As you, of course, know, I am a fan of Pokemon. When I bought my Japanese model 3DS at a game shop in Sasebo, I hadn't any games (except Star Fox 64 3D), so I also bought a couple games. As Mario Kart 7 had yet to even see Japanese game shelves, I chose 2 Pokemon games: Pokemon Black 2 (granted, a regular DS game), and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity as an actual 3DS game.
Most reviews I have seen tended to be negative in regards to the game, but fuck them all, as this is MY review.
So, what did I find upon popping the white cartridge in to my "new" (actually used) 3DS? Well, let me show you...
For the sake of my review, I will review this game, and any future games, on a 1-5 scale in multiple categories.
Story (3/5): The story behind the game is that you are a human that became a Pokemon (of your choice), and fell through the sky and hit the ground. Another Pokemon (also of your choosing) finds you, and teams up with you. Shit happens, you do a few adventures, and also portals start forming randomly. Yes, there is more than that, but, sadly, I am not fluent in Japanese, so I cannot really get in to it as deep. Not really that special, but a minor note.
Gameplay (5/5): Now here is where the game shines. As you can obviously tell by the title, this is a dungeon crawler with Pokemon. And it is totally awesome. Fusing the elements of Pokemon battling with dungeon crawling, this game has you exploring various maze-like caverns to accomplish whichever objective is at hand, while also finding various items and coins and other things. The dungeons are full of items, enemy Pokemon, and even traps. You have your partner to help you, but once he dies, you have to fend for yourself. And sometimes, you encounter a hoard of enemy Pokemon ready to kill your arse. The dungeons will keep you engaged the whole time, and will even make you want to keep exploring.
Graphics (4/5): Like most modern Pokemon spinoffs, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity has the same 3d-rendered Pokemon and backgrounds as most others on the Wii. With that in mind, you also get some 3D effects, mostly in cutscenes. For a handheld, the graphics are actually fairly good, without any sign of pixellation or compression, down to the actual LCD pixels. But, with that in mind, the graphics are not necessarily anything special.
Music (2/5): The music is not really special, with tracks mostly inspired by the old British isles (which is, granted, fitting, based on an English-looking landscape in the game), with violins and flutes mostly. I will say, though, that when the Pokemon hoard music starts playing, it does evoke a kind of "Oh, shit.." But, other than that, not really particularly special.
Replay Value (5/5): Perhaps what makes the game worth it is the nearly infinite replay value. In addition to continuing the story mode with new dungeons even after beating the game, you can also take a round object, such as a bowl, cup, or 1940s oscilloscope screen (which I did), and make a dungeon out of it. Since each new dungeon is completely new, you will never find yourself memorizing the dungeons.
Overall: 4 out of 5. While most reviewers have given negative reviews to Gates to Infinity, I, personally, believe that it is a very good game, and worthy of a purchase. It is a very fun game, with nearly infinite replay value. What more could you ask for?
Most reviews I have seen tended to be negative in regards to the game, but fuck them all, as this is MY review.
So, what did I find upon popping the white cartridge in to my "new" (actually used) 3DS? Well, let me show you...
For the sake of my review, I will review this game, and any future games, on a 1-5 scale in multiple categories.
Story (3/5): The story behind the game is that you are a human that became a Pokemon (of your choice), and fell through the sky and hit the ground. Another Pokemon (also of your choosing) finds you, and teams up with you. Shit happens, you do a few adventures, and also portals start forming randomly. Yes, there is more than that, but, sadly, I am not fluent in Japanese, so I cannot really get in to it as deep. Not really that special, but a minor note.
Gameplay (5/5): Now here is where the game shines. As you can obviously tell by the title, this is a dungeon crawler with Pokemon. And it is totally awesome. Fusing the elements of Pokemon battling with dungeon crawling, this game has you exploring various maze-like caverns to accomplish whichever objective is at hand, while also finding various items and coins and other things. The dungeons are full of items, enemy Pokemon, and even traps. You have your partner to help you, but once he dies, you have to fend for yourself. And sometimes, you encounter a hoard of enemy Pokemon ready to kill your arse. The dungeons will keep you engaged the whole time, and will even make you want to keep exploring.
Graphics (4/5): Like most modern Pokemon spinoffs, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity has the same 3d-rendered Pokemon and backgrounds as most others on the Wii. With that in mind, you also get some 3D effects, mostly in cutscenes. For a handheld, the graphics are actually fairly good, without any sign of pixellation or compression, down to the actual LCD pixels. But, with that in mind, the graphics are not necessarily anything special.
Music (2/5): The music is not really special, with tracks mostly inspired by the old British isles (which is, granted, fitting, based on an English-looking landscape in the game), with violins and flutes mostly. I will say, though, that when the Pokemon hoard music starts playing, it does evoke a kind of "Oh, shit.." But, other than that, not really particularly special.
Replay Value (5/5): Perhaps what makes the game worth it is the nearly infinite replay value. In addition to continuing the story mode with new dungeons even after beating the game, you can also take a round object, such as a bowl, cup, or 1940s oscilloscope screen (which I did), and make a dungeon out of it. Since each new dungeon is completely new, you will never find yourself memorizing the dungeons.
Overall: 4 out of 5. While most reviewers have given negative reviews to Gates to Infinity, I, personally, believe that it is a very good game, and worthy of a purchase. It is a very fun game, with nearly infinite replay value. What more could you ask for?