"A Diamond in the Rough"

Yup, Pokemon is back again. Pikachu, Charmander, and the rest of the gang are back and better than ever. This time around, there are 107 new species to catch, trade, battle with, whatever you'd like. Pokemon Diamond is quite possibly (and more likely probably) the best of the series. Well, it's by far my favorite anyway.

Graphics:

Pokemon Diamond pushes the visual abilities of the Nintendo DS to its limits. Although the vast majority of the game is rendered in 2D, there are a good amount of 3D objects (mostly buildings, but other architecture is not uncommon). Nintendo definitely put more effort into little details for this generation of Pokemon.

Music:

Well, there's really no point batting around the bush, so I'll just come out and say it. The music for this game is amazing. They've completely re-done most (if not all) of the familiar themes that we've gotten used to over the years. Now, at first, you may think, “WHAT? They changed the Pokemon Center music?! NOOOO!!”, but as soon as you hear it, you'll know that it's better. For the most part, old tunes have only been sped up a little bit (well, there are an additional few notes in the Pokemon Center, think beach/island kind of music). I would seriously recommend buying a set of ear phones for this game (or a DS Headset, which helps when doing voice chat on Wi-Fi, though the quality isn't as good as with a set of ear phones).

Gameplay:

I'm not a big fan of gimmicks. It's true, I've never been totally thrilled on the touch screen (though the WiiMote is starting to grow on me), and so the little use of the touch screen came as a relief for me. For the most part, that second little monitor on the bottom of the DS is used for polishing Gym badges, playing mini-games, and (optionally) choosing attacks in battle. The lack of ability to use the touch screen for basically anything may or may not appeal to you, the reader. I personally prefer not using it, but that's just me.

Anyway, the main game is pretty much the same old, same old. You play as some random kid who gets a Pokemon from the Professor, and happens to become the greatest trainer in the region (this time, it's called “Sinnoh”), all the while thwarting the evil crime syndicate – Team Galactic. Yeah, I know, it could never happen, but it's a video game, just go along with it.

Being the typical Pokemon-style RPG, you'll start out with your choice of a Fire, Grass, or Water type Pokemon, quickly receive your Pokedex, and work your way up from there. Pretty soon, you'll be battling other Pokemon Trainers, leveling up those little dudes in the Pokeballs, and fighting Gym Leaders for their badges.

Replayability:

C'mon people, it's a Pokemon game, you should already know that it has near-endless replayability. Pokemon Diamond has 493 Pokemon. 493. Who the moron up at Nintendo was that decided that it was better to NOT make it an even 500, I'll never know. Nonetheless, there are 493 different species of Pokemon. With a shiny version of each Pokemon, and new gender differences within species, that number skyrockets (pardon the anime pun). How high does it blast off again? 1,972 (it's a little less because of gender-less Pokemon). Yup, one thousand nine hundred seventy-two (again, it's a little less because of gender-less Pokemon) different Pokemon forms to be collected. The amount of PC Boxes in this won't even hold that many. Good luck with that.

Of course, there's also the ability to access Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and battle and trade online. I mean, what could be better than KOing your friend's Tyranitar with your Scizor from anywhere in the world? Well, I'll tell you what. KOing your friend's Tyranitar with your Scizor from anywhere in the world and being able to trash talk into the DS Microphone. Yup, Pokemon Diamond comes equipped with online voice chat. Awesome, huh?

Closing Remarks:

Well, by now, you must be saying, “Man! This game must be amazing!”. You're 127.9% true. If you own a Nintendo DS, make sure that you pick up this game. Even if you don't own a Nintendo DS, get one and buy this game. Missing out on Pokemon Diamond (or Pokemon Pearl, but this review is for Diamond) is like not getting Halo 2 if you own an Xbox - it's plain insanity. For only thirty-four dollars and ninety-nine cents, you'll get hours upon hours of pleasure. I truly believe that I can (honestly) say that Pokemon Diamond is in the top five games that I have every played. In closing, I have just three words to say: get this game.