Pokemon Pearl Version

"Same thing, but with some good new features."

Pokemon Diamond & Pearl made it's debut in the US on April 22, 2007. It has been the DS's top seller since then, having millions of copies sold worldwide. Having lacking a new DS game for a couple of months, I decided to pick up Pokemon. I haven't fully played a PKMN game since Blue, but will that stop me playing this? Nope.

Graphics
The graphics have been apparently ramped up since the good ol' days. Buildings are now 3D! But still, this does not take full advantage of the DS's hardware. Look a SM64DS. But getting back the the review, some stuff still remains 2D. So you have some 2D mixed in with 3D objects. I really didn't notice it much, though. The colour is bright and nice, giving the world more reality, and that is what you want in today's games.

During the Pokemon Battles, however, everything is the same. Every gen they revamp some of the pokemon's sprites, and give them some animations before the battle to boot. The attack animations have been improved since when I last played pokemon (borrowed Emerald from a friend) but not by much.

So the graphics are nothing special, and if you played pokemon games before just add more colour and some 3D.
Score: 7

Sound and Music
All the pokemon have their own little battle cry when you enconuter or send one into battle. I guess it gives your pokemon some verity, but you may get annoyed by the crys after a while if you are training your pokes.

Each battle that you have has it's own tune. It's nothing special. Some music, such as a Gym Leader battle and the Champion battle will really set the mood before, giving you a notice that you are about to have a big battle.

Overall, the music and sound is nothing fancy.
Score: 7

Story
If you have played pokemon you should know what the stroy is about. Some 10 year old kid and his pokemon sets off into the world to become champion and a pokemon master. You battle gym leaders (which in sense are the games bosses) and other trainers to fulfill this goal. You also go up against a criminal group known as Team Galactic. You battle them and defeat them to stop their goals.

Ok, so it is your typical pokemon story. You want to become champion, and you have the criminal group who just lets the 10 year old kid go where every he wants while spoiling their plans. They don't not even carry weapons around! Oh well, it is just a children's game.

The story won't appeal much to the older gamer, and if you have played pokemon before you know exactly what is going to happen.
Score: 6

Gameplay
Your mission: Become champion and catch all 493(!!!) pokemon. You get a starter pokemon and a pokedex, to keep pokemon data in. You travel through different towns and cities, battling everybody who wants to fight. Winning battles nets you money. You catch pokemon with a capsule called a poke ball, and hope that it will stay inside. If it does, the pokemon is yours. Interesting, huh? Your pokemon grow levels when they get a set amount of exp. The highest level is lv. 100, although it takes days of training to reach that goal.

And then you have the gym leaders. Like said before, they are the games bosses. They have pokemon that are higher levels than normal trainers you battle. So you battle them and if you win, you get lots of money, a badge, and a TM (Technical Machine) so you can teach a new move to your pokes if you want. Continue this for the rest of the gyms, until you get to the Elite 4, who have pokes that are very strong and need a good team to take them down. You battle the champion who most likely may have the strongest pokes in the region. Defeat the champ, and you beat the game.

Sound easy? Maybe, but it took me a little over a month to do all this. The difficulty level is pathetically easy, but again, this game is designed for kids. And the gameplay is funner than I made it sound like.
Score: 8

Online & Multiplayer
The online capability for any game always wins me over. This is no exception. You can trade and battle with other people using a 12-digit "friend code" or you can go onto the Global Trade Station (GTS) and see if there are any good pokes up for trade. Sure, there are people asking for the greatest pokes you can get and offering one of the worst pokes, but there are some reasonable deals on the GTS.

For non-wifi, you have a place called the Underground. With friends, you can set traps, going into each others bases and run around. It is quite huge, with many areas that can only be accessed by digging in a certain spot.

Overall, online is fun, especially if this is your first time.
Score: 8

Replay Value
After you beat the main game, you have a battle facility known as the Battle tower. There, you can try to win as many matches as possible exchange points for prizes. And you have hundreds of pokemon to catch. Also, head onto Wi-Fi to battle with other people! The replay value is nice, almost better than Emerald.
Score: 8

My review was not "in-depth" but it should give you a general feel about the game. If you enjoy RPG's or just want a new game, give Pokemon a go. Don't listen to those idiots who say it's for kids. You can't say you don't like it unless you try it.

Graphics: 7
Sound & Music: 7
Story: 6
Gameplay: 8
Online & Multiplayer: 8
Replay Value: 8
Recommended: Yes

Total Score Out Of 10: 7.3 (7)

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/12/07