Critical Reception: Nintendo's Pokemon Platinum
by Danny Cowan
March 25, 2009
This week's edition of Critical Reception examines online reaction to Nintendo's PokemonPokemon Platinum
for DS, which reviewers say is "definitely worth a look, even if you've
already filled out a Pokedex in every game up until this one." Pokemon Platinum currently earns a score of 86 out of 100 at Metacritic.com.
GamePro's McKinley Noble gives Pokemon Platinum 4.5 out of 5 stars, explaining that the title is more of an enhanced version of the last two Pokemon releases than it is a full sequel. "Pokemon Platinum isn't really a sequel, but more like a director's cut," he says. "In the same tradition as Pokemon Yellow, Crystal and Emerald, Platinum is essentially the same game as Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, but with version-exclusive additions that range from fresh and innovative to somewhat nonessential."
"Basically," Noble continues, "the more you like Pokemon, the more likely you'll savor and enjoy Platinum's small, but various differences from Diamond & Pearl. Luckily, there's enough new content that I can say Platinum's definitely worth a look, even if you've already filled out a Pokedex in every game up until this one." Unlike previous improvement titles in the series, Pokemon Platinum features a full graphical makeover. "For a pseudo-sequel, Platinum boasts an impressive amount of new things to see -- more than most Pokemon fans may be expecting from this game," Noble praises.
"Everything in Platinum,
from the environments and music to the animations of battle sprites has
been altered, and it should be apparent even to the average player that
the world looks and feels different."
The result is an experience that feels less like a retread than it
otherwise would. "It's already a relief that the hundreds and hundreds
of Pokemon battles in Platinum
have some variety to them, but I also didn't expect so many towns and
dungeons to get a complete graphical and structural facelift," Noble
says. "Game Freak's development team obviously spent a lot of time
refining several levels in the game, and they sometimes just outright
remodeled the layout of entire stages in the game where they just could
have been lazy and copied Diamond & Pearl."
Noble warns that casual series fans may not find the improvements to be worth another playthrough, however. "Yes, Pokemon Platinum is the same great game as Diamond & Pearl,
with plenty of major changes and minor tweaks for hardcore fans of the
series, but even the addictive and inventive gameplay may not be enough
for more casual DS players to enter the world of Sinnoh a second time."
he warns. "Still, if you like your Pokemons, get ready for an
improvement on near-perfection."
Robert Workman at GameDaily rates Pokemon Platinum at 8 out of 10. "The game is similar to the previous two Pokemon
DS adventures, as you scour the Sinnoh region, capturing dozens of
Pokemon while doing battle with rival trainers and members of the
dreaded Team Galactic," he begins. "There are a few additions, however,
that make this game worth the purchase." Pokemon Platinum introduces an alternate gameplay world and
features a darker storyline overall.
"The atmosphere has changed
dramatically, shifting the paradigm of the Pokemon universe from bright
and sunny to dark and cold...A portal to another world,
the Distortion World, has pretty much slammed into the city, bringing
with it a strange new legendary Pokemon, a half-Ghost/half-Dragon breed
called the Giratina."
"It sounds super-dramatic," Workman continues, "but Pokemon Platinum
stays the course it's known for. You still engage in a number of
battles, selecting the right Pokemon for the job to counter enemy
Pokemon. If you don't have the right one on hand, not to worry. Sinnoh
is flooded with various types of Pokemon, so you're bound to stumble
across the right one to capture with your trusty Pokeball."
Workman praises Pokemon Platinum's new multiplayer features, some of which return from previous Pokemon titles. "Wi-Fi also plays a huge part with the Battle Recorder, a returning feature from the previous Emerald
game," he explains. "Here, you record your Pokemon battles and upload
them for others to see or you can download another player's video. It's
interesting to watch other Pokemon trainers in battle, getting an idea
for their tactics and perhaps even adapting them to your own. Also
making a return is the Battle Frontier, a huge tailor-made facility to
hone your Pokemon skills."
"Yeah, Pokemon Platinum could've undergone a few more
visual upgrades beyond the weirdly-designed Distortion Town," Workman
admits. "And sure, the gameplay hasn't changed enough. Nevertheless, Pokemon Platinum
delivers a single-player quest that lasts dozens of hours, and the
Wi-Fi supported options, limited by Friend Codes as they may be, are
still welcome." At Games Radar, Carolyn Gudmundson gives Pokemon Platinum a score of 8 out of 10. "It's a cycle nearly as old as time itself: Nintendo releases two marginally different Pokemon
Overall, however, Gudmundson finds that many of Platinum's improvements matter little in the context of gameplay. "Lots of little things have been 'freshened up' in Platinum," she writes, "but there aren't any major changes or additions – it's really Diamond and Pearl again, dusted off, sprayed with some air freshener, and repackaged. Or maybe Diamond and Pearl: The Remix would be a better description." Gudmundson feels that Platinum's new minigames lack
longevity. "Aside from the obtainable Pokemon, the biggest notable
addition is also the most disappointing – the new Wi-Fi Plaza,
featuring three completely mindless minigames," she says. "Each game
supports up to four random players from around the world, but none will
hold your interest for long – they're all about as basic and as casual
as it gets and don't really seem to fit in to the general scheme of a Pokemon game at all."
"On the other end of the spectrum, the other major addition is the
Battle Frontier," Gudmundson continues, "which combines the old Battle
Tower from Diamond and Pearl
and adds four additional areas each with their own battle parameters.
This is the upgrade that hardcore battle champions will appreciate the
most, because it's the closest you'll get to an actual battle challenge
outside of battling with your other hardcore friends or entering a
tournament." While Gudmundson feels that Pokemon Platinum falls short
as an expansion pack, she notes that the overall package is still a
worthwhile purchase for series fans. "In a vacuum void of Pokemon franchise history, Pokemon Platinum
would easily score a 10 – its depth and replayability are completely
unrivaled among any other game series," she says. "However, after more
than 10 years, we really expect more from the series at this point.
Except for the most shallow of casual players, added minigames do not
even remotely constitute an improvement.
"For fans though, it's nearly impossible to resist playing through
again, and the new Formes are unfortunately just enough to give us the
PokeFever all over again." series expansion title
games, and then a year or so later a third version comes out that
compiles the few differences between the two and renders them both
obsolete," she begins. "Aside from a few more obtainable Pokemon this
time around, there are a plethora of small changes throughout,
including aesthetic changes, storyline changes and some small gameplay
changes."
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