Pokemon Colosseum
Nintendo answers gamers' pleas for a console Pokémon RPG with Pokémon Colosseum, but is it enough to make them put down their GBAs in favor of it? Or is it merely something to help wait out the next handheld installment?
A few years ago, Nintendo came along with a new franchise that completely took the world by storm. It quickly invaded not only gaming machines, but televisions, books, comics, and movies as well. Of course, we are talking about Pokémon here. There have been many spin off Pokémon games, but none have come close to the amount of fun the original RPG and its sequels have given gamers. You can hate the cartoon, movies, and books all you want, but there is no denying that the handheld Pokémon adventures are among the best on any portable system. Pokéfans have eagerly waited for a console Pokémon RPG to arrive. Well, that wait is finally over, for Nintendo's next addition to the Pokémon Stadium series, Pokémon Colosseum, not only boasts a battle mode like its predecessors, but also includes a full length RPG adventure.
Upon booting up the game, Pokémon Colosseum presents you with the option of playing the RPG mode or the battle mode. Battle mode is very similar to the Nintendo 64's Pokémon Stadium game where players can import their Pokémon from the Ruby and/or Sapphire GBA games to do battle against computer controlled opponents or other player(s) for two or four player action. It's a little bit odd to leave out a three player free-for-all mode, considering it has two and four player features, though. In order to play multiplayer, each player will need his or her own GBA, Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire game pak, and connection cable, with the exception of one player, who can use the Pokémon caught in Pokémon Colosseum's RPG mode. Players are also allowed to customize rules such as time limits, self-destruction rules, maximum level of Pokémon, etc. Strangely enough, I could not find anywhere to change the number of Pokémon to battle, so I assume it is always a four Pokémon showdown.
The single player battle mode pits you against wave after wave of computer controlled opponents as you battle to the top against increasingly difficult trainers. On your way, you earn Poké coupons, which can be exchanged for items such as holdable items, TMs, and more.
While the battle segment is all good and well, the real meat of this game comes from the new RPG mode. Immediately upon starting this mode, a couple things that are different than what most Pokéfans are used to will be noticed. First and foremost, you are not the iconic Pokémon trainer starting his journey to become the Pokémon master. In Pokémon Colosseum, you start as an ex-bad guy who blows up his old headquarters, steals some stuff, and makes a dash for it. So just from the opening sequence, this game feels very different from the happy-go-lucky portable adventures. The next big change is that you will no longer be able catch wild Pokémon. Instead, you are required to ‘snag' Pokémon from trainers during a battle. This is a huge departure from the original games, as they have engrained in the player's mind never to even think about throwing a Pokéball at another trainer's Pokémon. However, you cannot just go around catching any trainer's Pokémon. There are special Pokémon called Shadow Pokémon in this game that you must snag. Shadow Pokémon are Pokémon that have had their hearts closed and you must battle with them to slowly open their hearts. At first, a freshly snagged Shadow Pokémon will only know one move and can not earn experience. As you slowly open their hearts, they will learn more moves and when you finally open up their hearts completely, they will have regained all their moves and experience earned while battling. From time to time, a Shadow Pokémon will go into ‘hyper mode' where they will suddenly become crazed and will have a higher chance of scoring a critical hit. However, they will sometimes ignore your commands and you cannot give them items. In order to revert them back into normal state, you must call to them. This opens their heart a little as well as calms them down, but unfortunately you lose your turn.
Battles are the highlight of the RPG mode. In fact, if you strip out the battles in the game, the RPG mode would lose a sizable portion of its playing time. This is because the battles last so long. You will have to see each attack/hit/faint animation over and over again each battle, which really draws them out. The first few times seeing your Pokémon battle in full 3D glory might bring out a bit of excitement, but that's it. After just a few battles, you'll be begging for an option to turn off animations you have already seen.
Since the battles are such a big part of the game, it also would have been nice to see a new battle engine. Nintendo has been reusing almost the same exact battle system for all the Pokémon RPGs, starting from the originals on GameBoy. True, the system was pretty deep with a huge assortment of types of Pokémon each with multiple strengths and weaknesses, and now with dual type Pokémon and team battling, selecting your team is more important than ever, but the locked in turn-based battle system just gets really stale after a while. It would be nice to see a totally suped up battle system worthy of being in a big name RPG like Final Fantasy. But then again, Pokémon is aimed at the kids, so doing so may cause a loss in the game's core audience.
Other than battling multiple trainers and progressing through the story, there is little else to do in the RPG mode. There are some very simple puzzles that mostly revolve around finding keys to open doors, and there is a gauntlet kind of mini game where you try to battle your way through 100 trainers, but many of the staple mini games are missing. Things like the game corner with slots and roulette are sorely missed, as are the beauty competitions. I really think they could have scored big if they included a multiplayer beauty contest where you could square off against your buddy's Pokémon.
The good thing about Pokémon Colosseum's graphics are they look just like the TV show. Unfortunately, that's also the bad thing. The Pokémon, trainers, and backgrounds, though very bright and colorful, lack any real detail to them. There is no fur, skin, scales, etc, present on any of the Pokémon, but then again, that's how they appear in the shows and movies. If you judge them based purely on their representing themselves, I'd say they look pretty darn good. The animation is what really makes them shine, though. Each Pokémon has a unique attack, hit, and faint animation that really fit their personality. Again, the downside is that that's all they have. Just about three animations each. And the Pokémon never really touch each other during a battle. A good change of pace would be to show some heated battles with Pokémon flying at each other and dodging, like the TV show, but that would also call for a new battle system. So with what the game has, the graphics do a good job representing the Pokémon. The trainers, on the other hand, are a complete bore. They are animated stiffly, and just stand there like rocks during battles. It would be an improvement to see them interact more with their Pokémon at least. I also have a huge gripe with the way the female lead character, who looks like Misty from the TV series with eyes the size of footballs. She's hideous!
Sound in Pokémon Colosseum is another mixed bag. While the soundtrack is pretty upbeat and plays well, the sound effects are horrible. When will we get a Pokémon game where the Pokémon stop shrieking like some digitized animal? When I throw out Pikachu, I want to hear ‘Pi-ka!', not ‘Bzzt-shraw!!'. And with the limited amount of animation for each Pokémon, I wouldn't think that it wouldn't be too hard to tack on a voice sample for each one. I guess we'll have to wait for the next console Pokémon game for that one…
When it all boils down to it, I can't really recommend this game over the full blown RPG experience of the GBA games. Even though the RPG mode in Pokémon Colosseum is over 20 hours with a lot of secret Pokémon to catch, there just isn't enough to do besides battle over and over again. The layout is very simple, and the battles are identical to the portable versions. The only thing you get extra here is the graphics. I'd have to say give it a rent first and see if you don't tire of the endless battling. Also, it helps if you have a friend with the GBA game because battling in Pokémon Colosseum is much faster and more graphically pleasing than battling on the GBA.
Review by Kevin Chao on 29 Aug 2004
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Members review score: 9