INFO RECAP: POKEMON OMEGA RUBY AND ALPHA SAPPHIRE

            With the new Pokémon games come out in less than a month, I feel it’s a good time to recall all the awesome news about the games we’ve received.

These games have been on everyone’s mind since the release of X and Y last year, maybe even longer. For those of you in the dark, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire are remakes of the generation III games, Ruby and Sapphire. These games take place in the Hoenn region, a region composed of equal parts land and sea. Now eleven years later, we get to experience the region over again in glorious 3-D/HD.

            Probably the greatest and definitely most notable addition to the games is the Mega Evolutions. Mega Evolution is one the newest mysteries in the Pokémon world, and mystery is definitely something these games have plenty of. With twenty more Pokémon that can Mega Evolve, as well as Kyogre’s and Groudon’s “primal reversion”, Pokémon battles are going to get even bigger. While some Mega Evolutions (I feel) are unnecessary, others like Mega Raquaza and Mega Gallade are just amazing. Unfortunately, you can’t send/use these new Megas over to X/Y.

            Another amazing feature of these games is the return of Pokémon Contest. Pokémon Contests are a different way to show off your Pokémon’s skills. Instead of focusing on the power of your Pokémon’s moves, you focus on how appealing they are to the judges. Also, if you’ve mastered Mega Evolution, you’ll be able to use it in the contests to gain even more appeal. If you still think contests aren’t for you, wait until you see Pikachu in its (adorable) cosplay outfits.

            As we all know, Pokémon battles can take place just about anywhere, but there’s one place we haven’t been able to fully experience: the sky. That’s right folks, the sky is no longer the limit; it’s only the beginning. After capturing Latios or Latias and obtaining the Eon Flute, you’ll be able to soar over the entire region and see the entire landscape below. While riding on Latios’s/Latias’s back, you can fly into flocks of Pokémon and battle in mid-air. And, the most fantastic thing you’ll see in the sky is the clouds that contain legendary Pokémon.

            There’s one more feature that I have to mention. Two words: secret bases. Since we don’t have the option of customizing our characters, customizing our own secret rooms is a pretty good trade off. Secret bases can be made inside special trees or in small indents; however, you can only make one base. If you try to make a second one, your first one will disappear, and you’ll have to decorate from scratch. Thanks to the connectivity of the 3DS systems, you can share your base with your friends and form teams. You can also customize your base with traps or even make it your own gym.

            All this information just scratches the surface of how amazing these games are going be. For more information, you can check out www.pokemonrubysapphire.com. These games give players all the nostalgia of the old games, and all the amazing advancements made in the last eleven years. As launch day approaches, I can only imagine what other news we’ll hear about before they hit.

Go With The Flow

By: Eclipse Phantom

Picture via Pokemon.com