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This Game Itself is a Mystery

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 119 / 140
Date: September 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The truth is, I really wanted to like this game. I really did. It's all because the Pokemon RPGs of the past have been good. The craze for the Red and Blue versions, and then the far superior Gold and Silver versions (arguably the best of the lot). Then Ruby and Sapphire came along. All these RPGs were simple, yet for some reason delightful to play. Now Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue come out, and it seems I had my hopes up for this one. It's no where near as interesting, and it's even sadder that even on the Nintendo DS the game just didn't go above and beyond.

The basic premise of the story is, like every Pokemon game, rather simple. You're an aspiring trainer who one day falls asleep only to wake up as a pokemon. The pokemon you wake up as depends on how you answer the questions at the start of the new game. You'll also be able to choose a pokemon partner who will be the one that awakens you. You and your partner will find yourself in a world completely full of pokemon. Unfortunately all is not safe. You and your ally will soon discover that other pokemon are always in need of help in this new world. So it's up to you to answer ditress calls of other pokemon, go to the specified dungeon and save them. It's basic. It's simple. And throughout your journey you won't see one trainer. Ever.

Since there are no trainers, one has to wonder how to expand upon their party. Well, you still get new pokemon from the wild as you did before, but it's slightly different. When you defeat a wild pokemon they will offer to join your team. Learning moves however is almost exactly the same as previous games. By leveling and through TMs. You can also team up and perform moves as well.

All these things are really engrossing, and they've got some neat things going for it, but it doesn't separate from the things you begin to notice as you trek through the game. The first being that most of the game is just boring. The dungeon floors are randomly generated and sometimes the exit will be right next to the entrance. Although that's not such a bad thing when battling is a fairly uneventful task anyway. The AI of your allies is horrible, yet they can still hold their own in a battle against an enemy. Even bosses are easily taken down by your party.

The worst part may very well be that the true core of the gameplay doesn't come out until you've completed the main story. More abilities become available after. You're finally able to take control of other Pokemon after. Your Pokemon also won't evolve until you complete the main story.

What would a Pokemon game be without two versions? There's the Blue version which is on the Nintendo DS, and then the Red version which is on the GBA. Don't be fooled, however. They're basically the same game. Just like every other set of Pokemon games, though, each version has exclusive pokemon.

The saving grace of this set up, however, is all the connectivity features that can be done. If you insert both games into your DS at a time, you can import Pokemon from one game to another. This is an easy way to get all of them. It's also really neat that you can trade items, missions, and pokemon this way. In addition, if you get KO'd in a dungeon and your party gets wiped out, you could send out a message to your friend and he/she will have to come and rescue you. The connectivity features are very engrossing. And of course, you can hook up via wireless (for DS owners) or link cable (GBA owners) and battle with your friends.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon doesn't really look all that great. It's no surprise, Pokemon games never look fantastic graphically. If you want to know the truth, the DS version looks exactly like the GBA version. There's hardly any difference between them. The game is certainly colorful, but there's just not enough variety in the environments and there are hardly any 3D effects brought out. For the Nintendo DS, which has to compete with far better looking games it's really hard for it to hold it's own here.

Worse than the graphics is the sound, though. A lot of the sound effects and such come directly from the normal gameboy games that are almost ten years old. The music itself isn't so bad, but it is quite repetitive. Again, however, it's no surprise because as usual, Pokemon games don't usually push a system to its limits.

It's hard to suggest Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. It's a Pokemon game, but it's a rather bland Pokemon game. It's neat that you can finally play as a Pokemon, but the game as a whole could've been presented far better than it actually was. There's little variety to it, actually, which is really sad considering how big and expansive previous Pokemon games are. It's got plenty of rescue missions, but after a while they're much more repetitive than exciting. I can't suggest one buy this. Even the most die hard of Pokemon fans will have trouble getting into this game.

On the positive side
+You actually play as the Pokemon and not the trainer
+There's plenty of connectivity stuff to be done between both versions, mastering the game as a whole will take a really long time
+There's never an end to rescue missions, even long after you've completed the story mode

On the negative side
-Battles are too easy
-The AI for your enemies and allies are bad, yet the game is still easy, and your AI controlled characters are still competent enough to get through the battle without you
-Most of the more interesting tweaks of the game are available only AFTER story mode is complete
-Graphically the game doesn't hold up
-The sound effects are absolutely terrible

This review is for my nine-year-old son

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 51 / 62
Date: September 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

My son can't get enough of this game and has gone on many missions. He was particularly pleased about being able to play as a Pokemon instead of a trainer and he has not complained about the dungeons or design. He has both the red and blue games, but has not stopped playing the DS version to try the other, but I would imagine that they are basically the same game.

So, his overall rating is a solid five stars. If he is a representative nine-year-old boy, all young kids should like this game. I don't know about older kids, but he certainly loves it.

