Pokemon Pearl Version

"Must avoid urge to make Bill Cosby reference..."

Pokemon has always been one of my favorite RPG series, and, despite the misadventure that was Ruby/Sapphire, it is a series that consistently shows off the capabilities of its respective platform. In the Nintendo DS installment, this is especially shown through its revolutionary online trading and battling over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. However, it does not lack in a stronger single-player experience this time around, along with a number of other great changes. The result is by far the best Pokemon game since Silver/Gold/Crystal, and a definite must-buy for any DS owner.

One of the first things the player will notice about the game is the graphical upgrade. A lot of the game looks far nicer then anything in the 3rd gen of Pokemon games, and the graphics definitely help contribute to a more atmospheric game. With the added capabilities of the DS, we now have more detailed and realistic Pokemon and environments, better animations, and even some nifty 3-D effects sprinkled around the new Sinnoh region. The graphical overhaul is not quite the change that RSE was from the GameBoy Color games, but it's still a pretty massive and well-done upgrade, so GameFREAK has done well in this regard.

The new Sinnoh region is also a vast improvement over RSE's Hoenn. D/P has a much more varied environment then any previous Pokemon game, and this leads to an overall superior single-player experience. Additionally, continuing a good trend from RSE, GameFREAK has opted to try and create more of a real story, in which the player must prevent the terrorist organization Team Galactic from using the respective legendary from either Pearl or Diamond to destroy existence. One of the things that particularly makes the Sinnoh region a much better area in general is the fact that D/P actually has a good deal of endgame content, including an all-new mini-region, populated entirely with classic Pokemon, and the obtaining of the National Pokedex, which opens up the game to all of the previous Pokemon. In fact, I'd argue that D/P really opens up after defeating the Elite Four, which is a statement I could not apply to RSE. It's not on the scale of GSC's inclusion of the Kanto region, but real endgame content is highly appreciated.

Now, it's not a Pokemon game without the inclusion of a large number of new Pokemon, and D/P brings 107 new species to the table, bringing the total to 493. In general, the new set of Pokemon is decent. In general, the newcomers are much more inspired then the additions in 3rd gen, and the game improves on some of the underperforming species from the previous games by giving them evolutions. This aspect in particular is a great idea, as it makes much more of the total set of Pokemon actually usable in battle. Unfortunately, the game doesn't seem to add enough new Pokemon of a few types(Fire and Electric seem in particular, underpopulated), but the new set is not disappointing.

Battling is a vastly improved affair in D/P, thanks to a new mechanic that GameFREAK devised. Instead of move types being split into physical and special, now moves of any type can be either physical or special. For example, there are now physical Water type attacks and special Fighting attacks. This is actually an ingenious idea, as it allows for much more variety in movesets and makes a good number of poorly-typed Pokemon actually usable.

The multiplayer content in this game is also vastly improved. In this installment, a radical step was made in the addition of online trading and battling over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Nintendo allows many different forms of trading, through either live trades over Wi-Fi, or the Global Trade Station, in which players can get the help of other players in obtaining a certain elusive Pokemon. There are some downsides to the live online trading and battling, as it, like many other Nintendo WFC games, requires the players to coordinate before hand to obtain Friend Codes, time of linking, etc. This is a bit of a shame, because it makes this portion somewhat more difficult and annoying then it could be. On the other hand, the Global Trade Station is pretty well-executed and does not require FCs, but it is limited in the sense that players can only search for Pokemon in their Pokedex, and, at least these days, is swamped with unreasonable bargains. However, the addition of this content is a definite step in the right direction, and it works very well for all of the hassle it can take to set up. Hopefully it will be improved upon for future generations of Pokemon.

Overall, D/P is definitely a major improvement, and really completes the RSE formula. Wi-Fi play is fun, despite the hassle of getting ready, and the game has much more content and playability then RSE. If you have a DS, then this should be a definite purchase.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/21/08, Updated 12/12/08

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