Ahhh, Pokemon. Those cute little things that can't speak beyond saying their own name in such a cute way. Each one of those 300+ little things - they're entirely too cute for their own good. But lo! They fight each other, too! Before you know it, one Pokemon is lying on the ground knocked out while the other has notched another victory in its belt.
Pokemon fans around the world already know most everything there is to know about the series. 'Most any kid at an elementary school could probably name 10 Pokemon off the top of his or her head before they could tell you the capitals of 10 states in the US. The series has penetrated so deeply into the culture of younger kids nowadays that each game release is virtually an instant license to print even more money.
Pokemon XD is the latest release in the Pokemon universe for those of us in the US. It is a sequel of sorts to Pokemon Colosseum, which itself was a branch-off from the Pokemon Stadium series on the Nintendo 64. In XD, as in past big-console Pokemon games, you can import your Pokemon from the Game Boy Advance games (if you have the cable to connect it to your GameCube). You can then fight with the Pokemon you've trained in fully-animated 3D battles
What Pokemon XD offers, though, that Colosseum didn't, is a better story mode. Sure, it still isn't up to par with the story mode of the Game Boy games (with 300+ Pokemon), but there are still a large amount of Pokemon that you'll see throughout the game - there are over 100 that will make an appearance. The majority of those that you meet will be Shadow Pokemon. These are corrupted Pokemon who only know one thing - how to fight.
The major goal of this campaign is a battle against the evil Cipher Corporation - they think that making Dark Pokemon is all well and good. Your job is to find these Dark Pokemon and 'snag' them from their trainers to purify them. This is one departure from the normal Pokemon series - you can capture from other trainers.
Purifying Dark Pokemon is an interesting process that involves time, using the Pokemon, time, a machine and time. Yeah, it takes some time to purify them. They are still usable while being purified, though. As they get closer to being "pure" (as measured by the Purification Bar), they'll regain moves, allow you to see their personality, and actually be able to gain experience. Once they are fully purified, they have all their normal moves and lose the "dark" moves.
The graphics are actually important to this game, too. Many players will pick this game up just to see their favorite Pokemon in fully-animated 3D. They won't be disappointed either - the Pokemon all look great and animate well, and some attacks actually even hit the other Pokemon (though there is still absolutely no blood or gore - the game maintains its child-friendliness). The towns you'll visit along the way all maintain their Pokemon-esque feel, too. The world is, overall, well done and stays true to the source, down to the strange professor name - at least the Professor here (his name is Krane) doesn't name himself after a tree.
Combat in the game is traditional Pokemon combat. I didn't see any unique attacks that weren't in previous games. You have up to four attacks that your Pokemon knows, and you can choose to use one of the four each turn. Your stats will determine the attacks effectiveness, and whether you go first or second. You'll go back and forth until either your Pokemon is knocked out of the other Pokemon is. If you're fighting another trainer, he/she may have another Pokemon and then the battle will go on until you or he/she have none left. No change here.
Pokemon XD doesn't last as long as a typical Gameboy adventure. There are fewer Pokemon to find overall, and I didn't see as much to do after getting through the main story, either. Outside of trainer fights, you don't roam around looking for rare Pokemon like on the Gameboy - sure, they're in the wild, but the wild isn't a large grassy expanse anymore.
The big question here, then, is if Pokemon XD is worth a purchase. The answer, though, is a bit confusing. If you already own Colosseum, you may want to think twice about picking up XD. Sure, some of the mechanics have been revised for the better, but the game in general feels the same. If you skipped Colosseum, though, XD is definitely worth it - the game's big draw is still battling your Game Boy Pokemon in 3D. If you've never played a Pokemon game, pick up one of the Game Boy Advance installments - the series is still at its best on the portable system.
Of course, if you're a Pokemon fan like I am, you probably didn't even need to read this review before you made your decision. The game is more like an addiction than anything else. And it is definitely a fun addiction.
Hi. My name is Brian. I am a video game addict.
Of course, I actually do things other than game. Currently, I’m a full time college student at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke where I am majoring in Mass Communications with a Journalism focus.
I’ve served as Managing Editor on my school’s paper and also written various editorials. I pride myself on my academics and work hard towards earning good grades – a few years of hard work will be worth it in the long run.
I’ve been gaming ever since my parents bought me an NES in 1985 (I was born in 1981). My favorite game of all time is probably the original Legend of Zelda but my currently played favorite game is a tossup between Madden 2005 and MVP 2005.
While I play a lot of sports games (which happens when you live with two baseball players), I also enjoy RPGs and RTSes. The first I’m actually good at and the second I’m not. I am also known to play the occasional FPS but will rarely make it all the way through one.
I’m also not a competitive gamer. I definitely prefer games that include co-op modes along with the normal competitive modes. Some of my favorite games in that regard are Legend of Zelda: Four Swords for the Game Cube and Fianl Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.
