Pokémon Platinum (Nintendo DS)

...series started with the games Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue way back on the Game Boy Colour, and many years later, after many spin offs and installments, here we are on the latest one. Pokémon Platinum

==What Is Pokémon?==

If you actually managed to avoid it, Pokémon are creatures who inhabit the world and take on many forms, with now 493 Pokémon to date. There are many types of people in the Pokémon world, some battle with ...
...any of the other main Pokémon game then you'll know what to expect here. You take on the role of a generic trainer, battling your way with your Pokémon team to become the best in the world, and fighting anyone in your way.

This game takes you into the world of Sinnoh, a new world which once again has loads of new Pokémon for you to catch and raise as you battle your way to the top.

===What about Diamond and Pearl?===
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Everyone who paid any attention to anything in the 90s will have heard of Pokémon. I mean, how could you not? With TV shows, movies, merchandise, a whole trading card game and more, with the whole world going crazy about it, how could you have missed it? Well, the series started with the games Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue way back on the Game Boy Colour, and many years later, after many spin offs and installments, here we are on the latest one. Pokémon Platinum

What Is Pokémon?

If you actually managed to avoid it, Pokémon are creatures who inhabit the world and take on many forms, with now 493 Pokémon to date. There are many types of people in the Pokémon world, some battle with the Pokémon, some breed them and some use them to help in life. But these creatures are everywhere. And this is the world we're going to transport you to. All of the games put you in the role of a trainer, who likes to battle with Pokémon, in a RPG adventure.

Pokémon Platinum

If you've played any of the other main Pokémon game then you'll know what to expect here. You take on the role of a generic trainer, battling your way with your Pokémon team to become the best in the world, and fighting anyone in your way.

This game takes you into the world of Sinnoh, a new world which once again has loads of new Pokémon for you to catch and raise as you battle your way to the top.

What about Diamond and Pearl?

With the main Pokémon games, since the beginning of the series, they have always been released in a pattern. Two near identical games, followed by another, very similar, but with more changes. Platinum falls into the latter category. Whilst there is virtually no difference between Diamond and Pearl, Platinum is almost a different adventure. If you've played either of the first two games then this may be worth a purchase as well if you're a fan, with enough new features, as well as a varied story line, to keep the game fresh and new, though some may find it not different enough. If you have not played any of the three games then it is undoubtedly that Platinum is the best.

The Gameplay

The idea behind the game is very simple. You start with one of three Pokémon (in this game they are a fire monkey called Infernape, a water penguin called Piplup and a grass turtle called Turtwig) and you advance in the game battling other trainers, and catching wild Pokémon to give you a better team. You battle to advance the story line, both the bad guys, Team Galactic, and the Gym Leaders, difficult trainers in each town. This hasn't changed in this game, but it's fun enough to not need changes, and the gameplay is still brilliant in this game.

Of course there is an extra depth to the game. You have so many Pokémon to choose from, then you have different moves and of course, items to help your battling. Different moves and Pokémon are better against some than others so you must use your brain to work out the best team to construct so you can beat anything. On top of this there is a depth to training Pokémon beyond simply leveling them up. I don't understand it myself, but if you are someone who likes depth and detail it is worth noting that there are extra depths to the game.

Other than the usual fare of battling gym leaders, you also have your usual bad guys. Team Galactic are focused on creating an entire new world, using the legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh. This is much like older games, but the story line here is constructed a lot better, and thanks to some pre-set events it adds the most drama I've seen in a Pokémon game, to really draw you in, making it a really high class game.

Of course if battling isn't your favourite thing, then there is of course the collecting and raising aspect to Pokémon. Now with so many Pokémon to catch you can spend ages trying to find them all, even if you've completed the game. There are rarer Pokémon to really keep you searching until you find them all!

If you still have the Pokémon Game Boy Advanced game, you may wish to know there is a feature to transfer Pokémon (albeit permanently) from these games into the Platinum DS game using the extra slot. This helps you catch all of the Pokémon possible as well as using some of your favourites from past games. (Please note: this feature does not work if you have a DSi due to the removal of the extra slot.)

Multiplayer

The best thing about this generation of gaming is undoubtedly online gaming. And what better game is there to use the internet then Pokémon? No longer must you trade Pokémon using complex wires, you can use the internet to trade Pokémon all over the world! You can also battle friends, and play some mini games. I haven't used many of these features yet, but it really does add a lot to the game, especially the ability to collect all the Pokémon by trading with friends and strangers around the world.

An extra feature to Platinum with the training is that you can set it up to get a real life e-mail once a trade is complete so you don't have to keep checking in-game. Bonus? I think so!

New Features To Platinum

As I mentioned, this game is another version of Diamond and Pearl, so what's the point of them making ANOTHER one? Well there are plenty of differences and additions to make you consider purchase.

- An edited story line from the original, including a more evil Team Galactic, the chance to catch both Diagla and Pialka the flag ship legendaries from Diamond and Pearl, as well as a new world featuring Giratina.
- A whole new area called the Battle Frontier, giving you new challenges after you have defeated the main story
- Changes in available Pokémon in the game
- You can rebattle gym leaders and your rival, as well as the elite four becoming more difficult after you first beat them.
- New graphical updates, some just different but some are better
- New available forms for some Pokémon
- New multiplayer features
- And a lot more!

Sounds, Sights and Sinnoh

The fourth region of the Pokémon games is filled with much more depth than the previous three, with the graphical power of the DS coming through brilliantly, blending the traditional Pokémon style with better class graphics, animations and worlds to truly draw you into the experience. One of the best areas is Snow Point city which looks great totally covered in snow. Then there is the other dimension which plays a big part in the story. This is totally different to anything seen in Pokémon games before and shows off the 3D capabilities of the DS.

The sound is also quite brilliant, providing perfect accompaniment to the correct area. The caves actually feel claustrophobic, and being inside Team Galactic's base is reflected in the music giving you the feeling of tension as you try to stop them.

Overall it's a brilliantly structured game video and sound wise. The games have come a long way since the black and white originals, and this is the best leap in graphics we've seen so far.

Price, and Other Things To Consider

The price ranges from around £25 to £32 new at the moment, but this game has boundless game play that it is highly worth the price, I myself have over 50 hours of game play, and I'm not bored yet! And simply because I'm easily pleased, the box is SHINY. Ooo... how pretty.

A strategy guide is also available at about £16, though a lot of this you can find on various game sites on the internet.

If you are a fan of the main Pokémon games there are several spin offs on the DS that are worth playing including the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, and the Pokémon Ranger games.

Also, later this year, there will be releases of games that are remakes of the Game Boy Colour games Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver for the DS. These have been long awaited, and as with previous remakes they are expected to bring loads of new features to the already brilliant games. These will be compatible to trade and battle with Pokémon Platinum, Diamond and Pearl.

Summary

This is one of those games I could talk about forever simply because there's so much to it. You'd think after all the old Pokémon games I've played (repeatedly!) I'd have gotten bored, but the formula works and this time they've done it better! And on top of this they've even made something fresh and new from the games it's based on (Diamond and Pearl). This is definitely one of the best games on the DS, which says something as there is some high quality stuff.

This game has something for everyone really. If you like cute and interesting creatures, like battling monsters, like exploring new worlds, or are even a core gamer who likes deeper games, then this is honestly a game which can suit any of you, especially those who perhaps have brought a DS for Brain Training but now want something more. You can pick up and play easily, so you can do it in short bursts or long sessions simply because it's simple and yet so complex and that's really what gives it it's perfection. 

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