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It's just amazing to me how Nintendo and Game Freak can release the same game, with literally a different coat of paint, over and over and have it sell so well each time. But let's just face it: Pokémon Diamond and Pearl just aren't that different from the other entries in the series. The developers just changed a few features, barely enhanced the graphics, and called it a new game. But the truth is I, like many others, will still buy it, and it will sell just as well here in the US as it still is in Japan. It's interesting that Disney has jumped into the creature-catching realm with its Spectrobes title, set to be released on the same system nearly a month before the behemoth RPG. Now that Pokémon has a bit of competition, I'm excited to see how things turn out. Of course, Pokémon DP will dramatically outsell Spectrobes, due to the still large Pokémon fan base. But I wonder if Spectrobes will be written off as another Pokémon rip-off or if people actually give it a try for its unique features and inventive use of the DS's abilities. Only time will tell, and, luckily, we won't have to wait that long for either title.
Pokémon Red was my very first RPG. I'd read a mini-guide and comic book that came with an issue of Nintendo Power, introducing the series. I was intrigued by the adventure and companionship elements. So, I bought the game, choosing the Red version because it was my favorite color at the time. At any rate, I really enjoyed the game and spent over 200 hours to train several top-notch Pokémon and catch them all. Pokémon was all the craze back then, with the anime and card game, so it was quite easy to find friends to trade and battle with. Well, that time has since come and gone. When Pokémon Gold and Silver were released, the Pokémon fervor had already died down. In spite of all the new features, including the compelling day and night cycle, I barely beat the game and put it down. I wasn't compelled to catch all the Pokémon all over again. It got old. As a matter of fact, I don't remember encountering a single person who owned Pokémon Gold and Silver. I figured it was the end for the series.
Nonetheless, I still picked up Pokémon Ruby, what with the enhanced graphics and completely new world. I even found a friend who bought Pokémon Sapphire and we ended getting all the Pokémon all over again. But still, it just felt like the same game all over again. I had hoped that Nintendo would revamp a lot of things for the sequel to give it a fresh appeal. No such luck.
Enter Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Developing the game for the Nintendo DS gave the developers a great opportunity to enhance the gameplay using the DS's technology. Instead, they took the safe route and just barely changed things. The graphics now sport a quasi-3D style, which looks neat when exploring the world, but battle scenes look almost exactly the same as Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. I'm not sure if the DS could handle all that memory, but it would have been nice if they finally added Pokémon voices instead of cheap MIDI sound bites again. The game doesn't use many of the DS's features either. You can use the stylus to select items in the various menus that appear in the bottom screen, but that's about it. Thankfully, though, the game utilizes the Wi-Fi function, allowing players trade and battle one another all over the world. I don't like the whole Friend Code thing, though. It works for some games, like Animal Crossing, but for Pokémon it would be nice to be able to battle and trade with anyone you encounter online, regardless of Friend Codes.
In my opinion, the Pokémon franchise is mediocre, in the sense that it hasn't quite reached its potential. I enjoy playing Pokémon games because of the sheer amount of strategy required to defeat the more experienced players, something that will greatly increase the new games' replay value via online play. In order to obtain and train competent Pokémon, players need to choose a balance of Pokémon types, moves, breed, increase certain attributes with Effort Value training, and of course, level up. Obtaining the perfect team requires intelligent prior planning. But this need for strategy is always unadvertised. Instead, Nintendo continues to appeal to children, only showing off the cutesy side of the games. If Nintendo were to advertise the strategy needed to win, I bet much more older people would pick up the series.
Also, I'm getting tired of playing through the same story over and over again. We get a boy or a girl who starts off in a small town and dreams of becoming a Pokémon Master. He or she somehow gets thier first Pokémon, either grass, fire, or water, from the town Professor and the child of the Professor ends up being the rival. There are always eight gyms and always an Elite Four. Oh, and let's not forget the annoying team of villains bent on world domination. Well, it's about time for something different. How about a game that features a kid who attempts to become a Gym Leader and prove himself, and once he obtains his position, he must maintain it by winning against most of the challengers? Or what about a game that features a character that is already a Pokémon Master but gets her Pokémon stolen and travels the world searching for them? What about real-time or active combat? What about an Electric type starter? But then again, I doubt Nintendo would really care to change anything. They can continue to make the same game over and over and still make millions. It's even made worse by the inevitable third game that is released with every set, like Pokémon Crystal and Pokémon Emerald, which add only a minimal amount of content but still cost the same as the originals on which they are based. Pokémon Yellow was the only one that truly offered something different, with the relationship the main character had with Pikachu and the enhanced graphics. I'm certain there will be a Pokémon Amethyst, or whatever the third game for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl will be called. I only wonder what features they will add to it. It doesn't matter either way. They could just add a few things and slap on a new cover and people will still eat it up. When will it end? When will we actually get a new Pokémon game?
