Pok?mon has long had a polarizing influence. Naysayers have been calling the Nintendo franchise a fad since its inception on the original Game Boy in 1998, while aficionados fought the critics back with cries of, "Gotta catch 'em all!"
"Pok?mon XD: Gale of Darkness" for the Nintendo GameCube is yet another strong role-playing game, but its kid-friendly surface may repel older gamers worried about what their friends will think.
"Gale of Darkness" plays much like the Game Boy "Pok?mon" games, but it is more story-driven. There is less emphasis on catching all the cute monsters and becoming the best, and more on stopping the bad guys' evil plot and saving the day.
Unlike the Game Boy versions, the protagonist does not have to travel through fields and forest to get from town to town, and so players can only really capture wild Pok?mon in a select few locations. Instead, most of the snagging is done in battle against other trainers. This change works fine for the game, but makes for fewer battles in which to increase the strength of individual Pok?mon.
The fights themselves are excellent thanks to smooth visuals and a deep gameplay system that forces players to strategize to best take advantage of battle conditions and their Pok?mon's abilities.
"Gale of Darkness" stumbles in the sound department. Music is repetitive and mind-numbing, and the Pok?mon's garbled language sounds more mechanical than animal. Still, at least they didn't use the voices from the cartoon series.
Despite its flaws and candy-coated exterior, "Pok?mon XD" is a fine role-playing experience with enough depth to appeal to even the oldest of gamers.
