Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions: Difference between revisions

Ruby and Sapphire redirects here. For the Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion, see EX Ruby & Sapphire (TCG).

Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire (Japanese: ポケットモンスター ルビー・サファイア Pocket Monsters Ruby and Sapphire) were the first Generation III games to be released — 21 November, 2002 in Japan, 17 March, 2003 in the US and 25 July, 2003 in Europe. It is based in the new Hoenn region and as usual contains new Pokémon and items. New features included Pokémon Contests as well as a Battle Tower. A third version, Pokémon Emerald, was released later, on 16 September, 2004, in Japan, featuring some gameplay advances and a plot alteration, and a whole new area called the Battle Frontier.

Ruby and Sapphire went to become the best-selling Game Boy Advance games of all time.

New Features

• Another 135 Pokémon are now available.
• New type combinations including Water/Grass and Ghost/Dark.
• Pokémon Contests that allow Pokémon to compete in five different areas.
• A completely new region - Hoenn.
• A separate "icon" for each Pokémon, though same icons for Spinda.
• Double battles which have two Pokémon go against two others.
• Many new techniques.
• Another new list of TMs, with some staying from Generations I and II.
• Weather effects on the field in certain areas.
• A new weather condition - hail.
• Pokémon now have abilities, which give them certain bonuses.
• A brand new set of Berries.
• A mixing records function, which can be performed with 2 to 4 players.
• Running shoes were introduced.

Storyline

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

The trainer first starts when, as always, the player is asked by one of the Professors (in this case, Professor Birch) what gender he or she is, and what her/his name is. After that, the trainer will be in a moving van. This moving van comes from Johto, where the family first lived, but they moved after the trainer's father, Norman became leader of the Petalburg Gym. After the van is left, he or she will enter a house (the house of the trainer, to be exact) and there will be Machoke movers carrying boxes. After some dialogue with the mother of the trainer, the trainer will have to meet Professor Birch, but he appears to be out in the field, so he must be found.

Upon encountering him, he will be chased by a Poochyena, and he will ask the trainer to take a Poké Ball out of his backpack, lying on the ground. Here, the trainer has to choose if he/she wants a Treecko, a Torchic, or a Mudkip. Furthermore, the usual story of the Pokémon game is followed, and the trainer gets some Poké Balls, and sets out to become a Pokémon Master (and of course, he or she's gotta catch 'em all).

Before the trainer leaves, however, he or she obtains the running shoes from his/her mother. The trainer then continues through Hoenn, defeating Team Magma or Team Aqua in places, depending on the version. Using Rock Smash, the trainer finishes the Rusturf Tunnel, he or she rescues the Wailmer in Lilycove City, and saves the world from either Groudon (in Ruby) or Kyogre (in Sapphire), and does many more things, too countless to name.

Finally, the Elite Four is defeated, and just when Steven Stone crowns the trainer as champion, the rival interrupts, not realizing that the battle already has ended.

After that, the rival finds out the battle is already over, and Professor Birch comes in. He congratulates the trainer, and takes a look at the trainer's Pokédex. Then, the trainer is registered in the Hall of Fame, and the credits begin.

Players who have already seen the credits a lot of times usually choose to turn the GBA off and then back on, as the game was automatically saved before being registered, simply skipping the credits. The credits feature the trainer biking home, similar to the small movie when the game is turned on. The credits also feature pictures of the Pokémon the trainer has captured. If the trainer hasn't captured enough Pokémon to fill the entire credits, the Pokémon are repeated. After the credits, the trainer is waiting in his room upstairs, ready to catch more Pokémon, including the now unlocked Rayquaza and Latios/Latias depending on the version.

Pokémon

Version exclusives

Glitches

Most Pokémon games had some glitches, as did these. There is the infamous berry glitch, which made most time based events, such as berry growing, impossible after the game had been owned for a year, or played for over a 100 hours. This glitch is able to be corrected, however, by downloading the berry patch from either the Pokémon Colosseum bonus disc, or FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald. In this game, it is also possible to catch several glitch Pokémon, such as ??????? or Bad egg.

Awards

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire got the 10th spot on IGN's top 25 Gameboy Advance Games of all time.[1]

Trivia

• Along with Emerald Version, they are the only games in the main series where the player cannot choose a name for his/her rival at the start of the game.
• They are also the only games in the main series where the rival is never encountered with his/her starter in final stage.
• After release, an unknown person hacked and distributed a version of Sapphire for Game Boy Color.
• They were released in Japan on the third anniversary of the Japanese release of Pokémon Gold and Silver.
• Ruby is the only main series "first version" whose name does not end in a "d", unlike Red, Gold, FireRed, and Diamond.
• Ruby and Sapphire are the first main series games in which Kanto is inaccessable.

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Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions

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