Jump to content

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m fix date
fixed alt text
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox VG
{{Infobox VG
|title=Pokémon FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen
|title=Pokémon FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen
|image=[[Image:Pokémon FireRed Coverart.png|256px|alt=North American box art for ''Pokémon FireRed'' depicting the Pokémon Charizard, a creature similar in design to an orange dragon with blue wings and a small flame burning at the tip of its tail. The Charizard is flying toward the viewer over a swirling orange background]]
|image=[[Image:Pokémon FireRed Coverart.png|256px|alt=Box art for ''Pokémon FireRed'' depicting an orange dragon with blue wings and a small flame burning at the tip of its tail. The dragon is flying toward the viewer over a swirling orange background.]]
|developer=[[Game Freak]]
|developer=[[Game Freak]]
|publisher=[[Nintendo]], [[The Pokémon Company]]
|publisher=[[Nintendo]], [[The Pokémon Company]]
Line 47: Line 47:


== Development ==
== Development ==
[[Image:JunichiMasudaJI1.jpg|right|thumb|alt=Development director Junichi Masuda|Development director Junichi Masuda]]
[[Image:JunichiMasudaJI1.jpg|right|thumb|alt=Junichi Masuda smiling in a room with people|Development director Junichi Masuda]]
''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'' were first announced in September 2003 as upcoming remakes of the original [[Pokémon Red and Blue|''Pocket Monsters Red'' and ''Green'']] games that were released in Japan in 1996.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gba/rpg/pokemonred/news.html?sid=6075120&mode=news|title=Pokémon remakes on the way|date=2003-09-15|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|author=GameSpot Staff|accessdate=2009-06-17}}</ref> [[Game director]] [[Junichi Masuda]] stated the new titles would be developed around the idea of simplicity,<ref name="blog11"/> as the same design mechanics used to create [[Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire|''Pokémon Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'']] in 2002 were implemented and modified for ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'', and players of ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'' may trade Pokémon with ''Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'' players.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/437/437883p1.html|title=More Pokemon for GBA|publisher=[[IGN]]|first=Craig|last=Harris|authorlink=[[Craig Harris]]|date=2003-09-12|accessdate=2009-09-15}}</ref>
''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'' were first announced in September 2003 as upcoming remakes of the original [[Pokémon Red and Blue|''Pocket Monsters Red'' and ''Green'']] games that were released in Japan in 1996.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gba/rpg/pokemonred/news.html?sid=6075120&mode=news|title=Pokémon remakes on the way|date=2003-09-15|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|author=GameSpot Staff|accessdate=2009-06-17}}</ref> [[Game director]] [[Junichi Masuda]] stated the new titles would be developed around the idea of simplicity,<ref name="blog11"/> as the same design mechanics used to create [[Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire|''Pokémon Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'']] in 2002 were implemented and modified for ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'', and players of ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'' may trade Pokémon with ''Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'' players.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/437/437883p1.html|title=More Pokemon for GBA|publisher=[[IGN]]|first=Craig|last=Harris|authorlink=[[Craig Harris]]|date=2003-09-12|accessdate=2009-09-15}}</ref>


Revision as of 23:56, 15 August 2009

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
Box art for Pokémon FireRed depicting an orange dragon with blue wings and a small flame burning at the tip of its tail. The dragon is flying toward the viewer over a swirling orange background.
Developer(s)Game Freak
Publisher(s)Nintendo, The Pokémon Company
Designer(s)Satoshi Tajiri (executive director)
Junichi Masuda (director)
Artist(s)Ken Sugimori
SeriesPokémon series
EngineHeavily modified Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire engine
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance
Genre(s)Console role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Pokémon FireRed (ポケットモンスター ファイアレッド, Poketto Monsutā Faiareddo, Pocket Monsters Firered) and Pokémon LeafGreen (ポケットモンスター リーフグリーン, Poketto Monsutā Rīfugurīn, Pocket Monsters Leafgreen) are enhanced remakes of the 1996 original Pocket Monsters Red and Green video games. The new titles were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance and have compatibility with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter which originally came bundled with the games. FireRed and LeafGreen were first released in Japan in January 2004 and released to North America and Europe in September and October respectively. Nearly two years after their original release, Nintendo re-marketed them as Player's Choice titles.

FireRed and LeafGreen are members of the Pokémon series of role-playing games. As in previous games, the player controls the player character from an overhead perspective, and participates in turn-based combat encounters. However, new features such as a contextual help menu and a new region the player may access have also been added. Throughout the games, the player captures and raises Pokémon for use in battle.

