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Report: Pokemon 3DS remakes notch a million pre-orders in Japan
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are already major hits in Japan, despite the fact that neither game will reach store shelves until November 21. Dengeki Online (courtesy Siliconera translation) reports that the two games have already attracted over a million pre-orders in the island nation alone. For those keeping score at home, that puts Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire - remakes of the 2003 GameBoy Advance hits Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire - on a pace to beat the pre-order tallies for 2013's Pokemon X and Y. Both of those games sold like gangbusters even months after they first debuted, and Nintendo should be pleased with the hype its latest Pokegames are generating. [Image: Nintendo]
Pokemon Omega/Alpha 'dual pack' has healing powers [Update]
Nintendo is packaging both versions of its upcoming Pokemon remake together, though the benefit to buying both games in one box isn't monetary. While both Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will debut next month for $40 each, the "dual pack" bundle will still cost $80. The catch to Nintendo's two-for-two-in-different-packaging deal is that both games come with individual download codes that give players 100 potions in each game, making the familiar journey a tad easier. Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire were announced for 3DS in May as "fresh takes" on the 2003 Game Boy Advance games. Like last year's Pokemon X and Y, the games feature a load of mega-evolved versions of existing 'mon. Players can still obtain a download code to access the game's demo in the next few days by purchasing one of a handful of apps or games. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will launch on November 21. Update: As a minor point of clarification, the dual pack is exclusive to Best Buy stores. [Image: Nintendo]
Pokemon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire capture more Mega Evolutions
As Pokemon X / Y taught us last year, permanent evolution is for chumps! Single battle-spanning Mega Evolutions are the new hotness, and the upcoming Pokemon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire remakes are progressing accordingly: A recent edition of CoroCoro (which Serebii translated and posted scans of) has revealed Mega Evolutions of Latios, Latias, Pidgeot and Beedrill. Though Mega Latios and Latias weren't detailed, Serebii reports that Mega Pidgeot is a Normal/Flying type with the No Guard ability, while Mega Beedrill is Bug/Poison and capable of Adaptability. Serebii states that while strolling through the Hoenn region's overworld, Pokemasters can ride Mega Latios and Latias into the sky to find Dialga, Plakia, Reshiram, Zekrom and other Pokemon in the clouds. Serebii adds that islands inhabited by the notable Pokemon can only be accessed via flight, and that players will be able to find all non-event legendary Pokemon. There are also details about the MultiNavi PokeNav, which offers MapNavi, TVNavi, PlayNavi (think Pokemon Amie and the Global Trade Station) and DexNavi, which "helps you find Pokemon in the wild and register them in your Pokedex." Though Latias and Latios will still only appear in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire respectively, CoroCoro will distribute a serial code version of the Eon Ticket, an item tied to real-world events that lets players capture whichever eon Pokemon they're missing. We'll have to hope for a similar opportunity once wild copies of Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire appear on store shelves on November 21. If you're struggling to wait that long, you can join our prowl through the eShop's tall grass in search of a demo preceding the duo's launch. [Image: The Pokemon Company]
Become secret pals by visiting bases in Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire remakes
Nintendo's Game Boy Advance entries in the Pokemon series, Ruby and Sapphire, marked the introduction of "secret bases," in which players would annex a space of the game's worlds, decorating them as they saw fit. Secret bases are returning in the remakes of the games, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, with a modern touch. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire players will not only have the ability to create and customize their own secret base in the games, but take it a step further by sharing their creations using the 3DS' StreetPass and QR Code creation functions. Secret bases can include mazes and traps as well as NPC visitors with Pokemon battle rules, effectively turning the customized bases into competitive Pokemon gyms of sorts. Upon visiting other bases, players will also have the opportunity to invite others to their own base as "secret pals," which instantly makes the whole thing weird for everyone involved.
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire 'fresh takes' heading to 3DS in November [Update: Trailer added]
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will arrive on 3DS and 2DS in November, Nintendo announced today. The games are "fresh takes" on Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, which originally launched in 2003 for Game Boy Advance. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire were set in the Hoenn region within the series, and featured the monsters Groudon and Kyogre. The box art for the new games, as seen in the announcement trailer, shows off stylized versions of both Pokemon, which may indicate the inclusion of the Mega Evolutions system introduced in Pokemon X and Y. [Image: Nintendo]
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire music collection now on iTunes
Need help reminiscing over your time in Pokemon Ruby /Sapphire's Hoenn region? If your old cartridge is lost or in storage, you could always turn to Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire: Super Music Collection. The 109-track collection can't be hunted in tangled grass or gloomy caves, but it can be captured on iTunes with $9.99! Uh ... just pretend it's the Safari Zone, and you're throwing loose change instead of rocks. If you're keeping track, Super Music Collections for Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen, Pokemon X/Y and Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver were released over the past several months. This leaves soundtracks for Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, Pokemon Black/White and Pokemon Black2/White2 off iTunes, all of which are noted as upcoming releases in the Ruby/Sapphire press release. Of course, with Nintendo planning to add GBA games to the Wii U Virtual Console in April and DS games in the works, you could always wait to see if every main Pokemon entry shows up there instead. Other than the 3DS' Pokemon X/Y, of course. [Image: The Pokemon Company]
