To me, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire--and, by extension, Omega Ruby--represent many things that are important to me, all of which can essentially be summed up by calling it a perfect remake of a beloved classic.
Indeed, it is quite high praise. I'd always considered Pokémon Emerald to be one of my all-time favourite video games; I'd played it at a very young and impressionable age, it contained many of my favourite Pokémon--my favourite having been Rayquaza (typical for a young boy, I know), and it was where my love for the Pokémon franchise truly skyrocketed. Rest assured, I held the inevitable Gen 3 remakes to the utmost high standard.
So, what makes Pokémon Alpha Sapphire a perfect remake? Well, here are some things that immediately come to mind: (1) improving aspects of the game that originally held it back, (2) maintaining the majority of key aspects that made the game unique, (3) augmenting the game with superior quality and substantial new content, (4) retaining the je-ne-sais-quoi of the original game.
Alpha Sapphire improved aspects of the game that had initially held it back through the inclusion of certain in-game items and functions that were developed specifically to curb fans' initial criticisms. Almost unilaterally, the fans agreed that the original games had too many regions where the player had to traverse water. For one, the water areas were considered bland, unexciting, slow, and full of encounters with wild pokémon and trainer. Without changing the layout of the Hoenn region, developers allowed pokémon with the "fly" HM to transport players anywhere in the world, where, before, it's potential destinations were exclusive only to towns and cities. To toward the latter-half of the game, players could even obtain the new key item, the "eon flute," which allowed them to control their own flight and soar above the entire Hoenn region--even illuminating hidden new areas where non-Hoenn region pokémon encounters could ensue. Additionally, the speed at which players can travel in water was made even faster. These are generally small optimizations, but thoughtful ones that improved the overall playability of the game.
Alpha Sapphire also maintained the most integral aspects of the game that truly given the original Gen 3 games a unique fingerprint. There was great faithfulness to the original games regarding the in-game world, story, primary events and encounters, and soundtrack, with small optimizations to further polish the game. The removal of the battle frontier was a notable loss for some--not myself. There were also marginal fluctuations in the games difficulty, where earlier encounters (pokémon battles, gym leaders, etc.) have been made easier in the earlier-half of the game, but are more difficult toward the end of the game. Additionally, some of the Elite Four's pokémon have been switched for later-Gen pokémon. Granted, when you compare each version, the changes seem entirely apropos (e.g., Phoebe, rather than having two Dusclops, she now has a Dusclops and a Dusknoir). In my mind, these mainstays and changes are all happily welcomed by me.
While augmenting the game with superior quality is partially related to "improving aspects of the game that originally held it back," I'd like to place greater emphasis on the improvements that Game Freak made to the technological limitations of the previous game, in addition to entirely new aspects of the game they created--mainly the Delta Episode. The Remake improved on the visual style of the game such to bring a more detailed clarity to its visuals. Despite the 3D aspects that the sprites possess--a quality I've not been fond of in recent pokémon games--the game effectively plays smoother than before while also bringing greater visual depth to the world. The original soundtrack was faithfully recreated and with improved audio. The animations are fluid and add much more personality and character to the sprites that they belong to. The major new features added to the game primarily are the Delta Episode, mega evolutions, and the Eon flute. The Delta episode is ostensibly new free post-game DLC; there is more story, new characters, events, and pokémon. It is simultaneously a great way of integrating the post-Gen 3 franchise advancements, and also providing players with new content (and not just selling them the same game again, like they did with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl). Mega evolutions were, initially, an inclusion I was resistant to, and while I think that they make the game easier, today, I find myself relishing in the moments where I can unleash a blitzkrieg on my opponent. The Eon flute not only makes transportation more fun, easy, and accessible, it makes the need for late-game "HM fly" use obsolete, and it also provides a post-game way to encounter various non-Hoenn pokémon, legendries, and new areas to explore. All around, these inclusions really breathed new life into the game, and, to me, made ORAS more desirable options when compared to the originals.
I think the ORAS remakes were able to elevate the original material in a way that fixed its original problems, breathed new life into it, and retaining the je-ne-sais-quoi of the original. While I am a staunch believer that mainline pokémon games ought to follow a certain formula (a top-down 2D scroller that focuses on world, story, encounters....), the changes that ORAS made which were typically incongruent with my preferences, ended up being some of the primary reasons why I've loved this game so much.
I wish that I could wax poetically about my love for this game, but truthfully, I find it difficult to. The highest praise that I could offer it in this regard is that it helped me recapture the poignant, unique joy that I experienced playing this game as a child a second time as an adult.
