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Pokemon Pearl Review
Written by Ryan Morgan on Monday, April 30, 2007
User Score
Very deep gameplay, solid upgrades, Wi-Fi, new Pokemon
Not much innovation, can be too familiar for those who have played earlier games
Unless you live under a rock in a remote mountain location, you are probably aware that a new Pokemon game was released recently. As the first DS entry in what has become one of Nintendo's most powerful brands, Diamond and Pearl had a lot to live up to, so it's fortunate they also happen to be the richest, most polished Pokemon titles currently available.
For those of you who have never played before, the core of Pokemon as a series is the roster of nearly five hundred "pocket monsters" available to you as a trainer. Some are unbearably cute (Chansey), some are badass (pretty much any dragon Pokemon), and some are flat-out weird (Ditto), but every single one can be caught and nurtured as a super-powered battling creature. Expanding upon the traditional RPG rock/paper/scissors standard, every monster has one or two of over fifteen "types," each of which has a set of weaknesses and strengths. As an example, electric attacks work very well against water types, but the Pokemon Lanturn is a water/electric type whose shared electric typing removes said weakness from its water typing. Moves are also elementally oriented, making the system even deeper as extra damage is added to an attack that matches the type of the Pokemon using it. Known as STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), a water Pokemon like Manaphy would thus do more damage using the move Surf than a rock type like Geodude using the same attack.
You start the game as a young boy or girl in a world where Pokemon are a part of everyday life. You are quickly thrown into an adventure that will lead you across the region of Sinnoh as you battle the nefarious villains of Team Galactic. The trusty Pokedex keeps track of all the monsters you see and catch, while the Poketech is new to Diamond and Pearl as a PDA that occupies the lower screen during normal play. Starting applications include a clock and a calculator, and new ones are given as gifts and rewards throughout the game, extending the Poketechs usefulness considerably. My current favorite is one that shows the status of creatures in daycare, so you always know when there's an egg waiting to be picked up.
Other significant upgrades include a better-defined split between physical and special attacks, a plethora of new skills and abilities, an upgrade to DS-quality graphics, and (most importantly) the addition of Wi-Fi capabilities. Trading and battling are governed by the Nintendo-standard friend code system, but it's a blast being able to interact with people without the use of a 2-foot link cable. Even more useful is the new Global Trading System, a worldwide bartering network that allows you to put up one of your monsters and request a specific one in return. Come back a few hours later and you just might find yourself with a new pal.
If you're already a fan of the series and catching a whole new team doesn't interest you, you'll be happy to hear that monsters can be traded up from any of the GBA games once you've completed the Sinnoh Pokedex. Additionally, having certain games in the GBA slot will make previously uncatchable Pokemon appear. As an example, having a copy of Emerald in the slot is the only way to catch a wild Shuckle.
Essentially, Diamond and Pearl follow the standard Pokemon design mantra of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The fact that it's far from a perfect game and not much of a step forward doesn't make it any less of a must-buy. The core single-player adventure is guaranteed to occupy you for more than thirty hours, and the promise of extensive global trading and (surprisingly deep) Wi-Fi battling awaits those who complete the main storyline. Get this game.
posted August 25, 2008