[All of this applies to Pearl as well]
I have a lot of nostalgia for Pokemon Diamond, but I've gotta be brutally honest about it. Many people look at these games with rose-tinted glasses and forgot how many issues they had. Many of the new Pokemon introduced in Gen 4 couldn't be acquired without the National Dex. There are only 2 Fire-types in the whole main game. The game is slow as molasses and health bars take forever to decrease. Surfing takes forever, and with the encounter rate of the endless horde of Tentacool, it takes even longer. Many of the Gym Leaders don't even use proper monotyping at times. Why does the Candice, the Ice Gym, have a Medicham? Why does Volkner, the Electric Gym, have an Octillery? Why? Because of the National Dex thing. The Pokemon diversity in this game is so spotty and odd.
Diamond and Pearl have so many problems, and I wish people stopped giving them credit out of pure nostalgia alone. You love Gen 4 because of Platinum, not these games.
Score: 68
I have a lot of nostalgia for Pokemon Diamond, but I've gotta be brutally honest about it. Many people look at these games with rose-tinted glasses and forgot how many issues they had. Many of the new Pokemon introduced in Gen 4 couldn't be acquired without the National Dex. There are only 2 Fire-types in the whole main game. The game is slow as molasses and health bars take forever to decrease. Surfing takes forever, and with the encounter rate of the endless horde of Tentacool, it takes even longer. Many of the Gym Leaders don't even use proper monotyping at times. Why does the Candice, the Ice Gym, have a Medicham? Why does Volkner, the Electric Gym, have an Octillery? Why? Because of the National Dex thing. The Pokemon diversity in this game is so spotty and odd.
Diamond and Pearl have so many problems, and I wish people stopped giving them credit out of pure nostalgia alone. You love Gen 4 because of Platinum, not these games.
Score: 68