Hello, all. My first entry in this blog has arrived much later than intended, as I originally wanted to do a review of Super Mario 3D Land but forgot to complete the game. While trying to come up with things to post about, I initially wanted to do game reviews. Then I got a great idea: why not review entire series of games? As a longtime Nintendo consumer, most of the mainstays of my collection are entries in a franchise, so I've got quite a few I can cover. With that in mind, Pokemon was an easy first choice. That's enough rambling about my thought process, so onto the review!
POKEMON RED AND BLUE
Ah, the first Pokemon games released in America. Play a few notes from just about any of the various themes in this game and any gamer over 18 will be awash in nostalgia. Pokemon was likely to be one of the first RPGs for many gamers who didn't experience the SNES golden age of RPGs when they came out. Building stats for a team rather than for a player character was an interesting mechanic that proved immensely successful, due in no small part to the wide variety of 'Mons one could catch.
The graphics were decent, especially since we got the improved ones used in Japan's Blue version. However, some Pokemon still look really awkward; Rhyhorn looks soft, Geodude doesn't really look like a rock, and Machop isn't bulky at all, to name a few. Still, the visuals of the game were enough to get by, and some Pokemon did look quite intimidating (particularly the starters' final evolutions).
The overworld music was unbelievably catchy and has stuck with a generation of gamers--play the Lavender Town theme to send chills up spines--and the battle music was exactly the kind of music one expected from an RPG.
There's not really any plot, to be honest. You're getting all the badges and challenging the Pokemon League. The side events with Team Rocket are about as close as it gets to plot, and there are some pretty cool events within that, but overall it's fairly insubstantial. RPGs were starting to be known for stronger storylines around this time, so it's a bit disappointing that Pokemon didn't deliver on this front.
The mechanics of the game itself fit the general frame of an RPG at the time. Characters gained levels by fighting enemies, bosses appeared every so often that would give extra cash and experience when defeated, and stat-boosters and other items could be used to improve each character's fighting prowess. Rather than equipment, Technical Machines (TMs) could be used to teach Pokemon moves they would not learn by leveling up, enhancing them further. For American gamers, Red and Blue defined the entire system of training, battling, and earning badges.
The difficulty of the game was consistent for most of the game, aside from the very beginning. Picking Squirtle made the game hellishly easy, Charmander put the player at a sizeable early disadvantage, and Bulbasaur stopped being useful after the third gym. For the most part, though, trainers scaled well with the player character at all points in the game, and grinding was never compulsory if the player utilized type advantages.
VISUALS: 4/10
MUSIC: 8/10
PLOT: 1/10
MECHANICS: 5/10
DIFFICULTY: 8/10
OVERALL: 5.2/10
Pokemon Yellow was the same as Red and Blue, but with massively improved visuals. There was a slight attempt to match the game to the anime, which slightly improved the plot by including more interesting events (getting Charmander/Bulbasaur/Squirtle, fighting Jessie/James) and your Rival had a more interesting team that changed based on how well you fought at the beginning. I'd give it a +1 in visuals, a +1 in plot, and a -1 in difficulty because your starter is Pikachu rather than something useful. Overall, a 5.4/10.
POKEMON GOLD AND SILVER
Gold and Silver were a huge deal at the time of release; most of Pokemon's initial fanbase was still around, and there were suddenly going to be another 100 Pokemon added to the game. In retrospect, 2nd gen actually added the fewest Pokemon to the game than any other generation, and has some of the most forgettable ones (Corsola, Mantine, and Dunsparce, for instance). Still, the visuals were a definite improvement over the last generation, and Crystal actually added the first animations!
The music isn't quite as memorable in all instances as RBY, although special mention goes out to the Champion and Red battle themes. This game also has the best Rival theme (both overworld and in-battle) of any of the games, aside from the remakes of these ones.
There is an immense increase in plot from the first set of games. Team Rocket is making a comeback, and even hijacks a radio station in an attempt to contact Giovanni. After completing everything in Johto, though, the plot falls off hard; the Kanto segment of the game feels a bit tacked-on, though the inclusion of the protagonist and antagonist from the previous games as opponents was a nice touch.
