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Pokémon Ruby (ポケットモンスター ルビー, Poketto Monsutā Rubī?, "Pocket Monsters Ruby") and Pokémon Sapphire (ポケットモンスター サファイア, Poketto Monsutā Safaia?, "Pocket Monsters Sapphire") are the third installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing games, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. The games were first released in Japan in late 2002 and later released to the rest of the world in 2003 (North America, Australia, and Europe). Pokémon Emerald, a special edition version, was released two years later in each region. These three games (Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald), along with Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, form the third generation of the Pokémon video game series, also known as the "advanced generation".
The gameplay is mostly unchanged from the previous games; the player controls the main character from an overhead perspective, and the controls are largely the same as those of previous games. As with previous games, the main objectives are to catch all of the Pokémon in the games and defeat the Elite Four (a group of Pokémon trainers); also like their predecessors, the games' main subplot involves the main character defeating a criminal organization that attempts to take over the region. New features, such as double battles and Pokémon abilities, have been added. As the Game Boy Advance can handle more powerful graphics than its predecessors, four players may be connected at a time instead of the previous limit of two. Additionally, the games can be connected to an E-Reader or other advanced generation Pokémon games.
Ruby and Sapphire received mostly positive reviews, though critics were divided in their assessment of the games, especially on the gameplay and graphics. Most of the complaints focused on the fact that the gameplay had not changed much since previous generations. With the popularity of Pokémon on the decline and the rising popularity of Yu-Gi-Oh! at the time, the games sold less than previous generations. However, they were still commercial successes: with around 13 million copies sold, they are the best-selling games for the Game Boy Advance.
The basic mechanics of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire are largely the same as their predecessors'. As with all Pokémon games for hand-held consoles, gameplay is in third-person, overhead perspective and consists of three basic screens: a field map, in which the player navigates the main character; a battle screen; and the menu, in which the player configures his party, items, or gameplay settings. The player begins the game with one Pokémon, and can capture more using Poké Balls. The player can also use his/her Pokémon to battle other Pokémon. When the player encounters a wild Pokémon or is challenged by a trainer to a battle, the screen switches to a turn-based battle screen where the Pokémon fight.[2] During battle, the player may fight, use an item, switch his/her active Pokémon, or flee (the last not an option in battles against trainers). All Pokémon have hit points (HP); when a Pokémon's HP is reduced to zero, it faints and cannot battle until it is revived. If the player's Pokémon defeats the opposing Pokémon (causes it to faint), it receives experience points. After accumulating enough experience points, it may level up; most Pokémon evolve into a new species of Pokémon when they reach a certain level.[3]
Apart from battling, capturing Pokémon is the most essential element of Pokémon gameplay. During battle with a wild Pokémon (other trainers' Pokémon cannot be captured), the player may use a Poké Ball on the wild Pokémon. If successful, the Pokémon will be added to the player's active party (or stored if the player already has the maximum six Pokémon in his party).[4] Factors in the success rate of capture include the HP of the target Pokémon and the strength of the Poké Ball used: the lower the target's HP and the stronger the Poké Ball, the higher the success rate of capture is.[5]
The most prominent change in the battle mechanics is the introduction of double battles, in which the opposing parties each use two Pokémon at the same time. Consequently, certain Pokémon moves can affect multiple combatants at once.[6] Also new to the games are innate abilities and natures; the former is shared by every Pokémon of a certain species, while the latter may vary among a particular species. Abilities grant their holders certain powers in battle, such as immunity against certain types of moves or strengthening a certain type of move. Natures, like innate abilities, affect the strength of Pokémon in battle; however, they affect the stats of the Pokémon rather than directly affecting the strength of the moves.[7] Another stat introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire is Condition, an important factor in Pokémon Contests, mini-games in which participants perform moves before a judge. Both Pokémon and their moves have a Condition, which is increased by using Pokéblocks (candies made from berries).[8]
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