Pokémon Ranger (Nintendo DS) - PC and Console Games (Nintendo)

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Customer Reviews of Pokémon Ranger (Nintendo DS)

cheeki monki
UK
8th June 2008

Good but much too short!
I got this game for christmas and wasn't 100% sure what to expect. I tried it out and it started really well. You are a new type of pokemon trainer called a Ranger and instead of training pokemon up to fight other trainers, you are a ranger who captures pokemon in order to use there abilities and then letting them go.

The way you do it is using the styler to circle the pokemon and when you have circled it a number of times without one of its attacks hitting your line, it is caught. The pokemon, unlike other pokemon games, walk around in full view and will charge if they see you (or run a way)! This is a whole new way of looking at pokemon, original, exciting and fun!

You start in a small town, doing small tasks to help the locals, eventually you go on to travel to the other four towns and stop some baddies (as you do). However, then it gets a bit boring.

The whole adventure took me no more than a week, and while the missions were challenging and fun to do, it could have done with being much longer! After defeating the last evil maniac from taking over the world and the credits rolling, I thought there might be other tasks to do. However, after going from one end of the map to the other, there was nothing left to do!

There are a few legendary levels on the start menu but after that, where to go? I was very dissappointed since the rest of the game had been very good and it was a big let down to think that all there was to do was walk around or do it all again. I have now sold it on and bought Pokemon Pearl which is heaps better and much longer!

I would not reccomend this game but if Nintendo made a longer one then I would deffiantly buy it, until then buy 'Super Mario Bros.', its awesome!!!

Kirstin Rose
Scotland
12th September 2007

Good fun, but short
I bought this game while waiting for Pokemon Diamond and Pearl to be released in the UK, hoping it would fill the gap between the two release dates. Sadly, it didn't. While this is a good game, it is also an exceptionally short game. I completed this game in less than a week, and without long stints of playing on it.

The game itself is fun, and simple to master - but it can get quite annoying and repetitive, which stops extended playing. The entire game revolves around circling pokemon with the stylus to catch them. There is no other mini-game involved, and other than using pokemon to access areas - that is the only interaction the player has - drawing lots of circles.

I did enjoy the game, but would have like a more varied gameplay, and the ability to save anywhere - as the game used save points, which meant at times, quite far into a level you either had to back track miles to get to a save point, or keep playing to get to the next. The game was also quite linear, and didn't allow for exploration and playing outside of the plot line.

I would reccommend this game if you are looking for something quick and easy, but not if you want something to get your teeth into. Of course, for Pokemon Pearl and Diamond fans, you do need this game to get the Manaphy egg, which is available through a special mission once the game is completed.

Worth buying - but get it cheap, it's not worth £20+

jao202
Staffordshire
5th July 2007

Power Ranger... CAPTURE ON!!
This new departure for Pokemon games is a hybrid. A lot of the non-Trainer based trading games involve a variation on the Catch Em All theme, but mainly just to acknowledge you've encountered them and have limited use beyond that, as none of them are compatible for transfer to the mainstream collecting series. This is a vexation for many die-hard fans. On that front, Pokemon Ranger is very much in this family, with the main exception of the game's hidden bonus. More on this later...

The game itself, as explained in other reviews, revolves around the player using the Nintendo DS Stylus interface to "capture" pokemon by encircling them in a continuous loop until they are bound in an energy sphere. The system shows how many loops are needed and give a countdown on each completed loop. As with the general Trainer themed storylines, it involves an evil criminal gang (The Go-Rock Squad in this incarnation) believing that corrupting pokemon to evil ends will allow them to dominate the world. Your job, more critically as a Ranger, is to rescue pokemon by recruiting wild ones to use their special abilities to help you.

The game is very good, though it does have its drawbacks, which is why I can't give it a 5. The main gameplay is clearly aimed at a 9 yr old being able to draw circles, as missions are quite easily completed for the first half of the game. Encountering "boss" rescues however, such as the dragon types Charizard and Salamence, and the Legendary Dogs, all seem to exceed the capabilities a 9 yr old would have. Drawing 15 circles or 21 circles continuously sounds easy, but the problem is that the dragons fight back and wander off screen, making it very easy to spend 1/2 hour trying to draw circles and avoid losing health. Given that until this point most pokemon need 3-4 loops or in rarer cases 8, this sudden leap is significant. This is unlike Pokemon Link, which has a much more reasonable learning curve.

