Posts

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl Review

  Pokemon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl Review Even in the context of a series that regularly receives criticism for feeling formulaic, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are particularly familiar. As remakes of the fourth-gen titles Diamond and Pearl, these are homages to an era of Pokemon when the series was just starting to settle into a comfortable niche. Not only that, but these are extremely faithful remakes, right down to the visual style and classic combat mechanics. That makes the experience feel downright homey, if not a little deja vu-inducing. Even those who haven't spent the last few decades repeatedly catching "em" all know the gist by now. You're a plucky kid who goes on a grand cross-country adventure training pocket monsters and ultimately becoming world champion. It's recognizable in the same way that you basically already know that Mario is going to have to save the princess, and has a certain level of simplistic appeal. Now Playing

top 10 games

top 10 games  The battle system is possibly the most recognizable aspect from previous Pokemon games, with each Pokemon in Legends: Arceus only being able to equip a total of four moves at a time and all the usual rock-paper-scissors elemental match-ups intact. But needing to know the finer nuances to type matchups is deemphasized in Arceus, to the point where moves are just listed as Effective, Super Effective, Not Very Effective, and No Effect from the start. More recent Pokemon games have included this feature, and I appreciate the help as someone who does not have the brain-space to keep track of every move match-up, but it has previously kept those hints gated behind having completed a Pokedex entry. In Pokemon Legends: Arceus that rough edge is sanded down to be even smoother, since you'll see them listed right away, even the first time you ever encounter a new Pokemon. You can also get into an encounter against multiple Pokemon, sometimes just through sheer luck by starting

Pokemon Legends: Arceus Review – What? Pokemon Is Evolving!

  Pokemon Legends: Arceus Review – What? Pokemon Is Evolving! In 1996, Pokemon was daring. The oddball RPG was both mechanically simpler and more ambitious than its contemporaries, consisting of an approachable battle system and a huge roster of 150 adorable mascot characters. Since then, the core Pokemon games have mostly stuck to the pattern established by those first games, developing a sense of familiarity with steady, light iteration. Pokemon Legends: Arceus breaks that iterative pattern, attempting to establish a new foundation while borrowing bits and pieces from the main Pokemon games to create something new. The result is sometimes messy and doesn't always work, but its distinct qualities set it apart from the core series and ultimately elevate it. Though it's a spin-off, Pokemon Legends: Arceus isn't lending the Pokemon trappings to an entirely different set of mechanics like the Mystery Dungeon or Stadium series. Instead, this game reimagines Pokemon's core m