Pokemon Pearl Version

"Gah, my head - too many Pokemon!"

The Pokemon series is still going strongly (remember back during the days of Red and Blue when it was actually cool to play Pokemon?), and they plopped a whole 'nother series for the Pokemon addicts. The game, simply put, is the same as always. That can be either a good thing or a bad thing - but sadly, the formula hasn't changed ... at all! In a nutshell, they pretty much stuck a whole new batch of Pokemon, move sets, and added in a few 'gimmicks' to make it sell. However, using the same 'no change' logic, the perfected formula back from the good old days has not be ruined either.

The storyline has unfortunately, not been improved in the slightest. You have the pretty much the same thing as the previous game - you get a started Pokemon and leave your hometown to become a Pokemon Master, and go out and conquer the 'Elite Four', or masters of the Pokemon world, with some new group dressed up in cool outfits that's bent on taking over and/or destroying the world sprinkled in between, with them doing so for no apparent reasons with little to no background story. Of course, you go out to stop the rebellious group, and there's not really too many plot twists. The storyline is starting to get seriously stale ... and though the story was pretty impressive back ten years ago, I have to say it's improved little, and if anything, the story department has taken a step back. C'mon, I know Pokemon's developers are brilliant, why can't they just take the time out of creating new, gimmicky Pokemon, some that pretty much rip off of old ideas, give the sprite a minor twist, give it a new name, and call it a new Pokemon. They add moves, such as Me First, which I have used, but once, in the entire game, and even then, I had found it was practically useless. Why don't they try to pump some meat into the story?

If we stray out of the story department for a second though, I have to give the game some praise. The graphics were nothing short of brilliant. They are in a lush, 2.5D world, with clear graphics, colorful sprites and worlds, and a great use of lighting and move effects. The stairs actually feel like you're going up, rather than some random black lines dotted on the old Game Boy Color screen. The sound is also amazing - new, catchy tunes that fully utilize the musical capabilities of the Nintendo DS, with lots of well-fitting and more detailed sounds.

But the gameplay is also a mixed bag. Sure, the formula wasn't ruined, but how different is this from the previous installments? In fact, besides the new gimmicks used to attract players, the main thing about Pearl and Diamond is the Wi-Fi capabilities. You can trade online with random people in a system known as the GTS - where you go out and request a Pokemon, offering up a Pokemon you have. You can also battle online, which is a great addition, as you know longer need to use the crappy link cables a meter away from your battling partner, and likewise, you can trade online too.

Overall, the game is good if you're a hardcore Pokemon fan - with new additions that will interest you such as new online, as well as some tactical alterations. If you have never played a Pokemon game, I also strongly recommend this one. However, if you're low on money and don't want to waste your money because you already have Ruby/Sapphire, I agree. The formula simply, hasn't changed enough to be completely interesting ...

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/23/07, Updated 11/20/09

Game Release: Pokemon Pearl Version (US, 04/22/07)