Indeed, it is quite high praise. I'd always considered Pokémon Emerald to be one of my all-time favourite video games; I'd played it at a very young and impressionable age, it contained many of my favourite Pokémon--my favourite having been Rayquaza (typical for a young boy, I know), and it was where my love for the Pokémon franchise truly skyrocketed. Rest assured, I held the inevitable Gen 3 remakes to the utmost high standard.
So, what makes Pokémon Alpha Sapphire a perfect remake? Well, here are some things that immediately come to mind: (1) improving aspects of the game that originally held it back, (2) maintaining the majority of key aspects that made the game unique, (3) augmenting the game with superior quality and substantial new content, (4) retaining the je-ne-sais-quoi of the original game.
Alpha Sapphire improved aspects of the game that had initially held it back through the inclusion of certain in-game items and functions that were developed specifically to curb fans' initial criticisms. Almost unilaterally, the fans agreed that the original games had too many regions where the player had to traverse water. For one, the water areas were considered bland, unexciting, slow, and full of encounters with wild pokémon and trainer. Without changing the layout of the Hoenn region, developers allowed pokémon with the "fly" HM to transport players anywhere in the world, where, before, it's potential destinations were exclusive only to towns and cities. To toward the latter-half of the game, players could even obtain the new key item, the "eon flute," which allowed them to control their own flight and soar above the entire Hoenn region--even illuminating hidden new areas where non-Hoenn region pokémon encounters could ensue. Additionally, the speed at which players can travel in water was made even faster. These are generally small optimizations, but thoughtful ones that improved the overall playability of the game.
Alpha Sapphire also maintained the most integral aspects of the game that truly given the original Gen 3 games a unique fingerprint. There was great faithfulness to the original games regarding the in-game world, story, primary events and encounters, and soundtrack, with small optimizations to further polish the game. The removal of the battle frontier was a notable loss for some--not myself. There were also marginal fluctuations in the games difficulty, where earlier encounters (pokémon battles, gym leaders, etc.) have been made easier in the earlier-half of the game, but are more difficult toward the end of the game. Additionally, some of the Elite Four's pokémon have been switched for later-Gen pokémon. Granted, when you compare each version, the changes seem entirely apropos (e.g., Phoebe, rather than having two Dusclops, she now has a Dusclops and a Dusknoir). In my mind, these mainstays and changes are all happily welcomed by me.
While augmenting the game with superior quality is partially related to "improving aspects of the game that originally held it back," I'd like to place greater emphasis on the improvements that Game Freak made to the technological limitations of the previous game, in addition to entirely new aspects of the game they created--mainly the Delta Episode. The Remake improved on the visual style of the game such to bring a more detailed clarity to its visuals. Despite the 3D aspects that the sprites possess--a quality I've not been fond of in recent pokémon games--the game effectively plays smoother than before while also bringing greater visual depth to the world. The original soundtrack was faithfully recreated and with improved audio. The animations are fluid and add much more personality and character to the sprites that they belong to. The major new features added to the game primarily are the Delta Episode, mega evolutions, and the Eon flute. The Delta episode is ostensibly new free post-game DLC; there is more story, new characters, events, and pokémon. It is simultaneously a great way of integrating the post-Gen 3 franchise advancements, and also providing players with new content (and not just selling them the same game again, like they did with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl). Mega evolutions were, initially, an inclusion I was resistant to, and while I think that they make the game easier, today, I find myself relishing in the moments where I can unleash a blitzkrieg on my opponent. The Eon flute not only makes transportation more fun, easy, and accessible, it makes the need for late-game "HM fly" use obsolete, and it also provides a post-game way to encounter various non-Hoenn pokémon, legendries, and new areas to explore. All around, these inclusions really breathed new life into the game, and, to me, made ORAS more desirable options when compared to the originals.
I think the ORAS remakes were able to elevate the original material in a way that fixed its original problems, breathed new life into it, and retaining the je-ne-sais-quoi of the original. While I am a staunch believer that mainline pokémon games ought to follow a certain formula (a top-down 2D scroller that focuses on world, story, encounters....), the changes that ORAS made which were typically incongruent with my preferences, ended up being some of the primary reasons why I've loved this game so much.
I wish that I could wax poetically about my love for this game, but truthfully, I find it difficult to. The highest praise that I could offer it in this regard is that it helped me recapture the poignant, unique joy that I experienced playing this game as a child a second time as an adult.