I mentioned the Bonus. I happened to buy this game first and then proceeded to hear more about the bonus after getting halfway through the game. Once the game is completed, bonus missions are unlocked. One of these is hidden and requires a special password and access technique found easily on the internet. Upon completing this mission, you receive a mystery egg which can be transferred to the Pokemon Pearl and Diamond games, once they're eventually released. The Good News? This pokemon is ONLY available with this game in the current series and can be traded to either Pearl or Diamond using another DS. The Bad News? Nintendo have restricted it to being ONLY one egg per cartridge. Restarting the game seems to have no effect, so it is reported. Therefore, you need to be careful when this pokemon has been traded to the Trainer Cartridge games, as once its lost, its gone and you'll need a new Pokemon Ranger Cartridge. Please note, Ditto creates a hybrid with the new pokemon, Manaphy, so it doesn't clone it like usual either, so you can't try that route either. People wanting to complete Pokedexes need this game!

J. P. Else

3rd June 2007

Pokemon Ranger Spins its way to the top!!!!!!!!! By P.Else
A revelutionary new way of capturing pokemon makes this a must buy for all gamers. All pokemon old and new appear in this game. The only disappointment is that pokemon diamond and pearl pokemon don't appear in this game. The all-new capture stylus enables you to capture pokemon by literally running circles round them! If you are a boy, you get minun as your partner pokemon, if you are a girl, a plusle. pokemon range, simply brilliant!

Leyander.C
Nottingham, England0
14th April 2007

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!1

For the first time ever, fans finally get the chance to fill the coveted role of a Ranger, an elite task force who protect Pokémon. Players can become a fully-fledged Pokémon Ranger by being invited to Fall City to learn from Spenser, one of the top Ranger leaders. As they embark on the life of a licensed Ranger, players will learn to use the powers of captured wild Pokémon to solve problems, help people and protect nature from adverse effects.
As a player begins the adventure they select either Lunick (male) or Solana (female) as their chosen character. They are then transported to the Rangers Base where they will receive a series of exciting and challenging missions to complete. As experience is gained, the missions increase in importance. The Ranger is pitted against the Go-Rock Squad in an attempt to recover Professor Hastings' stolen Super Styler - the newly developed version of the Capture Styler used to hold wild Pokémon.

The Rangers don't embark on their epic journey alone. To help them along their way they are also accompanied by a single partner Pokémon. This helpful friend will remain with them at all times aiding the all important relationship between the Ranger and captured wild Pokémon, whose power they will need to harness in the challenges ahead of them.

For the first time in a Pokémon game, players can control the Pokémon Ranger using only the Nintendo DS touch screen. To capture a valuable wild Pokémon the player must draw circles round their target with the stylus, though this challenge varies depending on the size and power of the Pokémon. Once captured, the Ranger's partner Pokémon facilitates the use of the wild Pokémon's powers to solve problems and clear obstacles that they might encounter.

A wild Pokémon's powers aren't available forever though. The player must choose the right moment to use the power because once used, the Pokémon is released back into the wild. A captured Pokémon can help a player by providing either a Poké Assist or a Field Move. In a Poké Assist a player can use an already captured Pokémon to capture another. In Field Move the Pokémon is used to clear an obstacle in the new Ranger's path.

As the game progresses, the Ranger's Capture Styler, used to hold the wild Pokémon, becomes more powerful. This provides more energy (Meter) allowing more Pokémon to be held with them at any one time. The wild Pokémon captured all provide different powers, depending on the group they belong to. Groups available include Grass, Fire, Electric, along with many more. As the game progresses, the challenge of capturing the correct Pokémon becomes increasingly strategic with various group match-up advantages and disadvantages influencing their assistance to the player.

The fun doesn't end with the main mission either, with numerous sub-quests available giving players the opportunity to meet and capture legendary Pokémon like Kyogre, Groudon and Rayquaza. With these and over 200 other Pokémon waiting to be caught, completing your Browser will be no easy task. Do you have what it takes to `Catch em all' and earn the Certificate of Completion.