This review contains spoilers
I think that these games had the opportunity to be the best Pokémon games on the market but it was missed by a hair.
The remakes of Gen 3 are the generic look for 3ds Pokémon games which isn't necessarily bad but I just wish that they could've looked a bit more unique. That isn't my primary issue with the game though, my primary issue is the dumbing down that they did for some reason... Gen 3 wasn't an especially difficult generation so I don't know by they felt the need to dumb aspects of it down.
What this game did right they did very right though. I believe that all of the gyms are gorgeous and take full advantage of the 3ds and its capabilities, the environments have never looked better and it gives a bit more emphasis to the story line of saving the sea/land. The introduction of Mega Evolution to keep consistent with other games in its generation is a very welcome change, and the added storyline of the box legendaries having "primal" forms was pretty neat. Trading with the PSS system between other 3ds Pokémon games is quick and easy, and just in general all of the updating they did was a positive change.
I'd still say that the GBA is the definitive way to play Gen 3, but if you don't want to spend $150 on emerald this is an easy cheap and still very enjoyable way to play the game.
The remakes of Gen 3 are the generic look for 3ds Pokémon games which isn't necessarily bad but I just wish that they could've looked a bit more unique. That isn't my primary issue with the game though, my primary issue is the dumbing down that they did for some reason... Gen 3 wasn't an especially difficult generation so I don't know by they felt the need to dumb aspects of it down.
What this game did right they did very right though. I believe that all of the gyms are gorgeous and take full advantage of the 3ds and its capabilities, the environments have never looked better and it gives a bit more emphasis to the story line of saving the sea/land. The introduction of Mega Evolution to keep consistent with other games in its generation is a very welcome change, and the added storyline of the box legendaries having "primal" forms was pretty neat. Trading with the PSS system between other 3ds Pokémon games is quick and easy, and just in general all of the updating they did was a positive change.
I'd still say that the GBA is the definitive way to play Gen 3, but if you don't want to spend $150 on emerald this is an easy cheap and still very enjoyable way to play the game.
I like how "too much water" was one of the most agreeable criticisms of the original Ruby and Sapphire games, but when an official gaming publication comes out and says it everyone loses their goddamn minds. You all owe IGN an apology.
That said, the fact that it WAS a valid criticism of these remakes means that OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire only managed to achieve the status of "serviceable." Quite frankly, the originals could have used a much greater overhaul in their design, but Game Freak opted instead for a more faithful retake. It had a few new twists, some decent postgame content, and was redone in the visual style of X & Y, but the Hoenn you get here is largely unchanged.
They're not bad games, and it actually surprised me how much nostalgia I was hit with playing through OmegaRuby given I'm pretty lukewarm towards the the Generation 3 games overall, but I do wish they had done more here. Ignoring the additional content found in Emerald was also a huge mistake, one they would repeat again with the Diamond and Pearl remakes, so yay, no lessons learned.
Bring back Mega Evolutions.
That said, the fact that it WAS a valid criticism of these remakes means that OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire only managed to achieve the status of "serviceable." Quite frankly, the originals could have used a much greater overhaul in their design, but Game Freak opted instead for a more faithful retake. It had a few new twists, some decent postgame content, and was redone in the visual style of X & Y, but the Hoenn you get here is largely unchanged.
They're not bad games, and it actually surprised me how much nostalgia I was hit with playing through OmegaRuby given I'm pretty lukewarm towards the the Generation 3 games overall, but I do wish they had done more here. Ignoring the additional content found in Emerald was also a huge mistake, one they would repeat again with the Diamond and Pearl remakes, so yay, no lessons learned.
Bring back Mega Evolutions.
This game is the reason why I consider BDSP to be a flat-out insult.
To preface, I haven’t played ORAS in a long time, but I still remember why I enjoyed it so much. It was my first time experiencing the Hoenn region, and I can see why it’s a fan favorite. The region itself is quite fun to traverse, the Pokémon and characters are memorable, and the story, while still being a Pokémon story, is still pretty good! What makes the remake so good, is that it not only updates the graphics and gameplay to the series standard at the time, it’s also essentially a re-telling. ORAS takes place in an alternate dimension where Mega Evolution existed in the Hoenn region, making it fit right in with Gen 6. Not only that, it expands the lore of the legendary Pokémon as well!
THIS is how you do a Pokémon remake. I don’t want Gen 5 remakes if they aren’t like this.
To preface, I haven’t played ORAS in a long time, but I still remember why I enjoyed it so much. It was my first time experiencing the Hoenn region, and I can see why it’s a fan favorite. The region itself is quite fun to traverse, the Pokémon and characters are memorable, and the story, while still being a Pokémon story, is still pretty good! What makes the remake so good, is that it not only updates the graphics and gameplay to the series standard at the time, it’s also essentially a re-telling. ORAS takes place in an alternate dimension where Mega Evolution existed in the Hoenn region, making it fit right in with Gen 6. Not only that, it expands the lore of the legendary Pokémon as well!
THIS is how you do a Pokémon remake. I don’t want Gen 5 remakes if they aren’t like this.
Omega Ruby was one of the first pokemon games I played all the way through back when I was a kid. I loved the game then, and when I replayed it again I loved it just as much. The storyline is amazing and every update they added from the original games into this one made it all come together nicely. The pokemon themselves are diverse, and even though people complain about the amount of water in these games, I didn't find it that annoying at all. The surfing theme is one of my favorite songs from this franchise, along with the soaring themes. Flying on Latios' back is one of my favorite mechanics out of the whole series.