• Hey everyone, staff have documented a list of banned content and subject matter that we feel are not consistent with site values, and don't make sense to host discussion of on Famiboards. This list (and the relevant reasoning per item) is viewable here.

Reviews Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl | Review Thread

lemonfresh

lemonfresh

#Team2024
Pronouns
He/Him
Metacritic (73)
OpenCritic (75)


Nintendo World Report 8.5/10
Taken on its own, without the history of the franchise and the desire to see it be more, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond is a great RPG. There's a wide variety of content, the gameplay is fun and polished, and the presentation of the remake is charming and warm. While it's easier to recommend to newer Pokémon fans than those who played the Nintendo DS originals, taking another trip around a much more visually striking Sinnoh region turned out to be more satisfying than I anticipated. I'm certainly not in a hurry to leave it any time soon; that's for sure. However, with Pokémon Legends on the horizon, this one-two punch of Pokémon titles could be a winning way to close out one year and welcome in another, with a blast from the past followed by something we haven't really seen before. That's a Jigglepuff double-slap I can get behind.
Click to expand...

VGC 8/10
The original DS Diamond and Pearl were great back in the day, and 15 years later this new coat of paint makes them just as entertaining. The improvements may not be as drastic as some may have hoped, but what's here is a solid Pokémon adventure regardless.
Click to expand...

comicbook.com 8/10
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are good remakes of an inherently flawed Pokemon game. The games lean a little hard into recapturing the experience of the originals, which is a detriment and somewhat negates the fantastic visual and quality-of-life improvements. Honestly, it feels that Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are a preemptive olive branch to Pokemon fans ahead of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, in that it provides a decidedly retro experience as an alternative option to what is sure to be the most envelope-pushing Pokemon game made since the franchise launched 25 years ago. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are made for those looking to celebrate the past of the Pokemon experience. For the rest of us, it's a nice distraction to hold us over until the launch of the next Pokemon game in a couple of months.
Click to expand...

Game Informer 8.5/10
While Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl don’t move the needle in terms of what Pokémon games will look and play like moving forward, they mostly hit the mark in being faithful to the originals. I’ve really enjoyed my time re-exploring Sinnoh, despite my qualms with the lack of critical path difficulty. They’re a welcome throwback to a simpler time when I felt completing a Pokédex was a somewhat realistic task to undertake. Veteran trainers will find plenty here to scratch a nostalgic itch, and new trainers who missed out the first time around have a solid adventure to embark on.
Click to expand...

COGconnected 72/100
On the flip side, I'm not sure who this release is for. If you've never played Diamond and Pearl, you'll probably love these games. Assuming you don't mind a couple of tiny steps backwards in terms of mechanics. If you're familiar with the old games, this will be a mostly pleasant nostalgia trip. Especially if you've forgotten everything that happens, like me. The only hitch is the baffling visual and audio design. More than anything, these choices suggest that the Pokemon Company isn't exactly sure what fans want out of these games. Brilliant Pearl feels well-crafted yet confused, like they pursued several disparate visions at once. If you can see past these strange decisions, you'll find a set of pretty respectable Pokemon games.
Click to expand...

Gamespot 7/10
So far, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl keep enough classic elements to feel like a comfy nostalgia trip, while smoothing over enough of the rough edges that they feel relatively contemporary with other recent Pokemon games. It can't be easy for a storied franchise to pay homage to its legacy while also modernizing in this way, but in my experience so far, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl strike the right balance.
Click to expand...

Digital Trends 70/100
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl play it safe, faithfully remaking two classic DS games -- at times to a fault.
Click to expand...

Power Unlimited 70/100
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl offer exactly what you expect, sometimes a bit disappointing, but still oh so nice.
Click to expand...

Nintendo Life 6/10
While some of the slower elements of the original games have been fixed, and The Grand Underground makes up for the comparatively weak Pokédex, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl’s new art style and a few other stumbles make this pair of games a somewhat disappointing retread of Generation 4.
Click to expand...

