Pokemon Pearl/Diamond Review
The pokemon series has helped Nintendo handhelds from the beginning with it's easy to play nature and childish undertone; and Pokemon Pearl and Diamond are the latest games in the series, and although the formula hasn't changed at all since the first games for the original GameBoy, the few new additions manage to make this one the best overall experience to date.
The gameplay is the same as it has always been, which is a good thing, because the gameplay has always been great. the major additions to the game are some new 3D graphical elements and and functional online mode. the game features about 100 or so new pokemon to catch as well as connectivity to the previous games for the GBA as well as the upcoming game for the Wii, in fact, the game comes with a miniature poster for Pokemon Battle Revolution for the Wii.
The connectivity to the GBA games isn't direct though,you first have to beat the game and have seen all the pokemon in the game, then you need to permanently transfer you GBA pokemon to a Poke-Park in the game and re- catch them there.
The online mode is like most other DS game out there, requiring you to know the person your trading with or battling, so it's not the most useful or the most convenient online mode, but thats to be expected from a DS game. You can anonymously trade pokemon you've seen before with random people, which is a nice addition, but you have to have at least seen the pokemon you want to even look and see if anyone has it up for auction.
In addition to the nomal online mode, it has a neat online mode called "The Underground" that lets you run around in a scavenger hunt style mini-game to find things like fossils, rare rocks and stones, and items for you secret base, you can play with a friend or multiple friends, but you need friend codes for that.
the before said 3D graphics come from the buildings and other scenery that have a slick polygonal look to them, and although they have no real impact for make a difference in gameplay, there nice to look at and it kinda weird to see 3D stuff in a largely 2D world.
the DS only functions come in a obvious way, using it in the fighting sequences to chose moves, this sounds like it does little to effect gameplay, but it makes fighting smoother and generally less time consuming. You can also use it with the Poke-watch, a little item that will fill in the bottom screen when your just walking around the overworld, you can make it more than just a clock by finding "aps" for it to make it more useful, and eventually you will be able to do things like check the time, to searching for underground and unseen items in the area.
Like every other game in the series, you gonna need both versions of the game or a freind with the other version to get the most out of it, because, being the marketing geniuses they are, you need to have both games to get everything there is to offer form this game, and, if my predictions are correct, you GOING to need at least one of these games to make the upcoming Wii game worth buying.
Overall, this isn't going to change your mind on the pokemon series if you already don't like it, but the changes are good enough to make it seem fresh to veterans of the previous games, and it's the best game to pick up for newcomers, dispute the anime series and the countless marketing ploys to target children, this game is good enough for all ages, for children to teens, and even adults. If you don't mind the the simplistic nature of the pokemon series, then you find that there is a good amount of depth in this games, and it's long enough to keep you playing for weeks. if you love pokemon, then get this game, if your not sure about the series, then by all means try this one out. but it won't change the minds of those who have already made up there minds. However, It's hard not to recommend this game to anyone with a DS.
