Pokémon Emerald Version

Pokémon Emerald Version (Japanese: ポケットモンスター エメラルド Pocket Monsters: Emerald) is a sister game to Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions, and is the fifth and final Generation III main series game. Like its predecessor, Pokémon Crystal Version, it added many features not present in the earlier paired versions. They were released in Japan on September 16, 2004, in North America on May 1, 2005, in Australia on June 9, 2005 and in Europe on October 21, 2005.

Pokémon Emerald Version
ポケットモンスター エメラルド
File:Pokemon Emerald boxart EN-US.jpg
Pokémon Emerald Version's boxart, featuring Rayquaza.
Basic info
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Category: RPG
Players: up to 5
Connectivity: Link cable, Wireless Adapter, e-Reader
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Part of: Generation III main series
Ratings
CERO: A
ESRB: E
ACB: N/A
OFLC: G8+
PEGI: 3+
GRAC: N/A
GSRR: N/A
Release dates
Japan: September 16, 2004[1]
North America: May 1, 2005[2]
Australia: June 9, 2005
Europe: October 21, 2005[3]
South Korea: N/A
Hong Kong: N/A
Taiwan: N/A
Websites
Japanese: Pokémon.co.jp
Nintendo.co.jp
English: Pokémon.com
Japanese boxart
File:EmeraldJapanese.png
Boxart of Pocket Monsters Emerald.
StrategyWiki
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It was the second highest selling video game of 2005 in North America. It was also the third best-selling game for the Game Boy Advance, losing to its two predecessors, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions. Emerald was the final main series game released on the Game Boy line of Nintendo handheld video game consoles.

Changes from Ruby and Sapphire

Aesthetic changes

  • Vigoroth move boxes into Brendan's or May's house instead of Machoke (though the cries are not changed due to an oversight, but this was corrected in the v1.1 release), while a Zigzagoon replaces the Poochyena chasing Professor Birch.
  • Animated Pokémon front sprites return for the first time since Pokémon Crystal. This feature was defined as standard for the main series Pokémon games ever since. Emerald is also the first game to have animated back sprites.
  • Every Gym has received at least a slight reorganization due to the addition of Trainers for the option of Double Battles. Some of these Gyms received complete overhauls in their designs, such as the Mossdeep Gym, which was given a new, rearranged puzzle that the player must navigate through.
  • The color of the Champion's room at the Elite Four changed from purple to blue.
  • The legendary Pokémon battle intros include a different animation before moving into the battle scene. This animation involves the body patterns of the weather trio and the legendary golems's braille eye patterns.
  • A young girl now blocks Route 101 instead of a young boy.

Storyline changes

  • Both Team Magma and Team Aqua are featured as the villainous teams, each stirring trouble at different stages in the game. The objective of each team, to awaken Groudon and Kyogre, respectively, is eventually fulfilled.
  • Rayquaza is prominent plot-wise, awakened in order to stop the destructive battle between Groudon and Kyogre. It is the one out of the three ancient Pokémon that can be captured prior to the Elite Four challenge, while still at the same place and at the same high level as in Ruby and Sapphire.

Gameplay changes

  • Groudon and Kyogre are captured at new locations and at higher levels.
  • The entrances to the Magma and Aqua Hideouts are not sealed after defeating the Elite Four.
  • The Pokémon roaming across Hoenn, Latias or Latios, can be selected right after beating the Elite Four. The one that is not selected is available on Southern Island, requiring the promotional Eon Ticket.
  • The Regis' puzzles are somewhat different, though the same in principle.
  • Wireless linking with Union Room, as in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
  • Tag Battles are available outside link-cable battling. Featured in the Battle Tower with a computer player (or, using the Wireless Adapter, a human player), as well as at the Space Center stage of the game, battling alongside Steven.
  • Double Battles are more common as different Trainers can team up if the player is able to be spotted by two Trainers at once.
  • Gym Leaders may be rebattled in Double Battles, with new Pokémon on their teams that are not regularly found in Hoenn.
  • The Trainer's Eyes in the PokéNav is replaced by Match Call, which integrated a calling system similar to the Pokégear cellphone.
  • Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile may be acquired from Professor Birch after catching every Pokémon in the Hoenn Pokédex.
  • Deoxys is in its Speed Forme.
  • New field effects for Abilities.
    • Abilities have a role in breeding as Magma Armor and Flame Body hurry up the hatching process if a Pokémon which has either Ability is in the party.
  • New item list for Pickup; Pokémon pick up items based on the Pokémon's level.
  • Having a female Pokémon or Ditto of the breeding pair hold an Everstone grants a 50% chance of passing down their nature to the hatched Pokémon when breeding.
  • Raising friendship and lowering effort values with certain Berries.
  • The Mystery Gift option of the Wireless Adapter primarily replaces the Mystery Events option of the e-Reader. The Enigma Berry is thus obtained through Mystery Gift, unlike in Ruby and Sapphire. Mystery Events are absent from the English version of the game.
  • Pokémon Contests are all held in Lilycove City.
  • Unlike Ruby and Sapphire, trade restrictions between games are in place. Trading with Ruby and Sapphire as well as with another Emerald only allows trading of Pokémon indigenous to Hoenn while the player possesses only the country's regional Pokédex, while the National Pokédex is required to trade with FireRed and LeafGreen and XD: Gale of Darkness. This restriction also includes Pokémon Eggs from Ruby or Sapphire regardless if it contains a regional Pokémon. However, trading with Colosseum only requires the Hoenn Pokédex regardless of the Pokémon being traded.
  •  All the Gym Leaders from Ruby and Sapphire, including former Gym Leader Wallace, have upgraded Pokémon teams. The changes include the addition of Pokémon they did not have in Ruby and Sapphire, or in rare cases some of their previous Pokémon are removed from their team.
  •  Emerald is the first game to have at least one of the Gym Leader's Pokémon hold onto an item.

