GENRE
	Adventure
	DEVELOPER
	Ambrella
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	Unknown
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	Unknown
	MICROPHONE
	No
	EXPECTED RELEASE DATE
	TBD
	BUY NOW AT

So you've got a DS, but you're a little bummed because there's no Pokémon for the system. Because Dash and Trozei don't count. You tuned in to E3 hoping for Diamond and Pearl, but those were nowhere to be found. Now presenting the Pokémon game Nintendo hopes will keep you satisfied in the interim, Pokémon Ranger.

media

Coming soon.

impressions

Graphically, Pokémon Ranger is a very bright and colorful sprite-based game, and all of the characters and Pokémon are well-drawn and articulated. Also, attacks and effects are looking sharp.

Your main character achieves his life dream in the first ten seconds of the demo: being a licensed Pokémon Ranger. He and his partner Minun are given the task of helping a Professor to his home in the hills, and it's your job to protect him from any rambunctious Pokémon. Of course other, more important tasks will follow, but this demo only went that far.

There are several important differences between typical Pokémon combat and Ranger combat. First, most often you can see your opponent and either chase them or have them chase you. Secondly, you do most of the battling yourself by drawing frantic circles around the Pokémon in a plain, flat field that's separate from the overworld you navigate. Once in this battle field, the Pokémon begins to dash around, emitting attacks and pausing its movements every so often. When given the chance, the player draws a spiral of circles around the monster to try to capture it. In the game world, this use of the stylus is represented by a device that looks like a children's spinning top, and captured Pokémon can even be inserted into the top to spew attacks against the wild Pokémon, thusly increasing the odds of easily circling the quarry. For every circle successfully closed around the monster, a numerical countdown appears over the creature's head, and once the numbers visually turn red you lift the stylus, resulting in a captured creature.

The trick is, your scribbles are vulnerable, and if the Pokémon touches it, you have to start drawing again from scratch. Even worse, more surly Pokémon will attack the barrier, causing your HP to go down, and sometimes forcing you out of the battlefield and back to the overworld with no new Pokémon to show for your effort.

Yet if caught, the monsters can function as what an RPG might refer to as summons as referenced above by placing them in the top. In the overworld, captured Pokémon follow the ranger and can visually seem like a miniature army. And on the field, they demonstrate their specialties. Mudkip can blow bubbles, Chikorita can grow grass, Pikachu can stun, and so on.

Also of note is that aside from your partner, some caught Pokémon are only good for one use on the battlefield. If you use a Combusken once, then you'll have to find another to fill that hole in your roster. Not every Pokémon will disappear, however, and ones that do are easily replaced by returning to the spot you originally caught them. Further, Pokémon can be used in the overworld for puzzle solving excercises. In one example a fire Pokémon was signaled to burn down a hay bale blocking the player's path. There's potential for depth here, but those expecting Zelda-esque complexity won't find that here.

word on the street

This game's already out in Japan, and consumer response has been mostly positive, but that's to be expected. After all, despite all of the years that have flown by, the brand is still strong.

press release notes

"This game has been announced. Please check back for more information on this game as the release date approaches."

overall

The bottom line is that this is another spin-off that may need some significant depth beyond what was shown in the demo. If it doesn't, the rapid circle drawing may not support more than a few hours worth of play. The good news is, Nintendo's probably the only company that could make a mechanic like this more interesting, so we'll have to wait and see what develops. Look for a full Nintendojo review when the title is released later this year.