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Developer: Genius Sonority Inc.
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: RPG
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 28 Sep 05
User Rating
9.7 (10 votes) -
- With the franchise failing to replicated its handheld success on the console, XD is hampered by linear gameplay and limited options.
Overview
As most of you already know, Nintendo has been taking a huge hit with their Gamecube, which has not been selling well at all compared to the other two consoles. This could be due to the fact that it has not been able to get a solid video game to be released for the system in the past year or so. Well now one of the latest games to be released for the Cube is the latest Pokemon game, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. So is this game the game that Pokemon fans have been waiting for? Read our full review to find out!
Gameplay
Pokemon games really made their mark on the GBA with Pokemon Blue and Red, and to be honest, I really enjoyed those games because it was just an immersive game that really made you want to collect all the different Pokemon and made the world of Pokemon seemed alive. The latest few Pokemon games haven't had that sort of flair, including Pokemon Colosseum, which just didn't feel all that exciting. So can Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness possibly bring life back to the Cube and the Pokemon series?
What is weird about the Pokemon series is that the developers has not been able to replicate the level of success it enjoyed on the handheld to the consoles. Now in Pokemon XD you get the first sense of that classic Pokemon feel, except for the fact that in this game you actually cannot catch all the Pokemon but instead are limited to only the Shadow Pokemon. You see in the game the whole idea of this title is to catch the Shadow Pokemon, which eliminates the whole enjoyment of being able to travel the lands and try to catch some unique or your favorite Pokemon.
To be honest I you can see how this game had the potential to be one of the best Gamecube games that have come out because it begins to chip away at what made the handheld versions of Pokemon great. However traveling around the games world actually feels a bit cramped, because you just click on the map where you want to go and then start playing. This would have been a whole lot better had they just created one seamless environment that you could travel around. However, with that being said, in order to get your Shadow Pokemon you will have to go through this cleansing period and this is a neat idea but becomes more of a pain after a while.
Basically the battles work like you would probably expect with a two on two battles that basically you use your brain power to decide which Pokemon would work best and go for the battle. But what I have been getting at is that this game never makes you feel connected to any of your Pokemon or to the game itself. The game just feels a bit too linear to me and just never really makes you want to continue along on the quest to catch them all. The combat in the game is simple enough that any RPG fan is going to be able pick this game up and start playing it without any difficulty. If you are a huge Pokemon fan and don't mind pretty linear and typical gameplay, then Pokemon XD won't be as disheartening as it was for me. I am not trying to pin Pokemon XD as a bad game, because it's not. It is just one that has way too much potential compared to what is shown here.
Graphics
Visually, Pokemon XD is not all that exciting either, as the game never really gets away from a very simple and uneventful Pokemon style. Sure Nintendo did a fine job of creating quite a bit color variation, but that is really what the whole Pokemon series is known for. The game still feels like it is missing something especially in the animation of battles, which still doesn't actually show the Pokemon doing battle. Why that is still beyond me. Pokemon XD looks like what you would expect the game to with no real problems but nothing separating itself from other Gamecube titles either.
Fun Factor
I was and still am a huge fan what Nintendo was able to do with the Pokemon titles on the GBA, as they have been nothing short of impressive. However, their console titles are an entirely different story. I was really hoping that would change with XD, but that was not the case. Pokemon XD just never gave you that immersive experience that previous games have given. This is mainly because XD was rather linear and just doesn't allow you to have enough options in terms of Pokemon to catch, as being strictly pointed towards just the shadow Pokemon.
Overall
Pokemon XD is a game that truly has a lot of ideas that could have been used to the game's advantage and made into a great game. However, Pokemon XD never really puts anything together and therefore leaves the user with a rather average experience that in the end never really seemed like it wanted to be a great game. Unless you are a huge Pokemon fan, you can probably shy away from purchasing this game and leave it as a rental.
- Gameplay
7.0 - Graphics
7.0 - Fun Factor
6.0 - Overall
6.0
