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Reviewed by David Rasmussen Yes, it’s still the same tried and true series we’ve known from the early Game Boy days with Blue/Red/Pikachu Yellow, but as it's gone along it’s grown and evolved and (because of the constant growth of the series) maintains itself as both an old reliable franchise we know will always deliver 100+ hours of solid enjoyable addictive gaming, and a series that earns its stripes edition after edition as 5 out of 5 (A material here) perfection. Platinum is no different. The latest of the collection series (after the duo release comes the game that collects both games, in this case the highly recommended Diamond and Pearl, into a single release for those of us who missed Diamond & Pearl) it’s the same story but with new elements... but before we cover what’s new, let’s cover what’s good about this. As always, the series is a solid bet for your collection because it’s just well made. You are out on a great Pokemon adventure, gathering Pokemon while following along a storyline to gather Gym Leader Badges, all the while being faced with a mysterious enemy while on your journey of self discovery (while having a friend/rival to go against). Here, you find yourself pitted against the inheritors of the legacy of Team Rocket, Team Galactic, and their plot to use and abuse Pokemon and humans alike to achieve a nefarious scheme of epic size. But you’re here to capture Pokemon... I haven’t played a Pokemon game since Crystal back in Game Boy Color, but it seems to me this time out you’re capturing Pokemon... at a rather slow rate. Considering the Pokemon count is at several hundred by now, why does it seem I’m catching fresh new ones at a rather lethargic pace? By now (after 20+ hours of gameplay) I should have a fairly decent roll call of Pokemon I’m shuffling through/retiring from active service as they reach their full potential... maybe it’s just me. Not a downer, mind you, in fact it’s a plus since you’ll definitely be working your rear off for every capture here. Another plus is the addition of new modes. --Two on two mode - I think that started back in the GBA era, and it returns as you are at times teamed up with an AI partner to fight two on two battles (with either wild Pokemon or twin trainers). --New Pokemon Center content - Like the Chat rooms (you can chat with people around you or online), new games like the one where trainers put their eggs on a spinning disc, give it a spin and randomly take an egg for a surprise hatching. Oh, and of course battle modes of course now that you can battle trainers online as well as nearby, if you can find them. --The Poketch - Taking up the lower screen (once you get it), the Poketch is a modifiable "watch" with several functions (which is added onto the longer you play as new applications are plugged into it). It’s still not a replacement for the old radio attachment to your Pokegear from Crystal (because of Talk Radio, Pokemusic, and the contest to win stamps you turn in for stuff), but I am still working to add new content to my Poketch so I might yet find stuff I like (right now I just use the clock so I know what time it is). --New Berry trees - Instead of just plucking berries off of trees and waiting a day for the tree to regenerate, you have a hand in growing your own trees (and working them up to multiple berries before you pluck them). That’s cool. New functions for old gear - Bikes now are used to access certain areas that only bikes can enter (jump certain rocks). Certain HM (Flash) have been relegated to TM mode (one use) while new HM are available. No more hunting down Pokeball fruits in order to make special Pokeballs (they’re purchasable from the word go once you reach a certain level). --New gear - Makeup kit to model up your Pokemon for Tyra(nt) Banks glamour model shots. New Pokeballs like Heal Ball (heals a Pokemon you capture with it so you can use it right out of the ball once captured). And there’s probably more, but I am (after all) only 20+ hours into the game and I am not even scratching the surface on the game depth. So, now the new content of Platinum. --New story elements exclusive to Platinum --Platinum can communicate with both past Diamond and Pearl versions of the game, as well as with Pokemon Battle Revolution (Wii), as well as Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Fire Red, Leaf Green and Emerald from the GBA... which means you can so forget using this option if you were suckered into buying a Nintendo DSi, there’s no GBA slot on the DSi. Stupid DSi. --New expanded content thanks to the Wi-Fi Plaza and the Battle Frontier area. --Different types of Pokemon not seen in either Diamond or Pearl. --Add to that the simple control function which makes the game a fast learn right out of the book, the all-consuming gameplay and story, and the over 100 hours (one day to come to 200 hours) of gameplay you can squeeze out of this? Oh, right, right now we’re getting 100+ hours of gaming already, what are the odds we’ll eventually see a Pokemon RPG style game pack upwards to 200+ hours if this keeps up! Who knows, it might happen... it might happen. --Otherwise what is there not to approve of this game! Now if you’re like me and totally missed out on Pokemon Diamond or Pearl? Go straight to this version and buy it now. Go on, this is an addictive gaming experience (it’s a wonder I can tear myself away from this long enough to review anything else these days)! If you do own either Diamond or Pearl, however? Well... if you can you should grab it up (but only if you can). It’s a great game, but it’s not much different from Diamond or Pearl, so there’s no need for it if you already own Diamond or Pearl (but if you can, then do so since there’s enough fresh content here to make it a great addition to your collection). But for now, I declare Pokemon Platinum one of the best Anime/Manga gaming experiences you can be having right now. A. [Editor's Note: I, the editor, am perfectly aware that the art shown is from the Japanese version, but as I have observed before, it is often not easy to find good representative visuals for certain things, and with a non-manga, it is often even harder to find such visuals that are taller than they are wide...] Comment on this review of Pokemon Platinum on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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