March 6, 2007 - Pokemon has owned the collective souls of America's youth since it first hit the U.S. scene in 1998. Since then, the list of Pokemon has sky-rocketed, TV shows and movies have come and gone, and the GameBoy has evolved (much like the Pokemon) into the DS. Pokemon pops its fuzzy head back into the scene with yet another game, following its precious stone naming pattern with Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl.

Back when Pokemon was first created, the premise was a simple one: capture monsters, make them fight, add them to your encyclopedia, beat the bad guys and be the top of the virtual heap. Somewhere along the lines, the rich guy that everyone hates gets what is coming to him in a climactic battle at the tail end of the game. The formula has continued on and on throughout the last decade or so, with more Pokemon and more gadgets being thrown into the mix as they go along.

The story starts out with a little more plot than normal, using a Gyarados disturbance instead of happenstance to introduce the main characters. From there, the standard leveling and collecting fare proceeds. Not all that much has changed from the original games, but the gameplay did not need any overhaul. Aside from the next batch of Pokemon, the game exists to evolve the series with new and improved accessories. For example, the Poketch, which is short for Pokemon Watch, is a watch-like device reminiscent of the Pokegear from Gold and Silver and the PokeNav from the recent Ruby and Sapphire editions. The Pokedex's distant cousin, it has the most features of any of the gear devices, combining otherwise unrelated items (clocks and itemfinders, to start with) and adding other features. The Poketch seems to be the penultimate personal Pokemon device, with additions like a pedometer, happiness index, breeding center checkers, maps, Wi-Fi finders, calendars and a drawing board. It would be hard to pack anything else into the device, but never underestimate the Pokemon series' capacity for squeezing things into small places.

Other than the new watch, numerous other additions, building on the previous games, are what allow the series to continue to be a viable product. The Pokemon have distinctly male and female forms now, which makes breeding them easier without having to figure out what the symbols are. This also adds another depth of gameplay because yet more of the fur-bearing critters have baby forms. This means that the players can watch the slow and steady growth of their digital furballs into their normal and slightly more menacing forms. Those slightly more menacing forms can then be further humiliated by being put into "Pokemon Contests," much like regular dog shows. Using the DS' stylus to put "Cute" or "Cool" accessories on them, the Pokemon will earn points. In the Dance Judgment round, Pokemon compete with opponents in a test of rhythm and balance. In Performance Judgement, the Pokemon attempt to wow the crowd and are judged by their abilities. Also, taking the mantle from the recent Pokeblocks, a baked substance called Pofin can be made through use of the touchscreen and fed to Pokemon in order to increase stats for better performance in the game. The time of day actively changes, now into five distinct zones: morning day, afternoon, evening and night. This will affect which wild Pokemon appear for the player to catch, and affects the battles and lighting of the world as well. The TM list is expanded to include every TM ever created and the special abilities, such as Bulbasaur's Overgrow, are also added.

Thanks to the Wi-Fi capabilities of the DS, the multiplayer world below Sinnoh (reminiscent of real-life Hokkaido, in the same fashion as the other Poke-lands) is no longer limited to the length of the Link Cable. Players wishing to trade can search the entire gaming community for what they're looking for, and it does not have to be instantaneous; the offer can be left for other players to browse, even while the player is offline. By inserting the DS game and a previous GBA Pokemon RPG, players can trade their Pokemon from one pak to the next, though it requires a capture minigame to do so.

The Pokemon craze has continued in the background as the age of those gamers who remember the originals continues to increase. However, with this latest take on the classic series, perhaps those players who thought they left Pikachu with their Hot Wheels and Furbys will pick it back up for another round. Even though it may seem like the same old game, hordes of grinning children will unfailingly pick this one up like the last few once April rolls around.

By CJ Irelan
CCC Freelance Writer

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