The truth is, I really wanted to like this game.  I really did.  It's all because the Pokemon RPGs of the past have been good.  The craze for the Red and Blue versions, and then the far superior Gold and Silver versions (arguably the best of the lot).  Then Ruby and Sapphire came along.  All these RPGs were simple, yet for some reason delightful to play.  Now Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue come out, and it seems I had my hopes up for this one.  It's no where near as interesting, and it's even sadder that even on the Nintendo DS the game just didn't go above and beyond.

The basic premise of the story is, like every Pokemon game, rather simple.  You're an aspiring trainer who one day falls asleep only to wake up as a pokemon.  The pokemon you wake up as depends on how you answer the questions at the start of the new game.  You'll also be able to choose a pokemon partner who will be the one that awakens you.  You and your partner will find yourself in a world completely full of pokemon.  Unfortunately all is not safe.  You and your ally will soon discover that other pokemon are always in need of help in this new world.  So it's up to you to answer ditress calls of other pokemon, go to the specified dungeon and save them.  It's basic.  It's simple.  And throughout your journey you won't see one trainer.  Ever.

Since there are no trainers, one has to wonder how to expand upon their party.  Well, you still get new pokemon from the wild as you did before, but it's slightly different.  When you defeat a wild pokemon they will offer to join your team.  Learning moves however is almost exactly the same as previous games.  By leveling and through TMs.  You can also team up and perform moves as well.

All these things are really engrossing, and they've got some neat things going for it, but it doesn't separate from the things you begin to notice as you trek through the game.  The first being that most of the game is just boring.  The dungeon floors are randomly generated and sometimes the exit will be right next to the entrance.  Although that's not such a bad thing when battling is a fairly uneventful task anyway.  The AI of your allies is horrible, yet they can still hold their own in a battle against an enemy.  Even bosses are easily taken down by your party.

The worst part may very well be that the true core of the gameplay doesn't come out until you've completed the main story.  More abilities become available after.  You're finally able to take control of other Pokemon after.  Your Pokemon also won't evolve until you complete the main story.

What would a Pokemon game be without two versions?  There's the Blue version which is on the Nintendo DS, and then the Red version which is on the GBA.  Don't be fooled, however.  They're basically the same game.  Just like every other set of Pokemon games, though, each version has exclusive pokemon.

The saving grace of this set up, however, is all the connectivity features that can be done.  If you insert both games into your DS at a time, you can import Pokemon from one game to another.  This is an easy way to get all of them. It's also really neat that you can trade items, missions, and pokemon this way.  In addition, if you get KO'd in a dungeon and your party gets wiped out, you could send out a message to your friend and he/she will have to come and rescue you.  The connectivity features are very engrossing.  And of course, you can hook up via wireless (for DS owners) or link cable (GBA owners) and battle with your friends.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon doesn't really look all that great.  It's no surprise, Pokemon games never look fantastic graphically.  If you want to know the truth, the DS version looks exactly like the GBA version.  There's hardly any difference between them.  The game is certainly colorful, but there's just not enough variety in the environments and there are hardly any 3D effects brought out.  For the Nintendo DS, which has to compete with far better looking games it's really hard for it to hold it's own here.

Worse than the graphics is the sound, though.  A lot of the sound effects and such come directly from the normal gameboy games that are almost ten years old.  The music itself isn't so bad, but it is quite repetitive.  Again, however, it's no surprise because as usual, Pokemon games don't usually push a system to its limits.

It's hard to suggest Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.  It's a Pokemon game, but it's a rather bland Pokemon game.  It's neat that you can finally play as a Pokemon, but the game as a whole could've been presented far better than it actually was.  There's little variety to it, actually, which is really sad considering how big and expansive previous Pokemon games are.  It's got plenty of rescue missions, but after a while they're much more repetitive than exciting.  I can't suggest one buy this.  Even the most die hard of Pokemon fans will have trouble getting into this game.