Character changes

Area additions

Missing Pokémon

These Hoenn Pokédex Pokémon are missing from Emerald and must be traded to the game from another Generation III game to be obtained. While wild Surskit can appear in Emerald, the player needs to mix records with a copy of Ruby or Sapphire Version in order for Surskit to appear by way of swarming; otherwise, Surskit cannot be legitimately caught without the aid of another game.

Missing Pokémon
0283 Surskit Surskit
Bug Water RS
0284 Masquerain Masquerain
Bug Flying RS
0307 Meditite Meditite
Fighting Psychic RS
0308 Medicham Medicham
Fighting Psychic RS
0315 Roselia Roselia
Grass Poison RS
0335 Zangoose Zangoose
Normal R
0337 Lunatone Lunatone
Rock Psychic S

Compatibility

Emerald maintained the same levels of compatibility as its companion games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. Trading between each of these games is possible, but not with games from Generations I and II. This utilizes the traditional link cable, or alternatively, the GBA Wireless Adapter like in FireRed and LeafGreen.

While Emerald cannot trade directly with the Generation IV games Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, a player's Pokémon may be permanently transferred via Pal Park, and some of the Generation II Pokémon introduced into the Hoenn Safari Zone extension can be found using the dual-slot mode.

Reception

Many reviews criticized Emerald for being too similar to Ruby and Sapphire, with Game Informer stating that "there simply aren't enough changes to make this a must-buy."[4] However, IGN gave the game an "Impressive" rating of 8/10, stating that there are "special, newly-created treats sprinkled throughout the experience to make experiencing this repeat worthwhile."[5]

Trivia

  • Pokémon Emerald was the first game to feature Gym Leader rematches.
  • Although Pokémon Emerald is a modified version of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, a number of changes occurred to make it more similar to Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen:
    • The game's font has been changed to one very similar to that of FireRed and LeafGreen.
    • The PP counter for a move now changes color depending on how many power points are left.
    • The two event locations from FireRed and LeafGreen, Navel Rock and Birth Island, make a return.
    • Altering Cave, from FireRed and LeafGreen, returns in Emerald.
    • All of the music tracks from FireRed and LeafGreen were inserted to Emerald, but only a handful are actually used:
      • The Pokémon Caught fanfare was changed to the one from FireRed and LeafGreen.
      • Navel Rock plays the music that was used in the routes outside Five Island.
      • Altering Cave plays the music that was used in Mt. Moon.
      • Battles with the non-Hoenn legendary Pokémon (Mew, Lugia, Ho-Oh) use the music from battles with legendary Pokémon in FireRed and LeafGreen.
  • Emerald was released in Japan one week after FireRed and LeafGreen were released in North America.
  • Groudon and Kyogre appear in Fiore after the game's ending. The two seem to have been hurt in a battle, which took place in Hoenn according to Emerald.
  • The game uses a faulty implementation of the pseudorandom number generator used in Generation III and IV games, which allows literally identical personality values for a Pokémon even after multiple resets. The game neglects to reseed the PRNG on startup (only doing so when the adventure is begun), which means that the personality values of an encountered Pokémon follow a predictable sequence once the seed is found and/or forced.
  • Emerald has many similarities with Pokémon Platinum: both are the third versions of their respective storylines, add a Battle Frontier in the place of the regional Battle Tower, are represented by the final member of a legendary trio which was not confirmed to be part of it beforehand, and share features with the remakes of their generation that are not present in the original paired games.
  • All of the Hoenn Pokédex Pokémon not available in Emerald may be obtained through Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness alone.
  • Pokémon Emerald Version is the last main series Pokémon game made for the Game Boy series.
    • It was also the last game with color cartridges ever made.
  • GameStop released a special tin with a Battle Pass and more. People could get it if they pre-ordered Pokémon Emerald online.
  • Although Pokémon Emerald was released after Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen and the former's game engine was based on the latter's, Pokémon Emerald didn't retain the moveset changes of all Pokémon from the latter games, instead retaining the moveset from Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. This was fixed on Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and onwards. However, there are now changes:
  • Pokémon Emerald Version is the only third version which is not the next consecutive main series game after its respective paired versions.

In other languages

Language Title
Japan Flag.png Japanese ポケットモンスター エメラルド
France Flag.png European French Pokémon Version Émeraude
Germany Flag.png German Pokémon Smaragd-Edition
Italy Flag.png Italian Pokémon Versione Smeraldo
South Korea Flag.png Korean 포켓몬스터 에메랄드1
Spain Flag.png European Spanish Pokémon Edición Esmeralda

  • 1: Although this game was not translated into Korean, this name is still used on official Pokémon material in South Korea.

See also

References


Template:Main series

Project Games logo.png This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.