Now even though I haven't reviewed anything before but I have wanted to for a while now, I thought it would be a good start to review Pokemon Brown. Overview Pokemon Brown is (from what I hear) the ROM hack that set the stage for many other ROM hacks we see today. I first heard of Brown on Bulbapedia when I was reading up on the hack games and bootlegs that were listed on the site. After doing the basic read up on what Brown is, I thought I would give it a go. Little did I know that I was about to immerse myself into a Pokemon adventure I would not forget. Graphics: 9 I was overall, very impressed by the graphics that have been utilized in Brown. Sure, most of the graphics originated from the game it was based on (Pokemon Red for those of you that don't know). But Koolboyman has managed to insert graphics from Yellow, Gold, Silver, even from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. The way all the graphics and sprites blend together is seamless. This section alone makes it feel like you are playing something Gamefreak themselves designed. Maps: 8 The maps have really impressed upon me, they aren't perfect, but they are great. I'll tackle the good right now: All of the maps look spectacular. They definitely used the new map tiles extremely well. This is especially true within the caves in Rijon (If you don't know what I mean, compare the caves in RBY to Brown and youll see what I mean). All the maps give an atmosphere to the game that makes it feel different from RBY. My personal favorite is the second area in the Rijon-Naljo Tunnel (no spoilers for those who haven't played) because it is something I never expected to find in a Pokemon game. Now for the not so good: there are a few maps that (even though they look great) don't seem to really do much other than to provide only a few trainers to battle, some rather common Pokemon, and maybe an item or 2 to find and not really contribute anything else to the main story other than to give extra atmosphere. While I do find that somewhat annoying, it isn't too big of a deal. There are also quite a few signs in Rijon that don't do anything when you interact with them. The way I see it there: either give the sign something to say or don't put it there. That's just a personal gripe once again. But overall, the maps are amazing even with the things I pointed out. Music: 9 For those of you that have played this game to maybe the halfway point, your probably wondering why the hell I'm rating music when all of it is from RBY. The reason why is because there actually are new tunes in Brown!!!!! About half of the music you'll find in Brown is from GSC, while the other half is completely original music composed by MeanMrMustard (did I get that right?) before he parted ways with Koolboyman. The reason why this part got a 9 is because of the heavy reliance on the old tunes, but the new tunes easily make up for the 9 score. Each bit of music that is freshly composed blends seamlessly into the environment that they are a part of. Now all of the custom music is at the end of the game, but I feel it is worth the wait to listen to these tunes. Pokemon: 10 Yes, I have a section dedicated to the Pokemon themselves, because Koolboyman managed to find a way to add in over 70 Pokemon. The Pokemon Koolboyman chose to add were perfect for this hack. You still have the original 151 in the game, but you also get to play with a large amount of Pokemon found in GSC. Not only that, but most of the Pokemon that recieved an evolution in the 4th generation can reach that evolution as well. Like I said, the Pokemon that were chosen for this were perfect. Now some of their locations as to where some can be found on the other hand, (Yanma for example appears only in caves and buildings but correct me if I'm wrong) seems questionable. But it doesn't detract from this section's score. Challenge: 10 For those of you who like to find a challenge, this is it. Now the main story before the defeat of the Rijon League seems rather easy enough, but there are some vast level differences between some of the gyms. Most notable is between the 7th and 8th gym. There is also an area before the league where all the trainers in the cave use pokemon lv70 and up. This area becomes accessible after you receive Cut and Surf. Now while there is a great challenge in this area itself, the reward is much worth it. Now the Rijon League is a good challenge as well. The Pokemon of the first member are about on par with that of the 8th gym leader, but the Pokemon of the Champion ranges in the 70s. You also don't have an area like Victory Road to go and train at either which adds to the challenge. The team I used to finish the region league were all in their mid 40s, but the challenge was still there. The greatest challenge within the game is the Final Dungeon. I won't say much other than this: THEY PUT THE ELITE FOUR TO SHAME!!!!!! So just based on the challenge aspect of this, I like to call Brown Pokemon for veterans. Rijon: I couldn't find a way to rate the region itself, but I wanted to include it here anyway so here it is. Rijon is a nifty little region just to the south of Johto and the two regions are connected by a bridge that crosses the sea (Johton Strait??? ) and you can only cross this bridge via bike. The region itself is based upon real world locations (except Eagulou city which was completely original from what I hear) and are named appropriately. I don't know how else to expand this section so I'll leave it as is. Overall: 9.2 While Pokemon Brown is an amazing ROM hack and it has inspired many others to make their own ROM hacks like Brown, nothing will ever match Brown's unique quality in my eyes. Is it perfect? No. Is Koolboyman happy with the result of Brown? I would like to say yes, but I would rather he voice his opinion here. My final judgement on Brown is that it is a very well designed and layed out ROM hack that any Pokemon fan should give a try. I think Brown has something every Pokemon fan can enjoy about it. Congratulations on Brown Koolboyman! I hope your future projects are this enjoyable!! Now the next step is to wait for the sequel...... One more section I have rated seperately from the rest because this has irritated Koolboyman in the past, but I didn't want to rate it with the rest of the review. Instructions: 11 Koolboyman has said this several times and I would like to emphasize this a little more. READ THE FRICKEN READ-ME FILE!!!!! All the instructions as to install Brown are there. People shouldn't have to ask questions about that when the answer is either a click or 2 above or below the IPS file for Brown. Sorry if I sounded hostile there. But if there is a file that says read-me, read it as it may solve your problems.