The Best Game Ever!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 14
Date: September 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

It is so cool that you get to play as a pokémon depending on your personality quiz results!

pokemon mystery dungeon blue rescue team

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: September 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have been a fan of pokemon for many years now and owning every single game I would have to say that the gameplay and the new way of playing as a pokemon is a creative and very fun way of playing. The levels are pretty simple, and entertaining. You are able to create your own pokemon rescue team and once you have the game in your hand you won't want to put it down.

A fresh and new style of Pokémon game sure to keep you busy!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 17
Date: September 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

So, you're thinking about purchasing Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Force or Blue Rescue Force. Maybe this review will help you make up your mind. If you've been on the web, you may have noticed that Mystery Dungeon has been getting quite low scores for a Pokémon game. Well, I think those people are just afraid of change, underestimate the games, and expected something entirely different. Trust me; this is a very good game.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon goes where no Pokémon game has gone before--you finally get to become a Pokémon and see life through their eyes. You first take a simple personality quiz to determine what kind of Pokémon you best represent. After being told which one of the 16 possible Pokémon starters you are, you pick an appropriate partner. Then the real story begins, and you as a human are transformed into a Pokémon, you go on rescue missions, set up a rescue force, recruit new Pokémon, and learn why you have undergone these drastic changes.

The story and cutscenes of the games really surprised me. Being a fourteen year old, I expected the meat of the game to be a little corny, especially since it's such an interesting story that they've chosen. Boy, was I wrong, because the intriguing story and surprising turn of events really make the game stand out.

Since the two games are nearly identical, the graphics don't really differ between them. They are very good for Game Boy, and are still pretty good for Nintendo DS considering how huge the games are. The music suits the game very well, and I especially love the boss Pokémon tunes. As far as the replay value goes, the game takes anywhere from 14-20 hours to complete the main story, and another 20 or so hours to do the extra missions. Since there are always going to be missions for you to do from the Post Office and Message Board, the games literally never end.

The games, for the most part, hold true to the Pokémon theme, but put it into a different perspective. There are actually levels, commonly called caves or dungeons, which you traverse through and battle wild Pokémon in them. The battles are actually quite similar, but you stay on the same screen during battle and each move (attacking or walking) in the dungeon is one "turn". There are tons of new items, as well as classic ones, that add a new twist to the games. You need apples to keep from going hungry; rocks and sticks to throw at enemies as attacks; gummies to eat and increase IQ; accessories to change stats or allow certain abilities; seeds to eat and gain abilities or change stats. You can't "catch" Pokémon, you must recruit them by being a high level and having the appropriate "friend area" for them to live in. It takes a little bit to get used to, but once you've got the basics down, they stick with you.

The games are actually pretty difficult in the later levels, and require patience and strategy. Each floor of a dungeon is different, and they change every time you enter them (adding extra replay value), requiring you to traverse the entire floor to find the stairs to the next floor in some instances, or just walking a few steps to the stairs in others. Because it is so random, you should always be prepared! I hate it when I see other reviews saying that the game only has around 16 or so dungeons, because that is ENTIRELY wrong. If my counting is correct, I believe there are 43 or 44 different dungeons in the game. Some of the early ones have 3 or 4 floors, but some of the late ones have 99 floors! The bosses are yes, legendary Pokémon, and they are pretty hard. The boss battles are epic, and once you complete certain circumstances, you can go back, rebottle them, and even recruit them on your team! Hooray! (Once you beat the main story, you have the option to evolve your Pokémon, and play as other Pokémon other than your starter).

The Mystery Dungeon games have nothing inappropriate in them, aren't very violent at all, and shouldn't cause anything bad to enter your household. (Parents, you should pay attention to what your kids are playing!)

If you are trying to decide which version to get, here are some tips. The Red version is for Game Boy Advance, and the Blue is for Nintendo DS. If you only have a Game Boy, buy Red. If you have a DS, which can play Red and Blue, buy Blue because you can use the top screen to keep track of your map.

Overall, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue are very good games, and should keep you Pokémon fans busy while you await Diamond and Pearl.

Rescue Team Red and Blue -- a Don't-Duo. Hahaha.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 8 / 14
Date: September 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

C'mon, I tried to come up with that title pun for about five minutes.

It's been almost 17 months since a new Pokemon game came out. Pokemon Emerald, that last game, wasn't an all-new adventure but it featured a few new touches to the same old Pokemon formula, and that kept fans playing the game. So much time has passed and Pokemon fans like me were left wondering when they'd be able to feed that Pokemon craving. Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak let Chunsoft take the reins, and the product was the multi-platform Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. That last statement is quite possibly the knife in the back of this year's only new Pokemon release: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, in both the Rescue Team Red GBA version and the Rescue Team Blue DS version, is a repetitive game that lacks the life, charm, energy, and fun of the rest of the games in the ever-growing Pokemon franchise.

In Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, you assume the role of a human-turned-Pokemon. What Pokemon you are depends on your answers of a few personality-based questions at the start of the game. The "twist" here is that there are no humans in this Pokemon land, and you communicate with other Pokemon to partake in rescue missions throughout the land. Sadly, few of the Pokemon have anything interesting to say that doesn't pertain to rescue missions, so the game feels like a linear affair. Take rescue missions, beat rescue missions, and repeat the process until the game's over and you can go to some of the "secret" and more dangerous dungeons.