Metro GameCentral 6/10
A cheap-looking and unambitious remake of a generic Pokémon entry that seemed bereft of new ideas in 2006, let alone now.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Currently at 78 on opencritic and 79 metacritic, reviewing pretty much as expected.
If you've followed the leaks, you know what to expect.
opencritic.com

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Reviews

A comfortable remake of a less remarkable entry in the Pokemon series, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will still delight fans despite its lack of ambition.
opencritic.com opencritic.com

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond

The adventure through the Sinnoh region has been reborn. Experience the nostalgic story from the Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games in an adventure reborn on the Nintendo Switch system. Adventures in the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl games will take place in the Sinnoh...
www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com
 
0
spoiler alert: it's pokemon, for better and for worse

Metacritic - 75
OpenCritic - 76

Vooks - 80
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are bordering on a masterclass of how to do faithful remakes of a classic and beloved series. They're nostalgic, charming, lovely experiences that perfectly mix the old with the new to present a journey that will appeal to fans of the originals while still keeping things fresh and up-to-date. As one half of a pair of Sinnoh games, they deliver on their half in spades, and show that The Pokémon Company is ready, willing, and able to mess with the formula for the sake of the series. I have my complaints here and there, too, but overall, these are the Diamond and Pearl remakes that I didn't know I wanted until I fell in love with them.
Click to expand...
Nintendo Life - 60
While some of the slower elements of the original games have been fixed, and The Grand Underground makes up for the comparatively weak Pokédex, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl’s new art style and a few other stumbles make this pair of games a somewhat disappointing retread of Generation 4. They’re also very clearly in the shadow of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the upcoming open-world-like Pokemon game that has fans hoping it can take the series in exciting new directions beyond 20-year-old mechanics. If the remit of these remakes was to remain faithful to the original Gen 4 pair, we wish they’d also stuck to the pixel-art aesthetic. Aside from The Grand Underground – and the connectivity with the current games in the series – there’s very little reason to play Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl over your original DS copies.
Click to expand...
VCG - 80
The original DS Diamond and Pearl were great back in the day, and 15 years later this new coat of paint makes them just as entertaining. The improvements may not be as drastic as some may have hoped, but what's here is a solid Pokémon adventure regardless.
Click to expand...
COGConnected - 72
On the flip side, I'm not sure who this release is for. If you've never played Diamond and Pearl, you'll probably love these games. Assuming you don't mind a couple of tiny steps backwards in terms of mechanics. If you're familiar with the old games, this will be a mostly pleasant nostalgia trip. Especially if you've forgotten everything that happens, like me. The only hitch is the baffling visual and audio design. More than anything, these choices suggest that the Pokemon Company isn't exactly sure what fans want out of these games. Brilliant Pearl feels well-crafted yet confused, like they pursued several disparate visions at once. If you can see past these strange decisions, you'll find a set of pretty respectable Pokemon games.
Click to expand...


 
79 on meta

screenshot2021-11-17awjkt6.png
 
0
Honestly I'm so excited to finally be able to play a traditional top-down Pokemon game on the Switch.

I don't count Let's Go as "traditional", since it replaces wild battles with Pokemon Go catching, and requires a single Joy Con (or handheld) as its only control scheme.

It's going to feel great playing a 2D Pokemon game with a Pro Controller. This overrules any negative press this game gets, personally.
 
ILikeFeet said:
honestly, that's the most disappointing thing about it. "it's pokemon" is just so....bland. I see why Legends is advertised alongside this.
Click to expand...

in the year 2021, just getting a remake that doesnt end up absolutely unplayable is already worthy of praise when you look at the concurrence (looking at you: sonic colors ultimate and gta trilogy)
 
bellydrum said:
Honestly I'm so excited to finally be able to play a traditional top-down Pokemon game on the Switch.

I don't count Let's Go as "traditional", since it replaces wild battles with Pokemon Go catching, and requires a single Joy Con (or handheld) as its only control scheme.

It's going to feel great playing a 2D Pokemon game with a Pro Controller. This overrules any negative press this game gets, personally.
Click to expand...

Also excited for the same reason, playing on a ds/3ds is too uncomfortable and this is the first "standard" pokemon game on the switch.

