Magi Nation

"For all those people afraid to train that little rat Pikachu... Your haven is here."

Being the Pokémon player I am, I was excited to hear that there was going to be a game with similar gameplay, that I WOULDN'T have to worry about getting ridiculed about. For one of those rare times, we have a Pokémon clone that is a good, fun game to play.

Graphics: 7/10
The characters and backgrounds are kind of plain, kind of, I don't know, I get that ''I've seen better'' feeling. But the monsters look pretty good. This is a GBC game that you probably wouldn't mind looking at. Not Revolutionary, but better than being mooned by your grandmother.

Music / Sound: 9/10
The music and sound are absolutely fabulous. It's been a long, LONG time since I've heard such good music and sound on the GBC. I had no idea that a game could seem better just from the sound. The music is above par, and the sound is just as good.

Game Play: 8/10
The combat ''card-game'' style is very good. It goes really smoothly, and is really fun to do (although I found myself hitting the run button after a while). Even with a good battle system, I kept getting Deja Vu, and think back to the Pokémon TCG on GBC. But it strays away from it's similarities in battles with tit's great puzzles, and plot-building elements. This game never gets old, never giving you that ''Didn't I just do that?'' feeling. Also, I love how much they've made the game so interactive. You can go almost anywhere on the screen and press the ''Action'' button on nearly anything, and get a usually hilarious response. This game keeps you interested all the time, and tells the story better than you could possibly imagine. OK, maybe not better, but it does an awesome job.

Overall Entertainment: 10/10
This game is FUN. REALLY FUN. I found myself comparing this to many other RPGs on console systems. I would play this over and over, for no reason at all. Then again, I'm one of those people who gets bored easily. I dunno. Anyway, this game is INCREDIBLY fun to play.

Overall Score: 9/10
This game is great. With great graphics, great sound, awesome gameplay, and a peachy battle system, this game can be really enjoyable. One of the best and most entertaining RPGs on the GBC in a while. Wait, make that ever. I really recommend buying this game, unless you don't like RPGs, don't have enough time, or enough money. If you just don't have the money, this one is more than good enough to rent.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/26/01, Updated 05/26/01