Editorial Review

Pokémon Ruby's updated graphics with weather effects, amazing sound, more than 200 Pokémon with over 100 new species--as well as its faithful adherence to the existing series of Pokémon games--makes for a welcome evolution in the series.

First, the game has a lot in common with Pokémon games Silver, Gold, and Crystal. For example, players can choose to be a boy or a girl trainer, an internal clock sets events at certain times, and you’re the game's handy-dandy Pokédex helps players keep track of the many stats. You're main goal is still to beat all the Gym Trainers and become the Pokémon Master. If you've played the old games, you will be right at home. But not all is the same.

The most obvious change is in the battles themselves. Now that two Pokémon can fight on your side at the same time, you can tag-team them against an enemy by taking advantage of the strengths of your Pokémons while covering their weaknesses. For example, you can now have a water Pokémon watch your fire Pokémon's back.You can also attack more than one Pokémon at a time.

A whole new element to the game focuses on how berries are used in battle. And if you collect enough berries, you can take them to a Berry Blender and make a PokéBlock, which is a little super-charged candy that raises your Pokémon's "Condition" attributes. You can then groom your Pokémon for regional contests and compete for ribbons like "Best of Show," which will unlock additional contests. There's even strategy in how to best use your berries: pick too many and the berry tree will disappear; plant berries, though, and a tree will grow. You can also build a Secret Base in special areas of the game, which you can decorate just like you can your room.

And let us not forget that Pokémon Ruby has a kickin' multiplayer system, too. You can trade Pokémon, and link up to four players for incredible battles. The only downside is that you can't link up with the old Game Boy Color games. --Bryan Karsh

Pros:

• You can control two Pokémon in battle
• Much needed graphic and sound facelift
• Nice multiplayer feature (requires link cable and extra game cartridge)

• Can't trade Pokémon with Game Boy Color

Reviews (34)

Almost perfect, but not quite...
First things first, I've never had one of these myself, so I can't give a very detailed description. But someone I know has one, so I still know enough to be worthwhile.
This guide is very helpful. It gives you the location of all the legendary pokémon and a game walk through. Personally, I prefer the pokédex section. It gives you information concerning the pokémon, their evolution and their moves. (which is quite handy when deciding if to let a pokémon evolve or not!)
There is one downside. The publisher omitted to put in pokémon from previous games if their move sets had not been changed. (So it's a little annoying when you're training a pokémon such as vulpix!) But every thing else makes up for that omission. In short, this is great!

RUBY AND SAPPHIRE GUIDE
THE REASON I RATE THIS GAME GUIDE A 5 IS THAT IT HELPED ME GET REGICE, REGSTEEL, AND REGIROCK AND REYQAZA THE STRONG POKEMON ALSO IT TELLS ME HOW TO DO ALOT. CAUSE OF IT I GOT RAQAZA TO LEVEL 97 AND BLAZKEN TO LEVEL 100 BUT HAVEN'T QUIT CAPTUERED LATIOS CAUSE HE KEEPS ON FLEAING BATTLE. ALSO ANOTHER THING NOT COOL IS THAT RAYQAZA CANT ENTER BATTLE TOWER LEVEL 100. SO THEY NEED TO MAKE A FEW ADJUSTMENTS

Very good and detailed...
Cons:

-Fully detailed maps that tell where trainers are, which trainers will be added to your Trainer's Eye, items, and sometimes a number. When you see a number on the map, there will be another number somewhere on the page that tells you what to do there (or what happens, etc.)

-Tells where to find items,tm's and hm's,rare and common pokemon, how and when pokemon evolve, the abilities,attack and tm and hm moves they can learn, as well as "egg moves".

-Complete walkthrough of the game, as well as little side quests such as catching Rayquaza.

-Shows every move's damage, accuracy, pp, and effects, as well as what they do in pokemon contests.

Cons:

-Some ability summaries aren't specific.

(This one might not be a con to some)-It doesn't tell how to catch the Regi pokemon, instead, it just has the braille alphabet to help.

-At first, the part of the guide that shows you when pokemon evolve and when they learn moves MIGHT seem complicated...

Editorial Review

Pokémon Crystal is to Pokémon Gold and Silver what Pokémon Yellow is toPokémon Red and Blue. It features severalminor upgrades from its predecessors, but in essence it's still the same game.The classic Pokémon formula of adventuring, collecting, and battling isat a series best with Crystal. This is one of the best and most addictiverole-playing games for the Game Boy Color.

