Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (DS) Review

Two years ago, Nintendo tried something different with its Pokemon franchise, releasing Pokemon Ranger for the Nintendo DS. It strays from the usual Pokemon storyline, letting you work alongside your fellow creatures to save others while occasionally clashing with baddies. After the success of that game, Nintendo has, not surprisingly, concocted a sequel just in time for the holidays. Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia is a lot like the first game. In fact, it's to the point that this feels more like a pricey expansion than a sequel.

If you've never played Ranger, it's easy to get into. You freely roam across a Pokemon style world, with the ability to assign the battle monsters to certain spots in your Ranger chain if you need their assistance. Instead of using a typical battle system to capture new Pokemon, you use the Nintendo DS stylus to circle them multiple times. Do it successfully and they join your team. The rest of the game is made up of exploration, finding new Pokemon and clashing with the dim-witted Dim Sun gang. Yes, there's a gang called Dim Sun. Apparently, someone thought naming thugs after a variation of food was a way to intimidate the locals.

The use of the stylus is a novel idea . Over time, however, capturing poses little challenge, which may leave more skillful players yawning. The story doesn't really expand upon the first game's either, meaning there's not much to look forward to. At least the presentation is decent, with cutely designed Pokemon characters and large maps to explore .

Along with a quest that'll last you several hours, Nintendo has promised several downloadable missions for Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, along the same lines as the ones introduced in the first game. You can also import a pair of Pokemon characters from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl once you finish it, if you feel that you must "catch 'em all".

Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia is an entertaining adventure and a solid pickup for fans of the series, but it feels too much like its predecessor to warrant spending $35. For that kind of money, we expect something different instead of the same old thing.