PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure is a pleasant romp for Pokemon fans.
That's about all that I imagine most are going to need to know about this game. If, however, you choose to read the remainder of the review in which I actually talk about the game, then keep in mind that I fall into the former category of people. I love Pokemon. If you don't, then you probably are not going to agree with the subjective portion of this review very much.
In PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure, you play as (surprise!) Pikachu. One day when he's playing with his friends Charmander, Piplup, and Chikorita, he's approached out of the blue by Mew. As it happens, trouble is afoot in a place called the PokePark - the Sky Prism, which protects it from danger, has shattered into fourteen pieces. The PokePark now in peril, it's up to Pikachu to save the day!
The actual gameplay in the game is not really quite on as grand a scale as the above description makes it sound, though. Throughout the game, Pikachu travels through different themed zones, such as the Meadow Zone, Beach Zone, etc., each filled with Pokemon matching the theme. The main portion of the gameplay is between Pikachu and the many other Pokemon that he finds in the PokePark. Whenever Pikachu first talks to a Pokemon in the field, the Pokemon offers to play a game with Pikachu, through which Pikachu can become friends with the Pokemon. The game that is played depends on the Pokemon, and can be a game of tag, a battle, a game of hide-and-seek, or a couple others that show up from time to time.
In addition to that, there are certain key Pokemon in each zone with whom Pikachu can talk in order to play an "Attraction", which is a slightly more involved solo game, as opposed to the standard games played against other Pokemon for friendship. These might involve sprinting down a track, swinging off a vine and landing as far away as possible, or sledding down an icy path to the finish line. Pikachu gets a fragment of the Sky Prism for each successfully completed Attraction, so it doesn't take heavy math to figure out how many of them there are in the game.
Pikachu has a number of stats in the game that can be upgraded in the central area that links all of the zones together. These are HP, Dash, Thunderbolt, and Iron Tail. The first controls how much damage Pikachu can take in a battle; the second controls how fast Pikachu can sprint; the third controls how long Thunderbolt stuns other Pokemon; and the fourth controls how much damage the attack Iron Tail does in a battle. Dash is by far the most important of the four, as some games of tag are impossible without upgrading it; the others are less so, but can still be a pretty big help.
It's a little funny, thinking about why I liked this game. None of the individual components really should be very fun. The story in the game is very minimal. The interactions between Pikachu and other Pokemon is very superficial, and the gameplay for these interactions gets quite familiar quite fast. This game really should've been very monotonous, yet, somehow, it wasn't.
I think that, for me, the biggest draw in the game are the Pokemon themselves. Despite there being tons upon tons of Pokemon, they all inevitably feel like they have their own character, which goes a long way towards making interacting with them enjoyable. The game also uses the anime voices for the Pokemon as opposed to their standard Game Boy-esque cry, which is a big improvement in my books. I had a great time just watching the other Pokemon and having fun observing Pikachu's interactions with them, even if the gameplay itself is pretty shallow.
The graphics and music in the game are not really much to write home about, but at the same time they're not bad at all, although the music could've been a bit longer in its intervals between repeating. Some of the sights in the game were genuinely pretty to look at, such as this one instance in the ice level where you decorate a Christmas tree for a Pokemon. All in all, it's a pretty pleasing game in terms of its artistic side, although I wouldn't call it a masterpiece or anything.
The replay value in the game is pretty darn good. Even after you complete the game, you can still play with all of the Pokemon and build up the roster of Pokemon that you've seen and befriended until it's full. If you like what the game has to provide, then there's a lot of it to do. If you don't... well, then there's still a lot of it to do, which you will find to be a negative rather than a positive.
Really, there's not a whole lot more to say. The game is very simple; its gameplay is fairly shallow; and it takes very little time to get accustomed to. It's a very charming and light-hearted game that is good for a smile and a nice time, but that might not be enough to make it enjoyable. It was for me. If you're a Pokemon fan, it probably will be for you, too.