There's not a lot to say about mechanics here; they added the option to set a key item to Select, allowing for much easier use of the Bicycle, fishing rods, and Itemfinder. Also, a small bar appeared below each Pokemon's health to denote how much EXP they had gained toward the next level. These were small but noticeable improvements.
Lastly, difficulty. Gold and Silver were all over the place with this one. Anyone who has played these games remembers Whitney's Miltank and the destruction it brings in its wake. Clair's team can also prove quite difficult, and the Elite Four are in the 40-55 level range when a player team of 6 Pokemon will likely only be around level 40. The level spike from defeating Blue to facing Red is also immense, though that is an optional fight that players have to intentionally seek out, so it matters slightly less.
VISUALS: 6/10
MUSIC: 4/10
PLOT: 3/10
MECHANICS: 6/10
DIFFICULTY: 6/10
OVERALL: 5/10
Crystal added animations and a unique side-plot concerning Suicune and a character named Eusine. Each of these only really adds about 0.5 points to their respective categories, so Crystal is overall about a 5.2/10.
POKEMON RUBY AND SAPPHIRE
Ruby and Sapphire continued to improve on previous generations. This is where Pokemon started to really look less like sprites and more like the official art. The overworld was surprisingly vibrant as well, including reflections in still pools of water and overworld effects like rain, intense sunlight, and sandstorm.
For music, the score is riddled with trumpets and the songs sound a bit same-y as a result. Still, it has its finer points; the champion theme is excellent, and the Elite Four theme is on par with the Gym Leader and Elite Four theme from gen 1.
Plot-wise, Ruby and Sapphire are where things started to get serious. Rather than mobsters, the evil team(s) in these games are bent on gaining control of a legendary Pokemon that can alter the world around them. You have multiple encounters with the antagonist team (and with both teams in Emerald), and overall they seem to have a larger impact on the game than in the previous games.
Mechanics showed a noticeable improvement. Ruby and Sapphire had the sleekest and fastest battles in terms of animation and raw speed of all games thus far, and the addition of multiple types of bikes allowed for a wider variety of overworld puzzles. The Dive HM also added underwater areas, and double battles opened up an entirely new set of strategies for battle.
As for difficulty, Ruby and Sapphire are more difficult depending on your team. The first gym is fairly easy. However, in the second gym, one must either skip the fight until after doing the next area, or spend a lot of time grinding (or pick up a Zubat). The third gym is cake if the player started with Mudkip or got a Geodude, but a nightmare otherwise. The fourth gym is hit-or-miss as well, as Sunny Day and Overheat can even chew through Water-types. Norman, the fifth boss, has a Pokemon with base stats on par with legendaries that can only attack once every other turn, and the sixth and seventh gym leaders use Pokemon that have setup moves that can turn a single Pokemon into a wrecking machine after two turns. Oddly, the eighth gym is relatively easy, and the Elite Four are pushovers if type matchups are exploited. The difficulty is still relatively fair overall, but the difference between an easy and tough fight is remarkably small.
VISUALS: 7/10
MUSIC: 4/10
PLOT: 5/10
MECHANICS: 8/10
DIFFICULTY: 7/10
OVERALL: 6.2/10
Emerald enhanced the plot slightly and smoothed out a few difficulty issues while making others more pronounced. I would give it a +0.5 in plot and a +0.5 in difficulty, bringing it to 6.4/10 overall.
POKEMON DIAMOND AND PEARL
Oh boy. Fourth gen did some amazing things, and visuals were certainly one of them. The transition to three-dimensional overworlds was well-needed and well-executed, and the in-battle images look superb. There are a few problems here and there with polygons making the overworld look a little too blocky, but aside from that it is quite good.
Music is one category in which 4th gen shines. The gym theme was fairly good, the rival theme matched the rival well, and the overworld themes were catchy, but what really stands out is the Team Galactic battle theme. It is quite possibly the best theme in this entire game, with the possible exception of the Galactic Admin theme (a faster remix of it), Cyrus's battle theme, and Cynthia's pre-battle and battle themes.
