Fourteen years have gone by now and Nintendo’s indestructible franchise, “Pokémon,” lives strong. This name has spread its way throughout multiple genres of entertainment, from movies to your Game Boy, each providing its own little quirks and fun.
Nintendo has released its newest creation this year, “Pokémon Platinum,” the third in the typical three-per-generation pattern Nintendo has followed. “Platinum” could best be defined as the polished version of its little brother and sister, “Pokémon Diamond” and “Pokémon Pearl.”
Fans familiar with the “Pokémon” series will quickly recognize plot similarities to Platinum’s predecessors. It follows the famous story of a fatherless, mute child, aspiring to become the very best Pokémon trainer possible. It begins in a familiar fashion of your chosen protagonist (either male or female) finally leaving the household, to set off to become the Pokémon master.
Completion of the game can take anywhere from forty hours of solid game play, to over hundreds of hours, depending on your definition of ‘complete.’ All of “Platinum’s” most exciting moments are found surfing across the oceans, spelunking through caves, or navigating fiery volcanoes, all which are accessible after you ‘beat’ the game.
The game has an attractive cartoony element to it which exemplifies the friendly atmosphere of the game. It makes for a refreshing feeling while playing, knowing that if you decide to play during the night, it won’t quite be the same as the day.
“Platinum” is similar to the younger siblings of its generation, but it is possible to see the differences. First of all, “Platinum” introduces a whole new area, called the Distortion World, where the laws of physics do not apply, and new Pokémon are to be found. A new cast of characters have been introduced to spice up your experience.
The game operates within an almost frustratingly simple system. You’re restrained from moving in any more than four directions, and Pokémon battles are painfully predictable. Your attempts to make the battles less predictable only lead to unnecessarily long and boring encounters.
“Pokémon Platinum” standing alone is an average game. The sheer simplicity of “Platinum” makes it appealing to a very broad audience, while its new Battle Frontier offers new difficulties for even the most hardcore of gamers.
Yet the clunky and repetitive features, along with a frustrating difficulty curve can very much be a turnoff.
