Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum Version

The Short

Pros

- 107 new Pokemon, bringing the total at that point to 493

- Day/Night cycle is finally back

- Ability to import your pokemon from either of the GBA games if you have a DS with a GBA slot (DS or DS Lite; no DSi support)

- New world graphics are a mix between 2D and 3D and look pretty good

- Storyline is surprisingly epic for a Pokemon game

- The first female champion in the history of the series, which is good; finally some progression here

- Battle uses the touchscreen well, and color-codes the moves based on their elements, which is nice

- Wireless trading, thanks to the DS's wireless abilities, is great
- Also allows for battling over the internet, though the UI for this stuff isn't great

- One of the starters is f***ing Turtwig, which is the most adorable pokemon of all time

Cons

- Of all the Generations, this one provided the least number of changes, with the only notable inclusion being the awful "Super Contest."

- Menus, despite being on the DS, don't use the bottom touchscreen primarily. Why?

- While walkaround graphics are better, battle graphics are just as bland as the GBA versions

- New pokemon aren't as stupid as the Ruby/Sapphire generation, but they are certainly close

- Doesn't let you go to any new regions after you beat the game (why weren't we allowed back to the Ruby/Sapphire region?), though it still has stuff to do

- Music isn't particularly great, though there is one song that is surprisingly epic
- With the lack of new features, this version of Pokemon is noticeably stale

Generation IV, fools. 

Note: I will not be going over the basic mechanics of the Pokemon games in this review, as I have covered these mechanics extensively in my Pokemon Blue/Red review. Instead, all subsequent reviews will instead focus on the changes made to the formula in any particular iteration. 

The Long


So it's been almost thirteen years since Pokemon Red/Blue came out in the US. We've gone from the original Game Boy to the Game Boy color to the Game Boy Advance, and now Nintendo's latest handheld is kicking up a storm: The Nintendo DS. After a somewhat weak start the system picked up some serious steam, and before you knew it people were talking: what would the DS Pokemon game be like? Would it follow the same formula, or mix it up? Will the starters finally be swapped to a Dark/Psychic/Fighting trio, rather than the traditional Fire/Water/Grass? We hadn't seen any really radical changes to the series' mechanics or overall game structure since Pokemon Gold/Silver (though Ruby/Sapphire did add a little bit), so when Pokemon Diamand/Pearl finally showed up in 2007 we were all pumped. I actually pre-ordered this game, believe it or not, making it the only game in the history of games that I've actually pre-ordered from a physical outlet (I usually just pre-order games from Amazon now).

Well, I got my limited edition massive and ugly Pokemon stylus for my DS for pre-ordering, and then I busted this bad-boy out. I'd actually been off the Pokemon scene for a while; remember I completely skipped the Ruby/Sapphire generation until long after the fact. So truth be told, Diamond/Pearl was my first Pokemon games since freaking Crystal, so it had a lot to live up to.

And I can safely say it did not even come close to meeting my expectations.

Despite the DS having been out for a while, the touch screen gets little use

Pokemon Diamond/Pearl is the first in the main series I actually felt like they were just cashing it in. Yeah, sure, they'd been cashing it in with the brand constantly - the card game, awful spinoffs like Hey You, Pikachu!, enough toys to populate a small city - but I'd always felt they were at least trying with the games. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl isn't a bad Pokemon game. After all, the formula is still solid, there are a bunch of new Pokemon to catch, and all the same addictive systems are still in play. It's just a completely uninspired game. 

This is most clearly seen when you realize the only thing they really "added" in this game was the Pokemon Super Contest, which is like the stupid pageant from Ruby/Sapphire except mandatory. Yes, that is literally the only real new thing. A bunch of crappy minigames, some of which use the touchscreen poorly. Joy. 

They did slightly tweak how special attacks and regular attacks work, but that is so insignificant a casual Pokemon player won't even notice. 

That is the only actual gameplay change in the entirety of this generation (minus the usual balancing and new pokemon). So...what other things are new? This game is on a more powerful piece of hardware, and has two screens (one of them being a touchscreen). What did they use that for?

The touch screen battles are appreciated, but the graphics look like a GBA game

Well, let's start with the touch screen, since that is the DS's most unique feature. When it comes to this, I'm split: it does battles very well, and it does the rest of the game poorly. In battles (as you can see above), the bottom screen is now your command screen, with large, easy to touch buttons down there for you to navigate. Since you'll be using the d-pad and face buttons to play the game normally, I didn't actually use the touch screen much, but I'm glad it's there. The attacks are also now colored to their respective element (making it easier to know which to use against who), which is also very handy. The entire thing has been made to work with fingers rather than the stylus, which is also appreciated, because getting the stylus back out every two seconds is a pain.

But then they don't use it for anything after that. You get a sort of "Pokegear" thing on the bottom, which consists of that one huge red button on the side. You can swap between a clock, your current team (which shows health, but touching them does nothing but make their noise), and a few other useless features. You still have to hit a button to get to the menu, and when you do it starts on the top screen. Why? Why can't I just touch to get to the menu on bottom, and cycle through my pokemon there? Granted, after you pick a menu item it goes all touch screen, replacing it with unintuitive buttons with no text. This is bad UI design, guys.

I can only imagine that, for a newcomer, this would be completely overwhelming

Ok, so the touchscreen controls are implemented poorly, but so what? The old games didn't have the touchscreen, and they were fine? And here is where I have to sullenly give a hint of a nod, because I actually sort of agree. It doesn't really hurt the game to have crappy touchscreen use, it just doesn't help it any, either. This is a new generation of games. Why couldn't you have made it work better?

