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| Pokémon Colosseum A Nintendo GameCube RPG game reviewed on 5/4/2005 by Wesley Pollow |
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"Pokémon gets a 3-D sequel with a slightly more mature look. Is this what the Poké-fans have been waiting for?"
Up until the release of Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon fans have been stuck on handheld systems. This rendition of Pokémon has two modes: Story, and Battle. Story mode puts you in the role of a member of Team Snag’em, a group of bad guys who steal (snag!) other people’s Pokémon. The main character has a change of heart, and turns on the evil organization. One of the things that set this adventure apart from the rest is that the main character is an experienced Pokémon trainer. Rather than starting with one extremely low level Pokémon, you start out with two fairly powerful Pokémon. This brings us to another major difference in gameplay. All battles are handled with two Pokémon on the field simultaneously, instead of just one at a time. This requires some new strategy. As you progress through the game, you steal back “shadow Pokémon” which have been mind warped (the game refers to it as “the door to their heart has been closed”). These Pokémon are not afraid to attack people, or be generally violent. By snagging and battling with said shadow Pokémon, you slowly turn them back to normal. This is vital to the game, as there are no wild Pokémon anywhere. The Battle mode is exactly what it sounds like. Using Pokémon from your Gameboy Advance game, or from Story mode, you can battle in various Colosseums. You can also play 1-4 player multiplayer. Each player will need a Gameboy Advance, GBA-to-GameCube cable, and a Pokémon cartridge. Battling with friends is a lot of fun, but there isn’t too much more to be had in battle mode. While the Story mode carries this game pretty far, some Pokémon fans may be annoyed at the fact this game isn’t a traditional Pokémon game. The shadow Pokémon system is unique, and fairly fun, but it also draws out a game that feels like an abbreviated version of a more traditional Pokémon title. Although you can use your story mode Pokémon against a Pokémon Ruby or Sapphire player using the GBA-to-GameCube link, you probably wouldn’t want to. The Story mode player has a much more limited number of Pokémon to catch, and has a severe limitation of having all of his attacks on the main screen (where the other player can see it, and act accordingly). Any user on a GBA gets to use the small screen to call the shots. Players will probably find it a little unfair. Unfortunately, Pokémon Colosseum shows its Nintendo 64 heritage a lot. The graphics don’t necessarily look “bad,” they are fair from impressive. The game runs at a somewhat low frame rate by today’s standards. If you just came off of Mario Kart: Double Dash or something, you may not like what you see. Most Pokémon featured in the N64 Pokémon Stadium titles have the exact same 3-D models in Colosseum, making them look quite primitive. The music is pretty good, but one can’t help but notice some oddities. For example, why does an obvious Disco nut have salsa music playing for a main theme? Why don’t the battle themes sound more Pokémon-esque? Why do the most powerful bosses have an anti-climactic ambient theme? Some of the soundtrack makes little sense. This may sound like a lot of negativity, but Pokémon Colosseum isn’t all bad. Seeing the various Pokémon attacks in battle is quite a sight. The attacks are colorful, and have cool lighting effects that are a lot of fun to watch. The story is original, and will definitely appeal to a slightly older audience, while keeping everything safe enough for kids. The multiplayer functions strengthen this title greatly for anyone who has Poke-maniac friends. Choosy gamers may want to rent this title first, because they might be a little disappointed after spending $50.
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