PokePark: Pikachu's Great Adventure Review
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*Sings* "I want to be the very best like no one ever was. To befriend them is my real quest, to help them is my cause. Pikachu Big Great Adventure oooh, she coming to chase you, you call on me and I'll save you Pikachu." Excuse my horrible songwriting skills. I couldn't resist the Pokemon theme was in my head. Pikachu Great Adventure is finally here for the world to play. However is this really a great adventure or a snore fest?
Story - While Pikachu is playing with his friends. The legendary Pokemon Mew comes to Pikachu asking for aid in the Pokepark. 14 pieces of the Sky Prism have gone missing, if they aren't found it could be the end of Pokepark. It's up to Pikachu to not only restore order in the Pokepark but help find the pieces. It's a pretty simple story and it's great for the younger audiences. The story is more of your mission statement to be honest. There aren't any real cutscenes besides the opening one.
Gameplay - The gameplay is very simple to play. Players will hold the Wii Mote sideways utilizing the D-Pad to move Pikachu. The 1 button is used for Speed Dash, the 2 button is used to jump. The A button is for your Thunderbolt attack. The B button is used to direct your camera. However the camera angles in this game is so clunky at times, that you have to wait for the game to fix it for you. The motion control is used for attraction games and it works very well, this is when the game shines. The goal of this game is to collect prism, and to do that you have to play the attractions that are ruled by certain Pokemon. The attractions consist of mini games that you will have to beat a certain record to get the prism. However a lot of the attraction games Pikachu can't do on her own. This is when you have basically befriend as much Pokemon as possible. In order to get to different zones like Ice Zone, Beach Zone and etc. You will have to try and find the right Pokemon who can help you clear your attraction. When you talk to a Pokemon before they become your friend, you will have to either play a Skill game or a Battle. The skill game consists of Chase, Hide & Seek, Obstacle Hop or Quiz. The battle is a just a battle where Pikachu has to defeat their opponent.
This game gets very repetitive quickly. If you are over the age of 18, you'll turn it off after the Ice Zone. The mini games are fun when it begins. After three hours I found myself becoming extremely bored. Another disappointing aspect of the game is you don't get experience points from battles. In order for Pikachu to gain exp he has to get berries from making friends and clearing attractions. With those berries Pikachu will go the Meeting place, to spend the berries to upgrade to get new moves and health. The problem with that is don't Pokemon get experience from battles. Why can't Pikachu get experience points from battling? I know it's not that type of game but I would have love to see that. Finally the game is not difficult at all. It's a very easy game and it's best for the younger gamers.
Gameplay Video
Graphics - The graphics are good in this game. It's very colorful and capture's the same feel as Pokemon Battle Revolution or any other 3D Pokemon game. My favorite place to look at graphic wise is the Beach Zone. The water looks really good especially during the game attraction. It will remind you of Mario Sunshine. I didn't experience any frame rate issues, but there are some sections in the game that look bland.
Sound - This is probably the weakest aspect of the game. The music is cheery but very boring. The main theme is the only one I enjoy because it sounds so happy. However all the Pokemon sounds and groans are there. Who doesn't love the call of Psyduck? Or the sweet sounds of Odish?
Replay Value - Unless you want to befriend them all, there really isn't much to do after the main story. Unfortunately there is no online play. You can't play mini games with friends which would have been nice. After you beat the game the park is pretty much closed.
Final Grade C-/7/10 - Pokepark is not Pikachu's Great Adventure. It's actually Pikachu being like Link and playing errand boy. The gameplay is great for kids and casual gamers. However veterans and hardcore gamers will be turn off on how quickly the game gets repetitive. It is light hearted and brings that Pokemon charm, also it has the cutest loading screens you will see this year. However Nintendo we're waiting for a Pokemon game for the Wii where we can catch them all. Final Grade is C-/7/10.
Story - While Pikachu is playing with his friends. The legendary Pokemon Mew comes to Pikachu asking for aid in the Pokepark. 14 pieces of the Sky Prism have gone missing, if they aren't found it could be the end of Pokepark. It's up to Pikachu to not only restore order in the Pokepark but help find the pieces. It's a pretty simple story and it's great for the younger audiences. The story is more of your mission statement to be honest. There aren't any real cutscenes besides the opening one.
Gameplay - The gameplay is very simple to play. Players will hold the Wii Mote sideways utilizing the D-Pad to move Pikachu. The 1 button is used for Speed Dash, the 2 button is used to jump. The A button is for your Thunderbolt attack. The B button is used to direct your camera. However the camera angles in this game is so clunky at times, that you have to wait for the game to fix it for you. The motion control is used for attraction games and it works very well, this is when the game shines. The goal of this game is to collect prism, and to do that you have to play the attractions that are ruled by certain Pokemon. The attractions consist of mini games that you will have to beat a certain record to get the prism. However a lot of the attraction games Pikachu can't do on her own. This is when you have basically befriend as much Pokemon as possible. In order to get to different zones like Ice Zone, Beach Zone and etc. You will have to try and find the right Pokemon who can help you clear your attraction. When you talk to a Pokemon before they become your friend, you will have to either play a Skill game or a Battle. The skill game consists of Chase, Hide & Seek, Obstacle Hop or Quiz. The battle is a just a battle where Pikachu has to defeat their opponent.
This game gets very repetitive quickly. If you are over the age of 18, you'll turn it off after the Ice Zone. The mini games are fun when it begins. After three hours I found myself becoming extremely bored. Another disappointing aspect of the game is you don't get experience points from battles. In order for Pikachu to gain exp he has to get berries from making friends and clearing attractions. With those berries Pikachu will go the Meeting place, to spend the berries to upgrade to get new moves and health. The problem with that is don't Pokemon get experience from battles. Why can't Pikachu get experience points from battling? I know it's not that type of game but I would have love to see that. Finally the game is not difficult at all. It's a very easy game and it's best for the younger gamers.
Gameplay Video
Graphics - The graphics are good in this game. It's very colorful and capture's the same feel as Pokemon Battle Revolution or any other 3D Pokemon game. My favorite place to look at graphic wise is the Beach Zone. The water looks really good especially during the game attraction. It will remind you of Mario Sunshine. I didn't experience any frame rate issues, but there are some sections in the game that look bland.
Sound - This is probably the weakest aspect of the game. The music is cheery but very boring. The main theme is the only one I enjoy because it sounds so happy. However all the Pokemon sounds and groans are there. Who doesn't love the call of Psyduck? Or the sweet sounds of Odish?
Replay Value - Unless you want to befriend them all, there really isn't much to do after the main story. Unfortunately there is no online play. You can't play mini games with friends which would have been nice. After you beat the game the park is pretty much closed.
Final Grade C-/7/10 - Pokepark is not Pikachu's Great Adventure. It's actually Pikachu being like Link and playing errand boy. The gameplay is great for kids and casual gamers. However veterans and hardcore gamers will be turn off on how quickly the game gets repetitive. It is light hearted and brings that Pokemon charm, also it has the cutest loading screens you will see this year. However Nintendo we're waiting for a Pokemon game for the Wii where we can catch them all. Final Grade is C-/7/10.
