View source for Pokémon Diamond Impressions


[[May 3]], [[2007]]

Why Diamond? &nbsp;I tend to the blue option. &nbsp;This goes into my starting Pok&eacute;mon choice, too. &nbsp;In 1998 it was Blastoise. &nbsp;In 2003 it was Mudkip. &nbsp;In 2007 it's Piplup.

Well... it's [[Pok&eacute;mon]]. &nbsp;The first couple hours are strikingly similar to [[Pok&eacute;mon Blue]] and [[Pok&eacute;mon Sapphire]]. &nbsp;The story is a bit changed up, but it seems superficial. &nbsp;Rather than being called to pick one of three Pok&eacute;mon, I (Joshua) pick one of three Pok&eacute;mon that were accidentally left in a briefcase. &nbsp;Rather than picking the name of a rival, I pick the name of a friend (Austin) who it seems will fulfill the same role as competitor.

Gameplay seems largely the same, so the differentiators thus far are graphics and interface:

Interface... well, honestly it's seemed a bit half-assed, but I've just realized that may be because the other half is still coming. &nbsp;It really should've been a game that could be completely controlled by stylus if desired, like [[Animal Crossing: Wild World]]. &nbsp;Instead it's necessary to use the d-pad for motion and a face button to bring up the menu, though touch can be used in certain menus or in battle. &nbsp;The battle touch interface is pretty nice; it's essentially what the bottom of the screen always was in Pok&eacute;mon games except now the options are free to take up big clear buttons in their own screen. &nbsp;What seemed lacking is that while walking around, all that was on the touch screen was a static image. &nbsp;What I've just run across in the third town, though, is the Pok&eacute;tch. &nbsp;The character's got a digital watch that looks decidedly original Game Boy-ish. &nbsp;Take away the border, and I estimated it's an 80x80 pseudo-screen doubled in size, with it seems 4 color shades. &nbsp;Apparently throughout the game new features will be added to this, to make the touch screen a bit more interesting. &nbsp;Right now the options are pretty simple--a digital clock, a calculator, a step counter (that can be reset at any time), a display of my current Pok&eacute;mon with lifebars that make their noise when touched--but they're a lot better than nothing.

The graphics are... deceptive in their improvements. &nbsp;It's easy to take a quick look and think they're not all that different from the GBA games, but they really are. &nbsp;However, there are pros and cons. &nbsp;It very much keeps the look of the GBA games, but now the landscapes are polygonal and the sprites are larger. &nbsp;However, the sprite-on-polygon method is a bit too PS1. &nbsp;They just don't fit in perfectly with the background, and don't scroll very smoothly with the background as you're walking. &nbsp;Again I'll call a comparison to Animal Crossing; there's a game with a somewhat similar style that works better with a polygonal world and polygonal characters.

Battle graphics: Somewhat more detailed and more screen room to play with, but it's much less changed than the outside world. &nbsp;Still sprites on both ends; I guess they're still saving the 3D models for the Stadium/Coloseum/Battle Revolution console connectivity titles. &nbsp;Attack effects seem nicer, but since I'm basically fighting with weenies who can't do much more than Tackle or Growl it's hard to get a full view of it.