Finally, an online version of your favorite Game Boy Advance game!
If you ever owned a Game Boy or Game Boy Advance device, you probably played one of the many Pokemon titles at one point or another. While the original Pokemon Red Version and Pokemon Blue Version are favorites to many, the Game Boy Advance remake of the classics, Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen finally brought some color into the familiar world.
One of the troublesome elements of earlier Pokemon titles was trading. Unless you were physically present with a link cable attached, it was impossible to trade for that elusive Pokemon you've always wanted. Now, thanks to the game's active and dedicated community, you can finally play an online version of the role playing classic.
Dubbed PokeMMO, the fan-made MMORPG is essentially an emulator project that allows you to play the third generation Pokemon game online. You can participate in tournaments, battles, and of course trade with other players. Currently, the emulator requires the use of the Fire Red v1.0 USA ROM and has optional support for the HeartGold and SoulSilver ROMS.
While the project is still in its "alpha" development stage, a majority of the game is already complete and can be played at PokeMMO.eu. All you have to do is make an account, download the client, search the web for one of the supported ROMS and you are good to go.
It shouldn't be taken down as long as people obtain their ROMs legally. This should mean getting it off of their own Fire Red cartridge. If they get it from the various ROM sites out there, it's the user's risk, not the people who made the MMO mod.
It's on the person who downloads the ROM to own the physical copy of the game too, and with the physical copy, he/she owns the licence to use the game. Though I'm pretty sure to be completely legal you really need to rip the ROM off of the actual cartridge, but copyright laws aren't really black and white about it. Forgive me if I'm wrong about anything.
That is like Apple making their OSX available to be installed on any machine which will never happen.
Nintendo still believes ROMs are illegal regardless of whether or not you own the original copies.
You can read all about Nintendo's stance on the ROM/Emulator scene.
http://www.nintendo.com/corp/legal.jsp#download_rom
Of course I don't think that any company including Nintendo has the moral right to object.
They make hardware incapable of playing legally made copies which should be just as equally against the law as it is intentionally bypassing your legal right.
Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the DMCA or some other law state that if you own the gameboy version of the game then it is legal to download the ROM and use it as you already bought the game in the 1st place?
or is the MPAA/RIAA/Etc trolling the legal system worse than I feared they already have?
I kinda see this helping Nintendo if anything. It will give them data on if people would even be willing to play a Pokemon MMO on the PC if they ever deside to make one in the future.
As for me, I lost intrest after they added more than 151 pokemon. After seeing the site and watching the trailer (in which some guy had a Whale for a pokemon following him on land o_O) I don't have any intrest in this because they have and I quote "Staff approved player contributions may be added to the game."
I'm more of a blue/red/yellow/green pokemon person. =3
Lets not. Wait.. you mean like some sort of furry?[/quote]
I think what Burodsx means is he wants a monster-collecting game with a more mature theme. The monsters one would collect, take care of, and fight with don't need to be cutesy. Not that I object to cutesy. But some more mature monsters that look intimidating, demonic, or grotesque would be greatly appreciated in a monster-collecting game. What he may have also meant was a game like Pokemon could also do with more game mechanics to make it more interesting. None of this "Four Moves per Monster" nonsense that Pokemon does. We've grown up! We want more meat in this kind of game.
(Apologies if the quote tags didn't work)
Not going to happen. They aren't going to dilute their IP by putting it out on PC when they sell the hardware to play the software. One of Nintendo's few advantages these days is their 1st party content, and it is still working for them.
I'm willing to bet Nintendo's lawyers have studied the ins and outs of copyright laws better than anyone discussing it here. Are there any actual cases where copying of video game content was upheld in such a manner or any actual nonpiracy sites that know something about law claiming that it is fully legal to copy over the software, or is it just the case of people going "I heard the DMCA says we can copy our games as long as we own them."? Keep in mind also that the rom in this instance is not being used for testing or archival purposes, which is where exceptions may occur. Let's even say it is legal, is the developer making no profit off of this project willing to fight over his right to modify the software in court for several years? I am not commenting at all here on what's morally correct or what "should" be the law, just what the situation really is at this current date.
But why would Nintendo take issue with this? Again, copyright dilution. They may want to release a pokemon MMO in the future, maybe they even already have one ready in case the IP starts to show signs of unpopularity. They do not want any unofficial MMOs floating around to confuse consumers. The "Poké" additive is also something they highly protect for their merchandise. I can already guarantee you this will be served a cease and desist. Nintendo isn't actually too bad about chasing down fan mods, but they do tend to shut down popular ones. Use this while it lasts.
It has a lot of bugs though, a significant number of abilities are not implemented, pokemon abilities are not implemented, and this is just my opinion now, but FireRed feels so outdated considering many gameplay improvements made since then (damage type bound on abilities, not types, many new abilities from leveling up in newer generations). For example, Gengar is utter crap in gen 3 because ghost was a physical damage type.