When I played Pokémon Colosseum for the first time, I was astonished. It was so beautiful, like nothing I had seen before. This was the kind of game I had been dreaming of for such a long time… a game that satisfied my Pokémon dreams completely. The artwork was vibrant and colourful like that of Pokémon Stadium, but so much more vibrant. And the battle moves were so much more detailed! The music also was beautifully done; the Pokemon didn’t themselves were smooth: more realistic, less blocky. But… none this is not what truly captivated me. Pokémon Colosseum‘s story-line is what got me hooked. At this point in my life, I really started to learn how wonderful games could be, especially RPG’s.
The main feature that really made a difference in battle was the double battle system. Whilst being a relatively easy game to play, making good matches still required you to think about who was good as a pair with someone. Moves like surf and earthquake would not hit your partner in this game like it does in Pokemon XD, it was important to factor in move’s type to make a great combination. I think my favourite combination was Flygon and Sealeo, as they had a good range of attacks. I also liked to partner up Houndoom with Umbreon because they looked badass. But probably the best thing about double battles is that certain Pokemon that usually do terrible in single battle became useful in double battles.
The characters in Pokémon Colosseum were also really well done, even the names were funny. I like Mirror B the most, mainly because of his theme and personality. I mean, when do you ever see a disco guy in any game? I tell you, Mirror B has style, so much style they gave him his very own theme. And even though his party of Ludicolo can be annoying with his consistency to keep it rain dance pouring rain down on you, Mirror B’s musical theme keeps you grooving.
I also thought the fact that Ludicolo danced along with the music was gorgeous, a nice touch. I didn’t have much love for Ludicolo until I battled Mirror B. He is also a lot of fun in Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness, as his theme gets a revamp and adds more spunk. The main characters were also easy to love. I think the concept of Gonzap, was also great with his massive eyebrows and mustache He totally looked like someone you did not want to mess with, and his Pokemon also matched his macho look. All of the game’s leaders had personalities, and appropriate Pokemon to match those personalities.
The video below is one of the battles you have with Mirror B.
Whilst Pokémon Colosseum is very battle heavy, the game itself had a steady and exciting plot and plenty of game content outside the main game like Mt.Battle. Mt. Battle is a great challenge to train and to challenge yourself. Nothing greater then beating all 100 people, as a kid. You feel invincible. The plot though, was not as predictable as most Pokemon games, with plenty of twists embedded into the game. I think I also enjoyed the story line and overall characters having a much more mature feel to it. I mean, Team Cipher’s goals were much more complex than the ambitions of Team Rocket, with a much deeper means of wanting to take over the world.
Pokémon Colosseum was such an important game in my life, but in ways it’s not officially the game itself that got me started but my meeting with Charlotte. Without Charlotte I don’t think I would be the gamer I am today and I would have never enjoyed games until she helped me to learn real appreciation for the storyline and such. Learning that games have more to them than just looking cool was a crucial point in my life. Now, I enjoy games mainly for their concept art as a bit of an artist myself. It’s great! But I will always never forget nor ever get sick of playing Pokémon Colosseum. It really does have a captivation that I miss when I play normal Pokemon as it is an experience in itself. I do still hope for virtual reality Pokémon, but perhaps the closest I’ll be able to get to it is Pokémon Colosseum. I am always looking forward to another excuse to play it!
