In true Pokemon tradition, a third Pokemon game is released after a couple of years to compliment the other two before it. There are many changes in this remake, but whether the changes make it worthwhile to play through the game again is entirely up to you. If you have already gotten Platinum, then use this guide to make sure you don't miss out on any of the new stuff.
There's Something Different About You...
The most obvious difference between Platinum and Diamond/Pearl is the look of the game. Although there isn't anything here as drastic as the addition of color in Pokemon Yellow, or the inclusion of a playable girl character in Pokemon Crystal, there is still plenty to see and admire and, in some cases, enjoy even.
- Lucas, Dawn and Pearl are all dressed for the winter, wearing >scarves and warmer outer wear.
- You can see that the weather, in general, is colder throughout the game. There are patches of snow are found all the way to Twinleaf Town. There is still some warmer areas, such as where the Battle Zone used to be in Diamond/Pearl.
- The battle layout is different in shape and color.
- The Poketch looks and works differently now. You can now move forward and backwards while selecting apps, which means you don't need to scroll through the whole list every time you missed the app you want.
- Important trainers, like Gym Leaders, Pearl, and Galactic Leaders, have animated sprites now and their close up image looks sharper and better.
- You can now see Pokemon animate from behind as well as in front.
- Some attacks, like Razor Leaf, have new attack animations.
- When sending Pokemon out, you can see that more trainers are now using seals.
- The Eterna Gym now has giant flower petals that rotate after battling trainers.
- The Heathome Gym now features a dark maze that you must navigate using the light from your flashlight and the glow of Duskull eyes.
- The Veilstone Gym now has punching bags that you have to move to get around.
- The Cycling Road has been slightly redesigned with some small tunnels in the middle.
- The Oreburgh Mine now has coal carts that connect the entrance to the last section of the mine.
- Victory Road has a much cooler entrance with a huge Pokeball in the center arch.
- The rooms where you fight the Elite Four look a lot cooler. Aaron is in the forest room, Bertha is surrounded by rocks, Flint has lava pits in his room, and Cynthia's room is now a different color.
Hey! I don't remember that!
Besides just looking different, there have been quite a few changes that may affect the way you play the game. For example, the order of the gyms have been changed, which may affect your choice of starter pokemon. As well, you will be sent to accomplish new side quests and will be battling your pokemon against new reoccuring characters. Some things have been changed only slightly while others are brand sparkly new.
Things that Changed:
- Some Gym Leaders now use different Pokemon than they did in Diamond and Pearl.
- Fantina is now the third Gym Leader, Maylene is the fourth and Crasher Wake is the fifth.
- You can battle your rival at the Survival Area in front of the Battleground over and over again after finishing the Stark Mountain quest. Each time you fight, your rival will have stronger pokemon, up to level 85! This makes him the strongest trainer in all Pokemon games so far.
- The background and in game story for Cyrus and Team Galactic is much more detailed and complicated. Team Galactic also acts a bit more evil in Platinum.
Things that are Brand New:
- New reoccurring characters have been added to the game, including Pluto, a new Team Galactic Admin, and Looker, an investigator trying to track down Team Galactic in order to stop them.
- There are new Move Tutors available who can teach a good number of attacks for different amounts of shards.
- Random trainers appear near the front desk in the Pokemon Centers throughout the game. You can battle them every day and will face stronger trainers as you go through the game.
- There is a new area, the Distortion World, and this is where you will find Giratina's Origin Form and fight the final battle against Cyrus.
- Once you get to the Resort Area, you will be able to own a house there and you will be able to furnish your home with various items. From time to time, you will get visitors to your home. The items that you put in your house will influence who shows up to say hi.
- The Survival Area now has a new building in it called the Match Place where different trainers can be found every day.
- You can battle all the Gym Leaders again in the Match Place, you can also battle your tag battle partners here too. They will have high level pokemon, around level 60, so be prepared!
- A new Battle Frontier has been added. It works like the one in Pokemon Emerald and has five battle areas that test your pokemon battling skills.
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