Pokemon Platinum for Nintendo DSi is an enjoyable RPG for young and old to play.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Collect all 492 Pokemon, easy to use interface, positive family friendly theme

Cons: To childish for any serious gamer

The Bottom Line: 
Pokemon Platinum for Nintendo DS offers you a wide variety of characters to collect but how are the graphics and sound in this popular game?

Author's Review
Pokemon Platinum for Nintendo DSi is a safe, family oriented game that young or old alike can enjoy for hours on end.  The game has a fast setup time and easy to learn interface that will require little intervention from parents to teach their children how to play.  Are you looking to keep your child entertained for hours while on vacation or at home, then look no further than this product.

How quickly can start collecting with Pokemon Platinum for Nintendo DSi?

How safe is the WIFI gaming in Pokemon Platinum for my child?

Read On To Find Out More!

First, lets confirm what this video game really is.  Over the years, many versions of Pokemon video games have been released for the portable console platforms.  Unlike the other versions you may find, this edition has WIFI gaming and over 450 pokemon for you to collect on your journey through the interactive playing world.

Gameplay
Pokemon Platinum for the Nintendo DSi Matte Black is just like all games in the series.  You start with one Pokemon and must control that characters moves through commands that dictate how it responds while fighting wild Pokemon.  The Pokemon you will battle range from rabbits, insects, rock monsters to cocoons!  No weapons or armor can be found in this game, just loads and loads of special moves and abilities.

The game is designed to encourage free form gameplay with no hurry to complete the game in any manner.  You as the hero are allowed to roam all the unlocked portions with ease and battle as much as you want while collecting new characters for your party.  The lack of a stressful atmosphere, like those found in adult role playing games, makes the whole experience an addictive game that will incline you to come back over and over again. 

The game has a rather simple interface that can be controlled through the stylus or just using the control pad on your Nintendo DSi Matte Black.  You can also assign special hot keys to your control pad to activate frequently used commands faster.  Issuing battle commands is simplistic with bright, large buttons that appear on the bottom screen.  The does however provide volumes of statistics which can be retrieved by digging deeper into the sub-menus or at futuristic looking computer stations.

I was surprised at how quickly you can get started in this game.  Rather than going through lots of plot developing dialog at the start, you only have to setup your player, pick a Pokemon and you can begin gaming in less than 10 minutes by walking through the grass to battle other wild Pokemon that lurk there. 

Instruction Manual
The lengthy 61 page instruction manual does a good job of explaining the core features of this game in bright bold, colored text fonts.  Use of the control pad and a brief introduction to game are provided.  Deeper into this lengthy manual is a long section that covers all aspects of WIFI gaming.  The designers wanted to make sure we understood how to interact with other people using this feature which I think is a cool thing to do.

Start Collecting Those Pokemon In Less Than Ten Minutes!
After just a brief ten minute introduction and player setup sequence, you can start battling and collecting Pokemon in this game.  The game guides you to visit the next town where you will find a store that sells Pokeballs.  Pokeballs are thrown at wild Pokemon in the game.  If the enemy is weak enough, they will become trapped inside and become yours to battle with. 

Graphics
The audience for this game could be called 1st – 8th Grade.  Now before you get upset, I did play and enjoy the graphics in this video game but they were quite childish!  No one carries large, steel swords or armor, instead your characters carry berries that they picked while following you around the map.  While the world map environment is done from an overhead 3D perspective, the battle scenes are all 2D with cartoonish styling.  Yes, the spells do trigger neat looking sparks and other special effects but you are still in a 2D battle universe with this game.

The split screens of the Nintendo DSi are fully utilized with this game to present vital information about your battle or world map at all times.  The lush, interactive environments on the top screen of the Nintendo DSi buoyed by the Poketch status display on the bottom screen are what make this game such a draw for new and old players alike.

My favorite section of this game is the Valley Windworks which feature the Wind-Driven Energy plant.  The turbine blades are turning at apparently different rates which is a fantastic programming trick for the developers to pull off.

Sound
Each of the Pokemon in this game have a unique call that you can hear anytime you interact with them.  The years of development on this product show as there is no clipping of the background musical tracks.  The environment offers many clicks and sounds to keep your attention as well.  Overall, I think the that the sound effects and background music flow together quite well for the target audience.

WIFI Gaming With Pokemon Platinum Version
To activate the WIFI gaming feature, you must first reach Floaroma Town which means that you have completed a few required quests and obtained a gym badge.  I recommend pulling out the instruction manual at this point because the process requires saving your game and creating a custom badge for your online persona.  In addition to the standard battling features, you can also play in an arcade of sorts to win prizes and interact with other players.

Voice chat is a concern if you let your child play online.  You can expose your child to the harsh conversation of other unknown participants from around the world.  To prevent this interact, I recommend disabling the WIFI capabilities of your Nintendo DSi or blocking the transmission in your wireless router.

Tips And Tricks For Pokemon Platinum Version
If you want to blast your way through this game, then all you need to do is grind one or two of your Pokemon.  Grinding is a gaming term and it means to simply play minor battles repeatedly in an effort to increase the power of your own player.  Just like Final Fantasy 3 for Gameboy, Pokemon Platinum Version responds quite well to this technique.

Cheats for Pokemon Platinum Version can be found in most Action Replay DS products.  You will be given the chance to pick any character and upgrade many of the features of the game.

You can also migrate Pokemon from the games in the Pokemon Gameboy Advance series.  You can trade from Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, and LeafGreen versions of this popular product.  First you need to get the National Pokedex.  Then insert the Gameboy Advance cart and Pokemon Platinum Version cart at the same time in your Nintendo DS.  When you start the DS version of the game, the startup screen will list an option called “Migrate From <Version Of GBA Cart>”.  You will then have the option to migrate just 6 Pokemon per day and they will no longer be available in the Gameboy Advace cart.

Summary
When I first started playing this game, I was worried that it would be a gimic because the published online pictures did not make it look interesting at all.  I was happy to discover that it takes little time to get started and battle the Pokemon in this game.  While obviously focused on the younger play, adults can still have fun discovering and collecting new Pokemon.  Children will likely never beat this game because they play for the cutesy sounds and graphics.  Adults will likely never collect all the Pokemon because let’s face it how can we find the time?  I still found it very entertaining and despite the focus on our younger generation it does draw you in. 

I bought my copy of Pokemon Platinum from Amazon.com for just $29.97. 

In all I would give Pokemon Platinum for Nintendo DSi two thumbs up if you can get all 492 Pokemon without cheating!

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