(About)
Sequel to the Pokemon Pinball game on Game Boy Color, the aims remain the same - catch 'em all and get a high score. It was released on the GBA somewhere around 2003, and although it's somewhat hard to find nowadays it's not impossible. I got mine at Gamestop somewhere over a year ago.
For those who have played it, how do you like it? I myself find it's a great time-eater and a way to just kick back and relax. Trying to catch 'em all is a thrill all its own, and it's done in a rather fun way. Version-exclusives get replaced with field exclusives, but sadly most of the exclusives are on the Ruby field, which I'm convinced is out to get you. Weirdly enough, as I'm writing this, I'm in the middle of a game on the Ruby Field, where I have >800M points, four extra lives left, I haven't lost one, and I haven't fought Rayquaza yet. Weird.
Share your thoughts and experiences with the game!
Below I'll put in spoilers all the things on the various boards, and which things are easier on which boards.
Sequel to the Pokemon Pinball game on Game Boy Color, the aims remain the same - catch 'em all and get a high score. It was released on the GBA somewhere around 2003, and although it's somewhat hard to find nowadays it's not impossible. I got mine at Gamestop somewhere over a year ago.
For those who have played it, how do you like it? I myself find it's a great time-eater and a way to just kick back and relax. Trying to catch 'em all is a thrill all its own, and it's done in a rather fun way. Version-exclusives get replaced with field exclusives, but sadly most of the exclusives are on the Ruby field, which I'm convinced is out to get you. Weirdly enough, as I'm writing this, I'm in the middle of a game on the Ruby Field, where I have >800M points, four extra lives left, I haven't lost one, and I haven't fought Rayquaza yet. Weird.
Share your thoughts and experiences with the game!
Below I'll put in spoilers all the things on the various boards, and which things are easier on which boards.
Catch Mode: Sapphire. The bumpers aren't variable, they combo a lot off each other, and it's easier to get into Wailmer's mouth. Ruby's bumpers are irksome, since the patterns keep changing.
Evo Mode: Sapphire. It's more so that the 3 tokens to trigger evolution are easier to reach on the board. Ruby has them in harder-to-reach places, some of which require some prior setup to reach.
Travel Mode: Sapphire. The switch on the Ruby board for Travel Mode isn't always on. The criteria are otherwise the same.
Hatch Mode: Ruby. I think this is due largely in part to Makuhita - on Sapphire you can somewhat manipulate the Poke Ball by using Wailmer, but on Ruby you have Sharpedo AND Makuhita, the latter of which is very good at punching the Poke Ball right at the baby. (That sounded so horrible.)
Poke Mart: Ruby. There's no real contest here. For Sapphire's Poke Mart, you have to disarm Plusle's and Minun's shields first, and then enter to shop - and whenever you start a new mode (Catch/Evo/Travel/Hatch), the shields go back up again. For Ruby, you need hit the door once and then go in, and it won't reset if you start a new mode - only when you make a purchase.
Up-Grade: Ruby. With Sapphire it can be easier, since the bumpers are clustered together and can force a loop, letting you go from Poke to Master in about 15 seconds, but that requires some luck. Ruby lets you get upgrades more often to your Poke Ball with its gimmick (which I'll explain later).
Kecleon/Dusclops Bonus: Ruby. The Dusclops one can be considered easier, and it's nicer on newcomers at first, but the Kecleon goes by much faster, and you can't hit Dusclops from the front.
Groudon/Kyogre Bonus: Ruby. Groudon may have obstacles that take 3-5 hits to get rid of, but at least he doesn't have whirlpools and a never-miss ball-stopper...or move. Kyogre is way too unpredictable, plus his music isn't as cool.
Spheal Bonus: Sapphire. I'm talking about how to get to the stage, not the stage itself (the stage is identical in both fields). For Ruby you have to keep changing the bumpers until Whiscash appears, and land the ball in his mouth - if you hit him elsewhere, he uses an Earthquake and leaves. For Sapphire you need to tap the P when it's glowing rainbow color, and then land it in Pelipper's mouth.
