[Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl] Those that have played, how would you rate BDSP on a scale of 1-10?

[Sheep]

Many of us have played enough of BDSP by now to have final decisions on how well it held up. On a scale of 1-10, what would you rate the games? What factors contributed to the score for you?

 

[Zeostar]

I would give it a 7.

It's Pokemon and it's fun. I like the art style. I know the comparisons have been hammered to death, here there is not much that would specifically make me prefer this over Platinum. The games also feel a bit slow (just waiting for the text boxes to pop up, and the constant friendship reminders).

 

[Corrin]

I'm just at Canalave, but I don't mind the art style at all. It's Pokemon, it's aimed a kids mostly. I think the simple, clean style is easy on the eyes for new and old fans alike.

I wish they'd made the tutorials options like in swsh though.

 

[Drayton]

I give it a 7. The chibi art style is overall cute and I love how they done with VS transition is quite appealing to look at and other trainer's appears next to their pokemon. Overall fun though the pokemon art style is bit improvement but feels lackluster in the visual department wish they could do something immense on that.

Overall it's nice to not teaching HM anymore since it's part of poketech now and HMs that we know and love also hate be apart of TMS now; Speaking of TMS, it's shame they going back to old TM used once policy but nice the game gives 3 workup TMS earlier game.

 

[mikey]

I agree with 7, yeah. I had a lot of fun with it. I understand why some people may not enjoy it - the lack of turning EXP off is probably my biggest critique. Otherwise, I thought it was a good game and liked what ILCA did.

 

[Sheep]

Also a 7 for me. It hits the nostalgia really well, and the Grand Underground is just so good. I really wish all Pokémon games had side features like this - I would spend an eternity in them.

My main reason for giving it a 7 are:

1) It feels like there are way more bugs/glitches in this game than most other Pokémon games, except RBY. Heck, even in RBY I didn't encounter things like battles freezing and needing to restart the game, and that's just the start of it. Doesn't seem like they had much time for testing and were forced to rush a bit to meet their deadlines. :(
2) Not the fault of BDSP but - region design. Sinnoh has always had the least interesting region design/layout for me, and going through the routes can feel a little uninteresting at times.

Still, I really like this game, same with any other Pokémon game. They did a good job maintaining what made the originals special even with some things being new (see: the new Contests).

 

[Aljam]

For an $80 pricepoint I wouldn't recommend BDSP. I give it a 6-7 overall due to nostalgia value. Hold out for Legends: Arceus instead.

 

[Winter]

7.5

Music is a perfect grade. Love the Grand Underground and Super Contests. I honestly am not hung up over the chibi art style which seemed to be very controversial (it's almost forgettable imho). I like the post-game content; catching legendaries + pokeradar got real easier compared to D/P/Pt. I for one has yet to experience a bug/glitch so... I think my only gripe is that they could've made the main story more challenging by several notches but ehh.

 

[Major Agnostic]

Wow single-use TMs? Didn't even know about that lol what in the... that and the forced exp all kinda aggravate me, although I guess for the latter there's the silver lining that you can swap out party members mid-game without having to grind much lol. Although I'll likely just Nuzlocke this game. I'm sure I'll still enjoy the journey when I play this, but it's just disappointing to know that it could've been so much better. Especially with no platinum endgame/Battle Frontier. Come on GameFreak :(

 

[Lysander]

6/10

The game definitely could have been better in ways such as not bringing back single-use TMs and leaving Platinum-dex mons out of the main game. Post-game battles are probably my favourite thing about the game, but playing through the main game felt pretty boring at times. I would probably choose to replay Platinum over BDSP if I wanted to play through a Sinnoh game again, as imo Platinum is a much more complete game and feels much better to play through than the remakes.

 

[DarkDragonMeister]

5/10. They were way TOO faithful for my tastes. It was like playing DP just with better graphics and barely anything new added. At the very least they should have added Sinnoh variants. I know were getting Hisuian forms in Legends but i doubt any one would have complained if they gave us a Sinnohian Medicham. It would have been a good way to give the Dex more type variety.

