ORAS Experiences

[Codraroll]

By now, most of you who are reading this (or at least, most of you who are posting here) will have played (or at least, watched somebody play) Pokémon Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire (or at the very least wished you've played it. Have I covered everybody now?). The games are out worldwide, the pre-release period is over, and it's time to create a place to discuss our experiences. This thread is that place.

Whether you've already braved the seas and skies of Hoenn, or just jumped out of the truck after a bumpy ride to Littleroot, the games will most likely have made an impression on you worth sharing. Are you filled with joy and nostalgia after playing around, or have you gone for a more creative and restricted spin on your adventure? Is your team being assembled with the Battle Resort in mind, or are you assembling a gang to take on the first gyms? Or are you just sitting there, listening to the trumpets?

Did you play the originals, and find some of the changes intriguing? Or are you just now taking your first steps into Hoenn, seeing everything for the first time?

Feel free to discuss your experiences here.

Now it's time to retire the pre-release thread. It's been a fun six-and-a-half months, but now it's time to celebrate what we have got, instead of what we think we might get.


If you only post to ask for something, please go to the Simple Questions, Simple Answers thread instead. "Keep or toss" questions are unwanted even there, we have the Wi-Fi SQSA thread for that. The OI rules still apply.

So, how's your trip to Hoenn been so far?

 

[Karxrida]

The region is beautiful and varied, the Pokemon are awesome, the music is amazing (Route 113 and E4 theme stand out the most), and YOU GO TO FUCKING SPACE.

These are probably the best games yet; can't wait to see how they top this.

 

[Oriolous]

Best champion battle I've had since Cynthia when I first beat Diamond. It came down to Megagross v Megagross... and the only reason I won was because I had Mega Evolved against Steven's Armaldo, so I had the advantage against his 'gross. Nervewracking. Them THEMES though.

The only disappointment I've had with ORAS so far is the lack of need to shove us into the desert to get back to Petalburg and the lack of incentive to explore underwater. But I made my own incentives, so whatever. All I need to do now, besides wait for the contest combo list to include the types for the moves, is get all the DexNav Pokemon just so I can hunt more effeciently. But that will wait until I have my first Pokemon bred and ready for training in Hoenn.

 

[Red G]

DexNav is the greatest new feature of this game. I managed to complete a living pokedex on Y, so for Omega Ruby I didn't plan on catching any pokemon I wouldn't use in-game. However, I cannot resist getting that golden crown and sneaking up on pokemon once I hear them cry out. I nearly got wrecked by a level 18 Taillow with Boomburst while my Treecko and Poochyena were level 12. That Taillow immediately went on my team!

 

[Lady Vader]

When I played Ruby for the first time in 2010, it was my least favorite Pokémon game. There was something about it that I just didn't like. Something about how it felt combined with outdated mechanics (thank you Generation IV and your lovely physical/special split).
Alpha Sapphire is my favorite Pokémon game and is only a few features from being perfect. I had a lot of fun going through the game, the most since I played through Black. Hoenn just looked beautiful. The DexNav was useful, though I didn't really use it much. I was happy just wrecking things with my Hariyama's Silk Scarf-boosted Fake Out. I was really happy with my team from Anakin the Mightyena to Tippi the Pellipper. The improvements in Team Aqua (I can only imagine what it would be like in Omega Ruby playing against Team Magma), actually fleshing them out was incredibly needed and well done. Then there are the credits. Seeing my playthrough and the Pokémon I used was just...it summed up the feeling of Pokémon. Plus, the Delta Episode is one of my favorite things I've ever done in a Pokémon game. For one, actually being refered to as Champion is so satisfying. Turning Deoxys into a non-event legend is awesome. And finally, getting to ride a Rayquaza into SPAAAACCCCE!!!!!!!!! to destroy an asteroid is the coolest thing in the history of ever. Plus, seeing Brendan and May's date at the end was really, really cute.
Also, what they have done for post-game players is great. The Eon Flute is hands down my favorite item ever, allowing me to travel over Hoenn without needing an HM Slave. This combined with my semi-competitive Hoenn team I have (Waterfall Swampert and Surf Exploud), I can explore most places with my full team. Not only that, but being able to soar over a region, really absorbing it in is amazing.The Battle Resort having virtually everything I need to breed is great, meaning I don't have to fly to three different places while breeding. Plus, we now have 100% EV Hordes!
Then there are things like Super Secret Bases, new Megas, move tutors, the large amount of legendaries to catch, Cosplay Pikachu, subtle touches with character expressions, the return of the PSS, it is just a great game.

