Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver

Pokemon SoulSilver as well as HeartGold are remakes of pokemon games Silver and Gold. This time around you will find that there's an accessory to go along with the regular pokemon action, and that that accessory can change the landscape of the game. As always we're talking about a game where you're going to be collecting creatures called Pokemon in a 3rd person top down view. You'll have to challenge gym leaders for badges to increase your powers and control over higher leveled Pokemon. You'll also have to save the lands from Team Rocket and a rival trainer.

Graphically the game has been improved to look good on the DS. There's still a bit of roughness around the edges of some pokemon, but on average you're looking at a very wide assortment of unique looking pokemon. Once again your main character doesn't have much customization to them, but when you're zoomed out that far you're not really going to take notice.

The music in this game is almost identical to every Pokemon game you've ever played. Now this might comes as a surprise to you but you might very well get sick of the battle music after oh I don't know the second hour when you're having to grind your assortment of Pokemon.

The controls are very straight forward. You're going to use the directional pad to move and the usual A to interact. In battles you're going to be utilizing the menu systems.

So once again you are a no name trainer who comes out of nowhere and wows the world with your amazing ability of training and catching Pokemon. You're going to be fighting many of those Pokemon over and over again as you try to get yours to a level high enough to take on the trainers of each gym. After successfully getting the badge from a trainer you'll be able to utilize a special move that will allow you to reach new places in the game. The catch phrase for the franchise "got to catch them all" is a good thought, but not necessary to win the game. All you need to do is catch enough of a variety and train them so that you can one shot your opponents into oblivion. One of my qualms with the game is that after you've successfully dispatched one of your opponents many Pokemon, while they are deciding what to throw out next you don't get the option, if you keep your current Pokemon in to utilize an item. I feel that you should if you're not changing your Pokemon out, but instead you're going to have to waste a turn after a victory to heal.

The big thing about this game, however, isn't really the main game but the PokeWalker, or the pedometer that allows you to transfer a Pokemon onto it, then you get to go for a walk and help it level up. You can also find additional items to offset some of the expenses you might have in the game, as well as you might find some Pokemon that you can battle and trap so that you can add to your assortment even when not playing the actual game. The one down side is that you can only level up your Pokemon once per walk, you can't just throw some level 1 Pokemon on there, go for a 5 mile run, and then return a level 11 Pokemon. The highest it will go is 2, until you check it back in. Now of course you can check it right back out and then you'll be able to go for its next level.

If you're a Pokemon fanatic, you probably already have this game. If your interested in the Pokemon experience but fear because its a remake that you're not going to be getting a lot on the purchase, I think that the PokeWalker is going to make a difference and you should check it out. If you like games where you're going to be collecting things, and building up the strength of those things you collect, get this game. Pokemon still has a lot of strength left in the franchise, even when it comes to remakes. This game gets an 8.6 out of 10.