There is plot out the ass in this game. This is Pokemon's first truly strong entry concerning plot, although it shines more in Platinum than Diamond or Pearl. Cyrus is a much more interesting villain than the previous generation due to his motivations and his method of achieving his goals, and overall Team Galactic has much more of a presence than Aqua, Magma, and Rocket ever did.
Mechanics is where the game falls flat comparatively. The battles are incredibly long and drawn out, even with animations turned off. It's a huge step back from the previous generation. Surfing speed is also painfully slow, and the player character seems slightly less responsive to movement compared to previous generations. The Underground, while an interesting concept, is also rather shallow. Definitely the weak point of this entry.
In terms of difficulty, Diamond and Pearl provide an excellent challenge that never lets up but never truly overpowers the player either. The only truly difficult fight in the game is against Cynthia's team, and that's to be expected of the champion. There's a reasonable chance that the player's team will be underleveled for the Elite Four, but that is the only other qualm I have with this game's difficulty scaling.
VISUALS: 8/10
MUSIC: 8/10
PLOT: 7/10
MECHANICS: 3/10
DIFFICULTY: 9/10
OVERALL: 7/10
Platinum fixed every mechanical issue with the game, enhanced the plot slightly, and increased the variety of Pokemon available to the player and enemy teams. It receives +4 mechanics and +0.5 difficulty to bring it to an overall score of 7.9/10.
POKEMON BLACK AND WHITE
Let me start by saying that the visuals in this game are jaw-dropping for a Pokemon fan. I was speechless when I first crossed Skyarrow bridge due to the sheer amount of effort that went into making it look that amazing, and the city immediately following it is no slouch either. The Desert Resort looks gritty and barren, the Nimbasa City amusement park looks festive and active, and every Pokemon is rendered in amazing quality.
The music in this game is also very good. It's about on par with 4th gen, as the enemy team once again steals the show with their incredible theme song. The rival themes are a bit weaker (though N's theme fits him amazing well), but the real kicker occurs the first time a player is in a gym fight with the volume on and gets to the gym leader's last Pokemon. The music changes to a blaring fanfare that intensifies the battle immensely and makes it feel as though the player is in a fight more like one would expect from the anime than from the games. Definitely a strong point of the games.
In terms of plot, this one is even stronger than Diamond and Pearl. The enemy team has vastly different motivations and methods than Team Galactic, N and Ghetsis are well-developed villains, and the two rivals receive much more depth than in previous entries. This generation continues 4th gen's tradition of having the Champion appear multiple times throughout the story, but Alder is fleshed out far more than Cynthia and has a much more interesting background. Overall, an amazing improvement over previous generations.
Mechanics are another strong point of this game. The battles are even smoother than 3rd gen, although it is slightly annoying that turning off animations doesn't turn off the irritatingly-long animations for Pokemon to come out of their Pokeballs. Other than that, there aren't a whole lot of changes; the C-Gear was added, but as far as I know it doesn't change much for a regular playthrough of the game.
Difficulty is very odd for this game. The first gym can be difficult even with the gift Pokemon received right before it, as the signature move of the gym is a stat-boost that increases Atk and SpAtk. The second gym is tough because the signature move has doubled power the turn after an ally has been defeated and the gym leader's Pokemon receive same-type attack bonus from it, meaning that her final Pokemon comes out swinging and hits like a freight train. The difficulty gets a bit weaker when the player is given a Lucky Egg, and Audino can be intentionally farmed to grant ridiculous amounts of EXP. The difficulty is all over the place, and really a weak point of the game.
VISUALS: 9/10
MUSIC: 8/10
PLOT: 8/10
MECHANICS: 8/10
DIFFICULTY: 5/10
OVERALL: 7.6/10
As for the remakes, I would grant Fire Red and Leaf Green +3 visuals, +2 mechanics, and -2 in difficulty, bringing it to a total of 5.6/10. Heart Gold and Soul Silver receive +2 visuals, +3 music, +1 plot, and +4 mechanics, bringing it to a total of 7/10.
I'm not rating the spinoffs because this post is already of ungodly length and Kieran won't read it anyway. That's all for now! My next entry will be over the American-released Fire Emblem series. Stay tuned!
--Scott
Editor's note 12:26 Saturday: Added a jump break.
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