Pokémon Platinum Review From Someone Who's Not Played It Yet, But Has Already Bought Two Copies
Pokémon Platinum
Welcome to my review of Pokémon Platinum. Released on 22nd May 2009, Pokémon Platinum is the fourteenth”proper” Pokémon RPG released in England, after Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Fire Red, Leaf Green, Diamond and Pearl -Not to mention the “spin-off” games, Pokémon Stadium, Pokémon Stadium 2, Pokémon Snap, Hey You! Pikachu!, Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon Trading Card Game, the Pokémon Mini console and subsequent games, Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, Pokémon Pinball Ruby and Sapphire, Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon Channel, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, Pokémon Box, Pokémon Dash, Pokémon Link!, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue, Pokémon Ranger, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon – Explorers of Time and Darkness, Pokémon Ranger 2 and Pokémon Battle Revolution. And that’s not including the upcoming releases, Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon – Explorers of the Sky and “Melee! Pokémon Scramble!”, as well as the Smash Bros. series which features Pokémon Characters and Stage themes. Big list, huh?
Now with well over four-hundred different Pokémon, the game is teeming with adventures and hours upon hours of gameplay. The only problem is, I’ve not been able to actually play it. Why? Well, because neither of the copies I bought were mine, and because the other month I sold my DS so I could pay for my iPhone bill. Fun, right? I guess this is what it’s like to be an adult with no money…
Anyway, from the outside, the largest changes to the game is that the box now comes with a glittery cover. This is really visually effective because it makes the parts that aren’t glittery stand out, and also makes you wonder “is the cover blue, or is it green?” depending on how the light hits it. I remember asking myself this when I was in the queue to buy it. If I recall correctly, Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald also had a shiny boxes, which is probably where the inspiration came from.
Another change is that, unlike the previous versions, the box also references the new “Nintendo DSi”. Being poor, I do not have one of these (in fact, I don’t have a DS at all), but it’s good to know that I can still play it if I was to purchase a DSi. The only problem, however, is that due to the DSi’s lack of a Gameboy Advance slot, the “Pal Park” can’t be used, which stops you from being able to transfer Pokémon from the older generation of games, halting you from being able to “Catch them all”. For some reason, I find that aspect of the DSi to be prohibiting, but it does make the DSi thinner, and, as I have used one, it definitely makes it more pleasant to use.
Finally, the last change is that the Pokémon on the box -who’s name I can’t remember- looks different. Sometimes they decide to do this, but I don’t really understand why. Normally it’s just drawing one of the monsters in a different way, or a different form of that Pokémon depending on which game it’s in (like Deoxys), but this is just strange and I don’t understand why the form has changed. Maybe it’s because I haven’t played the game, but it just looks silly. All in all, I give this game a 3/10, just because it doesn’t have many changes to it, compared to the other games. Was that the point? I recommend only buying this game if you haven’t bought another Pokémon game within the last ten years.
Gameplay: 5/10
The box it’s quite amusing to play with as you can use the shiny bits to reflect light. If you have a copy of the box on a sunny day, you could probably channel the light towards your teacher’s eyes or something, just like you can do with a watch (for example), but that soon becomes boring if you’re just sat in your room on your own, or if you don’t have a direct source of light.
Graphics: 7/10
The box looks really good, and leaves a vert striking image. The writing on it is clear and you know what you’re getting with just a glance. The only thing I’d change would be making the “Pokémon Platinum” logo more centralized, and moving the game’s PEGI rating to the left, onto the white “Nintendo DS” border. The big monster is also a little large, but that makes him look empowered.
Story: 10/10
From the build up of suspense to the release of the game, the action-packed purchase and the wonderful ending makes this game a really good buy. The attention to detail when you actual open the box at the end is also a really good factor, and it’s not too complicated, like some games; You open the box and you find the game , with the option of going the length route of reading the manuals- most games make you find a series of objects from around the game’s map in order to find the treasure at the end, so this was a pleasant change.
Replay Value: 10/10
So good I’ve played it twice! I might even go back a third time!
Overall: 3/10
While you’d probably expect a higher score, it just doesn’t cut it. Unfortunately the game is a little short and leaves you feeling disappointed, as the story has a really sad ending.
Tags: Hands On, Nintendo, Platinum, Pokémon, Review, Technology, Video Games