Pokémon Platinum Version

the best one.

this game is awesome if you play with a speed-up.

Nostalgia is a really powerful drug, so i was so so pleased in playing this game for the first time recently and just loving it from start to finish. I hadnt played a mainline pokemon game in a long time, heartgold being the last one i gave a try. This one just hit all the right spots for me, being the perfect blend between the nostalgia for older entries (gen I - III), but with the new improvements of this gen that add so much quality of life improvements to the series.

I love so many of the new pokemon, be it in terms of design and actual gameplay. Its nicely complemented by pokemon of the past gens, once again bringing the best of the new and old gens. I was surprised that my final team was all new pokemon whose designed i learned to love, with a Gyrados being the exception.
The RPG aspects has been refined, dividing moves into physical or special, and that did wonders for the overal balance of the game. This means that you can go into battles being same level or even a bit underleveled and be meet with a challenge but fair opponent, This series has always really excelled at being easy superficially but having huge amounts of depth, and this has never been better than on this game.

The setting is great to explore, filled with tiny secrets to search and come back to. The pacing of the story is great, pratically non requiring grinding unless you change your team alot, and that carries all the way to the end game. I was actually surprised at how challenging the elite 4 in this game was, definitly a step up from gen ii and iii (gen I is hard, but partially because of how broken that game is).

Wholesome soundtrack and visuals. Its the peak form of 2d pokemon for sure, and what i felt i was playing back in gen I.

Storywise its a step above from what i would have expected out of the series. The main villain has reasonable motivations, and the legendary pokemon have really interesting back stories. The relationship with your revival and elite four members is really unique and evolves with the story, which i found surprising given the one dimensional characters of past games.

One flaw i can attest to is that its a slow ass game. Everything seems to take a long time, particularly in battles, health bars seem to drop to snail's pace. Other small flaws include the need to have an HM slave in the party (possibly more than one), and i was a bit disappointed with the end game (but then again i cant expect everygame to be gen II).

My OP team that bested the elite 4 was: Garchomp, Giratina, Axvel, LuxRay, Gyrados and Infernape. Kept bidoof, staravia and psyduck as HM slaves.

Its a really fine mainline pokemon game, the best i have played for sure, and given the direction of the stories i would argue that it will probably remain that way.

Where Heart Gold/Soul Silver towered, they stood on the foundation laid by Platinum.

I look at the game with rose-tinted glasses, absolutely; but every time I pick up the game, nothing is aged. With each passing try, I ask myself, "Are these rose-tinted glasses? Am I even wearing such glasses?" With every flaw of Diamond and Pearl, and every bore from the generations previous, Platinum fixes, expands, cements, and towers head and shoulders above all others. Like Gold/Silver/Crystal to Red/Blue/Yellow, Platinum holds this position for Diamond and Pearl, and arguably for the generation before.

Starting with the obvious, the Pokedex: with new Pokemon comes new requirement for remembrance. Will the new designs be too busy, reminiscent of the failed Digimon? Or will they be too nostalgic, stunting the progress of the series? Gen IV shows no sign of either, adding classic starters, hilarious HM-slaves, and enjoyable designs and variants, we see an expounded group of evolution lines. These weren't even necessary, though they feel welcomed and expected. Platinum allows you to catch the most of the trio of Gen IV; the last of its kind in this sense, and shows perfection in this endeavor, only missing a handful that most would not be too sad to realize are gone.

Continuing with this comes the trading mechanic; while Gen II set a sad precedence in not being able to trade Pokemon to the next generation, Platinum changes this with the Safari Area that allows Gen III to be pushed as Safari Zone Pokemon. This mechanic, novel then and since, is unrivaled and shows an appreciation for the demographic and fans. This love for the game, culture, and memories easily allows for those to continue to fill their Pokedex, slowly and masterfully filling the gaps left by those unattainable.

But what of this novel mechanism? Feeding into the impeccable world-building that Gamefreak was known for, the unique trading zone is only a piece of the wonderful world of Sinnoh, where the unrealized traits of the region in Diamond/Pearl are grown in minute, yet impactful ways; now, there are seasons, now there are movements in places unseen, now there is character pouring from every corner of each town, and the culture of the fictitious world is given to the player. With each gym leader comes a town with their character and seemingly and sense of exploration that only the gym leaders seem to understand, and when everything is finally said and done for each town, each gym leader fulfills your adventure with the classic battle and subsequent badge. With each passing town is growth not seen since Gen II, and arguably better.

This growth is probably the pinnacle of the game. Where Gen II introduced the phone for re-battling, Gen IV refines this with the Lodge; you can now battle Gym Leaders as they casually hang out in the cafe (bar?). The coziness of the area, where you can find your rival (Barry), twice a week, your newly purchased house, and the newly established Battle Frontier (the best aspect of Gen III), you will be hard pressed to be bored during the story, after, and beyond. To this day, the replayability is almost unique to this game, and is what every other Pokemon game strives for after.

The amalgamation of all of the best parts of the previous generations, coupled with the novelty of this one, and the melancholic, dark, and intense story line, this game is a coming of age for anyone looking to enjoy Pokemon, and even other RPGs.