Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness

Poke-aw, man...

At this point in the long and illustrious history of Pokemon, gamers have got to be the most serious of Pikachu-lovers to really get into a new game. Could it be that, as the years have rolled on, catching them all has somehow lost its tantalizing allure?

PokeProblems
The plot of Gale of Darkness revolves around the capture and purification of poor little shadow pokemon that have been perverted into tools of evil. As players progress through the incredibly monotonous program of battle-battle-snag-battle, they'll meet forgettable characters that pretty much only exist to provide fodder for your growing horde of pocket monsters. Maybe it would be more exciting if there was some actual challenge involved, but most of the battles amount to a rock, paper, scissors competition where your opponent is limited to 'rock' for their arsenal. While it is somewhat understandable that the difficulty be ratcheted down for the younger fans of the series (of which there are plenty), it certainly doesn't pack any pizazz for a mature audience. Throw in the pop-y but fairly uninspired sound track, and this game could be a complete yawn-fest.

Missing Nurse Joy
The fact remains, however, that there are a ton of people who love and revere Pokemon, and this game delivers on the solid elements that have made this property so popular in the past. There are a vast number of Pokemon available in this game, each with their own unique abilities, and both the Pokemon themselves and their attacks have a flashy visual style that truly captures the eye. Still, the fact remains that this title does little to build on the dynamics of past versions, so Pokefans looking for something new and exciting will be disappointed. Gale of Darkness is not a terminally unplayable game by any stretch of the definition, but gamers are going to really have to love Pokemon in order to find gratification here.

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