The graphics also have that polarizing effect for me, though my reactions are opposite. Out in the field, the graphics look really good. It has a sort of combination of a 3D rendered world with 2D sprites set on it, but fresh and crisp. It actually looks really good and, while not a powerhouse, fits the art style of the previous games very well.

And then you get into a battle. 

I'm glad the buttons are colored, but those graphics...ugh.

Well, the art looks better than Ruby/Sapphire, I guess. And it's clear there's a higher pixel count. But why are the backgrounds still so...boring? That seriously looks almost exactly like a screenshot from LeafGreen/FireRed. Seriously, look at it and tell me if Pearl/Diamond looks like it's on a system 2-3x as powerful, if not more. 

Yeah I am. 

Again, yeah, there's a slightly higher pixel density. That's it. Why aren't they rendered in 3D? Or at least animated? Or anything? I'd be willing to forgive if you'd done more things right with the rest of the game, but seriously? How is this next-gen Pokemon? 

Aside from me griping about that stuff, there really isn't much more to say about Pokemon Diamond/Pearl besides that it's the exact same Pokemon game you played on the GBA, which was in turn a marginally improved Pokemon game from the original GB ones. Which is fine, since the originals were so fantastic they keep holding the rest of this house of cards in place, but when you put one bad card up the rest of it starts crumbling. Many of those nagging issues from Blue/Red (insane level grinding, similar story, similar pokemon between generations) persist here, and they'd be easy to overlook if the game brought something new to the table. Hell, to be completely honest all LeafGreen/FireRed brought was updated visuals and mechanics and all my childhood nostalgia, and that was enough to carry it! Diamond/Pearl is unabashedly lazy, and because of that the whole game just leaves a sour taste. Sure, if you've never played Pokemon before you probably are fine with it, but if you have than this game seems bland and unoriginal.

But it does have one high point. 

FREAKING TURTWIG

Nobody ever picks grass types as starters, mostly because they're abundant and sort of underpowered. However, when I play these games I always pick Turtwig as my starter. Why? Because he's awesome. Look how freaking cute he is! He's like...a turtle (which is awesome) with a sick grin (which is awesome) and a little leaf...sprout thingy on his head (AWESOME). The rest of the pokemon this generation kind of suck, like the ones from Ruby/Sapphire, but Turtwig rules. I get him and never evolve him. I don't care if he sucks, he's cool.

Anyway, now that we've gotten off on that tangent...um...I'm kind of out of things to say, but for reals this time. Oh yeah, it has WiFi stuff now, which is great (makes trading way easier), but playing over the internet can kind of be a pain unless you have your friend's Friend Code and you both perfectly synchronize when you want to hang out. Also all the trades up for grabs online are horrible, so make sure you trade with someone you know.

You can also import all your pokemon in your pokemon storage from either Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald or LeafGreen/FireRed, but only if you have one of the DSes that is GBA backwards compatible, and only after you beat the game. Which is a cool touch. 

There are a few nice touches, like reflections and weather changes

The day/night cycle is also back (finally!) using the DS's internal clock to determine what time it is in the game world. Also the story in this game (despite starting off exactly the same as all other Pokemon games) is actually pretty interesting and ends in an epic clash between two god pokemon. I guess that's cool, even if it's still just "kill these evil guys, catch the best pokemon."

The music is mediocre. I can't think of any track that stands out, except one. But man...that song...is so good. So (tangent) the champion of this game (aka the final boss) is actually a girl this time, which is great because this world seems to be predominantly male when it comes to good trainers, and all the girls catch "cute" crap like Marills or Togapis and get crushed in battle. Cynthia (the champion) is one of the hardest in the series, and her final boss song is incredible. Seriously, it's probably my favorite battle song (maybe even my favorite song) in the entire series. Really good stuff. 

Seriously, this song deserved a better game. 

I'll say it again: this isn't a bad game. It's still fundamentally Pokemon, which means it's still addicting and very solid at its core. While the new pokemon look stupid there are a few unique type combinations among them, and the whole "Gotta Catch 'Em All" thing kicks in pretty quick despite me wanting to hate this game. It's just a disappointment because it could have been so much better. It's been thirteen years, Nintendo. It's time to do something crazy with this series.

Besides just adding a bunch more pokemon. 

I was going to give it two out of five stars, but after listening to Cynthia's song and looking at that picture of the ADORABLE Turtwig my hate-filled heart of darkness was filled with light and I decided three out of five was ok, I guess. But I will stil recommend any other Pokemon game in existence (except maybe Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald) over this one. It just...isn't the best. 

And yes, I own a plush Turtwig. Awww. 

Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen

Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen Versions

The Short


Pros
- Completely remakes the first Pokemon generation with added features
- Includes all features introduced in Generation II and III, such as abilities, breeding, held items, etc.
- Streamlined interface improves over both original and Ruby/Sapphire
- Can catch pokemon from all other generations after beating the game
- Included (when new) a wireless transmitter to trade/battle wirelessly on your GBA
- Improved music and graphics look and sound fantastic
- Tweaks in the story make Team Rocket more integrated into the overall plot

Cons
- Essentially the same game as Blue/Red, just refined
- Doesn't introduce any new pokemon
- No day/night cycle
- Unlike Yellow (which they didn't remake; boo!) you can't get every starter
- Doesn't change the formula at all, which can be good or bad depending on your opinion of the series

I ain't gonna stop. 