But then again, I can understand Nintendo's take on things. The main Pokémon games follow the same formula because they are all about catching and training Pokémon and adventure. Changing the setup might actually ruin that formula, losing lots of fans as a consequence. For instance, if the game were about a trainer's attempts to become a Gym Leader, both exploration and catching elements would be limited, considering that a Gym Leader remains in one city and usually trains a single type of Pokémon. No, such games would be allocated to the spin-offs, like Pokémon Ranger, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, and Pokémon Snap. They would inevitably be poor or average in quality, due to a lack of polish. It's sad really. Perhaps one day Nintendo will reinvent the formula the way Ocarina of Time did for Zelda before the franchise falls flat on its face due to monotony and fierce competition. The latter is where Spectrobes comes in. Well, maybe.
Spectrobes is the first game by Disney Interactive that doesn't feature Disney characters, though I suspect Disney characters might make some sort of cameo. I wouldn't be surprised if Mickey's face were embossed on the starboard side of a certain spaceship or if a certain character were named after Pluto or Minnie Mouse. At any rate, I'm a bit excited about Spectrobes because, though it copies some elements from Pokémon, it offers something different. First, Spectrobes uses all of DS's features in a unique manner. There's the excavation mini-game, which requires the player to scratch the touch screen to uncover fossilized Spectrobes. Then players must speak to the Spectrobe through the DS microphone, a highly under-utilized feature, to awaken it. These are just a few of the interesting ways Spectrobes uses the DS technology. Disney Interactive attempts to distinguish the game from the Pokémon series by noting that Spectrobes are actually more like dinosaurs. But the fact of the matter is, any title that is named after the numerous creatures that fight in the game will immediately be compared to Pokémon, in spite of the fact that Digimon was actually the first series to do this. Pokémon just ended up being the most successful of this sub-genre of gaming, partly due to the lack of true competition. Spectrobes could change that.
With its real-time, team-based combat, lack of random battles, and multiple worlds, Spectrobes just might give the Pokémon series a true run for its money. But I doubt it will with the first iteration. I already see a few problems with the game, though it hasn't even been released yet. For one, the characters move far too slowly during combat. Secondly, having to search nearly every single square foot for fossils could get old very quickly. And finally, the overall graphics and environments don't look all that interesting. The game just screams "generic" and will probably end up average or a bit above average. We'll just have to see when the game is actually released. If it turns out to be a great game, it'll be nice to play something different before Pokémon Diamond and Pearl completely takes over and pushes it into obscurity. Ultimately, that's all Spectrobes will mostly like end up being; something to tide players over until Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are released next month. I don't see anyone choosing Spectrobes over a Pokémon title. At least, not yet anyways.
I must applaud Nintendo. Pokémon games require a bit of strategy to win, but Nintendo utilizes its own cunning strategies with their marketing. The "Gotta Catch 'Em All" theme still works. Intriguingly enough, that's probably Nintendo's own goal; to catch as many Pokémon fans as possible. Who else will go back and buy remakes of games they've already played (i.e. Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen), buy games they wouldn't play otherwise (Pokémon Ranger), attend special events and gaming tours, or buy both versions of the same game all for the purpose of catching every last one of the innumerable creatures? Well, Nintendo, you sure are great marketers. Now, please, make something a bit different. Maybe next time I'll be able to actually create a unique character instead of being forced to wear that bloody beret and look exactly like every other player out there. Maybe there won't be any more random battles. Maybe there'll be far more than eight Gym Leaders. Or maybe I'm just dreaming. Well, I'm still picking up a copy of Pokémon Diamond along with the millions of Pokémon fans worldwide. But, be warned Nintendo: sooner or later, something has to change, either the gameplay or the success of the series.
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