Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team

"A fun, repetitive way to keep yourself occupied until Diamond and Pearl's release."

When I picked up this game from my local Gamestop, I had mixed feelings. Was it worth the price? Would I enjoy it? Or is it simply just a stupid "filler" game to stall the release of Diamond and Pearl? I hope to answer all of these questions and more in this analysis, and I hope it helps you make the best decisions you can, both as a gamer, and as a consumer.

STORY - 6/10
You awaken in a strange land finding that you (previously a human) have been mysteriously transformed into a Pokemon. In this new land, there are only Pokemon, and you can understand what they are saying and communicate with them. You and your partner decide to create a "Rescue Team," an organization which lives simply to help Pokemon who are in danger for a reward. While rescuing Pokemon, you wonder how you became a Pokemon in the first place, and often dream about the answer...

The story is very generic until we hit the Rescue Team concept. I think the story is poorly integrated into the game. Many games have the unfortunate idea that the story of the game happens at the beginning and the end of the game itself. For a successful and interesting storyline, it is important that your story is ever-flowing, ever-changing while playing through the game. This is not the case with Mystery Dungeon.

Don't be dismayed. Keep reading.

GRAPHICS - 8/10

The graphics of this game are just about comparable to the graphics of Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald for the GBA. By the way, there are no graphics upgrades from the GBA version of this game to the DS version. Graphics are crisp, bright, clear, and colorful. Can't get much better than that in a handheld game.

SOUND - 6/10

First, let me explain that music is my career and my life.

That said, I very much disliked the soundtrack for this game. It's nowhere near as complex and brilliant as the music from the series-based Pokemon games. I was disappointed greatly. In dungeons with over 50 levels, I will have the volume off by level 15.

A helpful hint: turn the volume off, turn on music that you like. I find that J-pop goes well with this game, but that's just me...

GAMEPLAY - 8/10

Alright, let's move on to what matters.

The gameplay is very basic: you receive letters in your mailbox at your Rescue Team base. These letters are requests for help from your Rescue Team. You accept the job, and you go to the dungeon, and fulfill the mission. The actual plot of the game doesn't always move through letters, however. This way, you'll be able to have something to do everytime you turn on the game, be it follow the plot, or just do random missions. This only adds to the MASSIVE replay value of this game (we'll talk about that later).

Once inside a dungeon, you can use a standard attack (A) or use your "Moves," which are your Pokemon's attacks (Tackle, Water Gun, etc.). You attack enemies in a Zelda-like manner; there is no battle scene such as there are in the series-based Pokemon games. As you defeat enemies, you'll gain experience. As you gain experience, you level up. As you level up, you learn new Moves. You know the drill.

Once you reach the last floor of a dungeon, or accomplish your mission, you exit the dungeon and move on to your next mission. You can buy stuff in shops, sell stuff, store items, and do numerous other things as well. After a while, you'll be able to "recruit" wild Pokemon to be in your Rescue Team. All 386 Pokemon are available in this game. ALL OF THEM. Even Mew, even Celebi, even Deoxys. To do this, you'll need to purchase Friend Areas. There are LOTS of Friend Areas to purchase. Granted, there are a lot of Pokemon to live in them. Basically, you have to have the Friend Area of a specific type of Pokemon before they can ask you to join your Rescue Team. For example, say you want to recruit a Lapras. You'd probably need to buy a Friend Area that specializes in water Pokemon such as a Lake or a Pond area.

This is the basic gameplay of the game. It's very REPETITIVE. I'll say it once more, because it is needed. The gameplay of this game is very repetitive. I didn't give this section an 8/10 for nothing. The two points I subtracted from the score were due to the repetition of this game.

That said, I still love this game. I think someone who loves dungeon-crawlers would really not notice anything about repetition at all. It's all about personal preference, and personally, I thought it was brilliantly done.

REPLAY - 10/10

No contest. This game shines brilliantly in this department. I've come to the conclusion that the repetition I mentioned earlier is just a byproduct of dungeon-crawlers. That said, this game will last you a long, long time. Enjoy it.

Is it worth the price?
In my experiences, absolutely.

THE FINAL WORD - 8/10

If you're an avid Pokemon fan, buy it. If you're not too keen on the series, try it. If you're still unsure, feel free to email me with questions at Vfirthd@AOL.com. I'll do my best to make sure you make the right decision.

A 10 Year Saga...

This year marks the 10th-anniversary of Pokemon or Pocket Monsters. Looking back, a lot has happened since the release of Pokemon Green and Red in Japan. 386 Pokemon, hundreds of anime episodes, dozens of video games, and much more fun to come. While Pokemon isn't as big of a craze as it used to be, I still remember the times when I waited in line at Toys R Us only to find out that everything Pokemon-related was sold out. It's still a great time to be a Pokemon fan. With a new movie coming out soon, North American Nintendo promotions, Pokemon Ranger, and the upcoming Diamond and Pearl versions, you've got a lot to look forward to.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate your time. Happy gaming, everyone.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/26/06