NOTE: If you are interested, this could also be a review for Pokemon Pearl. Just replace a Diamond with a Pearl and you are set. The highly popular and extensive Pokemon series continues its success with two new installments, one of which is Pokemon Diamond for the Nintendo DS. The latest additions to the Pokemon universe continue to bring success to the series with an interesting storyline, more than one hundred new Pokemon (bringing the total to over 480 Pokemon), and new features including global online interaction. If anyone who is not usually a fan of the Pokemon series is hoping for some kind of heavy change in the initial formula of this game, they will be severely disappointed. But for anyone who is a die-hard fan or just now looking to join in on the phenomenon that is Pokemon, they will find a great game in front of them.

The mechanics of the game have not changed since Pokemon Blue and Red, the first Pokemon games. Basically, the player starts with one starter Pokemon of their choice, whether it is a grass type, a fire type, or a water type. The idea is to train the chosen starter, use it to catch other Pokemon belonging to one or two of the seventeen elemental types available, train them as well, and use them to win battles. The player can only have six Pokemon on the team at any given time and each elemental type has its weaknesses to other elemental types, so strategy matters. Each Pokemon can only have four moves available to each of them. As they level and learn more moves, the player has to choose which to keep and which to lose. Sometimes the Pokemon will even change shape through a process called evolution, increase in power, and gain a slightly different set of moves to learn if certain conditions are met. The player will even have the choice of cancelling the evolution should they choose. Any Pokemon that might be sought after can be met in the wild, obtained from certain people, or ported in from other games through trade (which you will have to do because Pokemon Diamond alone does not have all the Pokemon, not even all the new ones), so finding the desired Pokemon should not be a problem. It is actually a very involving process, successful enough to keep going through the ages without needing a rehash.

The story of Pokemon Diamond, at its core, is the same as its predecessors as well. The player gets to be an aspiring Pokemon trainer aiming to be the best of the best and, dare I say, has gotta catch them all. Like the other recent Pokemon games, there is the option of choosing to be a male or female trainer starting out in the out-of-the-way village of Twinleaf Town. The player has, as stated earlier, a choice of one of three starters (the latest choices for this installment include Turtwig the grass turtle, Chimchar the fire monkey, and Piplup the water penguin). From there, the player catches and trains Pokemon, conquering eight gyms in different cities, until they get a chance to confront the Elite Four and the current Pokemon champion. Also staying to the old formula is the appearance of the resident organization to take down, this one known as Team Galactic, in order to save the world. Despite the unchanging formula, the story manages to make itself just interesting enough to pull any player through what is potentially a hundred hours of gameplay.

The presentation of Pokemon games has, on the other hand, changed over the years. The first games had only a single color to represent its graphics. The portraits of the Pokemon were unmoving images, some of which came off as crudely drawn, even by standards back then. Things have changed greatly since. The world of Sinnoh in Pokemon Diamond is represented with a mix of 3D and 2D art, which blend so well that they offer a sense of depth that was never before present in previous games. Pokemon portraits are not only well done, but also animated when they enter battle, and look fabulous in comparison. The animation for the attacks is great, too, but it becomes uninteresting fast as you move forward. Pokemon Diamond even has its own set of catchy music, so journeying from place to place and attempting each activity as it is presented rarely feels boring. The presentation overall will catch the eyes and ears of any player and leave them saying wow.

Online play also brings new options to the Pokemon series. No longer does a person have to find someone in the local area who owns a copy of a Pokemon game to trade or battle. If one wants to trade a Pokemon, they can access the trading option and put up whatever Pokemon they are willing to trade as well as whatever Pokemon they are willing to trade for. Then the trade request is sent to a server online for all to see. All options for online play take place on a global scale, so there will not be too much of a problem finding a taker either. In fact, the DS does not need to be powered on for the transaction to take place. Pokemon battling is also available, but it is not readily accessible until some progress has been made through the main game, about twenty or so hours worth. Otherwise, the player can only battle people with a friend code from their own games locally. There is also a voice chat option, but to use it, one of the headsets for the DS is required. Despite the limitations, online interaction has never been easier.

Of course, a game of this quality still has its own problems. The DS has a touch screen the player can use for various things in the game, but in the end, it just does not seem like the creators did enough with it. It can be used to get through activities like the occasional battle expediently, but it is usually better to use the control pad and buttons to progress through the game. Also, while the music may be catchy, a lot of the other sounds in the game have been recycled from previous ones, so anyone who has played other Pokemon games may still lose interest after hearing the same sounds for the umpteenth time. There is also the issue of the accessibility of the online features. As stated, some options are only available after several hours of progress in the main game is made. Communication is only accessible if the DS has a headset to go along with it. Fortunately, these issues do not hamper gameplay on a large scale, so if the player is not interested in the online features or prefers the control pad or is willing to put with the overused noises, they will be able to progress through the game without a lot of fuss.

Overall, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are awesome games. They are extremely colorful, they sound great, and they offer a lot of variety in terms of strategy. Add on the ever expanding lineup of Pokemon and it is no wonder how this game series managed to keep the pace going for nearly a decade. There is no doubt in mind that veterans and newcomers alike will have a fun time these latest installments. Take it from someone who knows.