Pokémon Platinum Version

Revision as of 03:45, 18 February 2009 by Nyoo (talk | contribs)
This article is about the main series game. For the Pokémon Special character, see Platina. For the Trading Card Game expansion, see Platinum (TCG).

Pokémon Platinum Version (Japanese: ポケットモンスター プラチナ Pocket Monsters Platinum) is a sister game to Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and is the third Generation IV main series game. The game was first seen on May 11, 2008 when a low-resolution cell-phone picture of an upcoming issue of CoroCoro magazine was leaked around the Internet. On May 15, the magazine was officially released and the game was also officially confirmed by Nintendo. The game was released in Japan on September 13, 2008 and currently awaits release in other regions.

Pokémon Platinum Version
[[File:File:Platinum-box.png|250px]]
Pokémon Platinum's boxart featuring Giratina's Origin Forme
Basic info
Platform: Nintendo DS
Category: RPG
Players: 1-4 players simultaneous
Connectivity: None
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company
Part of: {{{gen_series}}}
Ratings
CERO: N/A
ESRB: E for Everyone
ACB: N/A
OFLC: N/A
PEGI: N/A
GRAC: N/A
GSRR: N/A
Release dates
Japan: September 13, 2008
North America: March 22, 2009
Australia: TBA
Europe: May 22, 2009
South Korea: TBA
Hong Kong: N/A
Taiwan: N/A
Websites
Japanese: ポケットモンスター プラチナ
English:
StrategyWiki
StrategyWiki has more about this subject:

Like previous third versions, the region and starting area remain the same, and the player begins their journey from Twinleaf Town across all of Sinnoh.

Known changes from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl

Aesthetic changes

  • Lucas, Dawn, and Pearl have different outfits designed for colder weather, as the entire Sinnoh region has dropped in temperature.
  • The template for the level, HP, and name of Pokémon in battle is a dark gray instead of white and its shape has changed.
  • The Pokétch has been redesigned. Players can now move up and down between apps instead of having to go through all of them to return to a previous one.
  • Some of the moves have been redesigned and have a different animation, such as Razor Leaf.
  • When Pokémon are sent out from their Poké Balls, their back sprites now animate much like their front sprites have since Emerald Version. Front sprites for Generation IV Pokémon and other Pokémon in the Sinnoh Dex have also changed.
  • When battling certain Trainers such as Gym Leaders and Pearl, their sprites are now animated to move in the same manner as Pokémon.
  • Some trainers now use seals when sending out some of their Pokémon.
  • The Eterna, Hearthome, and Veilstone Gyms have all had complete redesigns in the interior.
  • Gym Leader closeups, just before a Gym battle, have been changed from enlarged sprites to higher-quality drawings and the terms VS. The Elite Four now also has this but it includes the player on the left side of the VS. and the Elite Four member on the right of the VS.
  • The rooms where the player battle the Elite Four have been redesigned. Aaron now has logs and foliage in his room. Bertha now has rocks in her room. Flint now contains lava pits in his room. Lucian's room has only had minor changes to now include four large lights or glowing orbs on the floor. Cynthia's room has changed its color scheme and the lift leading up to the Hall of Fame is now partially contained. The Pokémon Center at the Elite Four has also been redesigned.
  • When entering new areas, the location 'labels' on the top-left corner have been redesigned, much like they were between Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and Pokémon Emerald.
  • All gyms now only have Pokémon of their type specialty.

