I can safely say that this is better than the 4th generation pokemon games, possibly the others.......
Gameplay - The game takes place in the Almia region. The player begins as a Pokémon ranger-in-training at the Ranger School and quickly graduates to a rookie Ranger and must advance from there. The player may choose their character's gender, but unlike in the original Pokémon Ranger, this choice does not affect their partner Pokémon.
Much of gameplay is similar to the original game. Players must capture/befriend wild Pokémon to aid them by circling them with their Nintendo DS stylus (known as a Capture Styler in the game).
There is a major change from the original capture method. Instead of having to complete certain number of loops without lifting the stylus, the player must fill up a Pokémon's Friendship Gauge by drawing loops around the Pokémon, but can lift the stylus to avoid attacks. However, the power in Friendship Gauge will decrease over time if the player stops drawing loops for too long. The amount of power in the gauge filled by each loop increases as the player levels up the styler.
Shadows of Almia also introduces Quests, which are mini-missions not essential to the plot that involve the player completing requests from Almia citizens, earning new partner Pokémon and power-ups (such as resistance to attacks or longer capture lines) for their styler as rewards.
Unlike the original, Shadows of Almia allows the player to choose their partner Pokémon. In the previous game, the partner was decided based on the players chosen gender (Minun for male, Plusle for female). Players start with either Pachirisu, Munchlax, or Starly, and the other 14 partners (as well as the two partners that were not chosen at the beginning) are obtainable either through sub-quests or in-game events, and once captured, can be switched to be the player's partner at any time. There are 17 possible partners, one for each Pokémon type.
Shadows of Almia also includes 4 different types of stylers: the School, Capture, Fine and Vatonage stylers. The School styler is a simplified version of the capture styler, while the Fine Styler has a charge feature (which can be upgraded) which activates when the styler is held down, increasing the amount of feelings conveyed to the Pokémon and enabling quicker captures. The Vatonage styler is a unique Fine Styler that can capture Team Dim Sun's Pokémon instead of merely releasing them.
Every moment of this game had me on the edge of my seat (or bed as I used to play it at night). The storyline was so gripping everytime I told myself "right I'm going to bed now" something amazing would happen and I would have to continue.
Graphics - If you have played the game, or have seen videos of the game you can definately tell the graphics are actually rather poor for the nintendo DS. It's all rather "blocky" and nothing really stands out in the game. This is probably a major let down in the game, and alot could have been done to improve this, if these things were done then this would almost be a perfect game.
Sound - The sounds fit the game well, and this is one of the things that make the tense moments really pop out. I must admit the music sound's more old-school retro than modern awesome music, but that's just the way pokémon is. And the sudden pauses of the music and crashes of gaint pokémon's footsteps in the distance really does keep you aware.
Replay Value - Every time I replay this (about 6 times now) I'm allways aware. I know what is going to happen but it is still a fascinating game to play and the ranger styler is great, I actually prefer it to the original poké ball!
Gameplay - 10
Graphics - 5
Sound - 10
Replay Value - 10
OVERALL - 9
If you are a fan of the original pokémon games you will probably find this spin off enjoyable but nothing compared to the real thing, whereas I'm one of the biggest poké fans ever and I am starting to grow fond of the ranger games more than the originals!