Round Up: The Pokémon Brilliant Diamond And Shining Pearl Reviews Are In

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Pokemon Diamond Pearl

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are just two days away from launching on Nintendo Switch and as is the case with any Pokémon release, they’re sure to be put under the highest scrutiny from fans all around the world.

Reviews for the games have started flooding in today, including our very own, so we’ve gone ahead and rounded up a selection of quotes and review scores from a number of different outlets. Below, you’ll see just how well they’ve gone down with the media ahead of this Friday’s launch.

Before we dive in, we’d naturally like to encourage you to check out our very own review:

Pokemon Diamond Pearl

Right, now you’ve read through our final verdict, let’s see what other critics had to say.

We’ll kick things off with Game Informer, who awarded the titles a score of 8.5:

“While Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl don’t move the needle in terms of what Pokémon games will look and play like moving forward, they mostly hit the mark in being faithful to the originals. I’ve really enjoyed my time re-exploring Sinnoh, despite my qualms with the lack of critical path difficulty.”

VGC opted for a 4/5 score:

“The original DS Diamond and Pearl were great back in the day, and 15 years later this new coat of paint makes them just as entertaining. The improvements may not be as drastic as some may have hoped, but what’s here is a solid Pokémon adventure regardless.”

The Gamer were slightly less impressed, saying that Platinum is still the definitive Gen 4 game and offering up a 3.5/5:

“…These are very good remakes of Diamond & Pearl and excellent games in and of themselves – they’re just nowhere near the best Gen 4 remake. Given that Platinum is still superior to Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl in almost every conceivable way, it’s difficult to comprehend why these games even exist aside from making them available on a modern console, in which case… just port Platinum.

Godisageek went with a mighty 9/10 score:

“When it comes to Pokemon, you’re either a fan or you aren’t. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond isn’t going to change minds, nor is it intended to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the series. What it does, however, is remind us of one of the best adventures in the series while bringing it right up to date with gorgeous visuals, quality of life updates, and performance that I didn’t spot a single frame drop during.”

And finally, GameSpot described the games as a “comfy nostalgia trip”, giving them 7/10:

So far, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl keep enough classic elements to feel like a comfy nostalgia trip, while smoothing over enough of the rough edges that they feel relatively contemporary with other recent Pokemon games. It can’t be easy for a storied franchise to pay homage to its legacy while also modernizing in this way, but in my experience so far, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl strike the right balance.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl launch on 19th November, available to buy either digitally from the Switch eShop or physically at retail. Will you be playing them this Friday? Let us know in the comments.

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