The most notable feature is theselectable female trainer who has her own set of animations and backgrounds.This is a great option for female Pokémon fans who were previously stuckplaying the game as a male character. There are also subtle improvements to thecell phone system, HM moves, and prebattle animations. Rival trainers' phonecalls are now more plentiful and pragmatic. HM moves, which are requiredthroughout the game, are available at the push of a button--you'll no longerhave to navigate menus to use these moves. Lastly, seeing a Pokémon's newanimation makes encountering new creatures more fun than before.

If youhaven't played Gold or Silver yet, Crystal is definitelythe way to go. If you've played those previous games, Crystal has onlyenough new features to justify a purchase from Pokémon fanatics. Thisgame is compatible with the link cable, Game Boy printer, and PokémonPikachu 2. It's playable on Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance only, and can beplayed on a television using Pokémon Stadium 2 and a Transfer Pak.--Raymond M. Padilla

Pros:

• New female trainer
• Prebattle animations are cute
• Lots of subtle improvements

• Too similar to Gold and Silver
• Mobile phone features not in the U.S. version

Reviews (13)

Pretty Good
Compared to the "Official" pokemon player's guide, this guide has plenty more unveiled secrets than your average guide. I found it to be very informative. I must admit that I found a few errors, but compared to all the cool tips and hints you get, it's not that big of a deal. I love how there's an introduction for each pokemon, instead of just plain old stats. Having this guide makes playing the game alot more fun, and that's what guides are all about. Well, besides guiding. Hehe, you get my point.

Pok'emon Crystal
The Pok'emon Crystal game for Gameboy Advance is kind of better than Pok'emon Gold and Silver, because you can get Lapras in it but you can't get Lapras in Gold or Silver, Lapras is at Lv.20 it attacks are Mist , Body Slam , Growl , some thing some thing
any way Sucine is the the Rarest Monster in the game because if it is on the cover then it is. When you start the game you can choose a boy or a girl, im a boy but in the game I started with a girl because Snubble will be easier to find in the morning and the girl name was Rei.

Features

• Two buttons control all the action
• A classic that introduced many players to video games
• Earn power-ups and shoot fireballs at your enemies
• Eight levels of Koopah-stomping fun

Reviews (9)

Super Mario Bros started a video game revolution!
Everybody should try this game and feel a joy for jumping with Mario. There are eight different levels, which contains four stages. If you are a real power player, you won't need warps at all. Koopa turtles, man-eating flowers and lukitus which flies with clouds are your enemies. Don't jump in canyons and beware lava paths! Grow up with a magic musroom and beat koopas with fire balls. Collect 100 golden coins if you want to get one life more. Attention, Super Mario Bros is not a easy game if you are beginner because there are lot of difficult levels in castles under water and clouds. This game can be cause a little addiction to playing. It takes so long that you beat the final boss whose name is Bowser. Melodies are simple but workable. It is easy to play with Mario because you can control him totally.
Play and enjoy a long trip with Mario1

WOW!
Many a gamer will without a doubt have played this game! This was the first game I ever played...EVER and let me tell you that this is the game that got me started on being a gamer!The first side-scrolling adventure ever made and it was great.

But if you're not an old-skool gamer or you're just so much more impressed with all the new stuff then you might as well skip this. Let me say that a game shouldn't be judged based on it's age, graphics and sound alone.This game taught me that the importance of a game was it's gameplay and that my friends is what this game is all about.

First let me say this though, there was one moment in this game that made me realize that games are meant to be explored, and you know what that is? That invisible block in the first level! When I first found that invisible block I was in awe because it was in the middle of NO WHERE but just appeared.I actually let that one-up get away the first time. I'd never seen anything like it before in ANYTHING!

Now I know that people complain, "Oh you can't save" and "You only get three lives and when you die you start from the beginning" and "There's a @#$%^&* time limit!" and of course everyone's favorite "These graphics suck" and second favorite "The game is too short".Well, as I said it isn't the age that counts.For it's time these graphics were some of the best the world had ever seen!Also, the ability to save your game wasn't in thought yet (Metroid was one of the first games to even use the "Password" system).You got three lives on just about EVERY game back then and as I said, saving hadn't been thought of.The lentgh? You certainly wouldn't think so now but Super Mario was one of the longest games in the world when it was released! For today's standards the difficulty has gone down (but I'd still say it's easier than the majority of XBOX, PS2 and GCN games) but not by much.The game can still be hard but it's easy to master. In fact this game started a series of Video Game challenges in which people did crazy things like go through the entire game without grabbing a single mushroom on one life WITHOUT warping! I remember doing that as well.

