Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were first released to the gaming world in 2002, before many consoles could connect to the Internet and you had to have a cable to trade Pokémon with friends. Now, twelve years later, it is time to relive the mass nostalgia of the fictional Hoenn region in the new remake: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

First off, the game looks great. The twelve years of graphics innovations between the games shows just how far technology has come. The originals were flat and pixel like; the best of the time. But now, the world of Hoenn looks amazing. Graphics are on the same level as last year’s Pokémon X and Y, plus some new detailed improvements to battles and options.

The story is the same as in the originals: if playing Sapphire, players will fight Team Aqua, if playing Ruby, players will fight Team Magma. Mega evolutions from X and Y have been added as well as new Pokémon exclusive to this game. Unfortunately, these new Pokémon cannot be traded to X or Y.

Gameplay is the same as all the other Pokémon games: battle with your starter of choice and level up other Pokémon you find along the way while beating your rivals and saving the world. After the main story (about 14 hours), there is a short mission, called “Delta episode” that allows players to catch many legendary Pokémon. Players can also beat the Pokémon League extra times for access to special items and Pokémon.

All in all, this game might be a remake, but it is a very well done remake. The story is largely the same, with only a few features added, so the nostalgia factor is still largely there. The game is worth it, no matter which version is picked up.

Platform: 3DS