Pokémon Platinum Version

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.