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1* AntiClimaxBoss:
2** After defeating Chobin several times over the course of the early-to-mid game, he decides to bring out the big guns in order to stop the "burglar" from breaking into Kaminko Manor. And the big guns just so happen to be an imposing Groudon mech that towers over the player. Cue the dramatic boss music... and it's just another easy battle with Chobin that's barely different from the previous battle mere minutes ago. In this case though, it's both intentional and [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments hilarious]].
3** When you finally confront Shadow Lugia, the option to throw the Master Ball before it can even launch an attack can make it seem disappointing in spite of all the build-up to its reveal. At the very least, Greevil puts up a stronger fight on his own with a full team of six Shadow Pokémon, including the Legendary Birds of Kanto.
4* BreatherBoss: Gorigan's second fight isn't exactly ''easy'', but it's sandwiched between [[spoiler:Ardos and Eldes]], two of the hardest boss fights in the game. It almost comes across as relaxing compared to those two.
5* ComplacentGamingSyndrome:
6** Teddiursa/Ursaring tends to be a staple on most players' teams. Not only is Teddiursa the first Shadow Pokémon you get, but it's a physical powerhouse that stays useful for the entire game thanks to coming with a [=STAB=]-boosted Return and the useful Guts ability.
7** Espeon is generally regarded as the best evolution for the starter Eevee due to its high speed and power, and good typing. Jolteon is also a solid pick for the same reasons, especially if the player doesn't want to use Espeon again as it was featured in ''Colosseum'', but rates a little lower due to its Ground weakness and the early game Electric alternative (Mareep) being significantly more useful than the early game Psychic alternative (Baltoy). Vaporeon has decent damage but is held back by its low speed and while it is bulkier than Espeon and Jolteon, the usefulness of tanks is diminished in a game that primarily features double battles and where Shadow Pokémon always hit for super-effective damage against normal Pokémon. Umbreon and Flareon, meanwhile, are both {{Low Tier Letdown}}s by comparison, as Umbreon suffers from the same issues as Vaporeon while also [[StoneWall lacking its offensive capabilities]], while Flareon is stuck in the awkward position of having significantly better attack than special attack but primarily learning special moves, as well as Fire being a poor typing defensively - this game being one of the last before the physical / special split introduced in ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' forces Flareon to deal with its own typing hampering it.
8* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:[[OverlordJr Ardos]], one of the two sons of Cipher's leader Greevil, is the most vicious and fanatical member within an already monstrous organization. As one of Cipher's CoDragons, Ardos is one of the primary authorities behind Cipher's worst atrocities, including the mass corruption and proliferation of Shadow Pokémon, and the reduction of entire towns into crime-infested [[WretchedHive wretched hives]]. Ardos has the distinction of not only being nastier than his brother Eldes, but his own father Greevil; in his ultimate moment of evil, [[BadBoss Ardos]] attempts to cajole his father into wiping out all of Citadark Isle and every member of Cipher still on the island, all for the sake of killing the protagonist. While Eldes and Greevil [[HeelFaceTurn redeem themselves]], Ardos remains as unrepentant as ever all the way to the post-game, where he vows to rebuild Cipher and hunt down the protagonist at any cost.]]
9* ContestedSequel: To ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum''. Despite the gameplay improvements, some felt that the LighterAndSofter take on Orre, using a more traditional KidHero protagonist, and in general recycling a lot of plot elements from ''Colosseum'' made this game seem like a step backwards. The only thing people never seem to criticize about the plot is [[EvilIsCool Shadow Lugia]].
10* DifficultySpike:
11** The Hexagon Brothers and Miror B, postgame. The Hexagon Brothers hang around the Cipher lab in case you feel like battling them again or have to snag any Shadow Pokémon you missed the first time around. However, after you beat Greevil, they're all at level 50, save any Shadow Pokémon. Miror B, in the final battle at Gateon Port, has five level 57 Ludicolo and one level 55 Shadow Dragonite. (Fortunately, if you have Shadow Salamence, and it has been purified or relearned Wing Attack spamming Wing Attack keeps the Ludicolo from being too annoying, as long as you watch out for the one that knows an Ice-type move.)
12* EnsembleDarkhorse: [[EnsembleDarkhorse/{{Pokemon}} Shares a page with the rest of the franchise.]]
13* EvenBetterSequel: Despite mixed opinions on the plot compared to its predecessor, the gameplay is universally considered an improvement across the board. Shadow Pokémon now have vastly fleshed out movesets, don't try to kill themselves with recoil damage constantly, are much more useful in battle, there's a greater variety and number than before, you can convert Shadow Pokémon in batches now without having to constantly keep a slot open to individually Purify them, and Cipher's dungeons are more complex and engaging.
14* FashionVictimVillain: Snattle's outfit consists of a BadassLongcoat combined with a white jumpsuit underneath, with what appears to be a massive mood ring around his neck. His purple lipstick and bizarre hat (or possibly hair) don't do him any favors, either.
15* FauxSymbolism: All the protagonist's default names in the English version (Michael, David and Adam) have Biblical connotations.
16* FoeYayShipping:
17** After being defeated at Orre Colosseum, Lovrina takes a liking to Michael and grants him the title "Lovrina Fan Club Member No. 1".