Storyline changes

  • The player meets Professor Rowan and the opposite gender character earlier, and obtains his or her starter Pokémon on Route 201.
  • The first battle is against the player's rival, who, as always, has chosen the starter Pokémon that weakens that of the player.
  • The player and the rival now encounter Cyrus at Lake Verity at the start of the game. The player can also meet Cyrus at different venues such as the Eterna City statue.
  • Both Dialga and Palkia appear on Spear Pillar. Giratina, the mascot of Platinum, then phases into the world in front of Cyrus.
  • A new area known as the Distortion World (Japanese: やぶれたせかい Torn World) is playable. It has floor-like sections floating at ninety-degree angles from each other, creating an effect similar to the art of M. C. Escher. It doesn't follow the Laws of Physics, making things like surfing down a waterfall going up possible. The camera angle switches between perspective and isometric views to suit the angle of the player. It also has moving platforms with jumpable gaps between them. Giratina, when here, will be in its Origin Forme and is also the only wild Pokémon located here.
  • At least two new characters were added. One is Pluto, a professor of Team Galactic, and the other is a police officer spying on Team Galactic, using the codename "Looker".
  • A tag battle between the player and his or her rival against Flint and Volkner takes place at the entrance to the Battle Frontier when the player first arrives there.
  • Team Galactic's plans for world domination and the layouts of their HQs, such as the one in Eterna, have been changed. In addition, they openly recognize their goal and are more openly villainous.
  • Some of the Gym Leaders have been reordered: Fantina is now the third Gym Leader, Maylene is the fourth and Crasher Wake is the fifth.
  • Dawn/Lucas no longer gives the player the Dowsing Machine or the Vs Seeker near the Route 206 junction; instead he/she meets the player at the entrance to Mt. Coronet.
  • Team Galactic appear in Stark Mountain under the command of Pluto, who seeks to use the destructive power of the volcano to extort money from the people of Sinnoh. The player, with help from Buck, must defeat them. During this event, Mars and Jupiter quit Team Galactic because Pluto does not share the same ideals as ex-boss Cyrus. Ultimately, Pluto and his two accompanying grunts are apprehended by Looker and two policemen.
  • After the aforementioned event, the player is able to challenge all the Gym Leaders of Sinnoh to rematches in the Match Place. The player's tag battle partners from throughout the game (Cheryl, Buck, Marley, Mira, and Riley) are also able to be challenged in this café. Each of the 13 characters has a team of five Pokémon, whose levels are between 61 and 66.
  • The Elite Four increase their Pokémon's levels after the player has completed the Stark Mountain event. Their levels are now between 65 and 78.
  • When one finishes the Stark Mountain quest, instead of the rival appearing at the Fight Area on weekends, he now appears at the Survival Area in front of the Match Place. During the first battle, the levels of the Pokémon in his party range from 59-65, second battle 69-75, and third and beyond 79-85. On his last battle, he is the trainer with the highest-leveled Pokémon in all main series games.
  • When first visiting the Resort Area, the player receives a villa. Inside on a table is a catalog that lists items that can be purchased to furnish the house in the same manner as decorating a secret base. The player will be visited by NPCs such as the Sinnoh Gym Leaders, the player's mom, Professor Rowan, and the rival.

Gameplay changes

  • Giratina's cry will be heard when "Start" or "A" are pressed at the title screen, unlike in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl which just play a snippet of the title theme's melody. It shares this trait with some previous generation games.
  • The Wi-Fi area has been enhanced with the Wi-Fi Square, which supports up to 20 people at a time. The new area seems to focus exclusively on mini-games, which include Rapid Wobbuffet, where players hit a Wobbuffet, and Merry Mime Jr., where players can balance Mime Jr. on a ball.
  • The Poffin making has been modified with a new feature involving a Swalot-shaped machine, into which Berries can be thrown. This can be done over Wi-Fi in the new Wi-Fi Square.
  • There is a new key item called the Battle Recorder (given by Looker when the player first meets him in Jubilife City), which allows players to record battles in Battle Frontier and Wi-Fi, and share the records with other players over the GTS. Battle records can be rated by other players upon viewing, and the most popular battle records are displayed for all to see. Players can also take pictures of their PC boxes and share them with other players in a similar fashion.
  • The GTS has incorporated an E-mail system that allows players to be notified of completed trades. Notification messages are sent to the player's actual E-mail address.
  • The Sinnoh starters and their evolutions are now allowed in an expanded Amity Square, making a total of 20 Pokémon allowed in the Square.
  • Over local wireless, there is a new feature where the player and their friends can put their Pokémon eggs in and randomly swap.
  • HM05 (Defog) is now located inside the Solaceon Ruins instead of the Pastoria Great Marsh.
  • The player now receives HM04 (Strength) from Riley on Iron Island instead of in the Lost Tower.
  • The player can now challenge other trainers in certain Pokémon Centers. The trainer(s) are located in front of the desk. These trainers change location every day.
  • In addition to the move tutors in Diamond and Pearl, three new move tutors are added, in Snowpoint City, on Route 212 and in the Survival Area.
  • The Accuracy of Hypnosis was changed back to 60.
  • The surfing speed has become faster.

