Pokémon: It's Not Just For Kiddies Anymore.
But wait! Let us travel back, back before the whole property coalesced into a hulking, muscle-bound behemoth of marketing synergy. Pokémon began in Japan as Pocket Monsters, an unassuming RPG for the original Game Boy. It was released as two separate "Red" and "Green" editions, each containing slightly different monster rosters. These monsters could also be traded between seperate copies of the game. Even from the beginning, you can see the brilliant marketing inherent in the game's design: while a person could enjoy the game alone, the incomplete monster list would compel them to encourage their friends to purchase the other version. It's like built-in word-of-mouth advertising!
Dastardly marketing genius aside, the game also happened to be a light and enjoyable RPG; perfect for quick bursts of on-the-go gaming, but also suited to marathon experience-grinding sessions. We may now think of the Wii as a "revolutionary" step in bringing non-gamers into the fold, but I think Pokémon may have been one of the first orchestrated efforts to really convert large numbers of people into gamers, especially younger ones. Nintendo had a huge hit on their hands, and once that was apparent, well...things could only get bigger.
Has it really been ten years since it all started? It seems like just yesterday I was fending off crazed youths and their parents at Burger King, frothing for their collectible Poké-toys while I desperately tried to lay hands on a charbroiled meat-stack. Actually, the property didn't hit full stride in the U.S. until '99. But once it did, man...it was EVERYWHERE. Unfortunately, I think that the "boys-aged-six-to-twelve" marketing demographic robbed the games of a lot of their legitimacy. The fact that the games themselves were actually pretty fun was undercut, in my own mind, by the overwhelming amount of advertisements and merchandising targeted towards kids; all I could think was "if they're pimping it this hard, it's gotta be a pile of suck."
And, in truth, I wasn't missing anything mind-blowing or revolutionary. Just a simple little RPG that I probably would have had some fun with...all by myself. My gamer friends would've crucified me if they thought I had played "that damn Pikachu game." Foolish elitists, I say! These days, I enjoy an enlightened view on Pokémon: appreciate the games for what they are, and ignore the silly tie-in crap.
Wait a minute. Was I writing a review...?
Yes! So! The actual game! The new one, I mean. Diamond. Or Pearl. Whichever. It's good! Yes, it's very good. Better than ever, even! The new 3D overworld really gives the game a much-needed facelift, and the touch-screen controls are very well suited to fast-paced battling. I can't tell you how many times I've whistled that catchy tune from the Pokémon Centers. The new starter Pokémon are traditionally cool-looking and functional (except, for some reason, Empoleon has a really crappy default moveset, dammit) and the legendaries are just as legendary and game-breaking as ever. The best new feature has to be Wi-Fi support, since it essentially takes the social aspect of Pokemon and applies it to the internet, which makes the game feel like it's finally come into it's own.
The only real downside to the whole affair is the repetitive nature of building your Pokémon's levels high enough to take down the best of the Pokémon League at the end of the game, which unlocks a bevy of cool features to play around with (including the ability to transfer your old roster from previous Pokémon titles). I've been told that it's tougher than ever to topple the Elite Four and League Champion this time around, so you'd better grit your teeth and gear up for some serious grinding if you plan on going the distance.
If you're not a Pokémon fan, and if you can get past the quagmire of hype and prejudiced opinions, this is one of the best titles currently available on the DS. And if you're a die-hard Pokémon fan, I admire your incredible restraint in reading a review prior to purchasing the game. But let's be honest: you were gonna buy it anyway. It's just a happy coincidence that it's also the best Pokémon game ever made.