Pokémon Emerald

Setting and story

Pokémon Emerald returns players to the Hoenn region with a story that closely follows the events of Ruby and Sapphire. At the start, players pick a boy or girl protagonist, both sporting new green-themed outfits, and choose one of three starter Pokémon before leaving their hometown. The main goals are to complete the Pokédex by capturing and evolving various Pokémon, earn eight Gym badges, and ultimately defeat the Elite Four along with the Hoenn League Champion. Two rivals appear: May or Brendan, Professor Birch’s child, and Wally, a shy kid from Petalburg whom the player helps catch his first Pokémon, a Ralts. The Champion is Wallace.

Throughout the adventure, the player clashes with both Team Magma and Team Aqua—groups that were exclusive to Ruby and Sapphire, respectively. Magma wants to expand the land, while Aqua aims to expand the sea, each believing their plan will help Pokémon. To achieve this, Magma seeks to summon Groudon, and Aqua seeks Kyogre. Their schemes include making a volcano erupt and stealing a weather-altering Pokémon. Between the seventh and eighth Gyms, both teams use mystical orbs stolen from Mt. Pyre to call forth their legendary Pokémon, but Groudon and Kyogre refuse to obey and start fighting, causing the world to lurch between extreme droughts and heavy rains. The player must climb a tower to summon Rayquaza, who calms the battling titans.

After becoming Champion by beating the Elite Four and Wallace, new content opens up. Two roaming Pokémon, Latias and Latios, can be encountered flying across Hoenn. The Battle Frontier becomes accessible, offering additional challenges. A rematch with former Champion Steven Stone is available in Meteor Falls, where he uses a stronger version of his Ruby and Sapphire team. Finally, the player can capture Groudon and Kyogre, tracking their locations by speaking with the scientist at the Weather Institute.

Development and promotion

Pokémon Emerald, the enhanced follow-up to Ruby and Sapphire, was created by Game Freak and put out by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. Its existence was first revealed in Coro Coro Magazine. This game continues the series tradition of a third, definitive version, much like Pokémon Yellow was for Red and Blue. It works with the Nintendo e-Reader, and a set of 83 e-Reader cards for Emerald came out on October 7, 2004.

In Japan, copies of the game came with a wireless adapter, but this accessory was not included in English releases. Nintendo ran several promotions tied to Emerald. One was a contest where players could compete to become the "Pokémon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Battle Brain." This event was held in seven locations across the United States and Canada.

From those areas, 14 finalists (two per region) went to Seattle, Washington's Space Needle to battle for a trip for two to the Pokémon Park in Nagoya, Japan. Other fans could enter to win a chance to watch the finals from the Space Needle. The competition tested knowledge of Pokémon characters and their abilities. A pre-order program gave those who reserved the game early access to a special Pokémon website, a collector's tin case, and a Battle Frontier guide.

Nintendo also put out a limited-edition Game Boy Advance SP featuring a silhouette of the legendary Pokémon Rayquaza. This console was sold only in Japan through the "Pokémon Trainer Online" website and never made it to other regions; it later appeared on a list of rare Pokémon systems in Official Nintendo Magazine. At the 2005 Comic-Con International, players who brought their Game Boy Advance, a copy of Emerald, and a wireless adapter to Booth 2029 received a special in-game item called the Mystic Ticket, which lets them catch Lugia and Ho-oh.

Reception

Pokémon Emerald received generally positive reception and holds aggregate scores of 76/100 and 76.65% on Metacritic and GameRankings respectively. It received an award for excellence at the ninth annual CESA game awards. IGNs Craig Harris stated that while he was not enthused by Emerald, he admitted that it was a solid game and that it was the best version to get for people who hadn't played Ruby or Sapphire yet. 1UP.coms Christian Nutt felt that it was the definitive version of Pokémon at the time yet was also a rehash.

GameSpys Phil Theobald felt that it was a good game in its own right but felt like the same game as Ruby and Sapphire. GameSpots Ryan Davis noted that it was a quality experience despite being similar to Ruby and Sapphire and that hardcore fans may appreciate its changes. Eurogamers Corey Brotherson felt that it was a good game in its own right but was lacking in compelling additions. He added however that it was a better game for players new to the series.

Nintendo Lifes Laurie Blake performed a retroactive review of Emerald; she felt that the Pokémon games have aged well but still feel like they did in 1996. She further stated that the similarities between it and Ruby and Sapphire prevented it from being a must-have while still being good. Allgames Julia Reges felt that the game had a lot of value for younger players but that older players may be uninterested. She compared Nintendo's remakes of the Pokémon games to the various Star Wars remakes.

IGNs Audrey Drake praised the game for utilizing both of the villain groups and called it a "marked departure" from Ruby and Sapphire. She felt that the ability to re-battle Gym Leaders created an "exciting challenge" for players. She also included Emerald, alongside Ruby and Sapphire, in a list of Game Boy Advance games that she wanted to see on the Nintendo 3DS' eShop. 1UP.coms IGNs Lucas M. Thomas bemoaned the fact that he had to play through the whole game before he could play the Battle Frontier.

Jeremy Parish listed Emerald as one of the best games to bring onto a plane. Fellow 1UP.com editor Kat Bailey included it in her list of remakes that "left the originals in the dust". She praised the Battle Frontier and its fixes for flaws found in Ruby and Sapphire.