Tuesday 2 June 2009

Games REVIEW: Pokemon Platinum


Here's the first of my game reviews. And what better place to start than Pokemon Platinum version on the Nintendo DS! Before I begin I should make it clear that this cannot be a FULL review of the game, as I obviously have no yet completeted it (for the record, I've just received my 8th gym badge and about to start my trek down Victory Road), so I will cover everything I've done so far, and provide a brief review of the parts of the game I have no yet seen in a week or so.

Now that that's out of the way, let's begin. Pokemon Platinum is the third in the franchise's Sinnoh region saga. Every generation had them - Red and Blue had Yellow, Gold and Silver had Crystal, and Ruby and Sapphire had Emerald. So, what has Platinum given us that "improves" or "enhances" the already outstanding gameplay that Diamond and Pearl gave us? Well, here's a list of the most notable changes;

  • A brand new focus! Diamond had Dialga - ruler of time, Pearl has Palkia - ruler of space. Platinum, while including both these Pokemon, thrusts Giratina - the dimesion Pokemon into the spotlight.
  • Obviously to go along with this we have a brand new game plot. There is a far deeper focus on Team Galactic and it's leader Cyrus' plans, involving new characters such as Looker, a detective investigating Team Galactic and Charon, a scientist hired by Team Galactic. As in Diamond and Pearl this story comes to a gripping battle atop Mt. Coronet, but unlike before it doesn't end there. You are then forced into Giratina's distortion world, which includes floating/disappearing platforms, sideways paths and upside down waterfalls! Only here will you have the final showdown with Cyrus and the mysterious Giratina!
  • A brand new regional Pokedex that encompasses every new 4th generation Poke mon aswell as the ones included in the original Sinnoh Dex! Obviously because of this, there are new Pokemon in the wild along with items that wouldn't otherwise be found until much later in the game.
  • New sprites for all Pokemon in the regional Pokedex! Including newly animated backsprites.
  • New character sprites! Each sporting new clothes.
  • Brand new Pokemon formes! Say hello to Girantina's origin forme and Shaymin's sky forme, each offering different stats and abilities to the originals. And ever wondered what Rotom would be like as a lawnmower? Or the refridgerator? Well wonder no more! (provided you obtain the secret key from a Nintendo wifi event)
  • New wifi minigames (which admittedly I have not yet checked out, as I have no wifi at this current point in time)
  • And much more! Check here for a full list of changes.

Anyway now onto the important part, my thoughts on the game. Admittedly, I'm a huge fan of all Pokemon games, and I had very high hopes for this one, despite there being obvious truth in the game being an obvious rehash of titles we bought 2 years ago. But, much like Emerald did with the third generation of Pokemon games, I feel these changes have brought enough for the game to be able to stand on its own. The distortion world, while seemingly short, is a very interest dungeon with its many dimensions and puzzles (with clues given by the lake trio Uxie, Azelf and Mespirit!). These are things I like in a game, fleshing out the story as much as possible. Why have Dialga or Palkia when you can have both plus more? The gyms have all been rearranged and some redesigned too, along with an Elite 4 with different Pokemon to the games 2 predecessors, so owners of the original won't be getting quite the same challenge. I look forward to giving my opinions on the Battle Frontier portion of the game, but for now I need to get back to my Elite 4 training!

So....rating? Well if you haven't got a version of this generation of Pokemon its full marks without a doubt. But then again, if you already own Diamond or Pearl (or both) it is at the end of the day much of the same. But hey, that isn't a bad thing, and I think the new additions more than make it worthy of  a 4.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

i love Pokemon games. Pokemon is all time my favorite. i like Pokemon tv show and comic very much.