Pretty great Pokemon game. I never played Colosseum but as far as I can tell, this sequel improves upon the gameplay so vastly. If you’ve been searching for an official shakeup to the mainline formula, this is a fantastic option. It’s fun to have your team built around Pokémon that you snag from others. The game only having double battles is such a major boon for the strategic depth of this adventure, it genuinely makes me wish we’d get another game where the main story is all doubles.

One of the game’s biggest assets also happens to be one of its biggest flaws. The battle animations are enthralling, fun to watch, and full of life. However, without the option to turn them off, halfway through the playthrough they start to feel like they’re lasting waaaay too long and easily make up for a good chunk of the playtime.

I still give this my recommendation, but if you have the means to throttle the game speed, you’ll enjoy it even more.

I do not remember a ton of the finer details about this game, and would like to replay it sometime to refresh myself. However, upon hearing more discussion, it seems this is the impression that most people walk away from the game with. While a member of a solid series of action-platformers, it doesn't set itself apart very well, its music is held back sorely by the GBA soundchip. The story was enjoyable, and felt like a satisfying close, but everything else (even the new Zero Knuckle) left me with a ho-hum feeling. I would love to give this another shot someday when I'm not playing it after every Mega Man X then every Mega Man Zero game in a row.

I played this as a multiplayer campaign with my friend. It was very engaging and fun for the most part, with the different vehicles, weapons, enemy types, and challenges constantly keeping the playthrough fresh. That is, until Mission 7 where the latter half of the game isn't as sharply designed, with long repetitive sections of shooting through groups of enemies in a hall or simply retreading an old level. Plus, the Flood enemies can sometimes feel a bit too damage-sponge-y and take really long to take down.

The feeling of the earlier levels, the story, and the high of racing to the end in the Warthog was such a blast though, that I need to give this game credit for it. I'd recommend playing this with a friend, undoubtedly.

I played this as a multiplayer campaign with my friend. It was very engaging and fun for the most part, with the different vehicles, weapons, enemy types, and challenges constantly keeping the playthrough fresh. That is, until Mission 7 where the latter half of the game isn't as sharply designed, with long repetitive sections of shooting through groups of enemies in a hall or simply retreading an old level. Plus, the Flood enemies can sometimes feel a bit too damage-sponge-y and take really long to take down.

The feeling of the earlier levels, the story, and the high of racing to the end in the Warthog was such a blast though, that I need to give this game credit for it. I'd recommend playing this with a friend, undoubtedly.