So I finally had the chance to play the OG version of gen 4 Pokemon after playing Brilliant Diamond 2 years ago (which I will revisit later in the Pokemon marathon), and I was anticipating Platinum as everyone says that this game is superior to Diamond/Pearl, and even the remakes.
And they were right! ...For the majority of the game that is, but there were some things the remakes slightly did a little better, but we'll get there later. Platinum is the definitive version to play gen 4, taking place within the region of Sinnoh, as there are countless new Pokemon to get being 107 new additions, alongside the other 386 boosting the number to 493 obtainable Pokemon. Damn.
The story is basically the same: travel across the region, beat the gyms, become champion and stop a threat to the region. This time, we are up against Team Galactic as they plan on obliterating the world with the power of the masters of time and space, Dialga and Palkia, hailing their leader Cyrus. Although coming from the remakes a few years ago, the story was decent but Platinum added new story content and characters that weren't in Diamond/Pearl. We have one of the international police members, Looker, we have the new Distortion World to stop Giratina in, and it was really exciting to see that on the DS.
So new hardware, new gimmicks. Surprised to see that you don't really need to use the touch screen at all, for the most part. In terms of battling, they made a new change with the physical and special split that lingers in the future games. For general gameplay, they added a lot of additions. First off, you have the Poketch, a watch that allows you to check the time, scan for hidden items, check your friendship with your Pokemon, or to act as a calculator.
Next you have the time of day, which was already in the series back in gen 2. But it returns and adds weekly stuff to the mix. So different Pokemon spawn based on the time of day, but in the post game, you get Pokemon appearing on a daily basis through swarms, the trophy garden, and even the Great Marsh, which is the safari zone for this game...still sucks btw.
Finally, we have the Underground, an area where you can play with friends through local wireless play. You can set up secret bases, steal your friend's flags, or even dig through certain areas on the wall and gather treasure through a minigame, like shards, evolution items, tools to aid in battle, or even fossils for more Pokemon. While this was fun, it is very, veeery barebones playing alone, and even with friends it feels almost empty to me. One addition I'll applaud BDSP for.
Overall, this game was nearly flawless either way. Definitely the way to go in terms of playing gen 4, but it is a great start for the DS Pokemon entries.
And they were right! ...For the majority of the game that is, but there were some things the remakes slightly did a little better, but we'll get there later. Platinum is the definitive version to play gen 4, taking place within the region of Sinnoh, as there are countless new Pokemon to get being 107 new additions, alongside the other 386 boosting the number to 493 obtainable Pokemon. Damn.
The story is basically the same: travel across the region, beat the gyms, become champion and stop a threat to the region. This time, we are up against Team Galactic as they plan on obliterating the world with the power of the masters of time and space, Dialga and Palkia, hailing their leader Cyrus. Although coming from the remakes a few years ago, the story was decent but Platinum added new story content and characters that weren't in Diamond/Pearl. We have one of the international police members, Looker, we have the new Distortion World to stop Giratina in, and it was really exciting to see that on the DS.
So new hardware, new gimmicks. Surprised to see that you don't really need to use the touch screen at all, for the most part. In terms of battling, they made a new change with the physical and special split that lingers in the future games. For general gameplay, they added a lot of additions. First off, you have the Poketch, a watch that allows you to check the time, scan for hidden items, check your friendship with your Pokemon, or to act as a calculator.
Next you have the time of day, which was already in the series back in gen 2. But it returns and adds weekly stuff to the mix. So different Pokemon spawn based on the time of day, but in the post game, you get Pokemon appearing on a daily basis through swarms, the trophy garden, and even the Great Marsh, which is the safari zone for this game...still sucks btw.
Finally, we have the Underground, an area where you can play with friends through local wireless play. You can set up secret bases, steal your friend's flags, or even dig through certain areas on the wall and gather treasure through a minigame, like shards, evolution items, tools to aid in battle, or even fossils for more Pokemon. While this was fun, it is very, veeery barebones playing alone, and even with friends it feels almost empty to me. One addition I'll applaud BDSP for.
Overall, this game was nearly flawless either way. Definitely the way to go in terms of playing gen 4, but it is a great start for the DS Pokemon entries.