For a game released during the content drought between the release of the DS and the release of the actual 4th generation of Pokémon, Pokémon Ranger was actually a pretty nifty idea.

The game has you controlling an eponymous Pokémon Ranger in Fiore, a land without trainers. Here, Rangers use tools called capture stylers to temporarily recruit wild Pokémon to help them in tasks, such as putting out fires and unblocking roads. The capture styler is a beyblade of sorts controlled by your stylus, and the main mechanic in the game is drawing circles around Pokémon in sequence to add them to your team.

I, for one, am very favorable to experimentation with the world of Pokémon, and this idea was pretty fun. It's too bad the actual execution was sort of barebones. Once the sequels came around, this would become even more apparent, as their mechanics are fleshed out and they're superior games as a result.

The way the game is, where you have to catch Pokémon without lifting the stylus, is asking for an RSI and a ruined touch screen. I played through it a few times as a kid, but I probably wouldn't do so again as an adult. Grab the sequels instead, they're much better.