chiho", "Yatsuko", "Makiko", "Misuzu", and "Satoko"

Leaf:"Green", "Snakes", "Satoru", and even "Shigeru"

[Chaotic]

Wait wait, you guys own the game? I assume you're talking about the Japanese version right?

[Razola]

Yes, the Japanese version was released around Monday, I believe.

[Pewter City Geodude]

According to Serebii.net, the old R/B/Y TMs are still available from various move tutors scattered throughout FR/LG. Awesome news.

[Craig]

I'll probably buy this game, but im wondering just how different it is from Red/Blue? Is it actually "Wow holy crap this is AWESOME!" is there any new dynamic things? And.. are there Pokemon Beauty Contests (Pokeblocks?) Is there breeding?

What about Johto.. Well Im assuming you havn't gotten that far in the game yet, but is this actually anything new or just a rehashed game with prettier visuals?

[Pewter City Geodude]

From what I can understand from various places, there are no contests, but instead you can exchange berries for items.

[Animelee]

They took out secret bases, berry growing/blending, contests, and breeding.

[DannyBoy]

I still thinks its cool. I never really used the secret base or a lot of the stuff they added in except the contests. I think they should have kept them in it. But so far I have 4 badges and i want to go to Saffron but it wont let me. I went and got the drinks but they still wont let me in. Does anyone know what to do?

[HavoX]

Originally posted by Animelee
They took out secret bases, berry growing/blending, contests, and breeding.

@#%$

oh well, I'll live

[Animelee]

I love secret bases because I'm able to battle my friends when we can't meet, and it's also a great way to level up your Pokemon.

Instead of upgrading the daycare to a breeding center, they decided to leave it the way it is...

They took out all the soft soil so that we can't plant berries in Kanto...

They took out the PokeNavi, which means all the ribbons our R/S Pokemon have mean nothing in Leaf/Fire.

Contests are out, for some dumb reason. Instead of developing Pokemon, GAME FREAK decided to make Leaf/Fire a simple upgrade...

GAME FREAK is still my favourite gaming company, though - but this is, like, one of their worst mistakes, in my opinion.

[Razola]

Originally posted by Animelee
GAME FREAK is still my favourite gaming company, though - but this is, like, one of their worst mistakes, in my opinion.

Game Freak was a good developer in 2000. But they haven't done anything good with pokemon since.

Wow, so all the superflous bells and whistles of Ru/Sa are gone. Big deal. It's just Nintendo admitting that if you stripped away all the extras, the games haven't changed that much since the games first came out.

That's okay, because I never expect anything from Game Freak anymore. I expected a fairly bare-bones remake and those expectations were fufilled.

Not a bad game for old vets who want to relive the good ol' days.

[Pewter City Geodude]

Originally posted by Pewter City Geodude
According to Serebii.net, the old R/B/Y TMs are still available from various move tutors scattered throughout FR/LG. Awesome news.

Apparently, people didn't see this the first time I posted it. Also, serebii.net's info about the mystery islands looks really interesting.

[HavoX]

Originally posted by Pewter City Geodude
Apparently, people didn't see this the first time I posted it.

because some of us might have already gone to serebii.net for info about it :Þ

[Pewter City Geodude]

Well it just didn't seem like people were taking it into account when forming their opinions of the game. I think it's awesome that we can get those old TMs back. The EQ/Rock Slide/Swords Dance Sandslash returns! (Rhydon can do it too with this.)

[Powarun]

I found the game, fun, mainly because I am playing it in Japanese and it is more difficult because I have only my memory to find my way. But yeah why did they take out the extras? Is there 2on2 battling or no. But for the most part this game is fun still.

[Umbreon007]

I havn't been on the boards for a while... Hi all.

Um, is there a website I can order the japan version?

Thanks

[Razola]

Originally posted by Umbreon007
I havn't been on the boards for a while... Hi all.

Um, is there a website I can order the japan version?

Thanks

This site has it, but it is expensive. You may want to wait for a US release date before paying twice as much for a Japanese version.

[SWAMPERT1]

Hi U_007 Do u remember that day when i came here and u helped me (along with G_M) in the R/S forums? I do. But anywho i think u should wait for the english version to come out unless u want to pay lots a dope.

[soggy_cardboard]

IMO, this game sucks.

Its all just a bunch of eye-candy.

