This review only concerns the core game. Multiplayer, contests, postgame, and catching 'em all do not apply here.
Pokemon Chinese Emerald is the first Pokemon game I play. Pokemon Leaf Green is the first Pokemon game I put more than 3 hours into. Pokemon Diamond is the first Pokemon game I finish. I am reviewing the "canon" rerelease.
First off, PHYSICAL/SPECIAL SPLIT. Why does it take so long to implement this? This is the reason my opinion on pre-DS games is lowered (still like them, before any of you complain). Now physical Dark type can finally sweep Psychic with crunch, physical Psychic type can use psycho cut, and special Fighting type can use aura sphere. That being said, the movepool is not properly updated to accommodate this change. For exampe, the ice/thunder/fire fangs have such low power that is a waste on Luxray's superb physical attack. Also, Flareon still sucks.
People say this gen is one of the hardest. I myself have no trouble blowing through the main game until the Pokemon League, which is a huge difficulty spike. For some reason the E4 and Cynthia outlevels me by 10-15 on my fist try. This may be because I train all 6 of my Pokemon from low level, but is is still absurd.It's almost like Cyrus is the final boss and the League is a brutal bonus level. Thankfully Gen V fixed this. On a side note, I love how the starters can counter each other.
Team Galactic is a bunch of deceptively petty criminals with a love of zeerust. Their leader, Cyrus, is certainly smarter than Maxie and Archie and he dreams literally big. However, his freudian excuse should be better incorporated into the story instead of a throwaway line from a nameless NPC.
The climax involves a double battle with you and your rival against Galactic Admins followed by a trip to hell followed by Big Bad followed by version's mascot. I like it a lot, but it is flawed. Looker stays out of the fight (what kind of police does not have Pokemon to fight with?) A fight alongside Cynthia would be much appreciated. Distortion World puzzle is tedious at times, and Cyrus just goes his way after his defeat, blalantly anticlimatic and sequel hooking.
Conclusion. I am no genforer, but I still like this region and its mythology a lot, and the Poketch is one of the most useful touchscreen mechanics in the franchise. Fingers crossing for Sinnoh confirmed.
Pokemon Platinum
This review only concerns the core game. Multiplayer, contests, postgame, and catching 'em all do not apply here.
Pokemon Chinese Emerald is the first Pokemon game I play. Pokemon Leaf Green is the first Pokemon game I put more than 3 hours into. Pokemon Diamond is the first Pokemon game I finish. I am reviewing the "canon" rerelease.
First off, PHYSICAL/SPECIAL SPLIT. Why does it take so long to implement this? This is the reason my opinion on pre-DS games is lowered (still like them, before any of you complain). Now physical Dark type can finally sweep Psychic with crunch, physical Psychic type can use psycho cut, and special Fighting type can use aura sphere. That being said, the movepool is not properly updated to accommodate this change. For exampe, the ice/thunder/fire fangs have such low power that is a waste on Luxray's superb physical attack. Also, Flareon still sucks.
People say this gen is one of the hardest. I myself have no trouble blowing through the main game until the Pokemon League, which is a huge difficulty spike. For some reason the E4 and Cynthia outlevels me by 10-15 on my fist try. This may be because I train all 6 of my Pokemon from low level, but is is still absurd.It's almost like Cyrus is the final boss and the League is a brutal bonus level. Thankfully Gen V fixed this. On a side note, I love how the starters can counter each other.
Team Galactic is a bunch of deceptively petty criminals with a love of zeerust. Their leader, Cyrus, is certainly smarter than Maxie and Archie and he dreams literally big. However, his freudian excuse should be better incorporated into the story instead of a throwaway line from a nameless NPC.
The climax involves a double battle with you and your rival against Galactic Admins followed by a trip to hell followed by Big Bad followed by version's mascot. I like it a lot, but it is flawed. Looker stays out of the fight (what kind of police does not have Pokemon to fight with?) A fight alongside Cynthia would be much appreciated. Distortion World puzzle is tedious at times, and Cyrus just goes his way after his defeat, blalantly anticlimatic and sequel hooking.
Conclusion. I am no genforer, but I still like this region and its mythology a lot, and the Poketch is one of the most useful touchscreen mechanics in the franchise. Fingers crossing for Sinnoh confirmed.