Pokemon
Reviewed by Oddjob
This has got to be one of the most overrated games since all
those ignorant and tedious Mortal Kombat games. It just doesn't
seem to live up to the standards everything hyped it up to be.
Graphics 8 out of 10
This is where they got lucky. The overworld graphics are just
plain appalling, the characters being indistinguishable midgets, and
everything else looking just plain ugly. However, the battle scenes
are beautifully drawn, showing great detail and use of shading (with
the exception of the back views of your Pokemon and ninty percent
of the newly drawn Pokemon from the yellow version.)
Music and Sound 3 out of 10
Blech. There are maybe one or two actually good overworld themes,
and even those aren't that good. The rest are completely uninspired,
showing that little effort was made to make them actually enjoyable.
The battle music is another story; it's mostly just random notes
banged out at random intervals. Just be sure to play with the sound
cranked all the way down if you're easily annoyed.
Game Challenge 5 out of 10
Sure, the beginning is slightly tough, but after you pass that up
and gain more abilities, the difficulty factor plummets. All you
need is the right one for the right job, and you're almost
guaranteed success, many times despite how high a level they are.
Somewhat disappointing, although I don't really know anyone who
enjoys leveling up.
Game Play-Fun 7 out of 10
Ah yes, quite addictive...the first time you play it. Then after you
get a grip on the game's little quirks, it becomes average. There
are no hidden endings, no secret items, nothing. Just a buttload
of little critters you have to catch. For those few who haven't
played it yet, it really isn't as cool as it sounds.
Rumble Pak 9 out of 10
Yeah, its an RPG, so this category doesn't really apply. It's not
like you have to pull off some nasty, thumb-numbing moves. The
most you need to know is how to manipulate the fighting order
of your Pokemon.
Frustration
There are tons of places in this game that are just a plain pain
in the butt. Let's see...
1. Leveling up is slow, especially when all the trainers are defeated,
your main source of experience and money.
2. Waiting for the dumb things to evolve (ahem, Dragonite)
3. Being forced to go by foot in buildings. If you're like me, you'll
probably want to ride the bike as much as you can to get some
actual speed.
4. Trying to catch those rare Pokemon.
5. After defeating all the trainers, trying to get the money to by
useless junk.
6. Having a pack full of useless items that you hardly ever use.
7. Random battles are annoying unless you enjoy wasting your time. etc. etc.
Replayability 1 out of 10
This is what it's extremely hampered by. After you beat the game,
there is absolutely NOTHING to do other then reset and play it through
again. Of course, you could try to get all 150 Pokemon, but that
process is tiresome, tedious, and requires a lot of annoying leveling
up without fighting trainers. You can battle other people, but that's
truthfully quite pointless and trying to find more than one person
to willing to fight against you is quite difficult.
Game Value
It depends, it would be worth more if it were a used game, but
it's okay if you by it from the store.
Story 1 out of 10
Normally, RPG's have some sort of continuity to its quests, an
actual motive, and characters with personality. Pokemon,
however, has no story other than the fact that you "gotta
catch 'em all." Extremely disappointing.
Overall 4.5 out of 10
This is the most hyped up, overrated, and commercialized games
I've ever seen. It seems to be another method of brainwashing
small children into buying a bunch of silly toys and accessories.