It also helps that I don't play a full pokemon game since gold/silver. I tried X/Y a bit but fell off them and from what I heard they where not the netter generation
 
DEsteves said:
Also excited for the same reason, playing on a ds/3ds is too uncomfortable and this is the first "standard" pokemon game on the switch.

It also helps that I don't play a full pokemon game since gold/silver. I tried X/Y a bit but fell off them and from what I heard they where not the netter generation
Click to expand...

It's funny, because I've put hundreds of hours into Pokemon on the DS Lite / 3DS, but having played the Switch since 2017 I just cannot imagine enjoying holding and looking at a DS anymore.

Maybe it's because this is the first time I've ever had the latest home gaming console of any kind and don't like the idea of "going back", but I also think it's a screen size and reaolution thing. Despite the Joy Cons not being the most ergonomical controllers, I'd take them over holding a DS any day.
 
0
DEsteves said:
Also excited for the same reason, playing on a ds/3ds is too uncomfortable and this is the first "standard" pokemon game on the switch.

It also helps that I don't play a full pokemon game since gold/silver. I tried X/Y a bit but fell off them and from what I heard they where not the netter generation
Click to expand...

XY are a glorified tech demo really, you didn't miss much, especially now that the online (the best part of the game and by far the best online in the entire franchise) is down.
 
Sounds good to me. I'm still not totally sold on the art, but it's fine. The game is what it is, and that's fine for me. Don't expect anything revolutionary, and they should have included some more options for thing like toggling xp share on and off. There isn't inherently anything bad that's here though.

You just need to know going in that it's "just Pokemon," and for many it might be a fresher experience if you haven't played the originals.
 
0
The graphics look fantastic, and I love that tilt shift effect we also saw in Mario + Rabbids and Octopath.

It's just the art style I question. I guess I understand they're going for Full Faithful Remake but they could have at least proportioned the MCs to look the same in and out of battle!

Still not complaining, happy to play DP on my Switch.
 
0
Seems about what I expected, as Diamond and Pearl remakes they seem like fine games (sans the apparently broken level curve) but as Gen 4 remakes they leave a lot to be desired. Really surprised by how nice the graphics are now, the chibi character models are definitely pretty bad but the environments are honestly looking really nice (floaroma meadow at night looks really pretty) and that's coming form someone who absolutely hated how the games looked at reveal.
 
Nintendo Life actually gave them a lower score than Sword&Shield.

Is there something really wrong about these or has something changed since then?
 
0
Yeah, I actually couldn't play the original Diamond & Pearl due to how dreadfullu slow they were.

I didn't actually play through Sinnoh until Platinum when they sped up the walking a little.
 
So, overall a seven-and-a-half to eight out of ten? That sounds like a par for the series, and honestly in line with my expectations after the reveal, marketing and leaks I didn't manage to avoid. Sounds like this will be a game to play cozily over the holiday season - and then the real test for the series will be in January.
 
I feel like this game in particular is catered to new Pokemon gamers and not the vets. The video they dropped a couple of days ago about the intro to pokemon felt like it was meant for someone who had never heard of the series before.

Scores don't matter to me, I already pre-ordered.
 
0
The lowest score for a mainline/remake pokemon game? Just skimmed through metacritic and only saw pokemon emerald lower than it with a score of 76. So not the lowest but 2nd to lowest I guess
 
0
bellydrum said:
Yeah, I actually couldn't play the original Diamond & Pearl due to how dreadfullu slow they were.

I didn't actually play through Sinnoh until Platinum when they sped up the walking a little.
Click to expand...
IMO, even after fixing the most obnoxious slowdowns in D/P, Platinum and HGSS feel slow as heck. If these are decently quick, I happily stash my copy of Platinum away. Everything leaked so far is fine by me.
 
Subnats said:
Seems about what I expected, as Diamond and Pearl remakes they seem like fine games (sans the apparently broken level curve) but as Gen 4 remakes they leave a lot to be desired. Really surprised by how nice the graphics are now, the chibi character models are definitely pretty bad but the environments are honestly looking really nice (floaroma meadow at night looks really pretty) and that's coming form someone who absolutely hated how the games looked at reveal.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it had a HUGE improvement over the first showing. Now it's looking good, even great at some points (it helps if you forget Let's Go exists, though). The underground especially looks really good, I don't understand why they didn't make the whole overworld to look like that. Probably this nonsensical obsession with being faithful.
 
