History YMMV / PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness

* 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 fleshed out movesets, don't try to kill themselves with recoil damage, are much more useful in battle, there's a greater variety and number than before, you can convert Shadow Pokémon in batch now without having to constantly keep a slot open to individually Purify them, and Cipher's dungeons are more complex and engaging.

* UnwinnableByMistake: Beating Naps will cause the fight with Lovrina to trigger at the elevator to the lab’s entrance. The only PC is past her, and there’s no way to level grind or buy items, so if your party isn’t strong enough to beat hers, you’re completely stuck.

* UnwinnableByMistake: Beating Naps will cause the fight with Loverina to trigger at the elevator to the lab’s entrance. The only PC is past her, and there’s no way to level grind or buy items, so if your party isn’t strong enough to beat hers, you’re completely stuck.

** Greevil not only has access to the three Legendary Birds, but also Lugia, as well as three Pokémon that are fairly strong in their own right.

** Lovrina in her Orre Colesseum battle. While the other 6 rounds are optional, Round 1 is required to be beaten in order to access the new PlayableEpilogue content, Lovrina serving as its final boss. Most of her team consists of annoying {{Stone Wall}}s with little attacking power but many ways to stall, except her Blissey, which is a shocking powerhouse. On top of its [[DamageSpongeBoss massive bulk]] and Leftovers, it has Counter and Seismic Toss to smash opponents who actually dent its health, and Sing and Attract to make any connecting moves rare. The safest ways to beat it are to get by itself, then deal it a OneHitKill, or put it to Sleep and slowly chip its health bar down.

* TakeThatScrappy: Pyrite Caves, considered by many to be ThatOneLevel, have been sealed off.

* FoeYay:

* {{Narm}}:
** The title is hard to take seriously when it looks like the laughing {{Emoticon}}.
** [[https://youtu.be/LYE72Ku7vDE?t=510 Snattle's running animation.]]

* AuthorsSavingThrow: In ''Colosseum'', you could only save on a PC, unlike the other games where you could save anywhere. This was fixed here.

* ContestedSequel: To ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum''. The LighterAndSofter take on Orre, using a more traditional KidHero protagonist, and in general recycling a lot of plot elements from ''Colosseum'' made many feel like this game was a step backwards. On the other hand, the vastly increased roster of Shadow Pokemon, giving them diverse moves and status effects made them feel like a fleshed out type in their own right, rather than a gimmick. These Mon are much more viable compared to the first game, where Shadow Pokemon had one move with no effect on other types or themselves. The graphics have notably improved textures and shading, as well as longer and more involved original locations. The only thing people never seem to criticize about the plot is [[EnsembleDarkhorse Shadow Lugia]].

** [[EvilIsCool Shadow Lugia]] for being utterly badass and Miror B. (again) for being hilarious, LaughablyEvil, stylish, and having awesome music, are the most remembered characters in the game. Even to this day there are several fans demanding that they both make another appearance in the series.

** Also, Gorrigan's letter talking of his new "friendship" with Michael is so over the top that some can't wonder how deep these feelings of "friendship" really run.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: Teddiursa/Ursaring tends to be a staple on most player's teams due to it being the player's first Shadow Pokémon, and a physical powerhouse that stays useful for the entire game.

* ContestedSequel: To ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum''. While it cleaned up a lot of the criticism that game got, certain things, such as the less involved plot, the LighterAndSofter take on Orre, and in general recycling a lot of plot elements from ''Colosseum'' made many feel like this game was a step backwards. The only thing people never seem to criticize is [[EnsembleDarkhorse Shadow Lugia]].

* EvenBetterSequel: Despite the above, the gameplay is universally considered an improvement across the board. Shadow Pokémon now have fleshed out movesets, don't try to kill themselves with recoil damage, are much more useful in battle, there's a greater variety and number than before, you can convert Shadow Pokémon in batch now without having to constantly keep a slot open to individually Purify them, and Cipher's dungeons are more complex and engaging.

