Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this is a non-violent game, even though the focus is on "battles" with the Pokemon. These battles are strategic turn-based moves that don't feature any physical contact between characters. When a Pokemon loses all of its health, it faints. This is the newest version of the Pokemon series, and it allows children who have played the earlier GBA versions to download their caught Pokemon into this game. Kids can also play online against others, but to use Nintendo's voice chat, you have to exchange friend codes off line. Pokemon Pearl is the same game as Pokemon Diamond except that it contains different wild Pokemon for you to catch.
Parents can discuss why Pokemon is such a popular franchise. Why do you like Pokemon? In this game Professor Rowan is trying to catalog all the Pokemon. Is it important to know many facts about different animals? Why are the trainers fighting each other if they aren't mad at each other?
Common Sense Review
POKEMON DIAMOND (or the sister game, Pokemon Pearl) revisits the classic formula that made the earlier Pokemon games so popular: collect Pokemon, battle with them, and become the best Pokemon trainer around. The result is a satisfying turn-based RPG adventure for young and old alike.
In addition to collecting over 100 new Pokemon, players will also be able to interact with a multitude of game characters, shop at the store, and play a few mini-games. An exciting new feature is that players can trade and battle their Pokemon over the Internet using the Nintendo Wi-Fi network.
Play begins by choosing a boy or girl trainer. Then, it's off on the adventure. You and a friend find a briefcase left behind by two mysterious strangers. When the briefcase is opened, you discover that there are Pokemon inside. These Pokemon battle the wild Pokemon creatures you encounter on the way home, and become attached to you and your friend in the process. When you return the briefcase to the strangers, they allow you to keep these Pokemon.
One of the strangers is Professor Rowan, a renowned Pokemon expert. He asks for your help in indexing the various species of Pokemon that live in the wild, and you agree. In order to find and catalog the Pokemon into the Pokedex, it's necessary to explore the countryside and towns, and battle the wild Pokemon. Eventually you become a powerful Pokemon trainer.
As a Pokemon trainer, you can carry a total of six creatures on a team. Each Pokemon has its own combination of different fighting skills that are based on "types" such as elements of fire and water, or characteristics like poison. Each type of Pokemon has weak and strong effects against opposing types. This is the strategic basis of the entire game, as players will be constantly tweaking their team to find the right balance of fighting skills.
Each Pokemon can learn up to four fighting abilities, either as a result of battle or by earning special Technical and Hidden Machines. Fighting battles with Pokemon serves two purposes: it levels up the player's Pokemon and allows the Pokemon trainer to capture the losing Pokemon with a Pokeball. Once captured, the Pokemon will be entered in the Pokedex and it also becomes available for inclusion on the player's team. Players who have found all the Pokemon listed in the Pokedex can then migrate any of their Pokemon over from previous Pokemon GBA games.
One major new feature is the ability to play wirelessly over the Nintendo Wi-fi connection, which allows players who aren't close to each other to battle and trade Pokemon over the Internet. They can even use the Nintendo microphone to voice chat, but will need a friend code, which means players can't choose random strangers to play.
The graphics are 2D with some 3D elements. The interface doesn't make much use of the DS touch screen, except during battle when it becomes very handy with large, thumb-friendly icons, which alleviate the need to scroll through choices with the directional pad.
Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl are true to the Pokemon franchise and faithfully include most of the features of past games. The levels are very large and it will take many hours to play. Besides battling Pokemon, there are many items to collect including potions for health and added powers for Pokemon. Deceptively simple in concept, Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl are rich in strategy, making them fun for both kids and adults who like the franchise.
Other similar games with RPG elements are the various Harvest Moon games and any of the Harry Potter games.
Reviewed: 06/14/2007
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