Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Reviews
Pokémon remains as unique as they come among RPGs—a monster collection game that effortlessly blends social gaming with deep battle mechanics. In returning to the series' third generation, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire bring back many of the elements that defined the originals while also being some of the most accessible entries to date. That said, they can be a little too easy at times, and the postgame content feels a bit lacking in light of what's come before. Regardless, they are enjoyable remakes that appropriately capture one of the more peculiar periods in the series' history.
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.
The opportunity to re-explore Hoenn is a thrilling one, and there's more than enough new content and tweaks to the old to justify the return trip. Although there are some mechanical issues, Alpha Sapphire remains a smooth journey that doesn't just feel like retracing your steps in the sand.
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.
'Pokemon Omega Ruby' and 'Alpha Sapphire' make for a nostalgic trip down memory lane, while still keeping the games current with a number of new additions.
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.
Clever updating of familiar favourites makes them feel like new adventures.
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.
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.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are solid additions to an already beloved franchise, and can be enjoyed by both longtime fans and newcomers alike. I do wish it had been slightly more challenging, however, as I often found myself over-leveled and smashing through gyms. Though the post-game content makes up for that by offering a wealth of activities to keep you interested. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire has a little bit of something to offer everyone.
These little quirks and irritants don't make it a bad game. It is, in fact, good. But without them, it could have been great.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire may not be perfect, but they're an exciting step forward for the long-running franchise.
Much like the previous remakes; it separates itself from the rest of the games in the series, and has allowed the developers to truly experiment. It's not perfect - it's not even my favorite remake - but it is one of the distinguished Pokemon games that I have played in years.
With its new features, Omega Ruby puts me in good spirits for what the next generation of Pokémon games will bring. It may be easier than past titles, but there are ways to make it a little more difficult if you prefer. A solid entry into the franchise.
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 Alpha Sapphire looks great and is a lot of fun to play, with just the right blend of old and new, as well as a much more in-depth game environment. It does seem to be easier than the original, but overall is a very successful remake.
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire are still good games, even if Hoenn isn't as much fun to explore as later regions in the series. The unique elements like secret bases, the PokeNav and the ability to dress Pikachu up as a luchador are worthwhile additions that make this excursion different enough to the one from back in 2003.
Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby don't break the mold, but as remakes they improve the experience in every way.
A perfectly good 3D remake of Ruby and Sapphire, the only problem being that Ruby and Sapphire were never that great – and this is still not as good as the recent X and Y.
It's mostly more of the same, but when 'the same' is more Pokemon, that's not necessarily a bad thing.