Note: I will not be going over the basic mechanics of the Pokemon games in this review, as I have covered these mechanics extensively in my Pokemon Blue/Red review. Instead, all subsequent reviews will instead focus on the changes made to the formula in any particular iteration. 

The Long

We've made it to 2004. It's been a while since that original pokemon game came out in the US in 1998 (1996 in Japan), nearly a whole decade in fact. So what better way to celebrate than by remaking and re-releasing the original generation on GBA hardware? Dude, why not? After how much I was disappointed by Ruby/Sapphire, I was more than ready for a new Pokemon game. And guess what? Nostalgia be damned, I really liked Pokemon LeafGreen/FireRed.

Ah, Professor Oak. It's been a while. 

It's hard to say why this game was made. Part of me wants to think its for the fans, who had been playing Pokemon for ten years and were clamoring to see their original love done modern. Part of me thinks it's to make a cash-grab by releasing another Pokemon game without having to do much additional work. And part of me thinks they are trying to ensnare a new generation of kids to play Pokemon, and figured the best way was to go back to the original magic and let it do its thing.

In truth, it's probably some combination of all three of these things. But hey, as long as I know I'm being pandered to, it's ok for me to like it, right? The Scott Pilgrim philosophy? Guys?

SQUIRTLE I MISSED YOU. 

The concept behind FireRed/LeafGreen is simple: it's the original Blue/Red (and Green in Japan) games remade with improved graphics, all the new features that have been added to Pokemon, and some extra bonus content. Because of this, there isn't much I can say about it that hasn't already been said in other reviews. If you like Pokemon, this game is a dream come true. You get to pal around with old favorites like Pidgy, Ratatta, Pikachu, Caterpie, and all the rest of 'em as you still try to "Catch 'em All" with the original 150 pokemon. Yes, I'd like to do that very much, thanks.

It's running on the same Ruby/Sapphire engine, though the Pokemon themselves have a better art design

There are a few minor changes aside from backwards-implementing everything new into the original games' frameworks. Team Rocket, the original antagonists, have been given a slightly bigger role on the game's story. After you beat the game there's much more stuff to do, like travel to different islands and catch the legendary birds (which I guess you could do before), and the Elite Four will get "upgraded" with pokemon from newer generations after you do enough side missions. Double battles from Ruby/Sapphire are back, and as a whole it just feels...better. I mentioned the original game hasn't aged well (and it hasn't), but this goes a long way to fixing that. With the addition of all the new features, FireRed/LeafGreen plays more like a modern game (see the EXP bar in the screenshot? That's right.), but it also shows how well the formula had held up. Pokemon doesn't need gimmicks like a stupid fashion show or any crap like that. We just need to battle, catch, and level pokemon until we are the pokemon master. And breed. Lots of breeding.

That sounds really bad, in retrospect. 

There are a few noticeable absences from FireRed/LeafGreen though, specifically the fact that the day/night cycle still hasn't made its return since Gold/Silver. What the crap, Nintendo? That was like...my favorite feature! How the crap will I ever get an Umbreon if I can't level up my Eevee at night ever since night doesn't exist here for some reason? Your whole GBA lineup sucked in terms of realism. 

Yes, I'm again arguing for realism in a Pokemon game. Shut up. 

So, if this game is pretty much just a remake of Blue/Red but set in the Ruby/Sapphire era of the game, why do I like it when I didn't like Ruby/Sapphire nearly as much? Well, first it's that nostalgia thing, which Nintendo knew full well and is why they made this. I have great memories of playing Pokemon on the GBC, murderin' dudes with my Bulbasaur (and later Squirtle, when I realized Bulbasaur sucks), and because of that I'm willing to overlook the stupid things Ruby/Sapphire did in lieu of playing my first Pokemon experience over again.

Second is because this game is better. A lot better. Graphics look better (battle backgrounds are greatly improved), the world itself is more vibrant and clean, sprites (which were stupid tiny in Ruby/Sapphire) are bigger and better, the pokemon themselves are cooler-looking and not stupid, the list goes on. 

The music has also seen a boost up from the original tinny Game Boy sounds, though I'll admit the originals have a certain flavor that these remakes can't seem to quite recreate. They kind of go crazy on the "wah wah" horns for this remake for whatever reason, which sounds...weird. But hey, the original songs were all killer, so it's all good. 

WELCOME TO A WORLD OF POCKET MONSTERS

As it stands, if you liked Red/Blue, you'll love this. If you've never played Pokemon before and only own a GBA and not a DS, this is probably your best jumping-off point available (rather than Ruby/Sapphire). It manages to capture that same adventurous magic that made the first game great, while updating it with modern game design to keep things fun.

It doesn't do much to add anything to the pre-existing Pokemon formula, but I still think it works. Since Ruby/Sapphire didn't really live up to the full potential of the changes it made, FireRed/LeafGreen stepped up and filled in just nicely. It would have been nice to see a few more upgrades or changes, but I guess we'll have to wait until entering the DS generation to see if Nintendo finally switches up the formula on us.

An excellent remake (though it was dwarfed completely and utterly by another remake on the DS, but we'll get to that) and a competent Pokemon game. Four out of five. 

Except you jerks should have made ElectricYellow too.

I'm sorry, Pikachu. It was not to be. 

Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald

Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald Versions

The Short


Pros
- New, improved graphics on the Game Boy Advance
- Adds 135 new pokemon to catch and train
- Introduces pokemon Abilities and Natures, which dramatically changed the game for vets.
- Also added a host of small things, like double battle, tweaks to the IV/EV system, and contests
- Each version now has a different story: In Sapphire Team Aqua wants to flood the world, in Ruby Team Magma wants to cover it with lava
- Same addictive formula
- Has METAGROSS, which is my favorite pokemon

Cons
- When compared to Gold/Silver, this game doesn't add all that much
- Removes the day/night cycle. Why?
- Adventure doesn't seem particularly compelling in this iteration
- Improved graphics are nice but not substantial
- Loses the animations that were in Crystal
- E-Reader compatibility. Woo.
- Pokemon "ribbons" and "events" start what is easily my least favorite part of the Pokemon series
- Music is just ok, instead of the series' usual memorable tunes
- Pokemon in this generation really started to look stupid, like Game Freak was running out of ideas
- Grinding seems especially bad in this generation
- Can't go back to an old region for more post-game gameplay like you can in Gold/Silver/Crystal

Here we go again.

Note: I will not be going over the basic mechanics of the Pokemon games in this review, as I have covered these mechanics extensively in my Pokemon Blue/Red review. Instead, all subsequent reviews will instead focus on the changes made to the formula in any particular iteration. 

The Long

I'll make no attempt at hiding this: Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire was the game that caused me to get off the Pokemon train for a few years. After playing Pokemon Crystal and Pokemon Blue rather religiously, I was super pumped for a new Pokemon game on the super-modern handheld, the Game Boy Advance. Touting better graphics, music, and gameplay, it looked like it might be the best Pokemon game yet. But minimal improvements, the exact same gameplay, and design ideas that seem a step back rather than forward, and I put Pokemon Sapphire away and didn't pick it back up until nearly a decade later. This could also be since 2003 was when I was a junior in High School (I'm age-dating myself here...) and it was no longer "cool" to play Pokemon anymore (vs now, where I'm an adult and just do whatever the crap I want). We may never know, but Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire left enough of a sour taste in my mouth that it took a great deal for me to pick it back up in 2009. 

It does have Mudkip, though. Mudkip is awesome. 

Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire has a slightly different "plot" than the two Pokemon games before it. Rather than being a kid forged by destiny to be a pokemon master, instead you are some kid who moves into a new town, where your dad is a gym leader...in a different town. Huh. So why didn't you move to that town? Are your parents secretly separated? Well, whatever.

Anyway, your "rival" in this game is the other gender character choice (if you picked boy, it's the girl, and vice versa) and he/she is more of a friendly competitor than a douchebag (like in Red/Blue) or outright criminal (like in Gold/Silver). After that, you get to pick your starting pokemon from the usual selection of fire/water/grass, and off you go. 

This generation has tons of pokemon who stand around with their arms in the air

The only one out of this crew worth picking is Mudkip, because he becomes a Water/Ground and has massively fat stats. Torchic is funny because it's a fire bird that turns into a kung-fu fire chicken, but he's somewhat subpar, and Treecho always has his hands in the air like he's Gandalf going "You shall not pass!" to every enemy. Plus he's grass, and nobody picks a grass starter (well, except in Black/White, but that's for another review). 

Can I just say right here that I think 90% of the pokemon of this generation look really stupid? I know most aren't just horridly designed (like the infamous Ice Cream Cone or Goth Girl pokemon from Black/White), but there are really very few this generation that are visually appealing to me. When you no longer think the pocket monsters you catch look cool but instead look really stupid, you've sort of lost a good chunk of why you play Pokemon.

Why is your guy's hair white? I thought he was a kid?

There are a few changes made to this version that continue to increase the complexity of the series. First off you have Pokemon Abilities. These are passive traits that each pokemon has. Some are useless, some are extremely useful (like "grounded," which makes flying pokemon negate their electricity weakness). Each wild pokemon had one of usually two-three options, meaning if you really want to catch them all, you'll have to also get the ones with the unique abilities. These passive abilities really switch up the game, because some of them are pretty wild (like summoning a sandstorm that buffets both foes and allies the duration of the battle, even if the pokemon is swapped out), so picking both the right pokemon and getting the one with the ability you want is important.

Abilities also play a key role in breeding, but I won't get into that. Suffice to say baby pokemon can inherit abilities, which opens a whole new can of worms for those that like getting really deep into the pokemon breeding system.

Double battles are a fun diversion, but there's only a few and they don't radically change anything

The second big stat is Natures. Natures change stats (aside from HPs) by both 10% in the positive for one and 10% in the negative for another. Meaning that, again, the same pokemon you catch in the wild can have radically different stats than another. Following a pokemon's nature, and getting one with the right nature can be a pain (I never cared too much, even though I probably should have), but if you are just playing through the game and don't plan on fighting any actual people you'll be fine not worrying too much about it. Still, a nice new layer of depth.

Third we have double battles, which are like regular battles except...two at a time. These are slightly more tactical but not by much; some abilities now hit multiple enemies and others hit just one, but overall these are never more challenging than a regular trainer (except the secret double-boss battles after you beat the Elite Four). 

Lastly, changes have been made to EVs and IVs, the secret exp stats that you gain over the course of the game on each pokemon that unlocks bonus stats at lv 100. This is really just for the hardcore, so I'm not going to go into it, just know it's been better balanced. If you can balance something as crazy as that.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

These are all decent changes, but hardly as radical as anything in Gold/Silver, which introduced breeding, two new elemental types, held items, and more. But hey, it's still Pokemon, right? Even if the new monsters are dumb and it doesn't add that much, there's something sweet new in here, right?

