Pokemon Soul Silver – Reviewed

Pokemon goes back to “basics” with its latest releases, Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver. Also this review is based on the Soul Silver version of the game, the game play is identical to Gold, so don’t feel that one is particularly better than the other!

Still with a huge number of Pokemon to collect, but for old-school gamers such as myself many of the names catapult right back to my childhood, where we only had to remember a measly 150 of them. This back to basics approach may suit people like me, but some of the more up-to-date players may miss some of the old characters.

The story line is the same old same old – try to become the best Pokemon trainer in the world. With a surprisingly large map to explore, featuring numerous towns and bits and pieces off the beaten track. This means that, unless you get stuck in the same place, repetition is not normally an issue. Frustrating is the ledges that you can jump down, but cannot jump up, and this means taking the long way round when you are literally inches from your target, but this is a minor nuisance.

Fighting follows the same turn taking pattern of its predecessors, with items being able to be used in the middle of battles to improve your Pokemon’s chances of victory. Defensive manoeuvres can be put in place as well as attacking ones, meaning that the game is more strategic than just which Pokemon is better. The PP rule prevents your Pokemon being able to repeat an attack over and over, and these carry over into your next battle.

Overall, the game is hugely addictive, and for me, it scores a solid 8 out of 10 – well recommended indeed!