Pokemon Dragonstone 2 Review by: Jim Profit - 7.9/10
For what it's worth... one of the better pokemon hacks.I have to admit, the creator behind this hack actually made some pokemon a little more bearable. Not completely mind you. But enough for me to see enough to make a good judgement. I am not going to punish myself sitting through another pokemon game to it's completition.
GRAPHICS: 5.
I give the graphics an average score. There is some drastic changes, but you can tell it's just recoloring, and moving around trees and such. While I appreciate the new attacks, new pokemon, etc. It's just not done all that well as far as appearance goes.
SOUND: 5.
No changes to sound, and pokemon's sound track is about the only thing that doesn't get frustrating and tiresome. That's probably an accident.
ADDICTIVENESS: 3.
I'll give the hacker this much... there is more to this then any pokemon game in it's normal incarnation. As said, there are new pokemon, new attacks, and the map itself has been more streamlined to make for a speed-run. I'm glad to see all of that. Unfortunately, the new pokemon quickly become as annoying as the original in that they are continually spammed in their respective regions. The new attacks while fun to gain, and are extremely powerful, (Power: 250) often of times seem out of place. (Why is a swalot learning a dragon type move?) In general though, you will be rewarded for your endeavors with much faster attack learning rates, more promising attacks, and with the plethora of rare candies and masterballs at your disposal... leveling is as difficult as you let it be, and you can catch... some of the pokemon you like.
I say some, because well... it seems kind of a dichotomy to have nearly free to purchase masterballs, but then still incorporate emerald's basic design in what pokemon appear where. What's really the point? If it had incorporated randomizer, then I could understand. It just seems like it's mocking the player to give them masterballs, then have really nothing to do with them. Just to catch pokemon they could normally catch anyway? I want to see more zapdos, mewtwos, and deoxys. Not simply have an easier time catching numas and pikachus.
STORY: 1.
Like any pokemon game, there is no story. In fact... you may find yourself turned off by the game as you are slammed right into a door of bad sex jokes in your hometown. I don't know why the developer felt the need to incorporate it... but don't worry, it quickly ends. And then is never spoken of again.
DEPTH: 3.
Despite the linear design, there are some surprises. Sometimes uninvited, but in general, the seemingly linear mapping will actually be a breath of fresh-air. It's emerald, plus a little something extra. In general though the dialogue and regions do not change enough to give it a spectacular rating, and I think I'm being very generous here giving it a three.
DIFFICULTY: 1.
Like any pokemon game, "difficult" just isn't the right word. Aggravating is more like it. Nothing was done about the insidious random encounter system, or the tilted scale of the A.I, or pretty much all the significant problems. The only real upgrades were catching and leveling pokemon is simplistic. Some might think that this robs the game of some sort of challenge, but honestly you're expected to deal with more then enough as it is. Ten times over... The experience system is so miniscule that you literally are going to be battling at least twenty times (whether random or trainer, it doesn't really matter) before you reach a new level. Rare candies might feel like cheating, but when the game gives you nothing to work with, they should be glad you're just cheating and not keying their Honda cars or something. In the past seventeen years, gamefreak has not changed anything about the formula of pokemon, and we're supposed to be okay with that?
If anything, having the rare candies there shows you just how bad of a game pokemon is. Because you think you're ready for a gym, get turned inside out. Gulp down five to ten rare candies... only to go back in and win by the skin of your teeth. Meaning you'd be expected normally to spend thirty hours level grinding another ten levels normally. Until the EXP system is willing to cut you a lot more slack, and bring down level grinding to about three or four battles per level, even in upper tiers such as level fifty and above... you should demand your hacks come with easily accessible rare candies.
So while I can't say it was the best pokemon hack, because quite frankly that hasn't been accomplished yet and would take some serious work to even conceivably do... I can say it was a good hack. And given my record on reviewing, that's saying a lot.
OVERALL: 7.9.
I think had the creator spent a little less time trying to crack sex jokes, and spent in incorporating the randomizer feature... this game would have been perfect. (For pokemon anyway) New pokemon, new attacks, new maps, and easily catchable monsters (ALL OF THEM) is all that I ask for. And the sad part is gamefreak does not even think the fanbase is entitled to that after all the money fleshed out over the years.
Instead we just get more random encounter pains, more stupid puzzles that impede actual gameplay and take forever to get around, more and more expectations to us as a player while the A.I just throws another cheaply placed trainer that's going to score criticals left and right... and this is supposedly from a culture that prides itself in hard work and honor. I give you credit for making pokemon almost bearable.
Almost...
BIG EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to mention this... but he's edited the pokemon center. Finally someone has figured out that no one wants to sit through a five paragraph chat with Nurse Joy everytime they enter the pokemon center. All she says is "heal?" And that's the way it should be. I'm not there to hear Nurse Joy's life story. That's a big point in favor of this hacker.
Graphics
5 Sound
5 Addictive
3 Depth
3 Story
1 Difficulty
1
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