Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia Review

Despite my fondness for Pok?mon, I never got the chance to play much of the original Pok?mon Ranger , so I was interested to see how this side series compared to the main games ( Diamond & Pearl being the most recent entry). It turns out I wasn't missing out on much; the game provides some addictive -- albeit overly simplistic -- fun, but this part of the Pok?mon franchise still has a lot of growing up to do. For a game obviously skewed toward a younger audience, Shadows of Almia is very text-heavy. But the actual story alternates between banal narrative straight from the mind of an 8-year-old, and moments completely lost in translation. The videogame medium still doesn't have its own Harry Potter or Finding Nemo , a story that resonates just as powerfully with young audiences as with old. Nintendo and the Pok?mon juggernaut have the resources available to create just that, so it's a little disappointing that they never seize the opportunity. Click the image above to check out ... (link)