Honestly so excited for these. My favorite generation. They came out when I was 10ish, so these were the first games I felt like I was really playing.
 
bellydrum said:
Yeah, I actually couldn't play the original Diamond & Pearl due to how dreadfullu slow they were.
Click to expand...
I've never finished them. They admittedly came out at a 'bad' time for me, I was very busy with other things, but I just couldn't take any more. Maybe I'll actually see credits this time!
 
0
Leo said:
If anything else, I'm glad were getting these out of the way so TPC and everyone can focus on the Legends Arceus hype until January. I can't wait for that game.
Click to expand...

I'm probably too pessimistic, but I fully expect it to be a dumbed down Monster Hunter plagued by technical issues and very light on content.

That said I already preordered it so I'm dumber than dumbed down MH.
 
AngryAlchemist said:
Huh, weird ... as an outsider looking in, the leaks thread seemed to be surprisingly positive for this game.
Click to expand...

NabiscoFelt said:
The leaks primarily got people excited for post game content, which usually doesn't feature much in reviews
Click to expand...

Yeah Ramanas Park, the Gym Leader and E4 rematches, and the updated Battle Tower got people more interested in these games. Those are all postgame so reviewers likely won't experience much of it.

Also those are features that mainly hardcore Pokemon fans care about, which probably wouldn't be addressed by a more general review.
 
let's go Pikachu and eevee barely broke out of the 70s for reviews despite being the best mainline Pokémon games in almost 20 years so this is hardly a surprise
 
I'm surprised that some of the reviews are so critical. I feel like some reviewers end up taking points away because they're looking at what they think a game could be or should be instead of reviewing what the game actually is.

Pokemon is just such a tricky beast, too. It really reminds me a lot of Star Wars. Try something too different? You'll have a vocal set of fans that absolutely hate it. Try something too safe and familiar? You'll have just as many fans complaining about that too.

I also wonder what the original plans were for BD/SP and Arceus. I can't imagine that they were supposed to come out this close to one another. I'm guessing these remakes were supposed to come out in the spring or even last year, and Arceus for the holidays? Covid likely messed that up.
 
Weebos said:
Yeah Ramanas Park, the Gym Leader and E4 rematches, and the updated Battle Tower got people more interested in these games. Those are all postgame so reviewers likely won't experience much of it.

Also those are features that mainly hardcore Pokemon fans care about, which probably wouldn't be addressed by a more general review.
Click to expand...
Is there any place that has a round up of info on the post-game stuff? I was gonna wait until maybe next year to grab this but I may get it sooner if it sounds more appealing.
 
0
Cubs017 said:
I'm surprised that some of the reviews are so critical. I feel like some reviewers end up taking points away because they're looking at what they think a game could be or should be instead of reviewing what the game actually is.
Click to expand...
Yeah, counting "it's in the shadow of Legends" as a point against it in a review is...well, let's just wait and see exactly how large a shadow Legends actually casts first, given that all we have so far is promotional material. And while I understand why it's mentioned, I also don't personally care if "it's easy to exploit and make the game trivial." If you found that using extra side areas to catch higher level rare mons early removed the challenge...don't do that. Non-optional experience share is absolutely worth talking about when it comes to difficulty, but "I made things even easier for myself" less so lol.
 
0
SpringwoodSlasher said:
So based on the reviews, if I have never played Gen IV before, it seems like it would be worth picking it up.
Click to expand...
Yup. I know people will say "just play Platinum" but that could actually cost you more money than just bying BDSP, and I don't think the bits of content it has that BDSP doesn't are worth the premium, especially the QOL features the remakes have.
 
0
ILikeFeet said:
people keep saying monster hunter, and I'll keep struggling to see it
Click to expand...
It's similar in that the region is broken up into different sections, and there is a very grindy checklisty aspect to completion, along with crafting items and gear that let you explore further into stronger territories. AFAIK.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top Bottom