Well...no. Not really. The game is the same as the past ones, to a fault. While this worked in Gold/Silver because technically it was just the second game, by the third you'll expect something switched up. While Gold/Silver was a solid sequel, this one feels like a meandering one. It just sort of wanders in, offers a few changes, and then stumbles around drunkenly before its friends have to order it a taxi home. 

The worst part is it actually changes things for the worse. The most noticeable difference is the fact that the night/day cycle from Gold/Silver has been removed. What? Why? That added so much, from both an immersion and gameplay perspective, and axing it seems like a huge step back. 

Those bugs just look so...stupid. 

The other new "feature" from Ruby/Sapphire is one I hesitate to talk about, because I believe it was the beginning of the end for a lot of pokemon players. The "Pokemon Contests," which basically consist of just parading your pokemon with other pokemon in a selection of awful minigames (many of which you don't even play) make up a good part of the side-stuff in this game. Each pokemon now has five more stats (Beauty, Cool, Cute, Smart, and Tough) which are all completely useless except in these pokemon beauty contests. Later versions expanded on this stupid mechanic (why?) and it's...it's just stupid. Yeah, I get that this is a kids game, and I get that this is technically supposed to be "immersing" me in the world of pokemon, but parading my killer death machine in some beauty pageant just seems...dumb. Urk.

Oh boy. 

From a presentation standpoint, Ruby/Sapphire is just...ok. Yeah, the graphics look lots better because they are on the GBA, but battle backgrounds, rather than being solid white, are now solid green with some circles where your pokemon are. Nice. The animations from Crystal are gone for some inexplicable reason, meaning the pokemon are just as static and immobile as before. It looks as good as pushing cardboard cutouts around. The art style in this version is also weird (you'll notice if you put it up against any other pokemon game, before or after, it seems inconsistent), and the actual world you tromp around in looks dull. There is a cool town that lives in treehouses, though. So that's cool I guess. I just wish they'd put a little more time in their graphical presentation.

Music is...ok. The songs in Pokemon have always been a staple of the game, and switching over to the improved GBA soundboard meant it should sound better (like an SNES game vs an NES one). But to be honest, I can't think of one song from Ruby/Sapphire that I'd want to listen to again, while from every other generation (even Pearl/Diamond, which I also wasn't that fond of) there is at least one song I'll listen to on youtube from now and again. It just seems like a mediocre effort all around.

The final boss song is still cool though. I guess.

As it stands, I think Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire was a few steps forward, a few back, and it ended up close to around where it left off in Gold/Silver. It added a few decent improvements, changed up a few things that would help shape how Pokemon is played today, and added a bunch more pocket monsters to nab, but there was no denying the formula was going stale. You still caught the same crappy pokemon at the beginning, still got to the place with the bug pokemon after that, the first two pokemon were a rodent of some kind and a bird of some kind, etc. Game Freak and Nintendo were so comfortable in their formula they were terrified to change it, something that (unfortunately) continued into the next generation of Pokemon as well.

As it stands, there's a better Pokemon game on the GBA worth looking into if you really need one (more on that later), but for now I'd honestly suggest picking up Crystal before Ruby/Sapphire. It just doesn't bring enough new to the table, and the stupid-looking new pokemon don't help.

Also: I will not be reviewing Pokemon Emerald. Needless to say it's like Crystal only with less: there are a few more bonus missions at the end, you can catch both legendaries instead of just one, and it mixes up a few of the final bosses. That's it. I guess it's the "definitive" edition, but it wouldn't get any different of a score.

For its extreme lack of innovation, I give Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald a three out of five. 

But hey, at least you have a boatload of pokemon to choose from. 

Pokemon Pinball

The Short

Pros

- Unique combination of Pokemon catching and a pinball game

- Can actually catch all original 150 pokemon in this game

- Lots of unique side tables and games

- Had a built in rumble pack!

- Music is pretty good

- Graphics look vibrant and really colorful on the GBC

Cons

- Only two actual tables, Red and Blue

- Lack of analog controls for the flippers makes precise shots hard

- Tables are simple but the game can be quite difficult, as the controls make aiming rough

It's Pinball, BUT WITH POKEMON!

The Long

Pokemon Pinball might come off as simply a cash-in on the pokemon phenomenon, and you might be right. Coming out between Red/Blue and Yellow, Pokemon Pinball is exactly what it sounds like: it's pinball, but with pokemon. If this sounds stupid to you, than you might be surprised to learn that Pokemon Pinball is actually...a pretty good game? Well, it has a lot of good ideas, but it certainly isn't without its flaws. 

Here's the top half of the Red table. 

Pokemon Pinball's goals are simple: catch all 150 original pokemon using pinball. Which makes perfect sense because the ball is a pokeball. I mean, come on...this game is practically Pokemon canon now!

To catch these little buggers you simply have to play pinball. Both stages have the usual "three lights to turn on" in the upper half of the screen (for some reason the screenshot above doesn't have it, but that area right above the Voltorbs/bumpers normally has three buttons to press). Once you have all three a pokemon appears, and it's your goal to bash it with the pinball - er, pokeball until you "catch" it. Then you are given a boatload of points, a chance at a bonus, and you do it over again.

Catch that Spearow!

