Customer Reviews

Pokemon Sapphire Version / Pokemon Ruby Version (Prima's Official Strategy Guide)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This strategy guide is the only Ruby and Sapphire guide worth getting (as of 3-24-03). The other "official" guide doesn't even have a pokedex, which is the one thing you need when you are playing pokemon! This one is great. The berries section is a bit confusing, but the pokedex more than makes up for it!

Prima's previous Pokemon Gold/Silver guide was not their best effort; it was rushed and most of the Pokemon were not even pictured in the book. This Ruby/Sapphire guide more than makes up for their last guide.

The guide takes the time to describe the new features of Ruby and Sapphire, all the new info you need on capturing, types, status problems and evolving, and it even details the differences between the old Gold/Silver features and the new Ruby/Sapphire features; an "In" and "Out" list, e.g. the clock and Pokegear from Gold/Silver compared to the new Pokenav in Ruby/Sapphire. The breeding section is very helpful, but not thorough or detailed enough for those who want to raise pokemon with special egg moves; it is possible with some work, but it will be great if Prima does another book dedicated to breeding and inheriting special moves like their Master Pokedex for Gold/Silver.

The walkthrough is organized quite nicely, and the screen shots are crisp and clear in beautiful full color. The item list takes a different approach; rather than state exactly where each item is, there are "checklists" where you can check off the items you obtain as you find them in that region. I didn't find this too troublesome. Prima has opted not to list each trainer and their bench of pokemon; I am not thrilled with this omission, but the guide is so well put together, I am willing to grudgingly deal with it, I guess the company wanted to provide players with the element of surprise, so make sure you have a diverse or strong team with you at all times. I am however grateful that the pokemon appearances and frequencies are listed, as well as which one appears in which version when applicable, including appearances in the water when fishing or surfing. The gym leaders and their pokemon benches are still detailed, along with very helpful tips on beating them, the badge won and its effect and the TM provided. I also like how each major and minor event or task is numbered, but you can still complete each task in any order you like. I love the pokedex and how straightforward and streamlined it is; everything you need to know from the nature(s) of each pokemon to its evolution(s) and its branches, but they make a mistake on Wurmple's evolution stating that it depends on the time of day. Wurmple's evolution to Silcoon or Cascoon is entirely random.

The best feature of all is the Pokemon Contest, to which the book dedicates its own section. A bit of the information is a little confusing, but carefully read will give you all you need to know, including what berries to mix to make the best pokeblocks and their effects when used. They included the battle moves and contest moves, even the contest move combos! The item list is as complete as anyone could ever want. Overall, this book provides a good balance of information to beat the game without revealing too much. I still would have liked to see the trainer data but Prima's guide will deeply satisfy most players wanting to get the most out of the game. You'll be glad you bought this book!

There are a few good points about this guide. Of all the Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire guides this is the only one that has a Pokedex. But it still isn't tbe best to choose just because of this.

A few things troubling. THey have some maps and that's good. But they don't locate very many items. Not only that but there are a couple of errors in the Pokedex, which weren't too bad. Mostly with some of the pokemons evolutions but still a good guide nonetheless.

The other big problem was that I'm used to guides telling me what to expect from trainers. Even Nintendo Power would help tell me what trainers would most likely use (i.e. "They mostly use water and grass types"), but this guide didn't do that for me.

Also, they didn't locate the secret bases in any way whatsoever. They had the maps...but where do I find them!? I didn't like that too much. Not only that but no strategies for two on two battles. That could be a bit of a problem. Nonetheless a good guide that is essential to the game in every way. They have a few problems but easily this guide is one of the better ones for Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire.

The good

+Maps
+Nice walkthrough
+There's a Pokedex!

The Bad

-Small tiny errors in the Pokedex
-Doesn't help me locate the secret bases
-Maps are missing item locations

Because of a special deal, I got the Nintendo Player's Guide with my copy of Sapphire. I used that thing so much it's falling apart, so I recently bought Prima's guide. Surprisingly, Prima decided not to include the layout of each individual Trick House (Nintendo did.) Also, the layout of Flannery's gym is not labeled, so it can take awhile just to get to her. Nintendo tells which holes take you to which spot. The maps are small, which does make them hard to use in certain locations. Despite claims, it does not list all secret bases or have opponent trainer rosters (just for gym leaders/rivals.) Prima also fails to note which trainers are Trainer's Eyes trainers who demand rematches, so finding these trainers for rematches is harder- once again, this is something that Nintendo does. Despite all of this, it's still a handy guide to have while exploring the land of Hoenn and trying to beat the gym leaders. I would recommend Nintendo's, but the Nintendo guide could fall apart on you! This is a respectable guide and I would suggest picking it up.

This is the best guide for Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. It reveals weaknesses of all the gym leaders and the Elite Four, and it gives an informational Pokedex with info. on how to catch all the Pokemon. This guide also tells of all the Pokemon located in one area, and all the Pokemon who evlve in strange ways. The only downfall, is that trainers' Pokemon lineup are not revealed and most of the guide shows the girl's adventure, not the boy's. Otherwise, you don't get a better guide than this one. If you get Pokemon Ruby or Sapphire, get this sweet guide also.

This book is good for a quick walkthrough reference. It's simple to use and does its job well. If you need help with Ruby or Sapphire, I'd recommend picking this up!

This book doesn't tell how to get to the secret cave and it doesn't tell how to break the secret code. But there are some good things. It has 200 pokemons in its pokedex; it tells how many levels a pokemon will evolve, and like Groudon, when Groudon is at Level 50 it will learn Rest. And this book will tell what HM/TM that a pokemon can learn. It will tell what a pokemon is afraid of or not afraid of and it will tell which type of the pokemon it is.

This was an invaluable resource the times I managed to get stuck in the game, or wanted to know about the different Pokemon types. I managed to get my hands on a small version of this (Measuring approximately 5"x7" instead of the much bigger version). I found that was great to keep in my backpack for my hour between classes (studying??!hahaha). Prima always puts out a quality product, and this was no exception. Buy this over the other guides out there.

Its awsome! It has a full pokedex. all 200 pokemon in the game. Its awesome. I reccomend it to everyone who has Pokemon Ruby and/or Pokemon Sapphire. BUY IT!

This book really is great! It shows you weaknesses to the Elite Four, and helps you throughout the game. It also shows the Pokemon the Gym trainers have, which will help you figure out what Pokemon you need to bring to the Gym.