For the ages this game is freakishly awesome.Even those born in my time would know this game pretty well and have fun with it (Some of us were like what...one? two? three? etc.?)

Truly if you're an NES fanatic and an old-skool gamer this is one game you CANNOT be without!

Groundbreaking
When people first think of Nintendo, Mario is obviously the first thing that enters most people's minds.Even being the huge Zelda fan that I am, Mario has still plopped into my head first; Mario, like Sonic is for Sega, is still a pop culture icon that seemingly doesn't age... and it all started because of this game.Super Mario Brothers.

THE GOOD
Oddly enough, this game stands the test of time, even with later games (not all of them, mind you) that have seemingly better graphics and color schemes.It has this otherworldly fun factor that somehow exceeds most games (kind of like Tetris).The music may be old, but the soundtrack to this game grabs you by the cojones and forces you to like it.Everything about this game, in fact, inherently grabs you like no other game could.

THE BAD
Perhaps the only bad thing about it that I can say is probably the fact that I've gone through so many "You found the Princess!EHHHH! She's in another house, GO AWAY!" scenes that it got annoying (for those of you who are going "You got the phrase wrong," it came from a song).But oh well... I suppose it adds to the charm of the game.

Features

• NEW GAMEPLAY
• All new gameplay centered around a new fame score in the game UI.
• Build skills and win famous Sim friends to advance through ten levels of fame.
• Sign up with the Talent Agency to embark upon your dreams by looking through the tabloid, which is delivered to your house.
• Win a variety of different awards for achieving gameplay goals, including The Simmy Award and The Sim Choice Award.NEW LOCATION AND OBJECTS

Reviews (155)

Fame all around!
The Sims Superstar is ok, if you want to become famous! But if you want to stay at home and have parties then you have to get another expansion pack. Once you begin trying to become famous you have to visit Studio Town reguarly, and practice which gets boring really fast, thats all i have to say :D

a great and entertaining game
The sims superstar is such a great expansion pack! New features and ojects allow you to explore the sims world more. the new objects are great to and fufilled my every sims need. Im very addicted to it though. Its exciting to be a celebrity but its hard to get to be one. I liked having my sim play piano or guitar do a photo shoot or do kareoke. definetly a must buy :-)

Reviews (6)

Superstar Info Good; Sims Info Dated
I found the second half of this book very useful in trying to learn and navigate the Superstar world. It had well-written instructions, tips, and general information on how to progress from a nobody to a superstar. This certainly isn't an easy career path, but if the game was easy, why would we play?

The first half had some good information as well. This information is geared towards a beginner, which may be too basic for some. But my main complaint with this section, is that it hasn't been updated! Relationships are much harder (yet in a way easier) in these newer Sims games. It has been changed from a single relationship bar, to a double system. The top bar, for daily interactions, and an average bar, for a 'lifetime' score. I was wanting a more in-depth analysis of this new rating system, but this book doesn't even mention the change. It seems that the first part was written with the original Sims game, and has simply been tacked onto each and every variation of the Strategy Guide. Which is lazy writing, in my opinion.

My other quibble, is that pages upon pages have been taken up showing (in black and white no less) each and every object you can buy. I really don't see the point to this, but others may find it useful.

PEOPLE LOOK AT THE COVER!
I do not have this book or the game but i intend to get it for Christmas.For those of you who said most of it is for the regular sims, look at the title! COVERS THE ORIGINAL SIMS AND SIMS SUPERSTAR!I think this will be a very helpful book for many people.Also, yes it is challenging to get to be a star, I tried on my friend's computer, but if you were going to try to be a star in real life, it would be hard too!Just find out what your Sims like and make them do that a lot.And check their bars-bladder, hunger, energy, etc. to find out what theu need.

Superstar is awesome
This Expansion Pack to the sims, the sims deluxe, or the sims double deluxe is the best expansion pack ever. what you have to do is live your life( Like every other sims game in the world) exept in this expansion pack only, you can become a famous celebrity. you earn your way up from singing kareoke to acting in a big time soap opera. you can hire an agent and see who the ten hot celebrities are. Also there is a few new items, like the sky diving machine(Expensive but it helps with body and fun), and the aquarium(Expensive also, but is the best thing for fun). they also heve a new pool tabe and a new weight set. in this expansion you can still get a pet. you also can get married and have children too. I'de say this is the game of the year. Plus i can't wait untill the sims 2 comes out.

Editorial Review

Isbn: 1572800321
Sales Rank: 1377364
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Games    2. Entertainment & Games    3. Gardening