Wii #2873 - PokÃPark 2: Wonders Beyond (Europe)

[tempBOT]

^^wiirelease-5767^^

 

[miruki]

I'm halfway through the US version, but will start over with the German one again, due to the lack of English knowledge of my 6 year old. I got the game for him, but amazingly I've been playing about 50% of the 15 hours we played so far.

It's far more fun than I expected it to be and I'm kinda looking forward to playing it again and being able to read out all dialogue without having to translate it to German first... I also don't know half of the German Pokemon names from memory, so whenever he asks me how a Pokemon is called, I won't have to tell him "I have no idea..." anymore.. yey. ;>

The game starts off pretty easy but gets quite challenging later on (what's it with all the Eveelutions having such INCREDIBLY UNFAIR mini games!?) so it' equally enjoyable to children and adults and the story is quite cute / amusing, even if pretty simple. But whenever did Pokemon have complex stories? XD

I definitely recommend this to anyone who does not absolutely hate Pokemon. ;> Totally a must-play for any fans of the franchise.

 

[RupeeClock]

I have to agree, this game is a surprisingly fun experience, it's very immersive and interactive and the pokémon have memorable personalities.
There's been a LOT of surprises, the first poképark is so mundane compared to this one.

One of the most significant improvements is the gameplay engine, everything is so much more responsive and natural compared to the first game, where Pikachu could be a pain to control on the d-pad. The real-time battles and chase skill-games are much easier to handle because of it. Controls have been creatively remapped, where you now have to charge pikachu's thunderbolt instead of being able to spam the attack. Although realistically, his iron-tail attack combined with a four-way dodge by double-tapping a direction, is actually incredibly cheap. During chases you can shake the wii remote to dash faster. If it's one of those pesky flying or attacking pokémon you have to chase, you can comfortably charge your thunderbolt whilst running at top speed, instead of compromising between dashing and charging.

There are so many little things that are pleasing, like NPCs that interact with eachother depending on proximity and moods that are retained depending on activity.
If a pokémon gets pissed off because you knocked down a stinkberry? It STAYS pissed off and even attacks you at random, or does its best to dispose of the foul berry.
If you approx a wingull that gives you a quiz, and another one is nearby, they'll quiz you together!

I dare say it may have even picked up a few pointers from Xenoblade, there are collectables littered around the world that you can pick up and are worth something in trades, or sometimes given as rewards. Berries are of much more significance in the game this time around and do a bit more than just leveling up your pokémon's skills.

Needless to say if you were a fan of the original poképark you owe it to yourself to try this. This is bound to be passed off as unremarkable by critics, but fans of the franchise will find all sorts of charm and wonder in this game, exploring what makes each kind of pokémon so individual.
They even have a bit of meta-humour in there, guess who trains your pokémon's HP? Audino of course, the pokémon that's been beaten to a pulp for its EXP points, and on the side, maxing out your HP EVs without you realising it.

 

[Coto]

I have to agree, this game is a surprisingly fun experience, it's very immersive and interactive and the pokémon have memorable personalities.
There's been a LOT of surprises, the first poképark is so mundane compared to this one.

One of the most significant improvements is the gameplay engine, everything is so much more responsive and natural compared to the first game, where Pikachu could be a pain to control on the d-pad. The real-time battles and chase skill-games are much easier to handle because of it. Controls have been creatively remapped, where you now have to charge pikachu's thunderbolt instead of being able to spam the attack. Although realistically, his iron-tail attack combined with a four-way dodge by double-tapping a direction, is actually incredibly cheap. During chases you can shake the wii remote to dash faster. If it's one of those pesky flying or attacking pokémon you have to chase, you can comfortably charge your thunderbolt whilst running at top speed, instead of compromising between dashing and charging.

There are so many little things that are pleasing, like NPCs that interact with eachother depending on proximity and moods that are retained depending on activity.
If a pokémon gets pissed off because you knocked down a stinkberry? It STAYS pissed off and even attacks you at random, or does its best to dispose of the foul berry.
If you approx a wingull that gives you a quiz, and another one is nearby, they'll quiz you together!

I dare say it may have even picked up a few pointers from Xenoblade, there are collectables littered around the world that you can pick up and are worth something in trades, or sometimes given as rewards. Berries are of much more significance in the game this time around and do a bit more than just leveling up your pokémon's skills.

Needless to say if you were a fan of the original poképark you owe it to yourself to try this. This is bound to be passed off as unremarkable by critics, but fans of the franchise will find all sorts of charm and wonder in this game, exploring what makes each kind of pokémon so individual.
They even have a bit of meta-humour in there, guess who trains your pokémon's HP? Audino of course, the pokémon that's been beaten to a pulp for its EXP points, and on the side, maxing out your HP EVs without you realising it.

I loved this mini-review haha!