Same old Pokemon you love, but now its even better!
Gameplay: Diamond still has the RPG elements that made the series popular while adding more depth for the newer generation. Gone are the old Team Rocket who had no real agenda and were basically fodder for your pokemon. In Pokemon Diamond your main adversaries are Team Galactic. They don't sit in some secluded hideout looking like they have nothing better to do then wait for you to come say hello. They have a mission and if you don't stop them it could mean disaster for the world. Of course, even Team Galactic won't stop you from battling your way through the 8 Gym Leaders and the Elite 4 to reach your goal of becoming Champion. The battle system is much the same as all of the other pokemon games: turn-based. The touch screen is extremely helpful with battling because it allows you to make many commands faster, which ultimately makes your battles play out faster. Battling isn't the only thing you can do to compete with your pokemon. Like Sapphire/Ruby/Emerald, the Sinnoh region has a Contest Hall where you can compete in contests to earn ribbons. Unlike the older GBA games, the contests are a lot more complex in Diamond. Contests are comprised of 3 parts: decorating your pokemon, a dance contest, and an acting contest. As you can see there is plenty of stuff to do to keep you busy for many, many hours.
Graphics: With the move from GBA to the DS, the graphics of pokemon have really changed a lot. It might not be apparent in the majority of the game at first. But if you put in a GBA game and start to play it after playing Diamond, you have to admit there is a boost in the quality of the graphics. It still keeps the look and feel of the old games that lets you know you are playing pokemon.
Other: This section is for some of the added perks and features that are in Diamond. First off is reintroducing the Day/Night feature from Gold/Silver. It is based off of real time so if it is night outside it will be night in the game. Certain pokemon may only appear or appear less/more frequently during certain times of the day. It can determine if certain pokemon will evolve and what it will evolve in to. Next is a place called Pal Park. Pal Park becomes available to use once you have beaten the Elite 4 and have obtained the National Dex. The Pal Park allows you to transfer Pokemon from you GBA games to Pokemon Diamond. This feature is great because you do not need any other system or connection. Just put Diamond in the DS slot and one of the GBA games in the GBA slot and you can transfer pokemon. The pokemon transfered have the same level, stats, abilities, moves that it had when it was on your GBA game. This includes ribbons you may have earned in the Hoenn region as well as Champion ribbons. A note of caution though: Once the pokemon is traded to Diamond it can not be returned to the GBA game. Wifi connection allows you to trade and battle with people from around the world. It can help you complete your National Dex by helping you trade for version exclusive pokemon.
Overall: I really could go on longer about all of the features and things to do in this game. It will definitely keep you busy and entertained. It is by far the best pokemon game to date because of all of the added features, many of which are possible because the series has moved to the DS. It is a game for pokemon fans and new gamers to the series to enjoy. A perfect addition to any collection.