Pokemon Pearl: Blast from the Past (Review)

Pokemon Pearl: Blast from the Past

Going back to Pokemon Pearl was a trip, and not necessarily in a good way! It’s been atleast a few years since I remember completing the game, and/or numerous playthroughs that I can recall. Here’s a fun review on the experience.

Graphics:

There was a certain charm I remember when playing Pokemon DIamond and Pearl back when initial launch in 2006 (Wow…) but looking now, it’s clearly a step up from the Gameboy games but nothing that they could’ve done for example Pokemon Black&White. The stiff combat and pokemon sprites were a major turn off for me this time around. I could be spoiled by the beautiful X/Y and ORAS but trying to replay this and get “into” it was faced by the barrier of graphics. Outside of combat is truly beautiful however, with the weather changing as you climb Mt.Coronet, or the heavy rain in the swamp areas, as well as nice little touches like your character falling in the snow or the swamp as well as nice lighting touches from the day/evening/night.

Sound:

Sound is top notch, with crisp steps from the snow to the sounds of the Pokemon. Every little thing tends to count in my sound department and Pokemon D&P nails it. Pokemon sounds can be pleasant to hear as the game upgraded big time with the memory on the DS chip cards. The soundtrack is one of a kind and has yet to be captured completely accurately (For example, listen to this route music: Rt, 216) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBnhOZEodlE)

Story:

As you know it with most Pokemon games they follow a familiar story line: this one however seems to keep story a bit more tighter. It’s based around Team Galactic, an “evil” corporation that is trying to distort the sense of time and space in the world to achieve their goals. They are after the three legendary Pokemon of the lake as well as the two legends, Palkia the Pokemon of time, and Dialga, the one of space. The story unfolds in a fantastic matter that coincides with your journey as a trainer pursuing the gym badges, one of my favorite stories so far.

Gameplay:

This is where Diamond and Pearl fell short in my opinion - The slow combat and unfolding of text was a nasty habit kept from the Gameboy games, while you can speed the text option up, it still nearly isn’t fast enough. Combat is drawingly slow especially if there is a weather effect taking place, since the weather always seems to announce it’s turn and that it’s damaging the Pokemon on the field. I began to realize how often I was bashing A, as I found the constant clicking of my button to actually annoy me. This is unforgiving as in my opinion it dampers the experience tremendously. Compared to Black and White, this game could of done a lot better for the technology that was available, even for an 06’ title. With the combat being stale, and knowing what to expect from this game, I found myself becoming tortured by frustration and boredom as I attempted to push forward and clear the game.

My Experience:

The first time is always unforgettable right? Wrong! Playing this again, albeit swiftly was still a joy ride. Encountering the now ol' faithful Gen 4 Pokemon was a pleasant experience for me and to revisit all the areas was like a trip back to highschool (okay, maybe not that good, but nostalgic!) I still had so many thrills, like seeing the dead magic carp in the lake, or when I pushed hard on Victory Road and didn't heal before walking accidentally into a trigger zone for my rival to attempt to cream me. My heart was beating that whole match, realizing that if i had lost to my rival right in the Victory Road poke-center, since I never healed I would've had to redo all of Victory Road!

My heart was racing as we approached our last Pokemon

Overall:

Diamond and Pearl just isn't what I remembered, and it could be because I am spoiled from the continuation of the franchises. What was once my favorite generation has now become somewhat overshadowed by it's own successors, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you haven't played this game then I still think you owe it to yourself to have a first time play through as the story and environment really brings the game to life considering it was from 06' - if you have played the series and haven't played this, then what are you waiting for?

FINAL SCORE: 8/10