I swore I was done with Pokémon.
I managed to survive the stage of my childrens’ lives where Nintendo’s ubiquitous pocket monsters were the engouement du jour. I collected several bazillion of them myself over the course of countless versions of the games, even though the basic and addictive gameplay formula evolved so much less than the Pokémon themselves ever did. So frankly, the prospect of an umpteenth round of “gotta catch ‘em all” sounded about as enticing as sitting through a Real Housewives of New Jersey marathon.
But like Al Pacino in the Godfather 3, Brett Favre in the NFL and gamers and anything Call of Duty, I got sucked in yet again, this time with the promise of something new: Pokémon crossed with Fire Emblem-like strategy role-playing. Yes, Pikachu and company have a schizophrenic record of genre mashups (Pokémon Ranger = good, Pokémon Rush = abomination) but Pokémon Conquest had real promise.
And to a large degree, it delivers on that promise. Half the game is based in city and unit management. You’re cast as an aspiring warlord who must conquer enough castles/kingdoms to take out Nobunaga, a villain ripped right out of Japanese history and the strategy-RPG Nobunaga’s Ambition. (The names of the various and sundry warlords you’ll encounter are also fact-based; their clownish and petulant personalities, not so much). Big N’s looking to capitalize on the prophecy that the one who controls all 17 of the castles in the kingdom of Ransei will awaken and command legendary Pokémon.
Gee, where have we heard that before?
We’ve heard it, yes, but the play’s the thing, and Conquest has something far deeper and more interesting in mind. The turn-based battle half of Conquest takes place on typically wacko arenas that are, of course, littered with strategic elements that can either be exploited or ruin your day, things like random lightning bolts, rolling boulders and springboards that send your six-Pokémon army hurtling to unexpected areas of the field. Sometimes, winning requires obliterating all the enemy Pokémon in a limited number of turns. Elsewhere, you’ll be capturing banners and/or hanging onto them for dear life. You’ll always be paying close attention to your Pokémon’s position on the battlefield, making sure you’re not turning your back, offering bonus damage to a dangerous opponent or setting up multiple hits for your enemies.
In between capturing castles, you’ll spend each unit’s monthly turn doing everything from mining gold to maintaining your Pokémon’s energy levels and recruiting allies and wild Pokémon through more turn-based action. It’s possible to delegate these tasks to your soldiers, and once your army has reached a semi-imposing stage, you’ll probably want to—that is, unless you relish pounding on the same set of Pokémon enemies ad infinitum. Each one of your warriors can bond with a certain number of wild Pokémon, captured in battle by nailing a simplistic rhythm-based game. Their stats soar as you use them, and certain types are designed to bond with certain warriors, resulting in even more powerful combos. That’s a compelling reason to keep searching for that perfect match. And no, Magikarp is probably not involved.
Some parts of the turn-based piece feel just right—the melee damage you can pile on if you position your Pokémon to surround an enemy, the one-time-use Warrior abilities that can make a huge difference in a critical battle. Others feel like somebody fell asleep on top of their copy of Sun Tzu. Your Pokémon only ever get to bust one move in battle, even after they finally evolve, which feels both utterly limiting and a major break from the Pokémon experience we’ve come to expect.
Pokémon Conquest’s central drawback is insurmountable—it’s too damn easy. If you know your Pokémon rock-paper-scissor lore—and by now, how could you not?—it’s simple to stack your army with whatever’s strong against what you’re facing. (Helpfully, each kingdom is themed by Pokémon type. Even more helpfully, your second-in-command tells you exactly which types of Pokémon will romp and fail before each battle launches.) The threat of rival warlords storming and swiping your castles is supposed to loom over your every strategic decision, but unless you’re daft enough to leave a castle completely unguarded at the edges of your kingdom, your foes are generally more than content to let you while away the months burnishing your unit stats until your army is powerful enough to crush them on the first try. Completing the lengthy campaign opens up a huge set of new challenges. And there’s local multiplayer, which holds the added benefit of matching wits against an opponent that’ll probably attack more aggressively than the AI.
Okay, so it’s easy. It’s also deceptively deep and addictive, packed with little triumphs that’ll keep you battling through to the campaign’s end and beyond. Like the first time you use a divide-and-conquer strategy to win in an arena that asks you to hold and defend four banners on a raised platform—the hitch being that any hit from an opponent Pokémon knocks your pet off the platform’s edge. Pokémon Conquest is packed with strategic moments like this. Discovering and mastering them all is a bigger blast than you might have expected.
Pros:
+ “Catch’em all”—still crack-like after all these years–pairs well with turn-based strategy gameplay
+ Ransei is a fully realized universe
+ Little strategic touches run surprisingly deep
Cons:
– Main campaign is ridiculously easy
– Pokémon are limited to a single attack
– Game leaves too many key concepts unexplained
Game Info:
Platform: Nintendo DS
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Tecmo Koei/Pokémon Company
Release Date: 6/18/2012
Genre: Strategy-RPG
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Players: 1-2
Source: Review copy provided by publisher
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Multiplayer in God of War? I know, it still doesn’t sound quite right. But Sony Santa Monica has revealed its competitive ambitions for the next PlayStation 3 mythological adventure, and here you’ll find the first screenshots showing teams of Kratos wannabes fighting for the right to slay a giant cyclops.