There are some new sprites (some pokes, and all trainers) which is good. Its just a pity they still use the same pokes as the r/b game. (with little exceptions)

i am currently getting the Poke-flute.

The first 2vs2 was:
Nidoran(m) + Nidoran(f)
vs.
Blastoise(m) + Pidgeot(f)
Which sucks. This is just out of Lavander town. I have had no trouble with the language, because its is the same as r/b.

Ekans is very annoying, waiting for its new intimidate ability.

There are some out-of-game pkmn sprites which are cool.

Hopefully it gets better as the game goes on.

[Razola]

It's a remake...what were you expecting?

After two generations of games like Yellow and Crystal, Fire and Red is a lot better than the Emerald or Diamond people were guessing would come out. Why are people complaining?

[soggy_cardboard]

I was expecting a lot more.
I mean, sure I expected the same starters, and the same landscape...but...

The same pokes for your opponents?!
I was expecting them to use different pokes.
I was expecting a new puzzle or two.
I was expecting a little variation.
So sue me.
sorry if i sound rude....

[Jamesology101]

Wow, I'm surprised that breeding wasn't included, even if contests weren't. Very bizarre.

Well, nothing so far has enticed me to buy this game, so it looks like I won't. I think I'll just shark the missing Pokemon onto my Sapphire version, and always have Yellow for nostalgia purposes. It's a shame, after what they did to allow you to get the GSC Pokemon on Collosseum, I was expecting a little more creativity with the Red/Green remakes. Oh well, can't say I'm really surprised.

[Dark Sage]

There has to be Secret Bases.

A list of Base decorations included ones that are unavailable in Ru/Sa, including dolls of a good many FR/LG characters. Obviously, these are available in FR/LG.

And I find it hard to believe that breeding has been taken out. Where is everyone getting the information, anyway?

- Venusaur

[Animelee]

Probably when you trade Pokemon over from Colosseum and Leaf/Fire to R/S, you get certain decorations attached to certain Pokemon.

The Kanto starter giant dolls probably are attached to those Pokemon when traded over, and the same goes for everything else. :/

R/S and Colosseum are still the best, but, being the fanboy I am, I will buy Leaf/Fire.

Besides, you get that nifty wireless linkcable, which works with other games, too.

*Imagines wireless battling in the bus, car, mall, restaurant, etc. with his friends*

[Pewter City Geodude]

There are also the Mystery Islands with some neat stuff on them.

[Animelee]

According to people on GameFAQ's, there's... a fourth island!! With some Rocket agents, some braille, and... a BREEDING CENTER!!!! OMG PEEZ PANTS!

Who knows?! There could be some more islands with Pokemon Contests, and such.

Could the braille represent Unown?

Could there be a fifth island with Lugia, secret bases, and a Pokemon Contest?

I want to marry GAME FREAK.

Edit: After beating the Elite Four, and you get your National Dex, you can catch:

Marril, Mugmag/Slugma, and Nokochi/Dunsparce. People are finding out so much! Maybe this game isn't just a remake after all, but an upgrade to R/S! It sure seems that way! OMGOMGOGM!!!

[Dark Sage]

Gee, Animelee, just a while ago you swore there was no Breeding Center.

I guess we learn something every day - or every hour of every day.

I just wish someone who actually was native to Japan would visit these boards - he (or she) would be a wealth of knowlege!

- Venusaur

[DannyBoy]

Could someone please help me. I can't get into Saffron City. IS there a new way? I went up and got the drinks but that does not seem to be working?

[Kojiro]

Unfortunately, Animelee, I will not belive it until I see it, but you know, why do you guys complain about no bases,breeding, or contest, transport your FR guys to Ru/Sa why don't ya?

Anyway, is it me, or do you level up faster, my Bulbasaur (Saur) and Walter(Pidgey, by the way I will give points for whoever can guess the reason my Pidgey is named Walter) were at level 18 before misty!

[Pewter City Geodude]

Damian Silverblade just posted this on Bulbagarden:

They aren't the only surprise available in FRLG.

I've seen hoppips and Piloswine. GSC ones are in, too . There's even a whole new map area (a group of islands) in the game, and they're there.

Sighted so far (wild ones that is, I've seen trainers with pineco and plenty of others) :

Swinub
Hoppip
Sentret
Phanpy
Spinarak
Ledyba
Natu
Yanma
Whopper
Unown
Qwilfish (fishing)