Reviewed by JON MINIFE
(Herald rating: * * *)
The Pokemon Empire is in steady decline these days, but there are still millions of loyal, young fans. Last year's Pokemon Sapphire and Pokemon Ruby were both big sellers, debuting the series on Nintendo's Game Boy Advance platform. Before that, Pokemon titles had
existed only on the older 8-bit Game Boy.
These two new releases, Pokemon Leaf Green and Pokemon Fire Red, are reworked versions of last year's Pokemon Blue and Red, updated with enhanced graphics, improved sound, and other new additions from series developments.
If you're still hunting for the elusive Pokemon, they're all back in Leaf Green and Fire Red, along with a handful of new creatures. All the towns from Red and Blue are untouched, and there are nine new Mystery Islands with extra areas to explore and new Pokemon to capture. These two new versions, with Ruby, Sapphire (plus Pokemon Colosseum on the Cube) take the number of catchable Pokemon over the 350 mark.
Of course, players will need to trade between Fire Red and Leaf Green to "catch'em all" but now trading (and battling) is made easier, thanks to the new wireless adaptor that comes bundled free with each game. Pokemon Masters, young and old, can take on other trainers, or swap Pokemon, without needing a link cable.
The game's presentation has been lifted a few notches. When loading a saved game, a short recap scene reminds players where they were up to when they last played. And, if you're still coming to grips with the often puzzling world of Pokemon, there's a useful help function, just a button press away.
Pokemon Leaf Green and Fire Red are thinly disguised cash-in titles, but they will update and complete the series, plus the wireless adaptor is surely going to be a major draw card. Pokemon fans will snap these titles up as fast as Nintendo can make them, especially with the Game Boy Advance SP dropping in price (to $169.95).
Game Boy Advance $99.95
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