Not to be outdone, Activision came through with the completely expected news that Call of Duty: Black Ops II is exploding onto the gaming scene this fall. The near-future Cold War premise with horseback riding and unmanned drones turned into an army of robot invaders? Now that stuff wasn’t so predictable.
For mascot kart racing fans, new screenshots for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and LittleBigPlanet Karting crossed the finish line this week. Bethesda also dropped off a screen-grab six-pack for awesome-looking first-person action game Dishonored and, proving once again that games are art, Giant Sparrow presented its beautifully abstract first-person painting adventure game, The Unfinished Swan. Just one more artsy PlayStation Network exclusive to watch out for, folks.
Other new screenshot galleries to check out this week include: Persona 4 Golden, Orgarhythm, Ragnarok Odyssey, Mario Tennis Open, GT Academy 2012, Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, The Last Story, Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles, Hitman: Absolution, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Vita, Ys Origin, Pokémon Conquest, Ms. Splosion Man, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, Unchained Blades, Warlock: Master of the Arcane, Starvoid, Blood Bowl: Chaos Edition, Salem: The Crafting MMO, Enclave: Shadows of Twilight and Free Realms third birthday celebration.
God of War: Ascension (PS3):
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Call of Duty: Black Ops II (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita):
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LittleBigPlanet Karting (PS3):
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Dishonored (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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The Unfinished Swan (PS3/PSN/PS Move):
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Persona 4 Golden (PlayStation Vita):
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Orgarhythm (PlayStation Vita):
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Ragnarok Odyssey (PlayStation Vita):
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Mario Tennis Open (Nintendo 3DS):
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GT Academy 2012 (PSN/PS3):
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Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy (Nintendo 3DS):
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The Last Story (Nintendo Wii):
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Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles – The Avengers Table (XBLA, PSN for PS3 and Vita):
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Hitman: Absolution (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PlayStation Vita):
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Ys Origin (PC):
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Pokémon Conquest (Nintendo DS):
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Ms. Splosion Man – Splokour Challenge Event (XBLA):
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The Testament of Sherlock Holmes (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Unchained Blades (PSP, Nintendo 3DS):
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Warlock: Master of the Arcane (PC):
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Starvoid (PC):
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Blood Bowl: Chaos Edition (PC):
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Salem: The Crafting MMO (PC, Mac, Linux):
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Enclave: Shadows of Twilight (Nintendo Wii):
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Free Realms – Third Birthday Event (PC, Mac, PSN):
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Check Out These Links:
- Ragnarok Odyssey Shows PS Vita More RPG Love
- Orgarhythm Crossbreeds Pikmin With Patapon
- TopWare Resurrects Enclave Wii-Make
- Persona 4 Gets Remastered for PS Vita
- First-Person Painting Adventure The Unfinished Swan Waddling Onto PSN
- Mario Tennis Open Update: Multiplayer, Ink Showdown, StreetPass Features and Bonus Characters (vgblogger.com)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II Going Black to the Future
- God of War: Ascension Redefines Competitive Multiplayer
- Sony Teaser Announces God of War: Ascension
- Get Ready for Square Enix’s Nintendo 3DS Summer of Fun
- Square Enix’s 3DS Final Fantasy Rhythm Game Comes West This Summer
- Sackboy Hops Behind the Wheel in LittleBigPlanet Karting
- Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles First Look
- Zen Pinball 2 Comes to PS3 and PS Vita this Spring, Upgrade Free for Existing Zen/Marvel Pinballers
- Hitman: Absolution’s Special Edition is for Professionals Only
- XSEED Games Now Publishing Ys Series on Steam
Borderlands 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Mario Tennis Open (Nintendo 3DS):
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Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (Nintendo 3DS):
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Risen 2: Dark Waters (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Aliens: Colonial Marines (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City – Spec Ops DLC (PS3, Xbox 360):
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Mass Effect 3: Resurgence Pack (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning – Teeth of Naros DLC (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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XCOM: Enemy Unknown (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Spec Ops: The Line (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Way of the Samurai 4 (PS3):
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Ninja Gaiden 3 – DLC 1 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Double Dragon: Neon (PSN, XBLA):
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Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles – World War Hulk (XBLA, PS3 and PS Vita via PSN):
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Pokémon Conquest (Nintendo DS):
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Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure -Warnado, Camo and Wham-Shell Toys (3DS, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360):
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Skylanders Cloud Patrol (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch):
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FIFA Soccer 12 – UEFA EURO 2012 Digital Expansion (PC, PS3, Xbox 360):
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Primal Carnage (PC, PSN, XBLA):
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The Witch and the Hundred Knights (PS3):
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Mugen Souls (PS3):
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Legasista (PS3):
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