You have two tables to blast your way through, and neither of which are particularly complex aside from the Pokemon aesthetic. Red table (the one above) is the most "pinball like," with bumpers and the usual layout. Blue is totally bananas, with the bottom half being normal but something weird going on in the upper half.

What the crap is going on up there?

It's actually a decent game, with the catching element (while a bit silly) actually working with the whole pinball thing. It gives you distinct, simple goals that can be relatively difficult to obtain, and it saves all the pokemon you've captured so you can progress over days or weeks towards the goal of "catching them all." Not bad for a Game Boy Color game!

A big problem, though, is the flippers. In most pinball games you have at least a slight amount of analog control, meaning you can control how hard you hit the ball. The Game Boy Color doesn't have that feature with the buttons, so you basically just hit it and it goes flying. Sometimes the physics can be a little weird, leaving me scratching my head as to why an exact same shot went in a completely different direction, but it isn't bad enough to ruin the experience.

The game also has "boss battle" minigames, which are a nice break from the two tables

Another issue is the tables have a distinct lack of...stuff on them. The best pinball tables combine a mix of bumpers, loops, and buttons/lights to keep you interested, usually having four or five things going on at once that you can work on. These tables really only have one goal to shoot for (light up the three on top, catch the pokemon) with a minimal amount of bumpers or buttons to hit in the meantime. It isn't bad, and considering how small the GBC screen is (and it's low pixel density) I'm guessing they did well enough with their limited screen real estate, but it still makes the game feel a bit shallow as a pinball game. 

Pokemon Pinball also has a built in rumble feature, that is awesome because it requires it's own battery. Yeah, you have to plug an AAA battery into the cart itself, and then it'll rumble while you play it. It makes the cartridge freaking huge but is actually pretty cool, with the vibration going off whenever you hit the flipper or bounce against bumpers or basically do anything remotely cool.

Look at that thing. It's huge!

The bonus stages are pretty fun, if just "keep hitting the guy and don't let the ball fall down." They mix it up by dropping coins or what not, but as it stands most of them are exactly the same: hit the pokemon, win. There are fine bonus tables (including one centered around Mewtwo), which is good considering this game only has two full tables.

Graphically, the game looks great. The shift between screens is actually not as jarring as you'd think, since the game moves a little slower than a normal pinball table to make up for it. Everything is well colored and looks crisp (these screenshots aren't the best at showing that; sorry). The game plays sort of happy, light versions of classic Pokemon songs, and I was surprised by exactly how much music was in the game, and how it was playing almost all the time. I'm sure it would drive somebody insane after a while, but I thought it was cheerful and worked great with the look and feel the game was trying to express. 

There just isn't much to do on the tables. 

Pokemon Pinball is not a bad game. In fact, it's a pretty decent one. Despite it's simplicity it can be quite addicting (much like the main Pokemon games), with the flow of the game moving very well and it never feeling either too difficult or too easy. It's a big underwhelming and the lack of tables (and features on those tables) is a bummer, but considering it was probably made to just tide people over until Pokemon Yellow, it's a good diversion. 

Plus, that rumble. So awesome.

You can get copies for pretty cheap, so if you have a GBC or GBA and love Pokemon, you should check it out! It apparently was good enough to merit a sequel (which I haven't played), so get on that!

Three out of five stars. 

PINBALL.

Pokemon Crystal

The Short


Pros
- Improved version of Pokemon Gold/Silver
- Can finally play as a girl for the first time in a Pokemon game
- Can catch both legendaries from Gold/Silver
- Pokemon now animate when entering battle, which is a nice touch
- Several small aesthetic changes and the phone calls people give you are less stupid
- Has the best batch of available pokemon between the three games of this generation

Cons
- Essentially the exact same game as Gold/Silver

Yep, we're doing this again. 

Note: I will not be going over the basic mechanics of the Pokemon games in this review, as I have covered these mechanics extensively in my Pokemon Blue/Red review. Instead, all subsequent reviews will instead focus on the changes made to the formula in any particular iteration. 

The Long

Pokemon Crystal has a lot of fond memories for me. It actually was my brother's game that I essentially stole (since you can only have one save) since he had Silver anyway and I needed a pokemon game to play. I started playing it when my family went on a trip to London a considerable number of years ago, and I remember setting the internal clock (which changes the in-game night/day cycle) to London time because...I was in London. 

I then came home a week later and couldn't figure out how to change it, so my Pokemon Crystal game was always on London time. I'll just say the main character is a perpetual night owl and call it good, I guess. I certainly killed a lot of Hoothoots. 

Anyway, ever since the start there's been a sort of tradition with the Pokemon games, established by Pokemon Yellow. They'll release a pair of games (Red/Blue, Gold/Silver, Ruby/Sapphire, etc.), and then a year later they'll release the "definitive" version of these games (Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, etc.). These usually offer a few extras (like being able to get both of the legendary or starter pokemon as well as a few bonuses) and perform very minor balance and story changes to keep the games consistent.

This is the only "improved" game that I'll be reviewing (aside from Pokemon Yellow) seeing as most versions aside from Pokemon Yellow don't really offer much new that is worth noting. But I am reviewing Pokemon Crystal simply because of the time I spent with it and how significant it was in my personal history of Pokemon.

You can finally play as a girl!

The improvements between Gold/Silver and Crystal are minimum, but still make Crystal the better version. The biggest change is you can finally play as a girl for the first time in the series (a trend that continued ever since). This doesn't change anything but aesthetics, but it's a nice touch, and the girl doesn't look like a complete fashion failure like she does in all future Pokemon installments.

