Pokemon Colosseum

"Gotta catch 'em all...with a twist."

I've been a loyal follower of the Pokemon game franchise since its debut back in 1998. I feverishly caught 'em all and proudly created an elite team of high-level Pokemon fighting machines. I lost interest with the series with the creation of the Gold/Silver/Crystal versions. Now, looking at Pokemon Colosseum, the newest game in the franchise, I'm regretting my actions of the past.

The developers of Pokemon Colosseum have clearly decided to step away from the overly used story formula. You're not expected to wander from town to town, challenging eight gyms and get badges. You are a mischievous young trainer who has stolen from a group of thugs. You have stolen a handheld machine that allows you to capture or ''snag'' the Pokemon used by rival trainers. It sounds great at first. Who wouldn't want to snag some of the Elite Four's Pokemon? However, there are limitations. You can only snag Shadow Pokemon. Evil trainers have used science to take away the emotion and personality of regular Pokemon, leaving them as nothing more than fighting machines. You goal is to confront trainers in battle and snag their Shadow Pokemon. Once done, you must battle with the Pokemon, gain its trust and purify the Pokemon of its Shadow attributes.

While the traditional storyline has been thrown out, your character will still go from town to town. Instead of walking along pre-determined routes, you must choose a location to visit. There will be a small cut scene as your character travels between the towns on a hover cycle. You wander around town, finding out information, obtaining items and challenging trainers. One major difference though-you can't just save whenever you want. Unlike the GBA games, where you can save your game almost anywhere, anytime, you must find a PC and save your game. You’ll find yourself occasionally backtracking to a previous town to save the game. Luckily, the PCs can be found right where they've always been: inside Pokemon Centers. For those of you that are veterans of the Pokemon series, you'll need to break the habit of opening the menu in order to save your game on the go.

All the battles in Pokemon Colosseum are two on two. For those of you who've played Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire extensively, the battle system will be nothing new. However, you have a partner cheering on the sidelines. Her presence is important in that she can point out Shadow Pokemon for you to snag. Your two leading Pokemon will be brought out. As usual, you're presented with a varied attack list and battle menu. Choosing right attacks and combos will bring your opponents to their knees. If your partner recognizes a Shadow Pokemon, you must weaken the Pokemon, then use attempt to capture it using a modified Pokeball.

Once captured, you must purify the Shadow Pokemon by battling with it on your team. There's a gauge that measures how much the Pokemon is tainted. After every battle, the gauge will go down. Once it's gone down completely, the Pokemon will return back to normal. However, battling with Shadow Pokemon can prove a little frustrating with two on two battling. Shadow Pokemon aren't very cooperative and will disobey commands at some points in a battle, leaving you in a tight spot. Also, Shadow Pokemon are prone to fall into a ''Hyper Mode.'' The Pokemon's Critical Hit power increases, but the chance of it actually executing an attack can prove to be a little unpredictable. While these Shadow Pokemon can cause some frustration early on, they add to the overall difficulty of battling and allow for better strategizing.

While two on two battling won't be anything new to some gamers, the variety of Pokemon is astounding. Pokemon spanning from all versions of the Pokemon franchise are displayed in smooth, three-dimensional glory. Imagine teaming up your formidable Pokemon from their respective versions for a battle royal of epic proportions. I'll admit that I've missed out with skipping the Gold/Silver/Crystal versions, as the majority of the Pokemon come from those three games. For those of you that have collected every single Pokemon over the years, you'll be rewarded with seeing them portrayed on the Gamecube.

I'm a little torn when it comes to the graphics in Pokemon Colosseum. The graphical details of the different towns and characters aren't the best I've seen on the Gamecube. The details on some of the buildings seem bland at best. Aside from the flowing jacket of the main character, there is nothing too memorable about the other townsfolk. The emphasis was placed more on the Pokemon battles. Seeing old and new Pokemon in three dimensions maybe a sight to behold, but the real beauty lies in the attack animation. The attacks have vibrant colors and light to add to the realistic effects. When a Pokemon is launched out of its Pokeball, there is a flash of light and some residual electrical energy emitted. The water attacks have a great ripple effect. The Shadow Pokemon emit a cloud of violet mist when looking at their profiles. Excellent job overall.

The music in Pokemon Colosseum is upbeat and catchy. Not like the grand orchestration found in SSB:M, but still enjoyable. Take a closer look at the trainers during battles. You might notice that they move to the beat of the background music. The only familiar tune here is a remix of the Pokemon Center theme, which gives a sense of familiarity when going three this new region. What this game lacks is voice acting. Just like the old games, you still walk up to people and watch the words appear on the screen. While the dialogue has been somewhat improved, it's nothing really outstanding. Also, the battle cries of the Pokemon have remained unchanged from their GBA counterparts. The music is enjoyable enough that you won't miss the tiny lack of sound effects.

Pokemon has taken a step beyond the GBA. While the game does have a solid RPG mode, I'm sure that most gamers will be drawn to the battle mode to test their skills and Pokemon teams. While veterans of the Pokemon series will pick this up with ease, there are enough new aspects to interest those new to the series. Give this game a go, see how you like it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/04