Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are remakes of the 12 year old third-generation games. Here are the top five biggest changes.
The Graphics
At the start of the remakes you see the introduction to the original in its static and two-dimensional glory. It was nice touch to then have it pan out and reveal the image as simply a a video on a screen, in the new and beautiful 3D world the new Pokémon inhabits. This new introduction is a dynamic showcase for the world and a beautiful introduction to Pokémon. It’s a testament to how much technology has progressed since the 90’s.
Walking, Riding, Flying
Both new and old have the same walking, biking and flying methods of travel. Pokémon Alpha and Omega though, have the massive advantage of being on a console with considerably more power and more refined controls. The coolest addition has to be the ability to fly freely around the Hoenn region and the 3DS’ circle pad makes movement far more comfortable and accurate.
DexNav & Sneaking
Alpha and Omega have a lot of great new features that come from years of experience.
A nifty little addition is sneaking. Using the circle pad, you can now sneak around and quieten your footsteps. Aside from looking a bit ridiculous, it can be used to get behind Pokémon that appear in tall grass and get the jump on them. It’s a small addition, but surprisingly fun and something that couldn’t have been done back in the Game Boy days, before Nintendo handhelds had circle pads.
DexNav marks your progress in each area, telling you which Pokémon you’ve caught there and if there are any left to find. I love this feature, as it makes catching ‘em all far easier and that’s a definite benefit when there’s over 600 this time around.
We Are All Connected
In the old days, the only way to play Pokémon with others was through a link cable. While my nostalgic memories from those days are pretty great, what we have now is far better. Anyone with an internet connection can now trade and battle with anyone in the world. Back then, this would have been incomprehensible, yet now it just seems normal. The world has changed a lot since Ruby and Sapphire and I couldn’t be happier with Alpha and Omega‘s nostalgic trip back to the Hoenn region, with all the benefits of modern technology.
Mega Slowbro
Do I need to say anything? Didn’t think so.
So there you have it, our top five reasons why Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are better than the originals. Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below!