The games received mostly positive reviews, obtaining an aggregate score of 81 percent on Metacritic. Most critics praised the fact that the games introduced new features while still maintaining the tradition gameplay of the series. Reception of the graphics and audio was more mixed, with some reviewers complaining that they were too simplistic and not much of an improvement over the previous games, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. FireRed and LeafGreen were commercial successes, selling a total of around 12 million copies worldwide, which eliminated concerns that growth in the franchise was slowing.

Gameplay

See also: Gameplay of Pokémon
In a battle scene, the Pokémon at the top right of the screen is the opponent's; the Pokémon at the bottom left is the player's. The player's options are shown at the bottom right.

As with all Pokémon role-playing games released for handheld consoles, FireRed and LeafGreen are in third-person, overhead perspective. The main screen is an overworld, in which the player navigates the protagonist.[2] Here a menu interface may be accessed, in which the player may configure his or her Pokémon, items, and gameplay settings.[3] When the player encounters a wild Pokémon or is challenged by a trainer, the screen switches to a turn-based battle screen that displays the player's Pokémon and the engaged Pokémon. During battle, the player may select a move for his or her Pokémon to perform, use an item, switch his or her active Pokémon, or attempt to flee. All Pokémon have hit points (HP); when a Pokémon's HP is reduced to zero, it faints and can no longer battle until it is revived. Once an enemy Pokémon faints, all of the player's Pokémon involved in the battle receive a certain amount of experience points (EXP). After accumulating enough EXP, a Pokémon may level up.[4]

Capturing Pokémon is another essential element of the gameplay. During battle with a wild Pokémon, the player may throw a Poké Ball at it. If the Pokémon is successfully caught, it will come under the ownership of the player. Factors in the success rate of capture include the HP of the target Pokémon and the type of Poké Ball used: the lower the target's HP and the stronger the Poké Ball, the higher the success rate of capture.[5]

While FireRed and LeafGreen are remakes of Red and Blue, they contain usability enhancements such as a contextual tutorial feature which allows players to look up data at any point in the game. Additionally, when continuing a saved game, players are shown the last four actions they performed, allowing them to remember what they were doing.[6]

The games support linked communications via the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable through which connected players may trade or battle.[7] Players may also connect with Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, and Pokémon Colosseum, which allows them to obtain over 350 Pokémon.[8] FireRed and LeafGreen also have the ability to connect to the Nintendo GameCube and interact with Pokémon Box: Ruby and Sapphire and Pokémon Colosseum. In Box the player may organize and view his or her collected Pokémon, and in Colosseum Pokémon may be used for battle or transferred over to the GameCube.[9] FireRed and LeafGreen are also the first games in the series to be made compatible with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, which comes prepackaged with the games.[8] The adapter can be plugged into the link port of a Game Boy Advance system and allows players within a 30-to-50-foot (9 to 15 m) radius to wirelessly interact with each other.[6] In addition, as many as 30 players at a time may join a special room called the "Union Room" where they can trade, battle, or chat.[8] Nintendo set up "JoySpots" at Japanese retail locations for this purpose.[6]

Plot

Setting

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen take place mostly in the fictional region of Kanto. This is one distinct region of many in the Pokémon world, which includes varied geographical habitats for the Pokémon species, human-populated towns and cities, and routes between locations. Some areas are only accessible once the player acquires a special item or one of the player's Pokémon learns a special ability.[10] Near the end of the plot, the protagonist is able to venture to the Sevii Islands, a new area not available in the original Red or Blue games. It consists of an archipelago of seven islands that contain Pokémon normally exclusive to the Johto region.

Synopsis

The silent protagonist of FireRed and LeafGreen is a child who lives in a small town. After the player starts a journey and ventures alone into deep grass, a voice warns the him or her to stop. Professor Oak, a famous Pokémon researcher, explains to the player such grass is often the habitat of wild Pokémon, and encountering them alone can be very dangerous. He takes the player to his laboratory where the player meets Oak's grandson, another aspiring Pokémon Trainer. The player and the rival are both instructed to select a starter Pokémon for their travels.[11] The rival then challenges the player to a Pokémon battle with their newly obtained Pokémon, and continues to battle the player at certain points throughout the games.

