Pokémon Ranger
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- This article is about the video game, for the movie see Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea.
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| Developer(s) | HAL Laboratory |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Release date | JPN March 23, 2006 NA October 30, 2006 AU December 7, 2006 EU April 13, 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Action RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E (Everyone) CERO: All Ages OFLC: G |
| Input methods | Nintendo DS stylus |
Pokémon Ranger is an action/role-playing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS video game console. The game was released at various dates, varying between continents. The game was first released in Japan on March 22, 2006 and was later released in North America and Australia during the remainder of 2006. The game's final release date was in Europe in April 2007.
Pokémon Ranger is compatible with Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, also for the Nintendo DS, allowing players to transfer the egg of the legendary Pokémon Manaphy to a Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl game. This game is set in the Fiore region.
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[edit] Gameplay
Pokémon Ranger is a role-playing game which is designed in a format radically different than that of traditional Pokémon RPGs. The player controls a Pokémon Ranger in the Fiore region and catch the Pokémon, but only temporarily, by using a device called a "capture styler", which is controlled by the stylus. The player must loop the Pokémon with the "styler" a certain amount of times to capture them. The storyline revolves around a single Pokémon Ranger — Lunick (カヅキ Kazuki?) or Solana (ヒナタ Hinata?), depending on the player's choice. In addition to the male, female, and professor protagonist characters in the game, several other Pokémon Rangers are part of the Ranger Union. Each ranger leader holds domain over that town's rangers. These rangers are named Cameron (カムリ Kamuri?), Elita (エリダ Erida?), Joel (ジョウ Jō?), and Spenser (ハヤテ Hayate?). A professor named Professor Hastings (シンバラ教授 Shinbara-kyōju?, Professor Shinbara) also plays a significant role in the game, as the Chief of Technology for the Ranger Union. The new villainous group, the Go-Rock Squad (ゴーゴー団 Gōgō-dan?, Team Go-Go), has four sub-leaders called the Go-Rock Quads, the leader's three sons and daughter. Similar to Jessie and James of Team Rocket, the Quads have a motto they repeat every time they are encountered. Their original plot is to use the Power Styler, a more powerful version of the original Styler that resembles an organ, to take control of Entei, Suicune, and Raikou to attack citizens of Fiore. They would then command them to stop, leading people to believe the Go-Rock Squad were heroes. They would afterward command Pokémon to start other problems and charge money to solve the problem. After this plot failed and the Go-Rock Squad disbanded, some members have attempted to resurrect the Go-Rock Squad by capturing Rayquaza, as in Extra Mission 3.
[edit] Setting
Pokémon Ranger is set in the Fiore (フィオレ地方 Fiore-chihō?) region. The region's name originates from the Italian word for flower. The region itself doesn't appear in the Pokémon anime series, although the female protagonist of Pokémon Ranger, Solana, has made an appearance. The Go-Rock Squad is the resident crime syndicate of this region. Fiore itself doesn't have any native Pokémon, but has many Pokémon from other regions. It also does not have any Pokémon Trainers. All people who live with Pokémon keep them outside of Poké Balls, like pets, as Pokémon are never trained here. Fiore is located quite some distance from the other regions of the Pokémon world up to the third generation. It is a relatively small island region that is quite mountainous. There are four major settlements in Fiore, each named after the season it constantly experiences — Ringtown (spring) to the west, Fall City (fall) to the east, Wintown (winter) at foot of mountains to the north and Summerland (summer) on an island to the south. The Krokka Tunnel connects Fall City and Ringtown. From there, one can also get to the Panula Cave, which is also accessible from Summerland's harbor via water vehicle (aka the AquaMole), which is the coldest spot of Fiore, hence ice pokemon appearing there, including the legendary Regice. It leads to Wintown, located on the foot of the Sekra Range. The Sekra Range is a 6500 foot high mountain range that is notable for having a waterfall that can "fill the Capture Arena 23 times in one minute"; housing the Go-Rock Squad's base; a house high up where the residents inside will recharge the player's Styler; "Shiftree", a tree where five Shiftry live in and will attack the player all at the same time; and the Fiore Temple, an ancient temple mountain currently home to a lot of wild Pokémon, but with a strange door that will only open when you capture the 3 wanted pokemon; where the game's climax takes place, located at the very summit of the Sekra Range. On the same island where Summerland is located on is a big jungle called the Olive Jungle. Numerous Bug- and Grass-type Pokémon live here, and in the center is a ruin, with the same symbols on Kyogre, called the Jungle Relic. In the past, Rangers came to the Relic to test themselves. There are four Challenges involving Dragon Pokémon, each representing one of the four classical elements: the Challenge of Destruction (Earth), the Challenge of Wind (Air), the Challenge of Fire and the Challenge of Water. These Pokémon are Salamence, Flygon, Charizard, and Kingdra respectively, as on the cover of Pokémon Ranger. It is said that should all four be cleared, a catastrophe will befall Fiore. After beating the game, the player may roam around free to do almost anything. There is also the Ranger Net for special missions after the main missions. If the code for the special Manaphy mission is unlocked, you can use it to get the Manaphy Egg.
