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Pokémon FireRed
Role Playing Game Isn't So Hot
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Company: Nintendo
Development House: Game Freak
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
By Sonny Gotos II
Anybody remember 1995? It started on a Sunday, the O.J. Simpson trial convened and dismissed, and Nintendo released a plague on American households known as Pokémon.
The television show starts off much like the video game, tracking Ash Ketchum selecting his first poke-partner from Professor Oak's laboratory. In Fire Red (as well as its counterpart Leaf Green) you get to choose from one of three basic Pokemon: Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander. I chose Charmander just to stick with the name (he's a fire type Pokémon), but it just doesn't matter because this game is simply unremarkable. Almost everything about this game is recycled from its predecessor, Pokémon Red!
The game play is simple. All you have to do is use your first Pokémon to capture more Pokémon and level them up. In turn you use them to fight Gym Leaders and receive Gym Badges. Orthodox Poke-Fans will cry foul at my description, but it's the basic gist. Ugh, it's repetitive. There are some entertaining stints, like the... well... Let's move on...
Nothing about this game is particular appealing over the other except for the graphics. Vibrant and rich, it surpasses previous iterations of Pokémon Blue, Red, Yellow, Silver, Gold, Crystal, Sapphire, and Ruby (huff, huff, huff). The visual style is fitting for a game of this genre, although some may complain about the blocky-ness and recycled environments. But I can almost guarantee you'll be amazed by the enormously large "Celadon Shopping Center" or the "Pokémon Tower".
The controls don't hinder your progression through the game, but it's not like an RPG requires the finesse of a Fighting game. I did find it a little redundant that you had to hold down the "B" button to run. It would have been better to use the right or even the left shoulder button. In addition, constant menu navigating can wear your fingers out.
Listening to the numerous little jingles in the game is almost as enjoyable as the graphics, but that's not saying much. If you're a fan of the cartoon, you'll definitely have fun playing "Name that Tune" solo. The game development team did a good job matching up the song with the place. Take "Pokémon Tower" for example. You see, it's a tower dedicated to the memory of dead Pokémon. Its solemn requiem is most fitting for the setting.
All in all, this game is hardly fit for anyone who is a fanatic gamer or even above the age of 12. Of course, there are people of a certain ilk, if you will who will find this game to be one of the great ones. They are those who are still stuck in 1995. My friend Tony summed it when I told him I would be reviewing Fire Red by saying, "Pokémon! That thing's still not dead?!"
Rating: 6 out of 10. Skim it over the weekend.
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