After reaching the next city, the player is asked to deliver a parcel to Professor Oak. Upon returning to his laboratory, the player is presented with a Pokédex, a high-tech encyclopedia that record the entries of any Pokémon that are encountered.[12] Oak asks the player to fulfill his dream of compiling a comprehensive list of every Pokémon in the game.

While visiting the region's cities, the player encounters special establishments called Gyms. Inside these buildings are Gym Leaders, each of whom the player must defeat in a Pokémon battle to obtain a Gym Badge.[13] Once a total of eight badges are acquired, the player is given permission to enter the Pokémon League, which consists of the best Pokémon trainers in the region. There the player battles the Elite Four.[14] Also throughout the game, the player has to fight against the forces of Team Rocket, a criminal organization that abuses Pokémon. It devises numerous plans, all of which the player must foil, for stealing rare Pokémon.

Development

Junichi Masuda smiling in a room with people
Development director Junichi Masuda

FireRed and LeafGreen were first announced in September 2003 as upcoming remakes of the original Pocket Monsters Red and Green games that were released in Japan in 1996.[15] Game director Junichi Masuda stated the new titles would be developed around the idea of simplicity,[16] as the same design mechanics used to create Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire in 2002 were implemented and modified for FireRed and LeafGreen, and players of FireRed and LeafGreen may trade Pokémon with Ruby and Sapphire players.[17]

FireRed and LeafGreen's connectivity with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter was heralded by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata as being able "[t]o enhance head-to-head battles, exchange of information, and communication with others."[18] An enhanced interface was created for the game to increase usability for new players, as well as a contextual in-game help system that could aid lost or confused players during their journey. President of The Pokémon Company Tsunekazu Ishiharam noted "[w]e don't feel that this a remake at all. We feel that this is a new game, with wireless technology", referring to the bundled wireless adapter.[19]

The initial Japanese production run for FireRed and LeafGreen was limited to half a million copies, despite the success of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. IGN speculated that Nintendo was expecting less demand for the new games, or that it was limited by the production of the bundled wireless adapter.[20] The North American versions of FireRed and LeafGreen were first indirectly announced at DICE in 2004.[21] Although the original games were released as Red and Blue in North America, the remakes retained the Japanese names of "Red" and "Green".[22] Masuda noted this as a choice on his part, stating the leaf represented a peaceful icon, in contrast to the alternative of water which he saw as suggesting conflict with the icon of fire used by the other game.[16]

The music used in the titles was derived from the original games, and was arranged by Go Ichinose. Masuda and Ichinose decided not to change the reused music from the basic background sounds used in the originals, and instead updated them by adding additional sounds.[23] A two-disc set of the music entitled GBA Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen Super Complete was released, with the first disc featuring all the music used normally in-game, while the second disc featured bonus tracks based on and inspired by the music in the games. Among these are two vocal tracks.[24]

Reception

Over one million copies of FireRed and LeafGreen were sold in the US less than one month after their release in that region,[32] dispelling concerns that growth of the Pokémon franchise was slowing.[33] As of March 31, 2008, the games had sold 11.82 million copies worldwide.[34] The games later entered Nintendo's Player's Choice line in North America, and were re-marketed with a significantly lower retail price. However, unlike the original release, the Player's Choice edition games did not include a bundled Wireless Adapter.[35]

Reviews of FireRed and LeafGreen were mostly positive, and the games currently hold an aggregate score of 81 percent on MetaCritic.[30] Craig Harris of IGN gave the games an "Outstanding" 9.0/10 rating and praised the creators of the games for creating a game that "works extremely well for the handheld market. It doesn't have quite the same variety as Ruby/Sapphire, but it's still incredibly satisfying." Harris was less positive about the games' graphics, which he thought were "limited" and "basic".[8] GameSpot's Greg Kasavin, who gave the games 8.4 out of 10, commented that "though Pokémon could probably use a few new twists after all these years, FireRed and LeafGreen are great role-playing games on their own merits, filled with lots more content and more challenges than last year's Ruby and Sapphire, and offering up plenty of addictive gameplay that can be a lot of fun for players of all ages." Unlike Harris, Kasavin praised the games' graphics for their "colorful good looks and the endearing character designs that the series is known for."[27] Game Informer rated the games a "Very Good" 8/10 for being "a lot of fun", yet they saw the graphics as "utterly unremarkable" when compared to other handheld games.[26]

