To celebrate the release of Pokemon Platinum we take a look at the changing face of the Pokemon games.
Pokemon is a media franchise published by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri around 1995. The franchise started as a pair of Gameboy role-play video games “Pocket Monsters Aka and Midori” that were released outside of Japan under the names Pokemon Red and Blue in 1998. Afterwards, a further enhanced remake titled Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition was released to take advantage of the Gameboy Color and add a few more elements into game play.
The player controls the main character from an overhead perspective and navigates them through the region of Kanto in a quest to master Pokemon battling and become the champion of the region by defeating the Elite Four. Another objective is to complete the Pokedex by obtaining all of the available Pokemon.
The games Red, Blue and Yellow also utilize the Gameboy link cable – players can trade and battle Pokemon with their friends. Red and Blue have largely the same plot but to obtain all 151 Pokemon it requires trading between the two versions.
The game play features a simple turn-based combat system where Pokemon take turns to use moves they have learnt. The aim is to reduce the enemy Pokemon’s health to 0 – once this has happened the Pokemon which lost faints and is unusable until it has been healed at a Pokemon Centre (a hospital/healing centre for Pokemon) and the Pokemon which won gains experience. After gaining enough experience Pokemon can level up and eventually evolve into the next stage of development.
The core element of the Pokemon games has largely remained the same throughout the franchise, with the exception of graphical changes.
The second generation of Pokemon began in 2000 with the release of Pokemon Gold and Silver for Gameboy Color. New features from the first generation include:
- The Johto region is the main setting with the option to return and complete Kanto after the story has been completed.
- 100 new species of Pokemon.
- A time system using an internal clock in the game’s cartridge – day and night are a prominent feature and Pokemon appearances are also influenced by the time.
- New items including berries and the ability for Pokemon to hold items.
- Specialised Poke Balls to make Pokemon easier to catch in certain situations.
- Pokegear introduced with watch, map, radio and phone.
- New legendaries (Raiku, Entei and Suicune).
- Steel and Dark type added.
- New moves and a move deleter to prevent players from trading Pokemon with new moves to older generations of the game.
- Special stat was split into Special Attack and Special Defence allowing more strategic play.
- Breeding introduced which produces young Pokemon eggs.
Like the previous generation, an enhanced remake titled Pokemon Crystal was later released.
Pokemon entered it’s third generation in 2003 with Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire for the Gameboy Advance and continued with the Gameboy Advance remakes of Red and Blue – FireRed and LeafGreen. Pokemon Emerald (the enhanced remake of Ruby and Sapphire) was also later released. The games in this generation had taken a huge graphical leap.
New features in these games included:
- The Hoenn region is introduced as the setting for the game.
- The battle mechanics are altered to allow double battles (more than one Pokemon fighting per side).
- Introduction of natures and abilities (natures affect the Pokemon’s stats and innate abilities affect the Pokemon in battle).
- Pokemon Contests where Pokemon are judged by appearance and the moves they perform.
- A new stat called Condition for use in Pokemon Contests – different subsections of Condition are trained using Pokeblocks (candies made from berries).
- The time system is present and is used to affect tides and berry growth but there is no differentiation between day and night.
- Secret Bases where players can buy/collect furniture to display in their ‘den’ which can be situated almost anywhere in the region.
- Able to connect to the GameCube games Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon Box.
- 135 new Pokemon to make a total of 386 species.
In 2006, Japan began the fourth generation of the franchise with the release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl for Nintendo DS. The fourth generation introduces another 107 new species of Pokemon, bringing the total of Pokemon species to 493. The DS touch screen allowed many innovative features to be added and the graphics were once again heavily improved. These features included:
- New species of Pokemon introduced with players being able to obtain all 493 in game (apart from the last 3 which can be obtained through an event or trading with Pokemon Platinum).
- New region called Sinnoh.
- Day and night feature is back with the inclusion of morning, afternoon and evening. Days of the week also affect gameplay.
- New moves and changes to the physical/special attacks (these used to be based on type).
- Poketch uses the bottom screen of the DS and hosts applications including a clock, a calculator, a map, a counter, and a drawing pad.
- An Underground world where players can create Secret Bases (seen in Ruby/Sapphire) and participate in mini-games.
- Players can link up locally over wireless connection and also over Nintendo Wi-Fi which can connect players over long distances. Players can voice chat, battle and trade online.
- Diamond and Pearl are compatible with the Gameboy Advance Pokemon games, Pokemon Ranger and Pokemon Battle Revolution (Wii)
- Contests have more stages which involve use of the touch screen.
Posted by Tofu Hero 
Dunno how the price will be but hey…
Tofu Hero Gaming 