On the positive side
+You actually play as the Pokemon and not the trainer
+There's plenty of connectivity stuff to be done between both versions, mastering the game as a whole will take a really long time
+There's never an end to rescue missions, even long after you've completed the story mode

On the negative side
-Battles are too easy
-The AI for your enemies and allies are bad, yet the game is still easy, and your AI controlled characters are still competent enough to get through the battle without you
-Most of the more interesting tweaks of the game are available only AFTER story mode is complete
-Graphically the game doesn't hold up
-The sound effects are absolutely terrible
The truth is, I really wanted to like this game. I really did. It's all because the Pokemon RPGs of the past have been good. The craze for the Red and Blue versions, and then the far superior Gold and Silver versions (arguably the best of the lot). Then Ruby and Sapphire came along. All these RPGs were simple, yet for some reason delightful to play. Now Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue come out, and it seems I had my hopes up for this one. It's no where near as interesting, and it's even sadder that even on the Nintendo DS the game just didn't go above and beyond. The basic premise of the story is, like every Pokemon game, rather simple. You're an aspiring trainer who one day falls asleep only to wake up as a pokemon. The pokemon you wake up as depends on how you answer the questions at the start of the new game. You'll also be able to choose a pokemon partner who will be the one that awakens you. You and your partner will find yourself in a world completely full of pokemon. Unfortunately all is not safe. You and your ally will soon discover that other pokemon are always in need of help in this new world. So it's up to you to answer ditress calls of other pokemon, go to the specified dungeon and save them. It's basic. It's simple. And throughout your journey you won't see one trainer. Ever. Since there are no trainers, one has to wonder how to expand upon their party. Well, you still get new pokemon from the wild as you did before, but it's slightly different. When you defeat a wild pokemon they will offer to join your team. Learning moves however is almost exactly the same as previous games. By leveling and through TMs. You can also team up and perform moves as well. All these things are really engrossing, and they've got some neat things going for it, but it doesn't separate from the things you begin to notice as you trek through the game. The first being that most of the game is just boring. The dungeon floors are randomly generated and sometimes the exit will be right next to the entrance. Although that's not such a bad thing when battling is a fairly uneventful task anyway. The AI of your allies is horrible, yet they can still hold their own in a battle against an enemy. Even bosses are easily taken down by your party. The worst part may very well be that the true core of the gameplay doesn't come out until you've completed the main story. More abilities become available after. You're finally able to take control of other Pokemon after. Your Pokemon also won't evolve until you complete the main story. What would a Pokemon game be without two versions? There's the Blue version which is on the Nintendo DS, and then the Red version which is on the GBA. Don't be fooled, however. They're basically the same game. Just like every other set of Pokemon games, though, each version has exclusive pokemon. The saving grace of this set up, however, is all the connectivity features that can be done. If you insert both games into your DS at a time, you can import Pokemon from one game to another. This is an easy way to get all of them. It's also really neat that you can trade items, missions, and pokemon this way. In addition, if you get KO'd in a dungeon and your party gets wiped out, you could send out a message to your friend and he/she will have to come and rescue you. The connectivity features are very engrossing. And of course, you can hook up via wireless (for DS owners) or link cable (GBA owners) and battle with your friends. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon doesn't really look all that great. It's no surprise, Pokemon games never look fantastic graphically. If you want to know the truth, the DS version looks exactly like the GBA version. There's hardly any difference between them. The game is certainly colorful, but there's just not enough variety in the environments and there are hardly any 3D effects brought out. For the Nintendo DS, which has to compete with far better looking games it's really hard for it to hold it's own here. Worse than the graphics is the sound, though. A lot of the sound effects and such come directly from the normal gameboy games that are almost ten years old. The music itself isn't so bad, but it is quite repetitive. Again, however, it's no surprise because as usual, Pokemon games don't usually push a system to its limits. It's hard to suggest Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. It's a Pokemon game, but it's a rather bland Pokemon game. It's neat that you can finally play as a Pokemon, but the game as a whole could've been presented far better than it actually was. There's little variety to it, actually, which is really sad considering how big and expansive previous Pokemon games are. It's got plenty of rescue missions, but after a while they're much more repetitive than exciting. I can't suggest one buy this. Even the most die hard of Pokemon fans will have trouble getting into this game. On the positive side
+You actually play as the Pokemon and not the trainer
+There's plenty of connectivity stuff to be done between both versions, mastering the game as a whole will take a really long time
+There's never an end to rescue missions, even long after you've completed the story mode

On the negative side
-Battles are too easy
-The AI for your enemies and allies are bad, yet the game is still easy, and your AI controlled characters are still competent enough to get through the battle without you
-Most of the more interesting tweaks of the game are available only AFTER story mode is complete
-Graphically the game doesn't hold up
-The sound effects are absolutely terrible