Posts in the Reviews category

The website Nintendo Life, has published a new review for Pokemon Rumble Blast. They give it an overall rating of 7/10, wherein they discuss the control system, and describe how similar it is to its predecessor, Pokemon Rumble on the Wii. Nintendo Life praise it for its fun gameplay, and the ability to explore the world a lot more. Along with the grand use of the 3D being a new exciting feature, conversely, they find it plain at times, as well as being too familiar with little new variety. Check out more after the jump!

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Official Nintendo Magazine has published a review on Pokemon Rumble Blast (or Super Pokemon Rumble in the UK). Some of the details they included discusses the mechanics of gameplay, how battles work, the story, and filling your Pokedex. The magazine praises the game for its continuation on from the previous Rumble title on Wii, as well as implementing the new 3DS features. Check out more after the jump!

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In light of the recent news of Super Pokémon Scramble’s upcoming release in Japan, we here at Pokémon Dungeon have decided to post a review of this game’s predecessor, Pokémon Scramble (or, as most of us know the game by, Pokémon Rumble).

Although the sequel will be released on Nintendo 3DS, the original was a downloadable Wii Ware title. Pokémon Rumble takes place on a small game board dominated by Pokémon “toys”. Using a Wonder Key, you wind up your toy, and take control of it as you battle your way through various stages, befriending others as you go, in order to take on the Battle Royale and become the very best, the best there ever was.

A small but ambitious Rattata sneaks into the Battle Royale much before his time. You are given control of this Rattata as it tries to proclaim itself champion among many, much stronger Pokémon. When it inevitably fails, you must start heading through the six stages, getting stronger, defeating Battle Royales and moving on to higher staged game boards in the quest to destroy the champion and reign supreme.

There are six stages, from the Windy Prairie to the Fiery Furnace, and the entire first generation of Pokémon are separated into the stage where they most belong, be it water, fire, or grass. The Battle Royale will be locked until you have a strong enough Pokémon, and completing it will open up the next game board, from C, B, A, and finally to S rank. After defeating the boss of S rank, the genetically altered Mewtwo, you reign high on the winner’s podium, and have completed the story mode. Or so you think.

Only after completing S rank do you find the new, Advanced Mode. Now, all the pokémon are stronger, the battles are tougher, and not only do you fight the first generation Pokémon but also the entire cast of the fourth generation are included for you to fight and collect. Advancing through the stages again, in the same way, will end with another S ranked Battle Royal, and in the end, Mewtwo has come back, stronger than ever, to reclaim his title. If you manage to defeat him again, you unlock EX mode. EX mode is the real test of your abilities, with stronger Pokémon than ever. There are no ranks here, and you can play through all six stages to find more, stronger Pokémon than ever before. Defeating four different classes of the Battle Royale will earn you bragging rights.

Now, other than completing the story and reigning as the best, there is a lot this game has to offer. First off, like any good battle game, there is a multiplayer mode. Extra players may join in between battles and take control of any Pokémon you already have. Teamwork, using Pokémon who support eachother’s weaknesses and resistances can make victory so much easier, but having conflicting Pokémon with conflicting players can make winning very difficult. It’s almost necessary to work together in order to become champion alongside each other.

All Pokémon have applied weaknesses and resistances. The Pokémon you last attacked will appear in the top corner; it’s name will flash red if you dealt it extra damage based on type. Status effects play a major part in this game, things like burn and poison can give you a slow but steady advantage in a long fight, while effects such as confusion and paralysis can turn the tide of a battle. There are also many moves which can increase or lower your or your enemies’ base stats (attack, defense, speed). Unlike the many handheld titles, the real-time action means that these status changes and effects play a major part in the game. Managing attacks that deal damage while lowering enemy defense and things like a self-healing ability become crucial to victory later on, both individually and as teams. You can simply mash your favorite attack and expect to win.

Each Pokémon can only have two attacks, so a good balance is crucial.  Pokémon do not level up and thus learn attacks.  There is a basic monetary system, measured in P. The way to make an ideal team is to try the lottery; spending an amount of P relative to the game board you are on will give you a random move (always one your current Pokémon can earn) equal to the current average power; you will never get an especially weak move on an especially strong stage, and vice versa. There is also a Pokémon lottery, in which P can be exchanged for a random, potentally rare Pokémon. This also follows the same, stronger stage=higher cost=better product formula.

Finally, like every good Pokémon game, there is a strong element of collecting in this game. All of the Pokémon in both generation I and IV are attainable. Some rare Pokémon, like Mewtwo and Darkrai, can only be obtained through special means, but most can be caught throughout the various stages. There are rare pokémon with stat traits, ranging from things like lucky and perky, which affect elements about it in battle, such as it’s stats and it’s effects on enemies. There are also guard traits for each type, which give a Pokémon resistance to a type it normally wouldn’t have. Finally, there are even rarer shiny Pokémon for each variety, so collecting every Pokémon can take a very long time, jumping between different stages and boards to do so.

This game is very fun and provides hours of good entertainment. Though the gameplay is simplistic, it still provides a new unique challenge. As a multiplayer brawler, this game may not be the best around. But, given the collecting aspect, the new and unique importance to status effects, and the many minor details (such as your controlled Pokémon looking up at you in a cute way if you tell it to make an attack it doesn’t have), this game offers a fresh and fun perspective on Pokémon gaming, and is a great addition to your Pokémon collection.

The release of the sequal is less than a month away. Let’s remember and play the original. Here’s hoping that Super Pokémon Scramble (most like Pokémon Rumble 2 here) is shipped out of Japan so the rest of the world can enjoy it.