One of my favorite video game series of all time is Pokémon due to its fun stories, lovable characters and the opportunity to travel across regions populated by cute creatures that are fun to both battle and collect. Each new game brings a different twist on the basic Pokémon formula, with new gym leaders, enemy teams, stories, and mechanics that are exciting and fun.

However, this also means that some older games are often considered outdated and ugly in comparison to the new 3DS releases. This is why Game Freak remakes older Pokémon games every so often, beginning with FireRed and LeafGreen in 2004 (eight years after the first Pokémon games, Red and Green, were released in Japan).

Although most Pokémon games are well received, the ones that have received the most criticism as of late are Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, otherwise known as ORAS. These remakes of the original Ruby and Sapphire games for the Gameboy Advance received an undoubtedly unfair rating of 7.8/10 by IGN.

Unlike the buffoons at IGN, most Pokémon players with brain cells agree that Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire were some of the best Pokémon games released within the last four years, especially since the most recent gen, Gen 7, was arguably a huge downgrade from previous games (with Sun and Moon being less than average, Ultra Sun & Moon being awful, and Let’s Go being nostalgic, yet kind of bland).

What makes ORAS great games is that they were given a graphics upgrade from 2D to 3D and helped Pokémon transition into a 3D platformer. Additionally, the new art style makes ORAS look stunning in comparison to the originals, with character and town redesigns showing the player how beautiful the Hoenn region really is.

The soundtrack is also amazing, with the Rustboro City theme staying true to the original while being modern. Also, new mega evolutions make older and forgotten Pokémon fun to use again, with some megas even looking better than their counterparts.

Team Aqua and Team Magma are as evil as ever, and the battles against team bosses Maxie and Archie are intensified with new mega evolutions.

Although some would complain about ORAS having “too much water”, use your brain– were Ruby and Sapphire criticized for having too much water? No, they weren’t. So stop being silly and head on over to the Pokémart and buy yourself some max repels, and use the map, which the game literally gives you and puts on the bottom screen of your 3DS for the sole purpose of helping you navigate the vast Hoenn seas. Besides, who wouldn’t want to surf on the back of their Lapras on a beautiful 3D ocean with a gorgeous soundtrack?

The fact that ORAS, with its beautiful soundtrack and fun plot, is being downgraded by the same company that gives awful games such as Ultra Sun and Moon a 9/10 is a disgrace.

To those of you who are feeling nostalgic and want to pick up a new Pokémon game, play Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire to experience a couple of the most stunning games this wonderful series has to offer.

Final verdict: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire deserved an 11/10, and IGN sucks.