* ContestedSequel: To ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum''. While it cleaned up a lot of the criticism that game got, certain things, such as the less involved plot, the LighterAndSofter take on Orre, and in general recycling a lot of plot elements from Colosseum made many feel like this game was a step backwards. The only thing people never seem to criticize is [[EnsembleDarkhorse Shadow Lugia]].
* DifficultySpike: Shadow Lugia and 3 of the final boss's Shadow Pokémon have catch rates of 3 (out of 255) while, with the exception of a Shadow Snorlax and Chansey (which are still 30, or 3.9% with no damage and a default ball), everything else has catch rates that can easily be gotten to 20+% (sleep + Ultra/Net Ball). It seems as though catch rates for Legendary Pokémon may have been modified for this game, however, as they're at least easier to catch than in the main games.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: In Colosseum, you could only save on a PC, unlike the other games where you could save anywhere. This was fixed here.

* 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.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: Teddiursa/Ursaring tends to be a staple on most player's teams due to it being the player's first shadow Pokémon, and a physical powerhouse that stays useful for the entire game.

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler: [[OverlordJr Ardos]], one of the sons and CoDragons of Cipher's leader [[BigBad Greevil]], shows himself to be the most vicious and fanatical member within an already monstrous organization. Ardos is fully involved and supportive of Cipher's worst atrocities, involving the mass corruption of Pokémon into becoming unfeeling Shadow Pokémon—whereupon they'll be rendered unable to be purified and massed into an army through which Cipher will control the world. When Greevil is defeated, Ardos, in a last moment of desperation, attempts to cajole his father into killing the child protagonist by wiping out their base on Citadark Isle--[[BadBoss taking all his subordinates in the building with it]], to which Ardos merely scoffs "[[WeHaveReserves such things can be replaced]]". Even in the post-game, Ardos is as dedicated to the Cipher agenda as ever even when his father has surrendered himself, coldly informing the protagonist they are now Ardos's top target.]]

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: Mostly averted since this game boasts better Pokémon diversity than its predecessor, but Teddiursa/Ursaring tends to be a staple on most player's teams due to it being the player's first shadow Pokémon, and a physical powerhouse that stays useful for the entire game.

* MoralEventHorizon:
** Cipher as a whole crosses it in the first scene (as if they weren't on the other side of the line already) with the destruction of the S.S. Libra, which is confirmed to ''kill'' several people.
** Individually, we have Snattle's imprisonment of an entire town's population (apparently using violence no less), Lovrina's corruption of Shadow Lugia, and Ardos attempting to get Michael and everyone else within the area killed.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: Mostly averted since this game boasts better Pokemon diversity than its predecessor, but Teddiursa/Ursaring tends to be a staple on most player's teams due to it being the player's first shadow Pokemon, and a physical powerhouse that stays useful for the entire game.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: Mostly averted since this game boasts better Pokemon diversity than its predecessor, but Tediursa/Ursaring tends to be a staple on most player's teams due to it being the player's first shadow Pokemon, and a physical powerhouse that stays useful for the entire game.

* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: Some thought the game re-used too much from ''Colosseum''.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Michael’s little sister Jovi is either adorable and cute, or an annoying [[TheScrappy scrappy]].

* BaseBreakingCharacter:
** Michael’s little sister Jovi is either adorable and cute, or an annoying [[TheScrappy scrappy]].

** Michael’s little sister Jovi is either an adorable and cute, or an annoying [[TheScrappy scrappy]].

* OlderThanTheyThink: ''Gale of Darkness'' was the first Pokémon game to feature the Physical-Special split, just one year before Generation IV did it with the mainline games. What separates the split here from future games, however, is that the split only applied to Shadow moves, whereas Gen IV made it so that ''all'' moves were categorized.

* OlderThanTheyThink: ''Gale of Darkness'' was the first Pokémon game to feature the Physical-Special split, a few years before Generation IV did it with the mainline games. What separates the split here from future games, however, is that the split only applied to Shadow moves, whereas Gen IV made it so that ''all'' moves were categorized.