"Even precious gems has its rough edges"

Ever since the Pokemon series was first released in American shores, many kids were determined to get all the pokemon for incentive purposes. Some would go as far as getting the pokemon by bringing their Gameboys to school despite that it's not allowed. As the series kept going, the overall gameplay mechanics is slowly refining. But, does the tried-and-true formula still have its novelty charm?

Once again, you play as a rookie trainer determined to be a Pokemon master. As soon as you finally get your first pokemon, you are set out in the vast mountainous region called Sinnoh. Like the previous installments, you travel throughout the region and collect badges. Along the way, you'll meet other people to aid in your travels. You'll also attract rivals to battle against you. As you progress, the secrets of the Sinnoh region is slowly revealed. It's your job to unfold the mysteries of the Sinnoh region. Pokemon doesn't really stress on story since it leans more on the gameplay.

The graphics in Pokemon have gone through a facelift. This time, the graphics have gone 3D. You can really notice the depth of sheer cliffs and the height of the tall skyscraper. You still get the nostalgic birds-eye camera view. Despite the fact that the real time clock was implemented in Ruby and Saffire, the absence of the day and night was sorely missed. Now, in Pokemon Diamond, the day & Night system have made its welcoming return. This time, the transition from day to night is very smooth. For example, as the day rolls by, you can notice that the the lighting is slowly changing to an orange glow as dusk approaches. But, even with a new graphic engine, the changes isn't that appealing. The graphics looks as if it came out from a GBA game. The battle animation still feels like the earlier pokemon games. If you don't turn off the battle animation, the flow of the battle is still slow. Despite the fact that the graphics have gone through an overhaul, the graphics doesn't feel like as if the graphics have changed at all.

The music on the other hand still have its nostalgic charm. The tune of your characters hometown still has its humble beginning tune. Also, you can hear familiar music from other installements such as the Pokemon contest theme from Pokemon Ruby. The nolstagic sounds can go as far as the pokedex. For example, if you look at the new sets of pokemon, you can hear various sounds when hearing their battle cry. Now, if you go all the way to the first batch of pokemon, you can still hear the same exact battle cry found in the very first pokemon game. All nostagia aside, the music quite forgettable. There aren't any music that stands out. Like the day and night system, the beat of the music changes slightly as time passes by. For example, when going to a pokemon center during the evening hours, you can notice that the tempo is much slower as opposed to the upbeat tempo during the daytime hours. Despite the fact that the music has more variation this time around, the music is quite forgettable.

The gameplay still stick with the same formula except with a couple of changes. One of the significant changes is online play. Before, you can only trade and battle with only a couple of people. Now if you don't have a friend to trade with, you can go Wi-fi. By simply distributing your friend code to other people, you can trade with other people online. But, if you don't like the friend code system, you can trade from GTS or Global Trade System. Basically, find the pokemon you want and make trades from other people from all over the world. The only catch that you have to see the pokemon at least once in your pokedex. GTS is a really effective way to find the pokemon you want. The other feature the online multiplayer. You can battle your well trained pokemon against other people from all over the country. Online play has increased replay value significantly. For example, since the total of pokemon has gotten bigger, getting all the pokemon has become less of a chore since online trading was implemented. You can really see where you're at in battle. With online play, the replay value has increased significantly. My only gripe about online play is that you can't go against random people on multiplayer.

Other than online play, the overall gameplay structure has gotten quite stale. The only significant change going on is that the moves are separated into three catagories: Physical, Special and other. The moves aren't just determined by type. Now you have to worry if the move complements the pokemon's stat. For example, if Alakazam has thunderpunch, the damage is low because Alakazam attack stat is low. Alakazam's is built to be distructive in special attacks. The new battle structure is a nice addition because it adds more depth and strategy in battle. The encounter rate is almost atrocious; especially in caves. Nearly every step you take, it's an encounter. The escape ratio isn't any better either. If your pokemon has low speed or under-leveled, your chance of escaping is small. Even with the encounter reducing items such as repel, the chances of getting an encounter is still high.

Pretty much the entire format goes at a repetitive fashion. They still used the elemental gym leaders and puzzles with similar patterns as the previous installments. As you progress through the game, you'll notice the pacing is nearly identical as the other installments. There aren't any twists to an tried and true formula. If you want to take a break of battling, there are some side quests. For example, you can participate in pokemon contests. In the Pokemon contest, you have to accessorize your pokemon and perform moves to please the judges. It gets boring very quickly due to the fact there's nothing significantly rewarding for your quest. The way the DS capabilities are presented is in the mixed bag. For example, by playing the underground game, you can find exotic items and gems by chipping away the walls using the touchscreen. The poketch on the other hand is somewhat gimmicky. There are some features that are useful in your quest such as the pedometer or the marking map. But sometimes the Poketch can get very gimmicky such as the alarm clock or the coin toss. The overall difficulty is easy to a medium difficulty. The battle is very easy once you get the idea of elemental typing. Also, there are overpowering pokemon and moves that also hinders the difficulty a bit. But outside of battle, completing the pokedex is quite a challenge. It will take months to complete the pokedex. Overall, if you look beyond the online play, the basis of single player mode is quite stale.

Overall, the recent pokemon games have reflected of how little they progressed when it comes to gameplay mechanics. Despite that Pokemon Diamond has online play, it didn't make much significant impact on single player. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl has this deja-vu feeling all over the place. The way it was presented is as if the developers just added more frosting on a bland cake. Pokemon really needs to put a new twist on a old take; not just putting the same formula and tweak it a little. If your a fan of pokemon, it's worth your time. If your the type that wants to see something new to the table, just rent the game.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/30/07