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Pokemon: Revolution Wii Review

11/08/2008 Thinking Perpetual Gamer Review
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Pokemon: Revolution Nintendo Wii

Pokemon: Revolution

Format:
Nintendo Wii

Genre:
Fighting

Buy/Support:
Support Dom, click to buy via us...

Pokemon Battle Revolution promises a lot for a Pokemon addict. Tantilizing graphics on the big screen after the wonderful depth of the Pokemon: Diamond/Pearl that absorbs hours on end.

Me and my boy stuck in the new Wii disc and sat back, ready to be impressed. Unfortunately this game does not draw you in like the adventure style of the DS games (most recently Pokemon: Diamond/Pearl DS and Pokemon: Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Darkness DS). You really have to already know about the Pokemon before playing this game. As it loads up and you work your way into the relentless menu system, you wonder just what the heck is going on. It's all pretty confusing.After a certain amount of trial and error, and a lot of patience you will eventually find your way to the battle arena. The coliseum mode is where you work up your trainer experience and is pretty much the career mode for what it's worth. The battle mode is then where you battle player on player or online.

Once you start battling with your Pokemon in hand the game really takes off.

Let's make one thing clear, once you start battling with your Pokemon in hand the game really takes off. This is a game that is all about the battles - accordingly this is where the designers and artist have poured themselves. Each Pokemon looks fantastic and varied. Their attacks are spectacular and add excitement and magic to each battle. Pokemon: Diamond/Pearl DS only had one weakness for all its strengths - the battles were pretty basic water/scisors/paper/stone affairs. This meant the game was focused more on Pokemon development than the fights themselves. Pokemon Battle Revolution on the Wii seems the complete opposite. The in-depth RPG side is absent as the Pokemon you use are already levelled up - but the battles themselves are exquisite experiences.

If you have played the DS Pokemon games, you will be in for a very rewarding battle arena experience as you load you clutch of Pokemon that you have lovingly cultured on the DS straight into the Wii to battle. If, however, you don't have a DS you may only use the limited Pokemon found on the Rental Battle Card. In fact the whole multiplayer expereicne is tailored around this DS to Wii link up; to the extent that without having a DS with Pokemon Diamond/Pearl you may as well not bother. It's a very annoying restriction that makes the game no more that a tool to get a few more DS sales - a sick way to treat the the Pokemon faithful.

The developers could have done so much more.

Apart from the pretty battles there is little to keep you interested in the game long term. There's no real score system, and only few opportunities to win or buy new things. So for most of the time you're just slogging through battle after. The developers could have done so much more, a simple transfer of the DS diamond and Pearl game with a lick of graphics paint would have hit the spot for me a Pokemon addict. For now it's back to the DS where the heart of Pokemon still lives on with me perpetually.

Written by Dom Roberts

You can support Dom by buying Pokemon: Revolution



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Dom Roberts writes the Perpetual Gamer column.

"Welcome to my perpetual gaming reviews. My quest is to look for that one Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS lite and PSP game that links my own ongoing life to it."

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