There are some flaws that keep it from being perfect:
1) No character customization.
Seriously, Game Freak? That was one of the best things about X and Y. I liked having diversity of who I'm battling.
2) No hidden abilities for the starters available in this game.
Is it too much to ask for Sheer Force Feraligatr, Iron Fist Infernape*, or Contrary Serperior?
3) Mega Rayquaza is broken as hell thanks to how it Mega Evolves.**
4) No Battle Frontier, just a recycled Maison.
Not only did you not give us a whole large variety of battle facilities again (dang it, Black 2 and White 2), you couldn't even give us a different facility?
5) Too much water

Still, even with these flaws, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire is my favorite Pokémon game, for the playthrough and for what I do after.

*I know it has been released, but I would like to be able to easily get one from in-game.
** Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks this.

 

[Nelson Tangela]

Just noticed one positive thing about ORAS while EV-training my Latios on Route 119. Sweet Scent DOES work in the rain again. Yeaaah. It annoyed me quite a few times in XY, when I wanted to train my Pokémon and couldn't because it was raining...

 

[Detective Barricade]

The cutscene after beating Groudon/Kyogre the first time is awesome... but would be hell to have to sit through just to try and SR the beasts. I'm very shocked at just how much has been changed. Soaring and the DexNav features are some of the most fun the franchise has introduced, and will be very sad when they almost inevitably become abandoned by the next games. Everything feels much more vibrant than in X/Y. One thing I kind of wish though was that BuzzNav had a bit more functionality to it... not sure how they could have done that, and I'm not going to go into it, just feel that it could have done more. Still, it's nice to poke at it and see the latest headlines... and the latest trashing of Gabby & Ty.

 

[jimmythebass]

I swept the entire elite 4 with just the glalie from the demo and the blaziken I started with. Steven took a few tries though. The original ruby was my first Pokémon game, back when hoenn was the newest region, and the only disappointing thing for me was the lack of battle frontier

 

[kiddu]

2) No hidden abilities for the starters available in this game.
Is it too much to ask for Sheer Force Feraligatr, Iron Fist Infernape*, or Contrary Serperior?

Hold up, so this was confirmed? Last I heard, some streamer had been shown getting Sheer Force Totodile, but if that was a hoax then it saves me a lot of trouble resetting for HAs.

And on a semi-related note, I went back to Littleroot Town to pick up the other Lati@site, and when I exit the house I get stopped by Birch screaming. Cue Unova starters. Relevant because people were saying that each set of starters was for beating the Elite Four again, and I've only beaten them once so far.


yes I'm that far behind

 

[Detective Barricade]

Hold up, so this was confirmed? Last I heard, some streamer had been shown getting Sheer Force Totodile, but if that was a hoax then it saves me a lot of trouble resetting for HAs.

And on a semi-related note, I went back to Littleroot Town to pick up the other Lati@site, and when I exit the house I get stopped by Birch screaming. Cue Unova starters. Relevant because people were saying that each set of starters was for beating the Elite Four again, and I've only beaten them once so far.


yes I'm that far behind

Yep, just Overgrow/Blaze/Torrent for the Sinnoh, Johto, and Unova starters. Giving players everything in the national dex in gen 6 =/= giving the starters their hidden abilities. Heck, the only Hoenn starter to get its hidden ability available in gen 6 is Torchic... from the Speed Boost Torchic event that ran at X/Y's launch. Too bad if you want Unburden Treeko or Damp Mudkip.