Obtainable Pokémon

  • 59 more Pokémon have been added to the Sinnoh Pokédex to give it a grand total of 210 entries, with all non-legendary Pokémon introduced in Generation IV now included, along with their pre-evolved forms and several other Pokémon. The added Pokémon, such as Rotom and Giratina, are now available prior to the Elite Four challenge.
  • Giratina can appear both as Altered Forme and Origin Forme in Platinum. It will appear in Origin Forme while in the Distortion World, and in Altered Forme while out of it. A Platinum Orb is required to transform it to its Origin Forme outside of the Distortion World.
  • The ability of Origin Forme is Levitate and its base stats mirror those of Altered Forme in that the offensive stats have been switched with their respective defensive stats.
  • Shaymin's new Forme is called Sky Forme and takes on a canine appearance. Its ability is Serene Grace and the form is focused on Speed and Special Attack. It will be able to learn new moves like Quick Attack, Air Slash and Leaf Storm.
  • Shaymin is able to change between its two forms via the use of the Gracidea Flower (Japanese: グラシデアのはな). This item doesn't work at night or if Shaymin is frozen.
  • Rotom has new forms as well. Each of the five forms is a Rotom that has possessed an electrical appliance. Despite having visual characteristics of other types, the five forms share the original Rotom's Electric and Ghost types, whereas their base stats are far higher. They also share the original Rotom's ability: Levitate. These Pokémon are not normally available and are therefore banned from official tournaments. The item to unlock these Pokémon in the game, the Secret Key, is an event-only item.
  • Regirock, Regice and Registeel are catchable at level 30 with the help of an event Regigigas that has been distributed in Japan.
  • Regigigas is now found at level 1, making it the lowest-level non-glitch wild Pokémon in a game (not to mention the lowest-level non-glitch legendary in a game).
  • The legendary birds can be found as roaming Pokémon after the National Pokédex is obtained. They roam Sinnoh much like Mesprit and Cresselia do. The player has to talk to Professor Oak in Eterna City to trigger their appearance. They are all at level 60.
  • Dialga and Palkia appear on Spear Pillar one at a time after the player has spoken with Cynthia's grandmother in Celestic Town, and obtained the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs in Mt. Coronet.
  • Cynthia now gives the player a Pokémon egg containing Togepi after the player has defeated the Galactic Eterna Building.
  • Bebe now gives the player an Eevee before the player receives the National Dex; Eevee can now be obtained from the first time the player arrives in Hearthome City. It is at level 20.
  • A man in Veilstone City gives the player a level 25 Porygon as a gift.
  • Manaphy, while still uncatchable in-game, is now required to obtain the National Dex. It can be added to the Sinnoh Dex from finding its picture in a book in the Trophy Garden.

Map changes

Connectivity

Trivia

  • This is the first game where a version mascot's primary color is not the name of the game. However, while no color is especially dominant in Giratina's color scheme, it has gray elements that the "Platinum" may refer to, and the names Giratina and Platina share the same word ending.
  • Platinum is the only game thus far to have altered a regional Pokédex.
  • Platinum is the first game to be named after a metal since Pokémon Gold and Silver. However, both Gold and Silver are also considered colors, making Platinum the first game named solely after a metal.
    • It also makes Generation IV the first generation in which two game names have the same first initial in English (Pearl and Platinum). However, other languages have had the same initial in their game names, with Spanish Azul and Amarillo for Blue and Yellow and German Saphir and Smaragd for Sapphire and Emerald. Coincidentally, all three of these are the respective second and third versions of their generation.
  • According to Famitsu, Pokémon Platinum is the fastest-selling Nintendo DS game.
  • A small cosmetic mistake was made during the development of Platinum. Normally, when the player picks up an item on the ground, it disappears and the message saying "[PLAYER] received a Poké Ball" or whichever item it happens to be. However, when the Platinum Orb was placed in the Distortion World, the programmers got this backwards for the first known time in Pokémon history. When the player "talks" to the Poké Ball containing the Platinum Orb, it displays "[PLAYER] received a Platinum Orb!" before it disappears.

External links

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