[edit] Development
Information regarding Pokémon Ranger was first published in the July 2005 issue of CoroCoro Comic Magazine. As expected, vague details were told, which mostly hinted that it was a game and a movie. The “official” Pokémon Ranger announcement came on as a short teaser at the end of the 8th Pokémon movie, Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Little information was known beyond the fact that it was a game and a movie. This game's development was confused for being the same game as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.
[edit] Promotion
A few episodes of the Pokémon animated series have included Pokémon Rangers. They seem to go on special missions to help preserve Pokémon and human relations, and they are closely related to Pokémon breeders. They also have a device that allows them to temporarily control wild Pokémon; this device also allows them to scan Pokémon, check how healthy they are, and make sure that they are not being interfered with by outside forces. Solana herself has appeared in three episodes of the Pokémon anime.
Several Pokémon Rangers can also be battled in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed, LeafGreen, Emerald, Diamond, and Pearl and are depicted as protecting the environment and wild Pokémon. These Rangers own Pokémon which they keep in Poké Balls, and act very much like Pokémon Trainers.
A direct-to-DVD animated film adaption Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea premiered on Cartoon Network on March 23, 2007 and released on DVD the succeeding month.
[edit] Merchandise
A game watch has been manufactured in the theme of Pokémon Ranger. The watch is designed to look like the Pokémon Rangers' Capture Styler used for capturing Pokémon. The Pokémon can be used to help the styler by making bubbles or having leaf blades shoot out or having it on fire. [1]
[edit] Sequel
At the February issue of CoroCoro, Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage, a sequel to Pokémon Ranger was announced. It will feature Pokémon from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and will be using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. It was also announced that it will be out in Japan on March 20, 2008.
[edit] Reception
Pokémon Ranger sold 193,337 copies in Japan on its release week.[1] In terms of games reviews, Pokémon Ranger received fairly positive reaction, with a 70% ratio from Game Rankings. [2] IGN gave the game an overall score of 7.1 out of 10,[3] citing the presentation, gameplay and graphics as the game's strong points but also citing the game's use of sound as a major backdrop, issues such as the game's use of the 8-bit sounds from the original Game Boy games' Pokémon cries.[3] A lack of a multiplayer mode was also a negative point in IGN's review.[3]
Gamespot gave a similar review to IGN, giving the game a 7.5 out of 10 overall.[4] Gamespot commented that the game's "unique capturing system", "good-sized quest" and "attractive 2D graphics and animation" were the games good points while also commenting that issues such as possible scratching of the touch screen during capture and "basic exploration sequences" were the games notable bad points.[4]
As of December 31, 2007, Pokémon Ranger has sold 2.61 million copies worldwide.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ GAF - News - Japan: Weekly software sales for 3/20 - 3/26
- ^ Game Rankings page
- ^ a b c Harris, Craig (2007-11-02). Pokemon Ranger Review. ING. Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
- ^ a b Kasavin, Greg (2006-12-05). Pokemon Ranger -> Review. Gamespot. Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
- ^ Financial Results Briefing for the Nine-Month Period Ended December 2007 6. Nintendo (2008-01-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
- Pokémon Ranger at Nintendo.com (archives of the original at the Internet Archive)
- Official Site
- Official Site (Japanese)
- Pokémon Ranger at GameFAQs
- Pokémon Ranger review at Netjak
- Review of Pokémon Ranger on Green Hill Zone.
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