 

[Dark T]

I caught a Jolly Terrakion with 31/31/19/29/19/31 in Pathless Plain. What do you guys think I can do with him?

 

[Mario With Lasers]

Hoenn was a region I always loved. I got decent access to internet after FRLG was released, and got myself on pokémon forums and competitive battling right when Emerald launched. I was also getting into my teenage years, so Hoenn has been my rite of passing, so to speak. Including leaving Johto behind for good (having my Silver save file deleted by a classmate also meant I had nothing to lose, RIP childhood).

ORAs has been a incredible blast to the past for me. Everything is there, I remember it all, I wanted to explore the whole region even though I knew what I would find in every corner. It's amazing. A breath of fresh air in the series, even. The plot was nicely executed (unlike XY), the Gym Leaders and wildmons are nicely distributed (unlike XY), the music is amazing (unlike XY), the postgame has a lot of shit to do (unlike XY).

Hoenn really was a region ahead of its time. It was born to be played on the 3DS, not on poor GBA. I'm afraid I won't even want to play the next Kalos game because Hoenn is so much cooler.


Besides, I just got a Jukebox for my Secret Base, and one of the available songs is Trick House's. GOTY/10.

 

[Skore]

I've just entered Mt Pyre and sneaking up on the ghosts is pretty cool, the little swirls of dark energy look awesome.

OMG Sharpedo surfing is so FAST! I love it and I hope it remains a feature in future!

 

[MMX]

I'm waiting for the tide to go down in Shoal Cave so I can get the last two Mega Stones. I'll then go for all the TMs and start breeding my HA Gothita and Skrelp for Modest HP Fire spreads. A+ for this game.

 

[Absolclaw]

Earlier when trying to catch Primal ear rape Kyogre, Camerupt proved to be a complete bro, successfully getting Yawns off and getting the "Stayed at 1HP because I wub u" or "Read your mind to avoid the attack" like ... 7 times in a Row, on every attempt. Origin Pulse ain't got nothing on Camerupt. Shame that when it did die, and I tried to use a different Pokemon, they'd instantly die or KO Kyogre, lol.

Been enjoying the game greatly so far, the small additions have been nice, like justifying what the hell Team Aqua were doing at a volcano. It was kind of annoying how you're constantly being offered a free teleport to next story location, but most new stuff makes up for it.

 

[Jibaku]

Not a stretch to say that OR is the best Pokemon game I've ever played (or at least, on par with Emerald). Defining this game are intense cutscenes and the vastly improved personalities of people (Team Aqua/Magma and your rival, mainly). And let's not forget the incredible remixes, although there are a few that weren't as good as the original. An incredible remix is be the Primal Kyogre/Groudon theme - I've looked for years for good remixes of that theme and it was incredibly hard to find one. People somehow always manage to make the theme less epic and more cheerful and it does not make sense at all given the world-defining battle that this piece plays in. However, ORAS was able to crush my fears and, by incorporating the original theme to go along with the whole Primal Reversion, made it even more epic.

Amazing new themes (Wally's and Zinnia's), awesome new features (DEXNAV, Flying to routes), WIFI-SHARABLE SECRET BASES, and of course, Primal Groudon are some other notable qualities. This game only needs a few things to be perfect: Rebattleable key characters such as gym leaders, zinnia, and your rival, Battle Frontier, and NOT BEING FORCED TO CAPTURE A LEGENDARY IN THE STORYLINE. Also they need to remove shiny locks entirely as I've heard that the storyline legends are still locked t.t

Also I'm glad that gamefreak has put in more freedom in creating new Ubers. Zek/Resh/Kyu were too balanced and limited. Shame that Mega Ray had to be banned though, but at least it shows that they're willing to make things interesting and I hope that one day they'll be able to create enough "mega rays" to balance it back into the metagame.

