Get up to speed with Pokémon Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby’s biggest changes

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire is easily my favourite incarnation of the franchise. It was a massive step up from Generation 2, the first Pokémon game on the GameBoy Advance and just a massive improvement that created a foundation which current Pokémon games are still using to this day. If you’ve never played them (SHUNUNUNUNUNUN!), then prepare for a quick history lesson.

For reals, you never played the Ruby or Sapphire games and you can’t watch the video above? Okay, here’s the skinny. Set in the Hoenn region of the Pokemon world, Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby follows the same formula as all the other Pokemon games. You want to be the best, the very best like no one ever was, and that involves not only catching Pokemon but training and evolving them as well.

To get your ass recognised as the very best, that also means taking on the eight gym leaders of Hoenn, which include:

• Roxanne – Rock-type Pokémon specialist
• Brawly – Fighting-type Pokémon specialist
• Wattson – Electric-type Pokémon specialist
• Flannery – Fire-type Pokémon specialist
• Norman – Normal-type Pokémon specialist
• Winona – Flying-type Pokémon specialist
• Tate and Liza – Psychic-type Pokémon specialist
• Wallace/Juan – Water-type Pokémon specialist

And then you’ve got a battle with destiny, with the Hoenn Elite Four, the Pokemon champ then profit:

• Sidney – Dark-type Pokémon specialist
• Phoebe – Ghost-type Pokémon specialist
• Glacia – Ice-type Pokémon specialist
• Drake – Dragon-type Pokémon specialist
• Steven – Steel-type Pokémon specialist

Longterm fans take heed. There’s plenty of new content in the remakes as well, as the trailer outlines. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is out in November.

Last Updated: September 4, 2014