Pokemon Heart Gold DSi and DS Lite

Released on 26/03/2010

• Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver Review

  Best of the Best

  Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver offer the best Pokemon experiences ever. They combine the most popular Pokemon games of all time, Pokemon Gold and Silver from the original Game Boy, with the best bits of the subsequent Pokemon games over the years. If you're a Pokefan, that's all you need to know but here are the details anyway.

  Collect, challenge, battle

  Being a beefed up version of the original Gold and Silver, long time Pokemon players will be familiar with the "Catch ‘em all" quest to become the best Pokemon trainer ever and the journeying, collecting, challenging and battling that comes with it. The Gold and Silver stories are recreated exactly: You get to choose your first Pokemon, either a Cyndaquil (fire) Totodile (water) or Chikorita (grass) type, before setting off on your quest to take on the leaders of eight Pokemon gyms and eventually the Elite Four to establish yourself at the very top.

  HeartGold and SoulSilver build upon the originals with a range of enhancements big and small.

  But HeartGold and SoulSilver build upon the originals with a range of enhancements big and small and it's these additions that propel the newest versions into the realms of the DS elite. Take for example the entirely ascetic ability to have one of your Pokemon follow you around as you navigate the game world. It's little more than a nice touch but it's one that contributes to a much more substantial, complete gaming experience overall.

  Much more significant is your brand new Pokegear, an upgrade from the Poketch in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. The Pokegear is like a smartphone, you can collect cards from the places you visit which provide you with apps for your phone. You can also collect the phone numbers of the people you meet and if you beat them in battle they could call you at any time to demand a rematch.

  Pokewalk this way

  The biggest addition in your Pokemon pack is the Pokewalker, which is an actual real-world gizmo that comes bundled with HeartGold and SoulSilver. It's basically a pedometer; carry it around and it will count your steps and convert them into Watts, which can be used to unlock mini-games. The clever bit is that you can transfer your Pokemon to your Pokewalker and every step you take contributes to their evolution.

  There's a wealth of special arenas that have been collected from all the previous Pokemon games.

  Because HeartGold and SoulSilver are remakes of Gold and Silver, you're given a campaign to take on and beat the eight gym leaders and Elite Four from the originals. But it doesn't stop there; you can then go on to the Kanto region from Red and Blue to become the number one trainer there as well. In fact, the HeartGold and SoulSilver story is only ‘over' when you have defeated Red (Ash) himself and even then there are still 492 Pokemon out there to fill up your Pokedex with. All in all it provides you with hours and hours of gameplay and a world you can get totally lost in.

  And if you do manage to collect enough Pokemon to break your Pokdex, you still have to train them up enough so that you can compete in Wifi battles with your friends, or there's the wealth of special arenas that have been collected from all the previous Pokemon games where you can capture rarer Pokemon and take part in new battles.

  Pokegoodness Gracious!

  The basic story and game engine are exactly the same as the original Gold and Silver, and considering they were released moons ago on the Game Boy you might feel that Pokemon games should have evolved at least a little bit by now. But there's so much Pokegoodness here that HeartGold and SoulSilver is bursting at the seams. That's what makes this the ultimate Pokemon experience, even though veterans will have seen it all before.

  GAME's Verdict

  

  • The best bits of every Pokemon game since Gold and Silver.
  • You get your very own Pokewalker.
  • Possibly hundreds of hours of gameplay.

  

  • No real changes to a pretty old game engine.
  • No original story.
  • Is there such thing as too much all at once?

  Review by: Tom 'Pika' Pakinkis
  Version Tested: DS
  Review Published: 24.03.10

  Published: 24/03/2010

• Pokemon Explained

  Pokémon Platnium on DS

  The latest incarnation of the global phenomenon is among us. If you've resisted so far there is no longer any escape.

  Pokémon isn't a game, it isn't a kid's game and it certainly isn't a craze. Pokémon is a phenomenon. When it was released in 1996 we were riveted by Dolly the cloned sheep, Tupac Shakur and the brilliant Day Of The Tentacle by Lucas Arts. Only Pokémon soldiers on today and it just keeps getting stronger and stronger...

  
  Pokémon at a glance...

  • Pokémon stands for Pocket Monster.
  • The game was released in 1996 and was created by Satoshi Tajiri.
  • There are 493 species of monster in the game.
  • Pokémon is a role-playing game where you capture ad then train monsters to battle against each other.
  • By 2008 Pokémon had sold 186 million copies worldwide making it second only to the Mario games in terms of videogame success.
  • As well as a the videogames, two TV shows, a trading card game and a series of Manga books there's also a 747 Jumbo Jet with a Pokémon paintjob, a theme park and a slew of merchandise.

  Pokemon types

  The release cycle for Pokémon games is well established so Pokémon Platinum, while welcome, is not a bolt from the blue for those well-versed in Pokémon lore. The pattern goes like this: a new Pokémon game or playing system is created and two games are released simultaneously. These games share the new playing system and differ only in the Pokémon monsters available in the game. Then, a little time later (two years in the case of Pokémon Platinum) a compendium edition is released that includes the monsters from both games and perhaps one or two slight game tweaks. Pokémon Platinum is a combination of Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, which were released in 2007.

  The mini games, the atmosphere, the Wi-Fi tweaks and even the music are as good as it gets.

  Is it impossible to start?

  At the heart of every Pokémon game is a basic premise that is no more complex than a game of Scissors Paper Stone. That simplicity means that anyone can start playing the game. However once you begin the depth of play can give you vertigo and this is what so recommends the game: usually a strategy game that can boast the options and depth of Pokémon Platinum would demand a PhD's worth of research for anyone to get involved. The reality however, is that anyone can get involved, immediately.
  
  The basics

  Pokémon are little creatures that fight each other. You are a Pokémon trainer and can train up to six Pokémon at a time. Pokémon can be found in the wild or under the control of other trainers. Pokémon have one of three character elements Fire, Water and Grass. Fire beats grass, grass beats water and water beats fire. However, in addition to this there are a further 17 elements and Pokémon can have one or more of these. Add to this four moves per creature, each one with its own element, and the game's possibilities start pirouetting off into a dizzying mathematical whorl.

  The play is all about the Pokémon. As a trainer you start out by hunting them out in Sinnoh, the region of Poke world that Platinum is set in. You capture them, train them and then battle them against rival in-game trainers, wild Pokémon and online against the world's Pokémon.

  It'll take you more than 20 hours to complete the main quest but that doesn't mean that it's then game over. Oh no, that just means the whole thing opens up for even more fun. Initially the Battle Frontier opens up, which is Pokémon stripped down to its simplest form. In this section you travel to an island away from the main play area, rent a team of Pokémon and fight against progressively tougher trainers. This lends itself to effectively training you, increasing your battle skills and teaching you how to craft a well-balanced team. Skills which you will soon be itching to try out against friends or in the Wi-Fi Plaza area for random play against other players worldwide.

  If you've played Pokémon before then you'll know all you need to about the phenomenon and all you need to know now is that this is the game at its absolute pinnacle. The mini games, the atmosphere, the Wi-Fi tweaks and even the music are as good as it gets. If, however, you are new to this then simply be aware that just dipping your toe into Pokémon will soon see you immersed in a whole new gaming universe and it's a deeply pleasant and rewarding experience.

  

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