After years of waiting, Pokémon fans finally get a complete console RPG.
Pokémon fans have been frustrated with Nintendo over the years. Every time Nintendo announces a console Pokémon game, it turns out to be either a spin-off using a wacky new premise or a stripped-down battle title that doesn’t offer much story or adventure. Now, Pokémon XD is on its way, expanding on the concepts in Colloseum.
XD seems to follow in Pokémon Colloseum’s footsteps in nearly every way. Graphically and stylistically, it is very much the same, with a sleeker, more futuristic image and tall, thin characters. There’s not much in the way of detailed textures or models, but they have a sharp clean style that doesn’t look bad at all. Menus have a more metallic look as well.
The goal, as seen in the demo, is to help one of the researchers study the new Shadow Pokémon that first appeared in Colloseum. To do this, of course, requires you to go out into the world and catch as many as you can. Since many of them were turned into Shadow Pokémon by their trainers, you’ll have to use your snag technique to accomplish your mission. One of the nicer features now is that the strengths and weakness for each of your Pokémon and their individual attacks are all listed in the menus. I’m not sure if it was included in Colloseum or not, but it’s a handy reference in either case.
Overall, the demo is a bit short to judge, but fans still interested in the series can now look forward to a fully animated, 3D RPG.