Pokemon Box: Ruby & Sapphire

Appropriately handy, incredibly collectible, but ultimately unnecessary GameCube productivity software.

Updated:Nov 24, 2018 6:17pm UTC

The GameCube has its fair share of software oddities in its library, butPokemon Box is quite possibly the quirkiest and most difficult to market title to hit the system.Pokemon Box is essentially the Pokemon equivalent of Microsoft Office; it's a way to organize, arrange, and store creatures from the Game Boy AdvancePokemon: Ruby Version andPokemon: Sapphire Version. It's targeted specifically for the truly die-hardPokemon fan, but it requires so many specific elements to actually be useful to anyone. Its collectible status is at least enough to recommend it as a keepsake purchase; the included Ruby/Sapphire mix memory card is just way cool...and only available through this Pokemon Center-exclusive package.

Features

Only available atPokemon Center
RequiresPokemon: Ruby Version orPokemon: Sapphire Version.
Includes special, exclusive Memory Card 59 and GameCube GBA cable.
One Memory Card 59 required for each copy ofPokemon: Ruby Version orPokemon: Sapphire Version
Complete Pokemon storage database for up to 1,500 creatures.
Game Boy Advance emulator forPokemon: Ruby Version andPokemon: Sapphire Version.
Customize Pokemon Stage Showcases in 3D.

ThePokemon series, despite its "cool to hate" status in the videogame industry, is one of the most successful franchises ever developed. Though it's had a rough ride in console spinoffs, the label truly shines on the Game Boy in its RPG design. The game doesn't bring anything truly amazing to the table, but its entire construction is a tremendously successful combination of gameplay elements that work together extremely well. Its biggest aspect is in the way it gives players the ability to truly personalize their game; collecting, naming, trading, and organizing Pokemon almost makes the game an everlastinging experience. Even casual Pokemon players will put in dozens of hours into their adventure, more just to build and train their own ultimate Pokemon team after the original quest is completed.

It's these true Pokemon GBA freaks whichPokemon Box is targeted. This software title was developed specifically to givePokemon owners a way to more easily construct their teams and organize their collections outside of the Game Boy Advance adventure. Let's face it: squinting at the tiny text on the GBA's screen can give you such a headache. So, this is a way to move GBA collections around using the much more comfortable GameCube controller and larger screen. So, by connecting a Game Boy Advance system and copy ofPokemon to the GameCube,Pokemon Box opens up a much more intuitive way to organize their collections.

The interface created inPokemon Box makes it easy to move GBA collections from the cartridge to GameCube Memory Card, and the benefit here is that the die-hard Pokemon nuts can actually store far more collected creatures than the GBA cartridge can allow. The text-based interface is unexciting but completely functional; sorting Pokemon is a simple matter of navigating the menu and searching by Name, Number, Creature Type, the box it's stored in, whether it's male or female. In essence it's a GameCube database that's tailored specifically for thePokemon series. Just so that it's not entirely a boring experience, owners can even customize the way the storage boxes appear with specific background elements, including a create-a-texture one that's built from a "screenshot" function; most anywhere inPokemon Box players can take a "photo" and use it as a background.

Pokemon Box has a secondary set of functions, some more useful than others. On the "useful" side is the Game Boy Advance emulator that gives players the ability to play their copy ofRuby orSapphire on the GameCube, exactly as if the game was being played on a Game Boy Player GameCube peripheral. This emulator only works withRuby andSapphire, and is only accessible if the cartridge is actually plugged into the connected Game Boy Advance system. It's not the best replacement for a Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Player peripheral, since the emulator is limited to simply the adventure; because there's no link port on a GameCube, this emulator won't allow for link cable trades or battles.

On the "useless" side ofPokemon Box is its totally stupid "Showcase". Here, Pokemon owners can create a display of their Pokemon collection in the form of simple "game piece" stacks, as if they were creating a board game of their Pokemon creatures. But all it's used for is a custom display in 3D...even though the images of the Pokemon creatures are strictly low resolution 2D sprites, not the 3D models used inPokemon Colosseum. This mode, though offering a bit of creative flair for the user, is entirely unnecessary and completely out of place.

Realistically, everything inPokemon Box honestly could have been included inPokemon Colosseum to make that game a much more completePokemon experience. It's difficult to justifyPokemon Box as a standalone package, which is why it's anextremely good thing thatNintendo has packed it to the gills with physical extras, and priced it at a budget tag. For twenty bucks, you'll get the GameCube disc, avery cool Ruby/Sapphire Memory Card 59 and a GameCube Game Boy Advance link cable. If you're lucky, the Pokemon Center (the only place thatPokemon Box can be purchased) will throw in a couple Pokemon extras like creature pins.

Verdict

The fact that it requires not just a GameCube system, but also a Game Boy Advanceand a copy ofPokemon: Ruby Version orSapphire Version restrictsPokemon Box's audience. Is it a necessary release? Absolutely not. It gives players more function for organization and storage, but only the true diehards will take advantage of the extra space the GameCube memory card offers. There's absolutely no reason why Nintendo couldn't have included this stuff inPokemon Colosseum, considering this software was completed more than a year before it. But even the skeptical can see the value in the entirePokemon Box; the awesome, exclusive multicolor Memory Card 59 and GameCube GBA cable packed in is worth the $20 pricetag, even if youdon't own (or care about) the Pokemon series.