 

[kabutoDX]

3/10. It's Diamond and Pearl original with barely any new features and a coat of paint that doesn't even look that nice. The original Diamond and Pearl was a 7/10 game in 2005 (Platinum was a 9/10), but unacceptable in 2021.

 

[Iceshadow3317]

2/10.

It is no secret that I don't like these games and overall I just did not enjoy playing them. This might be because Sinnoh was originally where I began to fall out of the Pokemon Franchise. Now I think I know why, because I just did not like these game to begin with. There was no nostalgia at all while I played these games. And half the time it felt like I was forcing myself to play the games when I just didn't want to so that I could say I finished it.

The games are too faithful.
Doesn't fix the problems that DP had.
The graphics are terrible. Yeah I know it is supposed to be like Pixel, but the point is, there is a reason those looked better.
There wasn't enough pokemon. When you have 5 to 10 routes with nearly the same pokemon, that is a terrible thing.
We payed double the price for the same exact game.
We should have never went back to single use TMs.
Catching post game legends is more work than worth. Especially if you have other games where it is easier to catch pokemon.
And to throw salt in the wound, it is the first pokemon game where I have experienced a glitch that wasn't forced by myself. And while it only made me lose about 3 minutes of teaching new moves to pokemon, it was still annoying.

I just don't like the game and never will. While I did make probably one of my favorite teams, that is about all. Pokeradar is ok, but let's face it, it isn't really worth doing when there are other methods that are better. And while I do like the upgraded Underground, I don't see much of a point of going once you finish the game and have pokemon you want. I don't know exactly how the shiny mechanic works down there, so I can't judge that too harshly, but it isn't enough to carry the game.

 

[colours]

7. i've enjoyed the original d/p, so i knew i was going to like these games going in. that said, the lack of decorating secret bases and the questionable effect of statues (and tbh statues are boring) in particular kind of take away the fun of the underground for me. hideaways are cool though. most other things i'm pretty "ok" on, and i at the very least appreciate that ILCA made gym leaders/e4 rematches harder.

as of right now, i'm challenging the battle tower, but i imagine eventually i'll get bored of that, unfortunately. and since there's nothing else in this game for me to do but rematches, i feel the score of 7 is rather appropriate.

 

[JDragon921]

I've started with gen 4 and have been playing since I was around 3 or so, but looking at the game while trying to take off them nostalgia goggles, I'd have to give it either a 7-7.5/10 objectively. Yes, there are problems here and there, but there are also some good things too, which a lot of people want to skim over. But the cons, cuz this game is by no means perfect, should probably be listed first.

By the time I finished this, I realized I put A LOT, so the tl;dr is just - 7.5/10. Lots of problems that could've easily been avoided, but still adds some nice things and is still very enjoyable. Platinum is overall better, but both have good things that the other doesn't. I don't see why you shouldn't just play both. Overall, ILCA did a pretty good job, considering them being new to this and probably being limited in what they can actually do.

