Pokemans!
It seems like we get about 2 doses of Pokemon for each generation of a Nintendo portable, and round 1 is here. Pokemon fans will appreciate this game for what it is - it has new Pokemon, a new story, and a new region to explore. Everyone else will look at this game with the same scepticism they always have about Pokemon. The bottom line is that Pokemon Diamond and Pearl do nothing to expand the series in any way. That said, it's still a fun game.
The game starts out with you meeting your rival at a lake that was rumored to have a rare Pokemon in it, and you see a briefcase lying around in the grass. Your rival gets the brilliant idea to go into the tall grass and try to get it. He obviously never played any other Pokemon games because you get ambushed immediately. Predictably to those who played Ruby or Sapphire, the suitcase contains the three starting Pokemon, and whichever one you choose is the one that you will end up using for the rest of the game.
If there is a difference between this new game and the older ones, its that Diamond and Pearl are much bigger. It will take you close to if not more than 40 hours to beat the game, and the post-game activities might keep you interested for another five hours. The game has more towns than ever before, but there are still only 8 gyms. Also, the game has more trainers in it then ever before. Also, call me crazy, but leveling up your Pokemon seems much harder in this game.
The story in the game is the same twist of Red & Blue we've come to expect. Team Galactic is looking to awake a sleeping dragon and it's up to you to stop them. Like I've said before, this is a long game and it will take you a good 40 hours or so to complete the story and beat the Elite Four. Once you've done that and seen all 150 Pokemon in the region, you get the National Dex, which is essentially your ticket to the post-game areas. It's three zones on an island that allow you to train your Pokemon more, and there are some extra quests you can go on. The problem is that you really don't have any motivation to do any of this because you've already beaten the game.
The game is a Polygonal 2D game, if such a thing makes any sense. You can see that the buildings have a 3D look to them, but the game is still essentially 2D. The battles, save for some new move animations, don't look any different. In several cases, the sounds have been recycled, although the soundtrack is new. The A/V presentation is good, but nothing special.
The game suffers from nostalgia. The game has nothing new to offer to fans of the series, or potential new ones. The game is ultimately what everyone expected it to be: a Pokemon game. Weather or not you want to spend $35 on what is essentially a copy, is up to you.
