I absolutely adore those two gems of games on the GameCube. Perhaps back in the day they were overshadowed by portable Pokemon outings like Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed, Leafgreen, and Emerald, but in all honesty I feel like Colosseum and XD were actually better than their portable counterparts and in a number of ways are the greatest Pokemon games to date. In my personal opinion, only Gold/Silver/Crystal and Black/White rival these games in their story.
More importantly, I love the characters. Here are featured some of the most fleshed out and unique characters in Pokemon's history. From Miror B.'s zaniness and danced crazed beats to Ein's cold and calculating nature. Let's not forget the lovely Lovrina or the noble and respectable Eldes.
The concept of Shadow Pokemon left a lot of intrigue, and ominous mystery. There was something unsettling, yet intriguing about the whole picture. Cipher was a group that got right to the point- they were more menacing and serious than their Team Rocket counterparts but not quite as cartoonish supervillainy as Team Magma/Aqua- which I consider more engrossing.
I really was fond of the region of Orre- and it was fascinating seeing it evolve over the course of three years from the transition between Pokemon Colosseum and XD. The cities were conceptually interesting.
The soundtrack was incredibly immersive- I absolutely adore the soundtrack in both games. From the Agate Shrine's naturally soothing tranquility to the Under's unsettling vibe. Let's not forget Realgam Tower's jazzy calmness before the storm, as well as Miror B.'s groovy jam. I love almost every piece of music introduced.
There were a lot of things that worked here- the lack of wild Pokemon may have turned off some to the experience, but I felt that it made the game almost more captivating in some ways. It added a straightforward nature to the experience, and it really sped things up. Thanks to Shadow Pokemon, it was still possible to create your own team and have the experience of catching Pokemon without having to scrounge around in the wild.
Though the Gym Leaders of normal Pokemon outings were also lacking, I felt like it was somewhat refreshing to find boss battles take other forms. Like wild Pokemon, taking on Gym Leaders can be stagnating, and this game has none of that- it thrusts you into constant momentum. Granted, I'm not taking away from Gym Leaders/the Elite Four, and how special that formula is in its own way.
Of course, from a collection and immersion standpoint, I understand why some do miss wild Pokemon encounters. These games did lack certain elements- but mainly because they relied on their portable counterparts for the likes of wild Pokemon, and breeding Pokemon.
I suppose these games have a special place in my memories of Pokemon because they dared to attempt something new- they were far more ambitious than the Pokemon games we see on consoles today and even the Pokemon Stadium games of past. Heck, even many of the portable games weren't so ambitious. Thus, I give an ode to Pokemon Colosseum and XD- thank you for the memories.
More importantly, I love the characters. Here are featured some of the most fleshed out and unique characters in Pokemon's history. From Miror B.'s zaniness and danced crazed beats to Ein's cold and calculating nature. Let's not forget the lovely Lovrina or the noble and respectable Eldes.
The concept of Shadow Pokemon left a lot of intrigue, and ominous mystery. There was something unsettling, yet intriguing about the whole picture. Cipher was a group that got right to the point- they were more menacing and serious than their Team Rocket counterparts but not quite as cartoonish supervillainy as Team Magma/Aqua- which I consider more engrossing.
I really was fond of the region of Orre- and it was fascinating seeing it evolve over the course of three years from the transition between Pokemon Colosseum and XD. The cities were conceptually interesting.
The soundtrack was incredibly immersive- I absolutely adore the soundtrack in both games. From the Agate Shrine's naturally soothing tranquility to the Under's unsettling vibe. Let's not forget Realgam Tower's jazzy calmness before the storm, as well as Miror B.'s groovy jam. I love almost every piece of music introduced.
There were a lot of things that worked here- the lack of wild Pokemon may have turned off some to the experience, but I felt that it made the game almost more captivating in some ways. It added a straightforward nature to the experience, and it really sped things up. Thanks to Shadow Pokemon, it was still possible to create your own team and have the experience of catching Pokemon without having to scrounge around in the wild.
Though the Gym Leaders of normal Pokemon outings were also lacking, I felt like it was somewhat refreshing to find boss battles take other forms. Like wild Pokemon, taking on Gym Leaders can be stagnating, and this game has none of that- it thrusts you into constant momentum. Granted, I'm not taking away from Gym Leaders/the Elite Four, and how special that formula is in its own way.
Of course, from a collection and immersion standpoint, I understand why some do miss wild Pokemon encounters. These games did lack certain elements- but mainly because they relied on their portable counterparts for the likes of wild Pokemon, and breeding Pokemon.
I suppose these games have a special place in my memories of Pokemon because they dared to attempt something new- they were far more ambitious than the Pokemon games we see on consoles today and even the Pokemon Stadium games of past. Heck, even many of the portable games weren't so ambitious. Thus, I give an ode to Pokemon Colosseum and XD- thank you for the memories.
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