Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness

"A great game for any Pokemon Fan"

5 years ago in the Orre region, a terror called The Ciphers shut the doors to pokemon's heart and you played as a renegade to save them in Pokemon Coliseum. Now you play as another young hero and again saving the Orre Region.

Story 9/10
Not bad. Considering this is 5 years later, not many changes have been made. You are a young boy trying to save Orre. An evil organization called the Ciphers have just been resurrected and you must defeat them with Pokemon you "Snag" from them.

Graphics 9/10
Pretty good graphics. The moves have been redone and look much better than the moves in Coliseum. Everything is in 3-D and is awesome. The only flaw is that you can't adjust the camera and the fainting graphics can't be viewed if the pokemon is underground. Other than that, the graphics are awesome!

Music- 7/10
The music for battles are basically the same with a bit of remix. It can get a tad boring after a while but it's not so bad. The music for boss battles get a bit more dramatic.

Game play 10/10
You can get Pokemon from either snagging them and then purifying them or catching a few wild pokemon. Purifying is when you open the heart to a Shadow Pokemon restoring it to it's former state. The battle actions are simple, 4 moves to choose from and 1,2, or 3 targets to choose from. For Coliseum players, you can now save anywhere. So no more missing Shadow Pokemon for those perfectionists. You won't meet random pokemon anymore and the way to travel is now on a scooter and from area to area, no world map! There is also VS Mode thus increasing the fun. It will make people who never got a chance to go to Pokemon Events dreams come true by letting you play with Jirachi,Deoxyes, and many more.

Replay Value 6/10
Other than the Eevee evolution differences, their is nothing else to do.

Buy or Rent?
Buy. The time it takes to complete this game is about, 2 or more weeks for people who have to do other stuff.1 week for addicted players. Unless your really confident on beating the game quick, you should buy.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/10/05