GameSpy reviewer Phil Theobald, who awarded the games four out of five stars, and said, "Before I knew it, I was hooked all over again. The engrossingly simple gameplay combined with the more-strategic-than-they-first-appear battles was just too much to resist. And yeah, the "gotta catch 'em all" gimmick is still effective, not to mention necessary to build a well balanced party. There's just something about tracking down, capturing, and training all those Pokémon that really draw you into the game's world." He justified the games' graphics by comparing them to the "ugly" original Red and Blue versions. Additional praise was given to the new features such as the contextual tutorial, and flashbacks when loading a saved game, as well as the games' multiplayer capabilities via the Wireless adapter.[28] Nintendo Power, which gave the games a 4.5 out of 5 average, stated "[t]here's a great game hiding under all the Pikachu cuteness, and you have to play it for only a bit to find yourself addicted."[29]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Pokemon FireRed Version for Game Boy". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  2. ^ Game Freak (2004). Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Instruction Booklet. Nintendo. p. 14.
  3. ^ Game Freak (2004). Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Instruction Booklet. Nintendo. p. 16.
  4. ^ Game Freak (2004). Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Instruction Booklet. Nintendo. pp. 24–28.
  5. ^ Game Freak (2004). Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Instruction Booklet. Nintendo. p. 31.
  6. ^ a b c IGN Staff (2004-05-11). "Pokmeon FireRed Version Preview". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  7. ^ Game Freak (2004). Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Instruction Booklet. Nintendo. pp. 58–59.
  8. ^ a b c d e Harris, Craig (2004-09-03). "Pokemon FireRed Version Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  9. ^ Game Freak (2004). Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Instruction Booklet. Nintendo. pp. 62–63.
  10. ^ Game Freak (2004). Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Instruction Booklet. Nintendo. p. 41.
  11. ^ IGN Staff. "Guides: Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen Guide (GBA)". IGN. p. 6. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  12. ^ Game Freak (2004). Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Instruction Booklet. Nintendo. p. 8.
  13. ^ Game Freak (2004). Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Instruction Booklet. Nintendo. pp. 46–47.
  14. ^ IGN Staff. "Guides: Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen Guide (GBA)". IGN. p. 14. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  15. ^ GameSpot Staff (2003-09-15). "Pokémon remakes on the way". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  16. ^ a b Masuda, Junichi (2004-08-30). "Hidden Power of Masuda". Game Freak. Archived from the original on 2009-06-22. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  17. ^ Harris, Craig (2003-09-12). "More Pokemon for GBA". IGN. Retrieved 2009-09-15. {{cite web}}: Check |authorlink= value (help)
  18. ^ Calvert, Justin (2003-09-26). "TGS 2003: Wireless GBA multiplayer for 2004". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  19. ^ Harris, Craig (2004-05-13). "E3 2004: The Pokémon Creators Speak". IGN. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  20. ^ IGN Staff (2004-01-16). "Nintendo holds back on Pokémon". IGN. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  21. ^ Harris, Craig (2004-03-04). "Pokémon Red/Green US bound". IGN. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  22. ^ IGN Staff (2004-05-11). "E3 2004: Pokémon Fire Red". IGN. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  23. ^ Masuda, Junichi (2008-02-28). "Hidden Power of Masuda". Game Freak. Archived from the original on 2009-06-22. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  24. ^ Rubinshteyn, Dennis. Ichinose "GBA Pokémon Firered & Leafgreen Music Super Complete". RPGFan. Retrieved 2009-06-22. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  25. ^ Deci, T.J. "Pokémon: FireRed Version - Overview". Allgame. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  26. ^ a b Juba, Joe (October 2004). "Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen review". Game Informer (138): 146.
  27. ^ a b Kasavin, Greg (September 7, 2004). "Pokemon FireRed Version Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  28. ^ a b Theobald, Phil (2004-09-07). "GameSpy: Pokémon FireRed". GameSpy. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  29. ^ a b Nintendo Power staff (October 2004). "Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen review". Nintendo Power (184): 123.
  30. ^ a b "Pokemon FireRed (gba: 2004): Reviews". MetaCritic. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  31. ^ "Pokemon FireRed Version for GameBoy Advance". GameRankings. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  32. ^ Harris, Craig (2004-10-05). "GBA Game of the Month: September 2004". IGN. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  33. ^ McDonald, Leon (2004-10-01). "Pokémon Fire Red/Leaf hits the one million mark". PALGN. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  34. ^ "Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2008" (PDF). Nintendo. 2008-04-25. p. 6. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  35. ^ Harris, Craig (2006-07-26). "IGN: Player's Choice, Round Two". IGN. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pokémon_FireRed_and_LeafGreen&oldid=308211839"