Not much different, but still cool. 

Another noticeable change is aesthetic: when pokemon enter a battle they have a little animation now rather than just standing there. Again, this was a nice touch, which they promptly axed for almost all future generations (why?). Yeah, they weren't great animations, but they were better than the guys just standing there, which apparently is what Nintendo liked better. 

There were a few balance changes (you can get fire pokemon earlier, which makes the game easier), but what really blew my mind was the fact you could get both legendary pokemon from Gold/Silver (Ho-Oh and Lugia) as well as all three of the legendary dogs in the same game. Much like Pokemon Yellow let you get every starter pokemon, Crystal breaks the rules and gives you all the best. You still can't get all the starters (and haven't been able to since Yellow), but hey...I'll take Ho-Oh over Cyndaquil any day. 

But in truth, this game isn't much different from Gold/Silver

Aside from that, not much is different. The story is changed a little, but since nobody ever cared about a story in a Pokemon game that probably doesn't matter. The phone calls people make to you are a little less stupid, but still have about a 50/50 split between useful/useless. They adjusted a few bosses and maps to make things better paced, but again...it's all simply very minor changes. The fact of the matter is, aside from cosmetic differences, Crystal is essentially a slightly better Gold/Silver, and that's only if you are interested in "catching them all."

Music is still great, though. 

This review might be redundant, but I really liked Pokemon Crystal, and was kind of bummed when they rereleased Gold and Silver as HeartGold and SoulSilver that they totally neglected to rerelease Crystal. I suppose even Nintendo knew it was redundant by that point, and they could only milk so much out of this franchise, but man...I really like Crystal. 

Anyway, it gets the same five out of five stars, yada yada yada. If you are looking to pick these games up and not as the DS re-releases, you should totally go for Pokemon Crystal. It's the best out of the three, and plus the cart is a cool light blue crystally color. 

Speaking of Super Nerds...yeah, I am one. Sigh. 

Pokemon Gold/Silver

Pokemon Gold/Silver Versions

The Short


Pros
- Adds 100 new pokemon to the mix, and an entire new region to explore
- Adds a day/night cycle that advances in real time, and changes which pokemon are available
- You can now breed pokemon. The implications of this are nuts.
- Can re-visit the entire region from the first game, three years later, and battle all the same gym leaders
- Ability to map items (such as the bicycle) to a button greatly speed up the game
- Two new elements, Dark and Steel, further mix up this elemental-based battler
- Finally adds an XP bar to the battle screen. HALLELUJAH.
- Pokemon now have individual "happiness," which can change how they evolve, react, etc.
- Split Special into Special Attack and Special Defense, which changes a lot of things up
- Improved graphics and the best soundtrack in the series
- Probably had the most significant changes out of any Pokemon generation

Cons
- Still has several of the same core gameplay niggles as the previous games
- Pokemon no longer follow you around like in Yellow
- Batteries on these karts usually only last 7 years, meaning if you get one now your odds of being able to save aren't great
- I can't think of anything else. This really might be a perfect game.

Back to Pokeland. And yes, Silver is the better version, you Gold tards. 

Note: I will not be going over the basic mechanics of the Pokemon games in this review, as I have covered these mechanics extensively in my Pokemon Blue/Red review. Instead, all subsequent reviews will instead focus on the changes made to the formula in any particular iteration. 

The Long

Pokemon Gold/Silver is my favorite Pokemon generation. It's the generation where I really started to get into the games, the obsession of "catching them all" hitting full force. I sunk hours and hours into this game on my quest to become a Pokemon Master, and I can honestly say I'd do it again (if I still had a cartridge). Pokemon Silver is nostalgia city for me, so bear with me as I try to not gush too much about how much I freaking love this game. 

Pokemon Gold/Silver is technically the second "generation" of Pokemon games (Pokemon Yellow doesn't count because it was a spinoff of Blue/Red), and Nintendo knew they needed to up the ante. Pokemon was a massive phenomenon by this point, so something had to be done to keep fans intrigued while still keeping things relatively familiar. So what they did was essentially genius: added a ton of new stuff, all of which could both be either really simple or extremely complex based on how seriously you took it. It grabbed that idea from Pokemon Red/Blue that these games could be played by both kids and more serious gamers and blew it out of control. Seriously, pokemon breeding was just...well, I'll tell you.

Totodile. The greatest starter ever.

First off they revamped the entire adventure. Unlike Yellow, which was the same as Red/Blue but with Pikachu, Gold/Silver was a new quest set in a different land of Johto rather than the Kanto from the first games. It starts out relatively similar, with you being tasked to go off on an adventure to "Catch 'Em All!" for a Pokemon Professor, and he lets you pick from a set of three Pokemon of the fire, water, and grass variety (Cyndaquil, Totodile, or Chikorita). You again have a rival, though this time he's more like a punk red-headed thief rather than the professor's grandson. 

As a red-head, I'm offended. 

The adventure plays out pretty much exactly the same. You still have eight Gym leaders to beat up before taking on the Elite Four and finally the Champion, finally proving yourself as the Pokemon king. The crazy part is that after you beat the Champion (which is no easy thing; Drake's a powerhouse) the game actually lets you go back to Kanto from the first game and replay all their Gym leaders, a few of which have been replaced and all their pokemon buffed. You can then re-fight the Elite Four and Champion, who have also upgraded their pokemon, and even go battle Red, your main character from the Red/Blue games. Protip: He's a badass. 

