A great installment on my all time favorite series.
GAMEPLAY: D&P follow the classic Pokémon format we know and love. You come from a small town on mission to become a Pokémon Master, with your PokéPals at your side. The battling is unchanged, a turn-based style to deplete your opponents Health Meter. The touch-screen makes the battling convenient and quick. You have a variety of options at the tip of your finger. The touch-screen also proves useful in other elements of the game, while free roaming, it houses your Pokémon Watch, or Pokétch. As you progress, you will acquire useful applications, such as a clock, map, friendliness checker, pedometer etc. You also use it to cook Poffins, tasty treats made from Berries. The majority of the game is spent traveling the new region of Sinnoh and strengthening your Pokémon. It's fun and extremely addicting, racing to new cities, navigating through complex buildings or watching your Pokémon grow.
GRAPHICS: Pokémon has always had decent graphics, but with D&P, it's like WOW. The world is very 3D, unlike the previous games. The Pokémon sprites have been redone, and are looking sharp and fresh. You can't complain, the world is lush and you won't be confused, wondering what things are or how you can move in the game.
SOUND: I have always loved the Pokémon Soundtrack. The music is always jolly and pleasant, fitting the setting well. You will hear different tunes as you walk, ride your bike and enter different towns. The battle music is great, perfectly setting the mood. I always play with the sound on, and I put the headphones in when I play late.
VALUE: You can play the game at your own speed, deciding what Pokémon to catch, which ones to raise and by how much. You'll usually defeat your foes without trouble, but it will require some training. To become a master, you'll have to work with Pokémon Natures, and things such as Effort Value training, which can become quite complex. There's more than just battles though, Sinnoh is quite large and diverse. You'll find yourself trekking through forests and wandering through caves. Beating all the areas in the game can take you anywhere from 40-80 hours. If you think you're done after the Elite 4 though, you're sadly mistaken. New areas, new options and new side missions are waiting for you. There's plenty of legendaries for you to track down, probably a few key items you're missing and of course, the ever ominous mission to catch 'em all. In order to acquire all 490, you'll have to either Pal-Park and trade over GTS. Pal-Park allows you to transfer you're old Pokémon from earlier games to D&P. Simply insert your GBA pack into the bottom slot of your DS with D/P in the top and you can send them over. This way you can get your cherished LV. 100 super-lineup that you've worked so hard on in previous games. GTS (Global Trading System) allows you to trade with PokéFans all over the world via the internet. So far I've put in over 100 hours and I know I'm far from done.
TILT: Pokémon was, is and will always be my favorite series. I've loved it from the beginning with R&B and this new installment only improves the great game with new features and new Pokémon. It's hard to put down.
Pokémon is an addictive series with great replay value, and D&P raise the bar once again as an instant classic. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a light, fun and long game to enjoy for years.