Gimmick: Sapphire. Ruby has Makuhita, which can knock your ball into the Up-Grade Loop. Doing this 3 times will upgrade your Poke Ball, or - very rarely - give you an extra life. It's a fairly consistent way to upgrade your Poke Ball, and the on/off switch can be controlled. Sapphire has Zigzagoon, which can stop the roulette at any point you wish, but the on/off switch is very easy to trigger. I think Sapphire is better in this regard, because controlling the Roulette is an amazing thing to do - it can get you the Pichu Saver almost instantly - and Makuhita can sometimes knock your ball into the right lane (since his punch speeds the ball almost up to max speed), which will make you lose a live without a Pika/Ball Saver. Risky business.
High score: Sapphire. This is mostly because Sapphire has a very low risk of losing your ball. In Ruby, almost everything is out to get you, and it basically requires having the Pichu Saver (or Ball Saver) at all times - even the gimmick, or going too fast around the Evo/Catch Loops, can knock your ball out of the court very quickly. Heck, my high score on Sapphire field is a little over double that on the Ruby field (roughly 3450M vs roughly 1630M).
Evo Mode: Sapphire. It's more so that the 3 tokens to trigger evolution are easier to reach on the board. Ruby has them in harder-to-reach places, some of which require some prior setup to reach.
Travel Mode: Sapphire. The switch on the Ruby board for Travel Mode isn't always on. The criteria are otherwise the same.
Hatch Mode: Ruby. I think this is due largely in part to Makuhita - on Sapphire you can somewhat manipulate the Poke Ball by using Wailmer, but on Ruby you have Sharpedo AND Makuhita, the latter of which is very good at punching the Poke Ball right at the baby. (That sounded so horrible.)
Poke Mart: Ruby. There's no real contest here. For Sapphire's Poke Mart, you have to disarm Plusle's and Minun's shields first, and then enter to shop - and whenever you start a new mode (Catch/Evo/Travel/Hatch), the shields go back up again. For Ruby, you need hit the door once and then go in, and it won't reset if you start a new mode - only when you make a purchase.
Up-Grade: Ruby. With Sapphire it can be easier, since the bumpers are clustered together and can force a loop, letting you go from Poke to Master in about 15 seconds, but that requires some luck. Ruby lets you get upgrades more often to your Poke Ball with its gimmick (which I'll explain later).
Kecleon/Dusclops Bonus: Ruby. The Dusclops one can be considered easier, and it's nicer on newcomers at first, but the Kecleon goes by much faster, and you can't hit Dusclops from the front.
Groudon/Kyogre Bonus: Ruby. Groudon may have obstacles that take 3-5 hits to get rid of, but at least he doesn't have whirlpools and a never-miss ball-stopper...or move. Kyogre is way too unpredictable, plus his music isn't as cool.
Spheal Bonus: Sapphire. I'm talking about how to get to the stage, not the stage itself (the stage is identical in both fields). For Ruby you have to keep changing the bumpers until Whiscash appears, and land the ball in his mouth - if you hit him elsewhere, he uses an Earthquake and leaves. For Sapphire you need to tap the P when it's glowing rainbow color, and then land it in Pelipper's mouth.
Gimmick: Sapphire. Ruby has Makuhita, which can knock your ball into the Up-Grade Loop. Doing this 3 times will upgrade your Poke Ball, or - very rarely - give you an extra life. It's a fairly consistent way to upgrade your Poke Ball, and the on/off switch can be controlled. Sapphire has Zigzagoon, which can stop the roulette at any point you wish, but the on/off switch is very easy to trigger. I think Sapphire is better in this regard, because controlling the Roulette is an amazing thing to do - it can get you the Pichu Saver almost instantly - and Makuhita can sometimes knock your ball into the right lane (since his punch speeds the ball almost up to max speed), which will make you lose a live without a Pika/Ball Saver. Risky business.
High score: Sapphire. This is mostly because Sapphire has a very low risk of losing your ball. In Ruby, almost everything is out to get you, and it basically requires having the Pichu Saver (or Ball Saver) at all times - even the gimmick, or going too fast around the Evo/Catch Loops, can knock your ball out of the court very quickly. Heck, my high score on Sapphire field is a little over double that on the Ruby field (roughly 3450M vs roughly 1630M).
