Pokemon Diamond/Pearl Released in U.S.

The wait for 'catch-em-all' folks in the US is over; Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are out today. Joystiq and Kotaku have coverage of yesterday's launch party at the Nintendo Store. "There was a station set up to play the card game, manned by adults who were there to teach the game to kids. Finally there was a station where Junichi Masuda, the game director, and Shigeru Ohmori, the game design lead, signed autographs for those old enough to know who they are. It may have been meant to push Pokémon merchandise (the guys at the card station handed out thin packs of cards to every kid who came by) but it also meant there was something for everyone." 1up and Gamespot, meanwhile, are offering up reviews of the game. Both hand it the respectable score of 8.5, saying that it's still a great game experience but dinging the developers for not moving the series forward in any innovative directions.

Re:So....

[TheRealMindChild]

The pokemon games are released in pairs (for the most part), where you can only get certain pokemon on certain versions.

With the pokemon red/blue/green/yellow, pokemon red/blue was what the main pair was for the original game... in the US. Pokemon green was Japan only, and I believe it held the place of pokemon red there. Pokemon yellow was, I think, Pokemon Blue, but you could start with pikachu.

Re:So....

[InsaneLampshade]

You can battle/trade across the world via wi-fi now.

Re:So....

[Clazzy]

With Yellow, you collected Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander (i.e. the starting Pokemon on red and blue) along the way. I think there were certain other modifications to make it fit in more with the TV series like Pikachu being unable to evolve and some of the characters from the series.

Re:Wrong demographic for this crap?

[Akaihiryuu]

You need to separate Pokemon the game from Pokemon the media phenomenon. The media phenomenon is certainly aimed at children...the games are not. The games are pretty much standard console RPG's reminiscent of the 8/16 bit era (and early 32-bit era when 2D graphics were still common)...they just give you a lot more characters to choose from in battle than most. Anyone that likes console JRPG's will enjoy these, especially if they want a little 8/16 bit nostalgia.

Fantastic Game

[Trip Ericson]

I see the first few comments are all very negative about this game.

Yet I am 18 and greatly enjoy the game. It's got a fun storyline, a wider variety of Pokemon (the magic number is now 493), and at long last decent graphics.

And I know I'm not the only one. I moderate the Diamond/Pearl forum over at Bulbagarden [bulbagarden.net], which is home primarily to a number of older fans, many of whom are older than I am. Say what you will, this game is not just for children. Just because there's no graphic violence and language in it, that doesn't mean it's not fun by a long shot.

That said, I don't own a copy of the English version yet (still playing with my Japanese import of Diamond), but I'll be getting it soon enough.

- Trip

Re:My impressions.

[Turn-X Alphonse]

Not to atack your post but the battle system has been innovated in 2nd and 3rd generation which you missed and the 4th gen totally shook it up.

2nd : Two new types to balannce psychic. split special into special attack/special defence.
3rd : Limited EVs, so pokemon now have a max stat level instead of in previous games where the more you killed the higher their stats would go even if it was unnatural (killing 3 million geodudes = +400 to defence stat for example). Also added Double battles
4th : Moves are now divided by what they do instead of type. Now we have fire attacks that use attack instead of special attack, completely shakes the boat and crushs a lot of the current cookie cutter builds. On the Wii game there will be 3v3 battles, expanding the 2v2

There are more to it than that but that's the most basic run down and each generation added something new which changed the scene (not to mention new pokemon adds new tactics, as do new moves). But yea, it's not super innovative, but there are quite a few wnehancements if you lift the cover.

Re:Diamond or Pearl

[Babbster]

The only difference between the games is that each contains a few monsters unique to it. Unless you've got a friend/relative who is also buying the game (with whom you can trade the version-specific Pokemon), you can just grab whichever one you find without worry.

An honest review from a jaded veteran

[mjhacker]

Way way back in the day, I bought Pokemon Blue for my Gameboy (yes, the big clunky one that ate up 4 AA batteries). I was lots of fun and everyone at my school played, battled, and traded. Even kids that didn't consider themselves nerds had a copy and were willing to trade or battle if you asked. It was the most revolutionary game for a portable system since Tetris.

I didn't play another Pokemon game since.

It's been 9 years now - I'm married, going to college, and working. When I heard about Diamond and Pearl, I was quick to reserve them both. I'm glad I did.

One of the major things that makes playing Pokemon Diamond/Pearl more enjoyable is the DS's built-in wireless. This might not seem like a big deal, but not every kid on the school yard kept a cable with them for Pokemon trading. Also, of course, the Wi-fi element of the game is very exciting. The voice chat is surprisingly well done, and makes the otherwise long battles (6 vs. 6 is quite a grueling battle) a little more enjoyable.

There was enough nostalgia to make me happy, but at the same time there were many new elements to me (I know most of these things were added in previous versions, but I know I'm not the only one who hasn't played since Blue). My wife, a first-timer at any Pokemon game, received it with enthusiasm and has been playing it every free moment she gets.

It's true that there's not much innovation to be found here. Even so, this is a solid game that was very well done. It remains a solid, lengthy RPG for the DS and will end up as one of the top games of the year.