Pokemon Sapphire
by Nintendo

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Category: Video Games
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Product Summary

• Start out with just 3 Pokemon, and travel across Hoenn to earn badges in 8 different gyms
• Over 350 new Pokemon are here to battle with, collect and trade
• New battle system allows trainers to take two Pok mon into battle instead of just one at a time
• As you play you'll open up fun and exciting mini-games that advance the storyline
• You'll have to become a hero by helping Team Magma stop Team Aqua from flooding the world for control of the water Pokemon!

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Video Game Reviews of Pokemon Sapphire

Customer Review: Good, but not the best
Summary: 4 Stars

The PROS:
1. New graphics make the game more enjoyable to play
2. You can be a male or female trainer like in crystal. The male is somewhat scary-looking, and the female, once you get over her huge bangs, is rather cute.
3. You can run, walk, or bike, and this is very good for those trainers who don't have the patience to move like a snail for half the game.
4. There is a Safari Zone, which is good to catch pokemon you can't get elsewhere.
5. There are more legendaries! There are 8 in total for both games. The legendaries are: Kyogre (Sapphire) or Groudon (Ruby); the legendary trio which consists of Regice, Registeel, and Regirock (both R/S); Rayquaza (the mewtwo of the game for R/S); and lastly, Latias (the red female bird, similar to enti/sucine/rikou) that is in Sapphire, and Latios, the blue male which is available Ruby.
6. Latios from Ruby can in fact be accessed by an Eon Ticket and an e-reader. And vice-versa for Ruby, but if you do get the game, I'm sure that you'll read about it on a game walkthrough (for you probably will need some help).
7. You can grow berries for pokeblock ingredients as well as for pokemon battles.
8. You can create a secret base and buy items to decorate it with.
9. The map is easier to use, and flying is easier because you can roam around the map without having to press the "up" or "down" button.
10. You can compete in contests to win ribbons!
11. Breeding is much faster than the older S/G/C versions.
12. There is a new HM called "dive."
13. You can get a stunt bike or a super-speedy hard-to-control bike.
14. The sound and graphic quality are better.
15. Walkthroughs that are being set up are usually very good.

The CONS:
1. Double battles are not common; you need to find trainers with siblings or partners in order to have a double battle, and they usually only have a pokemon each, so they usually don't last very long.
2. You can't trade with the older versions! This is really bad for trainers such as myself who have worked hard to train their beloved pokemon from up to eight years ago (b/r/y).
3. No cell phone, radio, or clock that played a major role in G/S/C versions. You do get a clock in the beginning of the game, but it's useless.
4. The beginning of this game is very slow. Don't be surprised if you want to drop your game and take a nap.
5. Your "rival" is irritating beyond all understanding: instead of being like Gary, he/she (whatever gender is your opposite) is like a dream man/woman! (S)he is very nice and doesn't even try to make it up to the pokemon league, but instead helps Professor Birch (the new Oak/Elm) with the pokedex!
6. Latios and Latias are VERY hard to find; you don't see them until you run into them, and unless you have a pokemon that knows a move or has a quality that prevents running away, Latias/Latios will run away and then it's a wild goose chase, and it is highly recommended to keep your master ball until then!
7. I have yet to find any good cheats without the use of a gameshark, like the rare candy code for pokemon blue/red/yellow, or the masterball cheats. Those might appear later however.
8. There is no "whirlpool" HM.
9. For those who would like to be a male, the female is a faster runner.

Overall I gave it four stars for the fact that the pros are better than the cons. I would recommend this to a more-skilled pokemon trainer that knows the ropes of the game, but there are walkthroughs for the less-skilled trainers out there. Try to have fun with the game!

Description of Pokemon Sapphire

First, the game has a lot in common with Pokémon games Silver, Gold, and Crystal. For example, players can choose to be a boy or a girl trainer, an internal clock sets events at certain times, and the game's handy-dandy Pokédex helps players keep track of the many stats. You're main goal is still to beat all the Gym Trainers and become the Pokémon Master. If you've played the old games, you will be right at home. But not all is the same.

The most obvious change is in the battles themselves. Now that two Pokémon can fight on your side at the same time, you can tag-team them against an enemy by taking advantage of the strengths of your Pokémons while covering their weaknesses. For example, you can now have a water Pokémon watch your fire Pokémon's back. You can also attack more than one Pokémon at a time.

A whole new element to the game focuses on how berries are used in battle. And if you collect enough berries, you can take them to a Berry Blender and make a PokéBlock, which is a little super-charged candy that raises your Pokémon's "Condition" attributes. You can then groom your Pokémon for regional contests and compete for ribbons like "Best of Show," which will unlock additional contests. There's even strategy in how to best use your berries: pick too many and the berry tree will disappear; plant berries, though, and a tree will grow. You can also build a Secret Base in special areas of the game, which you can decorate just like you can your room.

And let us not forget that Pokémon Sapphire has a kickin' multiplayer system, too. You can trade Pokémon, and link up to four players for incredible battles. The only downside is that you can't link up with the old Game Boy Color games. --Bryan Karsh

Pros:

• You can control two Pokémon in battle
• Much needed graphic and sound facelift
• Nice multiplayer feature (requires link cable and extra game cartridge)

• Can't trade Pokémon with Game Boy Color

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