5/15/2023 0 Comments Shining blade reviewInstead of teaching a monster a move that is then irritating to remove, a “wild Pokémon” will appear to perform the action instead. Notably, Hidden Machines will be returning in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, but will be handled slightly differently than before. It will also be possible to customize your character’s appearance thanks to a new shop in Veilstone City that sells unique outfits, with Pokémon able to follow you around on the world map. Share, meaning that XP will be doled out across the entire party (which for whatever reason can't be disabled). Among other additions, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will feature the more robust version of Exp. Of course, they aren’t one-to-one remakes of the original games. Even the random badge polishing mechanic is back. This was an era when the DS’ touchscreen was still a fresh and novel concept, and lots of the remake's features hearken back to that period in one way or another, from the screen-tapping rhythm game of the Super Contests to the ability to put stickers on Pokéballs. The Pokétch - an in-game device that previously lived on the DS’ second screen - will now occupy the top corner of the Switch’s screen if you wish, allowing you to easily check on your Pokémon’s friendship or hunt for items. Poffins can be created by using the touchscreen. A Window Into a Different Eraīeing remakes, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are of course loaded with various odd artifacts from the Nintendo DS era. Being the first in the series to support online play via wi-fi, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl certainly had their share of early online social elements, but the balance of the gameplay still favored content that could be enjoyed without an internet connection. It’s really interesting to compare them to see how the series has progressed in recent years, particularly in terms of how it has trended toward MMO-like elements such as raid battles. It even brings back the old Union Room, a kind of visual lobby system introduced back in the days of Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green in 2004. By comparison, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are a throwback - a nostalgia trip. It’s wildly different from the more recent Pokémon Sword and Shield, which attempts to mix somewhat modern graphics with online social elements like the Wild Areas and raids. If only it had kept the 2D sprites, it would be perfect. Even the distinctly tinny soundtrack isn't all the different from how it was back on the Nintendo DS. Returning to the overhead camera angle is refreshing, in some ways bringing me all the way back to the days of Red and Blue on the Game Boy. The remakes are at pains to preserve the look and feel of the originals, and until I saw Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl in action, I didn’t realize how much I missed it. Over the course of a 40 minute hands-off demo, I found myself once again transported back to the region that remains my sentimental favorite. ![]() Now I'm kind of glad Game Freak took the remakes in this direction. Gen 4 getting the short end of the stick once again. Compared to the gorgeous, fully-updated remakes afforded Gen 3, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl seemed to be on the losing end of things. But when they were finally announced earlier this year, the community was left feeling slightly bemused. Still, that didn't stop the community demanding Diamond and Pearl remakes, if only because they were next in line after 2014's Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. But to say that a game refined the existing formula isn't a terribly exciting legacy, which is perhaps the biggest reason that Gen 4 wound up getting lost in the mix of history. ![]() ![]() Most critically, it introduced true online play, paving the way for the community to grow into what it is today. It brought back several features that had been cut in Ruby and Sapphire, redefined the balance of the competitive game by splitting physical and special attacks, and introduced several much-needed evolutions for Pokémon like Roselia and Piloswine. On reflection, the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl generation was mostly about refinement. Most of the love for latter day Pokémon games are generally reserved for the likes of Black and White, with little respect given to Diamond and Pearl's striking atmosphere and the myriad improvements it made to Ruby and Sapphire. Developer Game Freak didn’t even see fit to include Diamond and Pearl’s starters in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, despite the fact that their (mostly) open world Pokémon adventure is set in an ancient version of Gen 4’s Sinnoh Region. In the years since, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl have been given comparatively short shrift, much to my chagrin.
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