POKEMON RANT

On Nov. 19, Pokémon released a remake of the fourth-generation games “Pokémon Diamond” and “Pokémon Pearl” – and the result is frankly underwhelming.

Pokémon’s original fourth-generation games remain one of the most important generations for the Pokémon franchise. Leading the charge were Diamond and Pearl, introduced in 2006. They famously featured the distinction of special and physical attack moves, which drastically changed the way Pokémon worked in battles. They also made many new Pokémon evolutions for several existing Pokémon, many of whom became iconic – such as Togekiss, which evolved from Togetic.

Diamond and Pearl also introduced many of Pokémon’s most famous additions. Cynthia is widely considered to be the best Pokémon champion character, even to this day. Her ace Pokémon Garchomp is also one of the most famous Pokémon in competition. Sinnoh’s legendaries are some of the most god-like beings, including Dialga and Palkia, who represent time and space, respectively, and Arceus, who might’ve created the entire Pokémon world – just to name a few.

However, Diamond and Pearl were not perfect games and, in fact, had glaring problems, many of which were fixed in the third version of the game “Pokémon Platinum.”

All that said, Pokémon’s current fourth-generation remakes, “Pokémon Brilliant Diamond” and “Pokémon Shining Pearl” (BDSP, as a whole) are ultimately a disappointment among fans.

If the greatness of a remake is strictly measured in how closely the remake follows the original game with graphical improvements, then BDSP was an astounding success with its gorgeous

redesign, though its return to Chibi style remains controversial. However, if you measure a remake in capturing the spirit of the first game, then BDSP has proven to be a lazy remake.

Pokémon BDSP’s most controversial decision was to not include the return of Generation Six’s mega evolution or to include any new evolutions for existing Pokémon. This generation was famous for its emphasis on Pokémon evolution, with Professor Rowan being specialized in Pokémon evolution. To not include mega evolutions or any new evolutionary forms is a waste of the original spirit. In addition, BDSP’s poor decision with the remake was to use the weak Pokédex that was featured in the original games instead of the more robust Pokédex introduced in Pokémon Platinum. This only highlights the flaws of the original games.

Some would argue that the purpose of a remake is to copy the original game on which it was based. However, Pokémon fans should not be advocating for this philosophy, as it contradicts the past history of Pokémon remakes. Pokémon’s “FireRed” and “LeafGreen,” its “HeartGold and SoulSilver” versions and its “Omega Ruby” and “Alpha Sapphire” versions famously copied the original games they were based on and kept the features of the successor games. All three remake game editions allowed the transfer of Pokémon from succeeding generations, like how Swampert was available in FireRed and LeafGreen, and how Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire even kept the mega evolution mechanic.

Pokémon fans were hoping that BDSP would follow the approach that made previous Pokémon remakes great, but instead the new version followed in the footsteps of “Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu!” and “Let’s Go, Eevee!” games, where fans expressed similar disappointment in how they excluded many of the improvements the previous games have tried to make.

In sum, Pokémon’s Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl ultimately prove to be a disappointment that only do the job of recapturing scripted accuracy at the cost of spiritual accuracy. We should expect better from Nintendo.

reporter