Kid's game? The battle with Red is nuts. 

So you are essentially getting two games for the price of one here, which is awesome. But enough about that; that are the real changes? What is different between this and Red/Blue/Yellow that makes it worth your time?

Well, the first big thing is the Day/Night cycle. Now when you load up the game it asks for the current time, and the game will adjust accordingly. As you travel, as it becomes night in the real world, it'll become night in the game. The crazy part is that some Pokemon only come out at night, and many pokemon have different encounter rates based on whether you are hunting them in morning, evening, afternoon, night, etc. It also knows what day of the week it is, with certain events happening only on certain days. As you battle across the land you'll also add people to your phone book (another new feature), and sometimes trainers you've defeated will call you on certain days for a rematch.

Like having Pikachu following you around in Yellow, this adds a ton of immersion points for me. Yeah, nothing anybody says when they call is particularly interesting (though I thought my mom calling me was funny) and usually it's either straight business or total uselessness (I don't care that you just failed at catching a Caterpie! I have like ten of those already!) but it's still a good touch. The Day/Night thing is also totally awesome, because then I had to plan when I was playing the game. If I wanted a Hoothoot (an Owl pokemon, obviously) I'd have to stay up later and run though the forest at night to grab one. It was a really cool feature and helped make the game feel more "real."

I'm coming for ya, you stupid Hoothoot!

To compliment this new spin on pokemon hunting, they added 100 new pokemon, and two new elemental types: Dark and Steel. Dark and Steel were made for two balancing purposes: to make Psychic less totally invincible, and make Fighting actually useful. They also readjusted elemental weaknesses and strengths from the original fourteen, and it's been the same in every game ever since. The new pokemon were just as well designed as the first 150, if not more so. The 100 in this game are probably my favorites in the series in terms of design and just general awesomeness. As a bonus you could still catch all of the 150 from the first games, assuming you had both versions (Gold and Silver).

Adding these new elements bumped up the complexity even more. This is a lot to memorize!

Strategy in battles was also mixed up. Pokemon could now hold items, such as berries, that they would auto-use in times of danger without costing them a turn. They were all essentially single use if they were consumables, while items like the Exp Share, which helps with leveling up lower-level pokemon, weren't. You could give them items that powered up specific moves, but then you'd have to decide if that was better than having a healing item equipped. It added a ton of strategy, though it also mostly just made me pissed off when I thought I was about to win and my stupid opponent heals half his health back with a berry.

But all these pale in comparison to what is probably the deepest addition to the game, and the one that makes some people go totally nuts about Pokemon: the new breeding system.

Don't fall asleep, I'll be quick. 

I'm going to be brief. On the surface level this meant you could produce more pokemon, simple enough. The perk was that you could essentially get more of the rare ones (such as your starters) by breeding them and then hatching the produced egg (and since Dittos can breed with anything they suddenly became one of the most prized pokemon in the game). Legendaries couldn't breed, but since every pokemon had a gender if you got one of each (or one and a Ditto) you could finally replicate those rare pokemon.

And that isn't even the half of it. 

Pokemon inherit moves and stats based on who their parents are. If you just breed with a Ditto you don't get anything interesting, but many pokemon will breed with different pokemon than themselves, meaning you can mix element types. In a game that so heavily focuses on elemental moves, having an electric type that knows a water move can be game-changing. This is all stupidly complicated and I never got too deep into it, but just know that it's there, and it's nuts. 

Penny Arcade knows. 

Lots of little changes also make the game better. You finally have an XP bar that fills on the right for each pokemon after each battle, so you can follow as they level (yay!). You can map items to a button (like the bicycle) for instant use rather than having to dig through a menu to get to them. Menus are very similar to Red/Blue but seem to be streamlined in ways I can't put my finger on. It's all running in the same engine but looks cleaner overall, which is appreciated. 

Battle backdrops are still just white, but the Pokemon themselves look real good

Pokemon Gold/Silver was the first Pokemon game designed for a color system, and boy...they did a really good job. The first thing you get when you boot the game up is a full-color intro sequence that was totally awesome. In-game the graphics are excellent for a Game Boy Color game, with areas being vibrant and using the limited color pallet of the GBC to a full extent. The stars of the show are certainly the Pokemon, which all look unique and well colored, though the lack of any background in battles is a bit of a downer (though I have no idea how they would have pulled it off). They do well with using the limited real estate space of the GBC screen to pack everything on while still looking good, so there you go.

The music of Gold/Silver is my favorite in the entire series. Yeah, some songs in later versions might be up there, but nearly every song in this game is great. Like the graphics, they do well with using very little to do a whole lot. The battle songs are especially great, but the songs for the towns and routes also shine.

Plus, the final boss song is nuts. 

There's probably more that could be said about the changes in Pokemon Gold/Silver, but I think I've said enough already. The point is: if you like deep, turn-based JRPG battles and you haven't jumped on the Pokemon train, you are missing out in some of the best the business has to offer. Easy to pick up, almost impossible to master, Pokemon Gold/Silver was really where the series took off. I can't think of a better place to start (though the re-releases - SoulSilver and HeartGold on the DS - are very faithful representations with all the improvements that have been made since), and as it stands this is easily the best Game Boy Color game ever released.

If you have a GBA or GBC you are missing out if you don't have one of these games in your collection. Five out of five stars.