The dungeons themselves are extremely boring. I absolutely hated them. They're big, randomly-generated maps with freely-roaming and constantly-respawning wild Pokemon to battle. You can find items and traps throughout the dungeon as well, but that's very generic for the random-dungeon RPG genre. The random designs don't include any sort of interesting environmental attributes, so you're mostly running down hallways and looking for the stairway to the next floor of the dungeon. As the game progresses, the dungeons get bigger but never better. After a very short while, I just started looking for the exit to each floor as quickly as possible, which made leveling up a difficult thing to do.

The battle gameplay is very similar to other Pokemon games, but it's all done in a touchy real-time system. You'll run up to monsters, select an attack, and wait for the opponent to die before moving onto the next one. Unfortunately, since this game has freely-roaming enemies, it is possible to get surrounded by enemies, which makes everything even more frustrating. The battles aren't fun and with each wild Pokemon I found, I simply wanted to move on as quickly as possible. Since you can't capture Pokemon (you're not a trainer, after all), there is almost no fun to be had while battling monsters in this game. You'll get more Pokemon on your team as you go through the game, and there are specific areas where certain Pokemon can join your team, but you won't be able to catch and raise them as you please. There is some depth to developing your rescue team. For example, you can change their A.I., IQ, and battle settings. Because of this, CPU-controlled Pokemon can interact with the environment and different situations in a more intelligent fashion. This doesn't make the battle system any more interesting, though, ultimately making Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team a sickening dud when it comes to gameplay.

Getting to a Game Over screen has never been okay in a Pokemon game, but Pokemon Mystery Dungeon takes that frustration to a whole new level: if you die, every single item in your 20-item inventory toolbox is lost and you must restart the dungeon from the very beginning. This makes the repetitive, generic dungeons even more frustrating to get through and the dull battles even duller.

Visually, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team is a GBA game at heart. DS owners will be very disappointed with the basic sprites, horribly dull environments, and lackluster attack animation. The only saving grace visually is the art, which is quite nice. The sound effects are as generic as they have been since Pokemon Blue and Red, and the music is less catchy and more annoying.

Fans of random dungeon hacks might find a little to enjoy here, since Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is a very generic random dungeon hack-and-slash RPG. But Pokemon fans should tough it out and wait for Pokemon Pearl and Pokemon Diamond to come out next year, because Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is like nothing you've played before, and it's nothing interesting, either. There are so many better GBA games out there and so many better DS games coming out that dropping $35 for either version of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is a waste of your hard-earned cash.

ai stinks

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: September 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have read other reviews about how you can sit back and let the AI take over, unfortunatley mine rarely seem to fight, they just sit, back. Also frequently you have to lug along a really weak pokemon, to "help rescue a friend". Unfortunatley these really weak ones DO like to fight and are constantly getting into a battle and getting killed even when you just want to protect them. This is extremely frustrating. A bit more control over the rest of the party would make this game MUCH better.

Sometimes Change is a Good Thing

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: September 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Having surfed the net a few times, looking for reviews of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue for the DS, I was disappointed on how most felt this game had turned out. Most have called this game "very light on Pokemon" and "a frustrating dungeon crawl", however, since I purchased this game when it was released, I have been enjoying the title immensly. You have to take this game in perspective when reviewing it. First of all, it's NOT like a Pokemon game you have played before, and you cannot compare it to the titles released on the Gameboy/Gameboy Advance. This has a totally new approach, one of which I feel is unique and refreshing to the Pokemon Universe. The game does have all the Pokemon you would be used to playing, however, I congratulate all involved with the unique gameplay and approach. This is a "real time" role playing Pokemon world, with you as the starring role as a Pokemon. The approach was a new and unique way to experience Pokemon, and I for one applaud the originality. Graphically, the title is average Pokemon style presentation, but nonetheless effective in it's overall design. I strongly recommend you try a demo of this game first before commiting $35.00 to it, as it might not be your cup of tea. However, if you enjoy role playing games in general, and Pokemon in particular, I believe you will not be disappointed with this unique approach to the world of Pokemon.

THE BEST GAME EVER!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 13
Date: September 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is the best! I suggest you buy this game, NOT Red. If you don't have a Nitendo DS, get it for the Game Boy. If you have neither you are missing out!!!Well, what do I know? I'm just a third grader. Well. GET THIS GAME IT'S THE BEST DEAL EVER!!!

play as a pokemon and have fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: October 02, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I gave Pokemon Mystery Dungeon a good rating because the game is fun yet challenging. Although missions can be very easy, they expect you to go up against Pokemon like Zapdos, Moltrace, etc. The hard part is that they expect you to go up against those big Pokemon when you're at level, 22, 31, or any other level. I partly like it because you don't necessarily need a stylus, and that's good for me because I lost both of mine about a month after I got my DS. My favorite part is that you can have a partner who works with you.

-- Thor

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