Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness is the sequel of the first Pokemon RPG game for the Nintendo Gamecube, Pokemon Colosseum. The first Pokemon game for the Nintendo Gamecube recieved different scores from various game sites. Some say the GBA Pokemon games are better than this one, and some say Pokemon Colosseum is one of the best games in the Pokemon series. Now that Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness is out, some of you might wonder what exactly is the difference between Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon XD? Is it worth getting? Well, all of your questions regarding this game will be answered in this review.

It’s been 5 years since the first Shadow Pokemon incident happened in the Orre Region, caused by Team Cipher. Rumors said that an evil organization is emerging and planning to conquer the world by using Shadow Pokemon as their weapons. Their biggest project in development is XD001, a Pokemon that can’t be purified (can’t change from darkness back to normal)!

You’ll start your adventure in a Pokemon HQ Lab where your mom asks you to find your little sister. As you progress throughout the story, interesting plots will be revealed. It’s your job to capture Shadow Pokemon and purify them all and save the Pokemon world.

Lots of familiar characters will appear in this game including the famous villain dancer, Miror B.

The graphics of Pokemon XD are basically the same as Pokemon Colosseum. Pokemon sprites are reused in this game. If you’ve played the first Pokemon game for the Nintendo Gamecube, you’ll know what graphics are. For those gamers who plans to get this game and worries about graphics, it looks decent and very well done.

The soundtrack in this game is really quite entertaining. Some of them are used over again from the very first Pokemon game for the Nintendo Gamecube but some are all brand new and really fun to hear. If you’re battling a trainer and you’re having a hard time beating it, the battle soundtrack will annoy you as it gets repitative.

Lots of things are added that will make people get this game. The library of Shadow Pokemon to catch and purify was expanded from 48 to 80+. 2 new Pokemon are introduced in this game but they were not catchable: Munchlax, the pre-evolved form of Snorlax and Bonsly, the pre-evolved form of Sudowoodo. These 2 new Pokemon are signs of an upcoming set of Pokemon soon to be released!

One of the exciting things that’s been added in this game is the Battle Bingo, and Battle Sims. These 2 things will make battling fun and enjoyable. Some of you might find it boring and repitative but it’s fun because you can have a chance to use a legendary Pokemon and the 2 new introduced pokemon in the series.

Gamers who played the Pokemon GBA games might wonder if there are wild Pokemon to catch. The answer is Yes! Nintendo brought back the Wild Pokemon in this game but only in 3 places and called PokeSpots (Oasis, Cave, and Rock)! These 3 PokeSpots holds different kinds of Pokemon. There are known to be 12 catchable Wild Pokemon.

The controls of this game are pretty basic and really easy to get used to. It’s very straight forward and new gamers to this series won’t get annoyed.

Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness is compatible with the previous GBA Pokemon games. By using a Nintendo Gamecube - Gameboy Advance Cable, you can transfer your Pokemon from the game to your GBA to expand your PokeDex. However, you must beat the main part of the game before you can transfer your Pokemon

One of the reason why Pokemon is still alive today is the fun factor. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness shares the same fun factor of the GBA games. Players of this game can battle their friends by importing their GBA Pokemon to the game.

Ok.. I’m done telling you what to expect from this game and it’s up for you to decide. I found this game interesting and really worth getting. If you’re a new gamer to the series, I suggest renting it first but if you’re a Pokemon fan, this is a must have!