Pokemon Rumble

[Macawmoses]

I ended up with Pokemon Rumble to review. At $15, I was a little wary, based on what I thought of Pokemon Ranch. That, and the fact it was the first ever E10+ Pokemon game. It really wasn't that bad of a game, but as was often said, the demo had a lot of the content the full version had (although, I was glad to have the full one so it wasn't so repetitive).

Did any of you guys get the demo? How about the actual game? Did the Demo help coax you into buying it?

[spoiler=my review that for some reason lost its formatting]Pokemon is the series that defines “over night” success in video gaming. It rose from obscurity in the 90’s to be one of the top selling franchises – across all fields, and not just gaming. With a long running television series, toys and cards galore, and even a jumbo jet, it is no wonder Pokemon kept its business model (and RPG play) extremely consistent over the years. However, they finally decided to shift things around, giving Pokemaniacs what they wanted – a real time action game (with an E10+ rating to boot). Did Ambrella succeed, or did they drop the Pokeball? Rumble is really a mixed bag for me. You’re a Pokemon toy (complete with wind up key in your back) out to become the best. It’s not really a story driven affair, by any means. What it is is a beat em up. As such, the real time action isn’t about complexities, such as healing or “status” effects. These elements are there, but ultimately, Rumble is about mayhem, and nothing more. Using the D-pad, you control your little toy, moving it around the 6 locales. The 1 and 2 buttons serve as your keys to attacking. Swarm after swarm of Pokemon will come barrelling down on you, but all will fall victim to your menacing two attacks. These attacks aren’t all that varied – moves that should be very different come off as similar. There is some good variety between typed moves (poison sting and water gun are two very different moves). However, it all seems lazy. Fortunately, much like the main series, you can teach your Pokemon new moves. This is done through a lottery feature, where you use coins you’ve earned from pummeling Poke-toys to randomly get a new move. Some Pokemon have abilities like healing, powering themselves up, etc. but these don’t tend to have the impact rampant button mashing does. When you inevitably are brought down by a swarm, you can trade out to any of the Pokemon you’ve captured. Captures aren’t like they are in Kansas (or, you know, the mainstream games). Instead of using Pokeballs, the odd Poke-toy will collapse, and touching it makes it part of your party. Who needs sense in a world ruled over by a dog god thing and elemental birds? At the end of the stage, you’ll come up against a behemoth of a boss (and several pre-evolved versions). These battles are as uninspired as the rest, but the giant’s ability to force you away from it does make battles more interesting. Those very stages, where you’ll spend the bulk of your time, are re-used and abused. Less than an hour of play will lead you to knowing all of the stages inside and out, and all of the sub areas found within. While beat em ups are inherently repetitive, it’s a more tedious affair faster in Pokemon Rumble. The only positive is that not all of the Pokemon are used on the level each time – you never know which batch you may square off against on any given run through. Unfortunately, play is limited only to the Pokemon found in Red/Blue, and the ones introduced in Diamond/Pearl. These two effects make Pokemon rumble a very limited game: with two full sets of Pokemon unused, and only 6 areas, it leaves several questions as to what Ambrella was thinking. Fortunately enough, through passwords introduced by several media outlets, other Pokemon are available for play. It’s perhaps the only sign of effort put out by the developer. Graphically, those toys look absolutely pathetic. Many of the Pokemon don’t even look like their counterparts. Kakuna looks like a light bulb with eyes. Machop looks deformed. Some Pokemon look good in toy form, Finneon for example, but many are very much so off. The toy look works on some levels – the graphics don’t experience any slow downs when there are a ton of enemies on the screen, making them acceptable. The other important facet of style is the sound, which is uninspired, forgettable, but not at all annoying. It more or less balances itself out. The Battle Royale is what makes Rumble shine. The free for all feel is the type of mayhem that is going to help Rumble become a series on its own (that, and actually having more than 6 levels). Strategy comes from avoiding attacks, knowing when to attack the mob, and quite a bit of luck. Again, Rumble excels when mayhem is the focus. Realistically, $15 is a bit steep for Pokemon Rumble. Unlike the mainstream series, Pokemon Rumble is not meant for hours upon hours of play. Short bursts with friends is highly recommended. If you come into the game expecting a good beat em up, but not the defining one in the genre, you’ll leave happy. It’s a step in the right direction for a series that made its fortune by maintaining the status quo, albeit, a little on the weak side. Defeating wave after wave of Poke-toys is oddly enjoyable, and collecting them becomes addicting. That’s what makes it a Pokemon game, and a worthy investment with the right attitude.[/quote]

[Lotos]

I'll eventually end up buying it.  I don't have the money now.