(Seriously, forced legendary capture is one of the most annoying mechanic they've put in Pokemon games. I wanna enjoy the game, not spend most of the storyline resetting T_T)

 

[Prof. Almeida]

So now you can fly directly to the berry trees. That's awesome.

 

[Caramel Prisoner]

I just beat Watson on my second try with a ridiculously badly matched team of Grovyle, Linoone, Surskit and Wingull, evenly leveled. The way I did it was to buy the Metronome from the guy in the suit hanging around the second floor, equip my Grovyle with it, and Mega Drain the hell out of that Magneton until it went down. The remaining Magnemite and Voltorb were easy enough to finish off with my Linoone. I feel oh so smart.

 

[thelaytonmobile]

Fantastic game so far. Finding all the little extra touches really charming :)
DexNav is amazing (I actually got both Lucky Egg and Life Orb within a few tries), and Secret Bases are much better (though they seem to be smaller?) this time round (Go Team Dai-Gurren!!).
That SR session for Latias was hell though... :(
And my Team is at about level 50 approaching Mt Pyre, oops.

 

[madmod20061]

I agree DexNav is the best new thing about this game. I had to turn the Exp Share off because of how much I played around with the Dex Nav early on. Even my non traded pokemon were getting near the badge limits pretty quick. I had to trade out one just so I would have a pokemon who would obey on the 4th badge. I traded over my Pokemon Box R/S Zigzagoon and Swablu. Mega Altaria + Hypervoice basically took me through the game and a fairy type False Swipe works wonders when catching DexNav pokemon. I'm probably one of the rare people who hated contests and secret bases in the originals and don't like them much more now.

 

[thelaytonmobile]

I agree DexNav is the best new thing about this game. I had to turn the Exp Share off because of how much I played around with the Dex Nav early on. Even my non traded pokemon were getting near the badge limits pretty quick. I had to trade out one just so I would have a pokemon who would obey on the 4th badge. I traded over my Pokemon Box R/S Zigzagoon and Swablu. Mega Altaria + Hypervoice basically took me through the game and a fairy type False Swipe works wonders when catching DexNav pokemon. I'm probably one of the rare people who hated contests and secret bases in the originals and don't like them much more now.

Pokemon you caught will always obey you. Only traded Pokemon will disobey if they are high level. Cool that you have Box RS Pokemon though! Returning to Hoenn after so long...

 

[SnazzySwampert]

I caught a Swablu last week, and now that Im done Delta Episode and gonna start breeding, I was checking a few Pokemon in my PC when I noticed my Swablu that had Bold Nature. Im like wow! So I get it out of the PC and check its IV's with the Judge. He tells me my swablu has 31 SP.D! And it's Female!

I couldn't believe my luck, it was just a random catch, no Dex Nav, no catching like thirty of them, no, just one, and I get the above. Crazy

 

[Lady Vader]

Pokemon you caught will always obey you. Only traded Pokemon will disobey if they are high level. Cool that you have Box RS Pokemon though! Returning to Hoenn after so long...

Speaking of which, I actually had put a Flygon and Groudon I had transfered from my old copy of Ruby on Alpha Sapphire. Sadly, it did not have any special message on it. It really would have been cute for it to say "Has traveled through time and space to return home."
Oh well, just a minor nitpick in a great game.

 

[madmod20061]

Pokemon you caught will always obey you. Only traded Pokemon will disobey if they are high level. Cool that you have Box RS Pokemon though! Returning to Hoenn after so long...

Really. You learn something new. Was it always like that? I guess i never had that issue until this game. I still had to trade out though since at that point my only non-traded pokemon were Sceptile and Mightyena who weren't going to be doing much to a bunch of fire and poison types in that gym.

I rarely get rid of my old pokemon games so when they announced Alpha/Omega I went back and replayed Sapphire. I then dug out my old Gamecube and RS Box and put enough in it to get Swablu and Zigzagoon. I didn't bother with payday Skitty and Surfing Pichu would have been pointless as I would have had to delete Surf to port it all the way over to Omega ruby.

 

[Dark T]

God I love Wonder Trade.