Pokémon Colosseum (2003)

Big recommend if you're bored of mainline Pokemon games and are looking for a fun twist. A bit old-school, with gen 3 'mons and mechanics, but a fun narrative, great music/atmosphere, and smart twists on the Pokemon gameplay.

All double battles, for starters. Makes for fun strategizing you normally can't afford to do in mainline entries. Plus, no wild encounters. All the 48 Pokemon you catch are snagged from opposing trainers. The in-game reasoning is that they've been unknowingly gifted 'Shadow' Pokemon that you need to purify. It's a fun little twist, and it nicely ties gameplay and story together in a way you don't really expect from Pokemon games.

There are admittedly a limited set of Pokemon to choose from, and some endgame grinding for 100%, which make this a marginally less-polished entry, though its uniqueness more than makes up for it. Plus, emulation helps to buff up the rough spots, if you're into that route.

Big recommend for a fun Pokemon twist. It won't match the craziest of romhacks out there, but it offers pleasant enough variety in gameplay/narrative/atmosphere, without feeling too 'out there' for a Pokemon game. Definitely give it a look.

Mentioning this game in a comment made me want to jot down some things I remember about it. I also hadn't rated it, so decided I would do that, too.

• You start with two (of the best) Eeveelutions. Immediate plus.

• You're stealing Pokemon from bad guys. Sick.

• The entire game is double battles. I actually really like Pokemon double battles, and it added a little spice to the usual one-on-one.

• It was a Pokemon RPG on the TV!

One thing I viiiividly remember was how unbalanced stats/damage seemed? Like, playing through a mainline game, you kind of develop a feel for how much damage a move is going to do after having played so many of the games. (Not based on stat knowledge or anything that detailed. This came out the year after Gen 3 ((but before Emerald)), if I remember correctly, and I grew up with the series as it came out, so I had R/B/Y, G/S/C, and R/S under my belt at this point.) In this, I remember being around the same level as opponent Pokemon, or even a higher level, and moves just weren't doing as much damage as they should. However, their damage to ME seemed about right. Because of that, the game just seemed more "difficult" than the mainline games because normal trainers were "tougher."

Snatching some of the legendaries was challenging because some of the shadow moves hurt the user, so whittling their HP down was a precarious process.

Overall, it's been several years, but I remember this game to be more challenging than the mainline games, with a pretty solid story and interesting mechanics.

This was also, I think, the first game that I ever preordered, and that was kind of on a whim, like for a report card or something. But doing so netted you the disc to get Jirachi in Ruby and Sapphire and I still have that.

When I got Pokemon Colosseum as a kid, I about lost my mind. When I tried replaying it as a teen, I thought I was a bit too cool for it. As an adult, I've completely circled back. Let's compare notes here:

me, age: 10

• HOLY CRAP THEY'RE ALL IN 3D AND ON MY TV!!!
• I GET TO BE KIND OF THE BAD GUY?????
• SHADOW POKEMON ARE THE SCARIEST COOLEST THING EVER AAAAAA
• THE MUSIC!!! THE MAPS!!!

me, age 25

• HOLY CRAP THEY'RE ALL IN 3D AND ON MY TV!!!
• I GET TO BE KIND OF THE BAD GUY?????
• SHADOW POKEMON ARE THE SCARIEST COOLEST THING EVER AAAAAA
• THE MUSIC!!! THE MAPS!!!

To add a small disclaimer though, I'm obsessed with Pokemon and always have been. To make this game a little more of a challenge, and to stretch out the playtime, I actually designed my own Nuzlocke-style challenge.

My rules:

• Only 1 non-shadow Pokemon in the team at any given time.

• Any time a shadow Pokemon is ready to be purified, it MUST be.

• Fainted Pokemon are sent to the box and cannot be used in battle ever again (but can be purified with massages)

• No leaving a particular map or mission until every shadow pokemon I'm confronted with is captured, if at all possible.

• No TMs, no healing items.

• All purified Pokemon must be nicknamed something silly and badass, for maximum cheese.

And honestly? It was so much fun! My rules about shadow pokemon meant that my team composition was constantly changing, and I couldn't rely on the standard heavy hitters to help me get through the story. I found some unexpected allies in underused and underloved Pokemon, and it ended up being super fun!

2019 is the year of no longer feeling the need to hate cool things or only like them ironically. Give me your MarySues and Edgelords, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Give me the trash protagonist who dresses like the kid from Grandma's Boy and never f*ckin learned how to read. I have no shame and I'm not too cool for anything.

In short, I love this game.

The battles do get a little monotonous, because despite the fairly impressive (for 2003) list of available Pokemon to import for battles, the actual in-game Pokemon roster is a little light. You eventually find yourself sort of trashing the same 10 or so gen 3 staples on repeat in places like Mt. Battle, which only serves to make the grind even more exhausting. (I say this after having 100'd it enough times to buy 2 sets of Leftovers. Yikes.)

The story of it is one of my favorite in any Pokemon game. It's so uniquely dark for the series, and it's one of the only ones where your protagonist has an established identity in the world prior to you stepping into their shoes – in this case, as a stone-cold badass. Plus, the addition of 2 evolved and already strong starters, Espeon and Umbreon, was a brilliant move. You have this compelling, awesome protag with companions who you already care about, and since they assume you know a thing or two about the universe, they totally skip over the tedious retread of type matchups and how the Pokemon world works. It's the perfect game for Pokemon veterans.

On to the maps and music: UH, YES? Just YES!

Agate Town is one of my favorite maps in any Pokemon game ever. I'm a sucker for Gen 3 altogether, but this kicks it up to the next. It's super lush and beautiful, with all these tiny, intricate touches that make it especially gorgeous for its time. And on top of that, it has this insanely cozy, soothing music that contrasts with everywhere else in the desert region perfectly. I could straight up live there.

But if we're talking music, it is ALL ABOUT that Miror B theme! SALSA!

In short, Colosseum is the best. I can't wait to see it get a spiritual successor or be rereleased on virtual console. I'm still not TECHNICALLY done, as I have about 15 more Pokemon to purify before I can beat Ho-Oh, but I'm calling it good for now, since I've already moved along to my next game.