Cons:
-Removal of Underground Secret Base decoration. If ILCA wanted us to have statues, then we could've easily just had a statue room or tiny display cases that give small buffs.
-Exp All/Share forced on the party. This has been hammered into the ground, and for good reason. There is no good arguable reason on why the exp share is forced and gives so much. It's not split correctly, and you technically get more exp than normal, with the rest being split. It's very easy to overlevel in this game if you're not careful or don't use more than 6 Pokemon for your playthrough. This. Mechanic. Isn't. Good. This game existing in gen 8 messed things up.
-Control. While things have been getting somewhat better with updates, the 1:1 take of Sinnoh left no changes to obstacles and map design to make the tight spaces easier to go past without using the D-Pad, and there can still be some bumping problems there too.
-Bugs. This is by far one of the buggiest mainline Pokemon games I've seen. It's no Gen 1, but there are some issues. My 2nd playthrough had 1 crash, and I've had some Grand Underground problems with random sparks and Pokemon getting stuck. While I personally haven't dealt with a lot of actually harmful issues other than the 1 crash, I know a lot of other people had way more problems. Also, that 7th gym softlock shouldn't've existed, even if you really shouldn't be in that situation in the first place. ILCA hasn't really been the lead in development for games(Home is an App, and for the other games they've been in, they weren't majorly involved)
-Platinum content. This is one of the other glaring problems with this game. Platinum is objectively better and fixed almost every problem Sinnoh has. For whatever reason, a good chunk of that just isn't here. Some pokemon are catchable. Rotom forms are available. Then you have the rest of the dex. The original DP dex isn't good, and BDSP only slightly fixed that. Item placement for better progression, dex expansion with evolutions, and more have been left out. There are SO many people I've seen get the ":(" because the Razor Fang for Gliscor is postgame. I don't know if it was Masuda that thought it should be like this because he directed DP and not Pt, or ILCA REALLY wanted the games to be fundamentally flawed, but yeah.
-Single Use TMs. I personally don't have a problem with it. If you just play in the Grand Underground and talk to the hikers, then you can trade spheres for TMs. All of them can be obtained more than once. I know that a number of people still dislike it, and some don't want to have to do that, so I'm putting it as a con.
-Difficulty. The affection mechanic and exp share messed up a lot of things, and there was nothing done to actually make the game scale with it. Levels and Pokemon aren't changed, with the only real challenges coming in the E4 and some gym leaders if you don't have a good team for it. Maylene messed some people up with Lucario. Roark caught some people off guard with Cranidos. Every other gym leader is... there? Of course, Pokemon isn't really meant to be that hard, and it's "was always easy", but a lot of the fun comes from building your team, connecting with the mons, and getting success from playing the game right, not getting your ass beat 6 times.
-Poketch issues. There's literally no reason to have the Poketch have 1 button again. There's being faithful, and then there's just being plain stupid. It also doesn't help that the touch screen only works with badge cleaning it seems. It may feel clunky and slow to use the Poketch at times due to you having to press the R button, find the app, use the thing, then put it back. Having the right stick always have a pointer on it or something could've helped...
-Generation 8 JUNK. Forced EXP share is one thing, but there are also other problems like removed moves. Honestly, if this remake came out during Gen 7 or something, we might've been able to dodge some of these flaws in design and structure.

Pros:
-Music. The music is pretty much perfect, no argument. Only a couple of songs may not hit as well as the originals, but this is just good. Everything has been modernized and has just been done well. Sinnoh has one of the better soundtracks overall and is up there with Hoenn and Johto. Yes, Unova is also good with the OST, but also has some misses.
-The graphics. You can say you don't like the chibis, and that's fine. It's not bad though. I don't get how there can be so much discourse over this artstyle, because it's fine at worst, and great at best. The game is vibrant and looks great in most areas. Yes, the chibis can take away the seriousness of many characters and scenes, but they also add a loveable charm, cuteness, and entertainment from just looking at them. The only thing I can say is that the game is sometimes too bright, and sometimes Pokemon just straight up glow or reflect light when they shouldn't.
-The Grand Underground. God, you can hear about people just spending hours down here, and there's a good reason why. Seeing a bunch of people run around feels great. Getting blue sparks to mine with them helps. Mining in general is addicting and rewarding, leading to a lot of goodies. Hideaways have extra goodies, gives mons that are a good level, gives MORE mons that expands the dex or give earlier access, AND they have egg moves, making it easier to get good movesets(Looking at you, Sneasel). The Diglett "Lightstone" mechanic is great too and helps with shiny hunting and statue collecting, which helps you encounter certain Pokemon.
-It's Sinnoh. Love it or hate it, the fact that it's literally just Sinnoh has a lot of reasons to have fun. The lore is cool, with lots of myths and stories. The routes/caves/etc, while sometimes a bit weird, always have something great in them and are WAY better than a lot of other regions, probably getting beat only by Hoenn(you can argue Unova too, but I personally don't think so.). While some evolutions and mons are misses, there are a LOT of hits, like Gliscor, Weavile, the Gible line, all 3 Starters, the BEST regional bird Staraptor, Bidoof, and a bunch of other ones that would take too long to list. For every needless Happiny, there's a cool Vespiquen or Gastrodon right there and then some.
-HM QOL. Sinnoh is notorious for having HM problems. You either need an HM Slave or HMs spread out across your team, which can lead to messed up movesets and problems. This game fixed it. The whole thing. It's all just a Poketch app. This reason is probably why BDSP can even stand with Platinum.
-Generation Updates. The game is faster than Sinnoh, which is notoriously slow(I don't mind but it is definitely painful at times). Fairy types, stat buffs, and some movepool upgrades make the games much more manageable. Remember when Shinx would get spark at like lv 13? Yeah.
-More Ball Capsule stuff. It's not even that big of a pro, but it's really cool. Gen 4 is the only gen to have this, so it being back with more stickers/seals is cool.
-Postgame. Say what you will about the Battle Frontier and Villa. I'm upset about it too, and that's in the cons category of "Platinum Content", but there's still a lot of good here. The entire island is still explorable, and Ramanas park is right there. A bunch of legendaries to catch and it incentivizes you to mine in the Grand Underground? Pretty damn cool. Dawn/Lucas can be battled. We also have Gym Leader + Barry rematches back.
-Contests. Not a lot of people really care about this, but they are simplified and faster. You may be happy or upset about it, but I'll mark it as a pro. This is more of a mixed thing.
-The Elite Four. Call it a difficulty spike, and I'll call it an amazing challenge that your entire adventure has led up to. Yes, there are ways to cheese the fights, like EVERY fight in the series, but Cynthia takes the crown and the cake as the strongest trainer in the series now. Leon got close, and then this game came out. Red is there too, but Cynthia's team is better with the rematches. The only thing that holds this back is the affection mechanic.

