Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Reviews
As tired as the series can often seem, these games still shine.
You can't shake the feeling that it's also an unending gyre of game loops.
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire take players back to the beautiful Hoenn region, providing a story that feels not only nostalgic, but like a new experience entirely.
Once I made my way to Slateport City and entered myself and Barkley, my Grovyle, in the Contest Spectacular, it wasn't hard to recall exactly what has endeared me to Pokémon over the years. I eventually walked away with third place, though satisfying gameplay loops often wind up leaving even aspiring Pokémon masters like myself with room to grow. Hopefully, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will give fans that opportunity, either in retreading steps worn throughout Hoenn or acting as if it were a brand new universe on 3DS.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire may not be perfect, but they're an exciting step forward for the long-running franchise.
This year's games have plucked the best functions and features from Pokemon games past and present, blending them into a package that ticks the right boxes, but doesn't think outside of them.
This game has a ton of strong points and few weaknesses, with one of the weaknesses possible to fix in the form of DLC. It's a very solid title that deserves to be purchased if you enjoyed the previous versions. For sure one of the better games of the franchise, and could well be THE definitive game of the series if Game Freak plays its cards right.
Just enough has been done to preserve the spirit of the original games while making these entries feel like a legitimate part of the current Pokémon ecosystem. Game Freak and Nintendo have taken the main Pokémon franchise about as far is it can go, short of actually evolving it.
Pokémon games have been around for almost two decades now, and whether it's an entirely new set of adventures or updated classics like Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby, the core gameplay formula remains virtually untouched. More features are added to burst the seams of content, with extra activities from the originals carried over. Some may find much of them completely optional, but every Pokémon fan can find a way to lose dozens to hundreds of hours exploring the Hoenn region once again.
One of the best Pokemon games in the franchise, with everything that makes the modern games good.
As I've said a number of times, this is Pokemon. You are more than likely getting what you expect from the game. With that said, the lack of the Battle Frontier and the removal of customization has left many fans scratching their heads. Game Freak has been notorious for adding great features one game and then removing them in the next. It was no different in ORAS, and as a result I docked the games a couple of points.
Matthew O'Mara and Anand Ram team up to review the combo of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire remain faithful to what made the GBA originals great. The new features are strong, but some of the progress made by Pokemon X&Y has also been undone.
In ORAS, your motivation for progress is the same as it ever was
Perfect for long time fans and new ones. This is the definitive Pokémon title (until the next one at least).
Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is a good remake, but new features and graphical updates make it a hard sell for those who have already invested many hours in the originals.
New features like DexNav and the soar ability add just enough new gameplay elements to the classic Pokémon formula to help make this decade-old adventure feel new again.
Why feeling largely familiar, Omega Ruby still offers a solid game of Pokémon with addictive online trading functionality to keep players obsessively catching 'em all.
Oddly enough, a game that made its debut almost 12 years ago is what it took to lure me back into Pokémania. Although X & Y did an admirable job when it came to transitioning the Pokémon series onto the 3DS, to me (other than the graphics) it seemed like the same formula from 1998 with a new coat of paint. However, this entry feels like a true next-gen title, with all the charm of the Pokémon franchise and just the right amount of features and complexities to have players journeying through Hoenn for years to come. Grab a Poké Ball and jump right in!
Overall, Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire seem very similar to Pokémon X & Y, as you might expect, but the story and the environments you encounter feel – despite the fact that they are remakes – very fresh and unique. They're not an extensive upgrade from their other 3DS counterparts, but any Poké-fan who's played one of the series remakes in the past knows that expecting an enormous upgrade is a fool's errand. These titles should be considered as games that belong alongside X & Y, rather than successors. — they've successfully surpassed X & Y, however, by building on the tremendous features available on the 3DS and pushing new ideas such as the Soar ability. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are a must-buy for any Poké-fan, even if you already own X or Y.