‘Pokemon Platinum’ Review (Nintendo DS)

When you think about Pokémon, visions of Pikachu jumping out to the phrase “I choose you” may echo in your head like your favorite childhood lymeric. The Pokémon franchise has hit the gaming world, over the last decade, with several genres. The most notable are the Pokémon RPG series for the Nintendo DS.

The Pokémon RPG franchise began on the Game Boy Classic with Red and Blue, followed by the upgraded Yellow version. Next in the series was Pokémon Silver and Gold on the Game Boy Advance, which got a Crystal upgrade. Now, Nintendo has released the latest upgrade to the Diamond and Pearl Pokémon releases on the Nintendo DS – Pokémon Platinum.

Like the upgraded Pokémon games before this one, Platinum is very similar to its Diamond and Pearl predecessors. So, fanatics shouldn’t expect anything revolutionary when stepping up their gaming experience to Platinum. However, if you’re new to Pokémon RPGs or just haven’t had the chance to pick up the DS versions, then Platinum is a must have ten times over.

On the surface, Pokémon Platinum is your typical Japanese RPG built around turn-based battles. Where Platinum wins out, however, is in the shear joy of leveling up, capturing new Pokémon and trading Pokémon with friends via the Nintendo DS Wi-Fi connection.

You begin your Poke adventure as a Poke-less kid with only a slight interest in becoming a trainer. When your best friend gives you the word that the famous Pokémon guru Professor Rowan is in town, you are spearheaded into a fun quest of becoming the next great Pokémon trainer. Along the way, you’ll have to battle those annoying misfits from team Galactic. You will also battle gym trainers to claim their badge, much like a martial artist who travels to rival dojos collecting the opposition’s sign as a show of superiority.

Gamers choose their trainer’s gender before starting the game, but the real customization comes from outfitting your team roster with six of your favorite Pokémon. There are over ninety Pokémon to capture and eventually choose from. If you had Diamond or Pearl, most of these Pokémon will probably be familiar. And, despite claims that some Pokémon only come out at night, you’ll find yourself running into the same Pokémon over and over.

The games story isn’t overtly compelling and has no difference from the original Diamond and Pearl releases. What you do get is a broader world to explore and an extremely disturbing additional Distortion World. This world is another attempt at achieving 3D gameplay on the Nintendo DS. Just like 2K Sports recent release of Don King Boxing, Distortion World has a clunky 3D system that should have been avoided. Gamers can walk on ceilings and do some crazy water stunts. But, overall, it seems to be a wasted effort by developers. I would have rather seen an upgraded story.

My main peeve with the Pokémon RPGs is the method in which trainers pick a battle with you. They’ll walk up to you casually at times and tell you it’s a beautiful day. Then you’re thrust right into a Pokémon trainer battle. Bizarre. Luckily, the real world isn’t like this, or I’d have to run every time someone said “Good Morning.”

The in-battle graphics have crisp visuals. The attack animations have been upgraded and add some nuances in the Platinum release. However, battles can be long and I wish there was a way to skip past the back and forth exchanges or skip the animation all together. It just takes up too much extra time. After a while, the animations of your favorite Pokémon will become extremely repetitive and chore to watch. You also get this feeling from reading character dialogue. You’ll have to hold down the button to make the text draw out faster. Otherwise, you’ll be reading one word a second. The dialogue really draws out that slowly.

The fun real fun in battles comes from how you strategically attack enemies. The heart of Pokémon battles involves elemental game play. So when you pick your Pokémon, you’ll want to remember that: Water beats Fire, Fire beats Earth, and Earth beats Water. Depending on what world you are in, you can check in at one of the many local kiosks and select the right Pokémon for your party. I really can’t express how much fun it is to capture Pokémon, teach them new abilities and watch them evolve.

Platinum is backwards compatible with Diamond and Pearl, so you’ll be able to move around Pokémon between the two versions. This will be a slight benefit to existing owners. There are several mini-games available in the Wi-Fi plaza, but mature gamers will find them boring to say the least. Scribbling on a while just isn’t my idea of fun. The Wi-Fi wins out on trading capabilities. You can connect with other people via the Global Terminal and trade Pokémon for hours on end. Plus there’s an email feature to make this even more interactive.

The sound in Platinum is something that can be avoided all together. Pokémon battles will result in repetitive screeching sounds and digital noises from the 80s, as each Pokémon takes damage. This is the one feature I wish was upgraded in Platinum.

Picking up Pokémon may feel like a guilty pleasure for adults concerned with looking like that silly Trix rabbit. Luckily, unlike Trix, Pokémon Platinum for the Nintendo DS isn’t just for kids. If you own one of Platinum’s predecessors, then adding Platinum may not have much value. But, new gamers will definitely want to pick this one up, as Pokémon DS RPGs are easily at the hallmark of DS gaming.