Schuyler Clapp

Let’s all be honest, if you loved Gen 4 for what it was then this game will be right up your alley as a faithful remake of the original material with some more polished features. If you were hoping for some new content in addition to the original material like I was then this game is a colossal disappointment. There are no mega evolutions, no unique legendary Pokémon, and no exclusive features to pull excitement or replay ability. Having just come from Pokémon sword and shield with their unique gameplay and refreshing take on some old species I felt that shinning pearl was stale, especially when omega ruby and alpha sapphire did such a good job implementing new mechanics to the remake of an older gen. Having been a Pokémon fan since gen 2 I would have to disclose that I do have some personal bias to gen 4 I felt that uxie mesprite and azelf were borderline useless minor legendaries that the player only spends time tracking down and catching for completions sake. While Diagla and Palkia are fun and Garitina was one of my favorite additions to the legendary line up they just aren’t enough to hold the games rating up. If you have not played the original gen 4 then this game is perfect for you and could easily get a 4 star rating but as a remake in the Pokémon series I feel gamefreak missed a huge opportunity to at the very least alter the story slightly to give it a more parallel universe feeling to it.