18--->'''Lovrina:''' I was so impressed by your toughness! Because you are so tough, I'll let you be the first member in my fan club! Doesn't that so make your day?
19** Also, Gorrigan's letter talking of his new "friendship" with Michael is so over the top that some can't help but wonder just how deep these feelings of "friendship" really run.
20* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments:
21** Shadow Togepi's backstory: you have the option to trade it back to Hordel, with him giving you an Elekid with a unique moveset (if you give him the Shadow Togepi in particular). But you can feel his joy when you give the Togepi/Togetic to him. You can tell he genuinely cared for that little guy and wanted him to be purified as a personal favor, because he grew attached to it.
22** If you beat [[spoiler:Greevil]] again after purifying all Shadow Pokémon, you'll see a brief cutscene of the hero putting his Snag Machine away, as it's not needed anymore. Gives a nice feeling of closure.
23* HilariousInHindsight: [[HilariousInHindsight/{{Pokemon}} Check the main page]].
24* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: Some thought the game re-used too much content and ideas from ''Colosseum'', with [[spoiler:Greevil]] in particular basically being a rehashed, less surprising Evice.
25* MagnificentBastard: [[EvilOldFolks Greevil]] was the [[BigBad Grand Master]] of Cipher, ruling the organization with his sons. Under the guise of Mr. Verich, Greevil interacted with the citizens of Gateon Port and gave free food and drink at The Krabby Club. After the defeat of the organization in Orre five years prior, Greevil restored the organization with the creation of a Shadow Lugia that could not be purified. Using the Lugia for evil purposes, Greevil worked to hide Cipher's efforts in creating an army of Shadow Pokémon, only acting when the plan was in jeopardy, such as kidnapping Professor Krane when he was inventing a purification machine or attacking ONBS when they had evidence of Cipher's return. Even when production of the Shadow Pokémon fell apart, Greevil was able to kick start the last part of the plan anyway in which Lugia would lead the Shadow Pokémon to take over the world. Upon the defeat of both him and Lugia, Greevil briefly considered destroying his base to make a getaway in spite of the loss of life before surrendering so that he wouldn't have to live with the moral consequences.
26* OlderThanTheyThink: ''Gale of Darkness'' was the first Pokémon game to feature the Physical/Special split, just one year before ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' introduced it to the mainline games. What separates the split here from future games, however, is that it only applies to Shadow moves, whereas Gen IV made it so that ''all'' moves were individually categorized.
27* ParanoiaFuel: Cipher Peons have a tendency to drop down from the ceiling when you least expect it. There's also one time where you get on an elevator alone, and you come out of said elevator with a Peon behind you.
28* TheScrappy: Jovi, the player character's younger sister, is hated by some for being a BrattyHalfPint [[ThirdPersonPerson who constantly speaks in the third-person]] and playfully belittling her older brother. This is despite Jovi contributing nothing to the game's narrative beyond an early EscortMission / FetchQuest.
29* SlowPacedBeginning: It takes a few hours before you get into the meat of the game. What with finding your little sister, acquiring the Machine Part, and having to use the Purify Stone to individually convert your Shadow Pokémon until the Purify Chamber's complete. Once it is finished however, Cipher's plans start to come together, the map opens up, and you can start tackling their operations head on.
30* SpecialEffectFailure: The Bonsly Photo is obviously just official art of Bonsly plopped over a screenshot of Phenac City with a bad drop shadow.
31* TearJerker: Small, but one of the early Shadow Pokémon you can catch is from a man in Gateon Port across the rotating bridges. After the fight, he'll mention that the "special effects" looked pretty cool, as he could easily say that it "looked like you just stole my Pokemon!"... which you ''did''. It's easy for the player to feel guilty, having to snag Shadow Pokémon from those rare people who legitimately don't know.
32* ThatOneBoss:
33** Snattle's second fight isn't Greevil caliber, but it's also fairly brutal on its own, mainly due to his Shadow Starmie being a decent sweeper and being fought a long way away from a healing machine on either end, but you fight one of the smartest grunts in the franchise right afterwards.
34** [[spoiler:Eldes]]. His Shadow Salamence is a few levels higher than anything you've fought at this point, and it will steamroll anything that isn't a Shadow Pokémon. Not only that, but his other Shadow Pokémon hit quite hard as well.
35** [[spoiler:Ardos]]. Unlike the previous enemies before him, and even a few after him, he introduces some diabolical Shadow moves with three very high-quality Shadow Pokémon, two of which are fast, and have full movesets, the other, a Snorlax carrying Leftovers, being very difficult to capture. And his [[spoiler:Alakazam]], which he previously used to ''obliterate'' an earlier boss, will tear apart an enormous variety of Pokémon, covering all of the weaknesses of his team.
36* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Some fans feel like changing Orre into a much more habitable place made it lose its "edge". One NPC says it's sad that you can't go to The Under anymore, and it's hard to disagree with him.
37* VindicatedByHistory: In hindsight, some fans have come to appreciate not only the unique take on the series usual formula, but also the more involved stakes relating to the protagonist. His father went missing or is dead, while his mother heads a research lab dedicated to halting Cipher's experiments while working with (and getting some ShipTease with) the local professor. Compared to the usual lack of relevance families and hometowns tend to get in the mainline games, it's refreshing to see a home base remain involved from start to finish.

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