Pokemon Diamond and Pearl.
Could this be the game of the year for the Nintendo DS? Read on to find out!
Presentation: Anyone who has played a Pokemon game before should be able to pick this one up, play through the menus, list, and etc without even the slightest bit of frustration or inability. Even if you have never played a Pokemon game before, then this game keeps what has made Pokemon such a successful franchise, and that is simple, yet complex [for those who truly get into it] game play. You will still have a Pokedex, Pokemon, and a Trainer Card, but now there are many other additions that are an easy breeze like the Pokemon Watch [Poketch], or a bike with many gears for obstacle evading. With many other new features, this is still Pokemon; and at its best!
PRESENTATION : 5/5
The new graphics do the job; and the night and day is cool too!
Graphics: Anyone who plays Pokemon, or is a true Nintendo fan boy will know the saying game play over graphics. This holds true in this game, where the graphics are better, and I must say the colors jump off the screen like never before [might be my Dslite], but it is still all about the game play. When you get to the first city all you care about is the raising and battling. So as long as you can tell a person from a tree, it does the job for me. I'm not saying the graphics are bad either. They are a nice “pseudo-3D” where you are mostly 2D, but many surroundings show 3D elements like shadows, windmills, trains, cars [marsh zone], and many others. The graphics are GREAT for a 2D RPG. Also, this would definitely be a game to showcase that the Dslite is in fact better than the DS because, like previously stated, the colors really do jump off the screen!
GRAPHICS : 4/5
The 3 new starters. Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup
Sound: Ah, Pokemon. Where do I start. Sure this game may have received a good amount of criticism for it's music being like that of a Game Boy, but it's really not a bad thing. There are still some new and catchy beats, but all the recycled tracks and tunes are still great and if you've played Pokemon before than you'll absolutely have to respect it, but if not, you wont be let down that much. The sound does what it has to do, nothing more; nothing less.
SOUND : 4/5
Game play: RPG + Adventure + Action + Puzzle + Strategy + Mini games, etc… This game has a lot of stuff to do and see, and for the most part it does its job very well. The game play in Pokemon games even since the first game has been nothing short of stellar. Sure the random grass battles can get annoying, sure they seem to happen more than usual in this game, but it's still got so much strategy to it that it is absolutely amazing! Items from potions, to poke balls, to healing, to bikes, to pal pad, to WIFI Connection, to accessories, to Pokemon clothes and dresses, this game truly has it all. When I first got the game I thought the new Pokemon were going to be more or less mediocre like, say, [Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald]. But no, I was shocked to say that these were, in my opinion, some of the most strategic, and cool looking Pokemon since the original game on the Game Boy. I also thought that Nintendo would have only done a “decent” job on the WiFi Connection. WRONG! Wifi includes local wireless [top floor of PokeCenter], Friend Code Trading/Battling/Voice Chat for up to 4 [bottom floor of PokeCenter], and the Global Trade Station [GTS] in Jubilife City [first city]. Each one is done fantastically with the fantastic new addition of voice chat. There is also an optional headset for voice chat, but I think my built in microphone will do it. Game play is always great, and it remains the same even while making nice additions. [OTHER ADDITIONS: NIGHT/ MORNING/ DAY/ EVENING/ DUSK using internal clock, new Pokemon, new region "Sinnoh", and many, many more for you to find out!]
GAMEPLAY : 5/5
Battling made easy with the touch screen.
Lasting Appeal: If you only buy about 5 games for a system, this is the game to get. You will absolutely NOT run out of things to do in this game! I don't know how much I can stress that so I'll just sum it up in three words; ‘Buy This Game!'
LASTING APPEAL : 5/5
Conclusion: If you've ever played a Pokemon game, or have ever played any Nintendo system or RPG game then it is a sin to walk buy this game in a store and not buy it. It's just too good, and in some peoples minds, it is pretty close, if not better, than the original games [Red/Blue/Yellow].
Final Score = 5/5
By Symerwizkid22