Pokemon Diamond and Pearl is the latest addition to the Pokemon RPG series. It adds many new things to the genre including WiFi online play and 107 new pokemon, bringing the total amount of pokemon in the universe to 493 species.

Gameplay. The gameplay isn't much changed from previous pokemon games, although some minor tweaks were made to the formula. The player is able to choose between 1 of 3 starter pokemon at the start of the game, and is able to capture any pokemon to enhance thier party that appear in the wild. Battle takes place in a turn based fassion in either 1 on 1 or 2 on 2 matches. Moves are selected on the touch screen or with the use of the D-Pad and buttons. Moves are now divided into physical and special based on how they are executed, unlike previous versions of pokemon where move damage was seperated into physical and special based on type. There are 17 different types in the game. Each type has it's own weaknesses and strengths in relation to the others.

Story. As with most pokemon games, the story centers around the hero's progression as a Pokemon trainer. The hero must combat the evil Team Galaxy and their nefarious plans of world domination, while collecting the 8 gym badges to challenge the Elite 4 and become a Pokemon Master. After the Elite 4 are defeated there are new areas opened up to the player to explore, and gameplay can extend indefinitely as the gamer collects new pokemon.

Design. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl is a mixture of cell shaded 3D graphics and 2D environments. The Pokemon are all 2D sprites. Some of the sound effects are synthesized, but most of the music is orchestral. Composers Hitomi Sato, Go Ichinose, and Junichi Masuda wrote 149 songs for the game.

Appeal. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl offer all the appealing features of the old pokemon games (the unique ability to chose from hundreds of party members, challenging strategies, and breeding) along with the added bonus of online play. It polished many of the old gameplay functions and added some new ones, creating a unique and engaging RPG experience.