So yeah, there's good and bad. Every game has that. Pokemon fans may be a little bit more passionate and intense about their feelings towards a game, but that's because it's Pokemon. There's always so much to love and get attached to. Sinnoh will always be my favorite region, and while this game isn't the best thing that could've happened for remakes, it still has a lot to enjoy. I recommend it. If you don't like it, try looking into modding the game to get those sweet sweet fan-wanted changes. Take a look at Sigma Platinum, a BDSP mod. Wait a little while for more mods to come out, which will most likely fix a lot of the problems with this game.

 

[havenhaven]

hi

 

[Sweet Serenity]

I would probably rank Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl a 6-10. I have only played the Brilliant Diamond version personally. Nonetheless, I rank it a 6-10 mostly because I enjoy playing Pokémon in general. However, the Sinnoh based games in generation four have always been my least favorite. I always thought that Sinnoh was bland as a region, the main story aspect of the games had too many cutscenes, and many of the art designs for the Pokémon were bad in generation 4. Additionally, I was disappointed when I finished Pokémon Brilliant Diamond, as there wasn't much to do post-game. Many games from the previous generations had good post-game content after finishing the story. I finished Brilliant Diamond in such a short time feeling like I had nothing else to do. Thus, much of the 6 is me enjoying it because it's Pokémon. I love having the experience of battling and catching as many Pokémon as I can because it's fun, no matter the generation. However, the reason that the game loses 4 potential points on the scale is because of the disappointments I previously mentioned and my overall dislike of Sinnoh.

 

[rpghellin]

To me, it's a solid 7.

Good fun, quality-of-life improvements, and always a fun adventure.

I didn't feel the exp share was a problem, as I rotated pokemon throughout the campaign and was never over levelled. In fact, it was quite tough to defeat the E4 playing the game this way.

It would be an 8 if the platinum content had been added. The postgame content is quite alright, tbf.

However, I do take issue with how hard it is to develop a competitive team. After so many years, the fact that IV breeding, EV training, unlocking hidden abilities, etc. is such a grind is a bit of a shame. When quality-of-life improvements were announced, I expected a bit more. Sw&Sh go further on this point.

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

Solid 8.5/10, and this might be because of... whatever the opposite of recency bias is. But after gens 7 and 8 with their poorly written stories, constant hand-holding, terrible supporting characters, and ridiculously over the top super-powered forms, it was a breath of fresh air to see the series return to form. You tend to not really appreciate things like well-written Champions and an evil team that's actually evil and doesn't get shoehorned in at the last minute, until you sit through Pokemon games that are lacking in these basic things.

Nitpicks include the controls (Poketch and transition to 360 motion), no Secret Base decorations, and poor initial quality control. Other than those and a few other things , I was quite pleased with how these games turned out.