Pokemon Colosseum Review
Introduction:
Pokemon Colosseum is the newest Pokemon RPG, this time for GameCube. Naturally, as a fanatic of the series since its first release, I went out and bought the game as soon as I knew it was out, to make a long story short, anyway. So here begins the actual reviewing!

Story:
One total plus side of the story in Pokemon Colosseum is that they FINALLY got rid of their age-old story: To be the ultimate "Pokemon Master" and of course, their old slogan, "Gotta Catch 'Em All" (although it changed to something equally bad: "Gotta SAVE 'Em All", or "Gotta Snag 'Em All"). Now, the actual story in this game? I gotta hand it to Nintendo for originality, but the plot is just weird. Let's start out at the beginning. Your character (his default name is Wes, so henceforth I will call him so) is seen stealing something from Team Snagem's hideout, and then blowing it up. Later, you find out that he was a member of Team Snagem. Why did he revolt against them? No one really knows-- after all, your character conveniently never speaks (funny, I never remember Ash not speaking back when I watched that cursed TV show). So you go along wondering, "Why the heck is he on the good side now?" the whole time. Plot hole, anyone...? Well, that aside, Wes travels from the Outskirt Stand (the only place that actually sells Poke Balls) to nearby Phenac City, and ends up fighting a couple suspicious characters. Lo and behold, it seems they were kidnapping a young girl due to her being able to see what is called a "Shadow Pokemon". From there on, she tags along with you, helping you capture Shadow Pokemon from trainers. What's that, you say? You mean you can catch Pokemon from trainers?! I must say I liked that idea... However you can only catch Shadow Pokemon from them. How, you ask? Well, like I said, he was STEALING something, the Snag Machine, used to "snag" other Pokemon. I won't spoil the rest for you. Well, it's original, but not totally well-thought-out, now is it?
Story: 8/10

Controls:
The controls are very smooth in this game. It seems to be made so not many buttons are used, however-- A, B, Start/Pause, and the joystick/D-pad are about the only things you'll be using with any frequency. There's no problem with them at all.
Controls: 10/10

Gameplay:
The gameplay is pretty good in Pokemon Colosseum. Battles take up much of the game, and they are simple, yet fun. It's basically, use this, use that, hit that, kill that, switch that, etc. And then there's always catching Shadow Pokemon. It's just like catching wild Pokemon (which are conspicuously absent in this game), weaken it and throw a Poke Ball. Now, Shadow Pokemon are special. The doors to their hearts are "artificially sealed" as quoted from the game. After you catch them, your job is to purify their hearts. You can do this by battling, walking, calling their names (a new battle addition) when they are in Hyper Mode (later in the gameplay section), or using the Time Flute, which purifies them instantly. Generally the process takes a while, but it can take longer for other Pokemon or shorter for others. Also, all Shadow Pokemon know the move Shadow Rush, which slightly damages the user. Shadow Rush is very unique. It can activate Hyper Mode, in which the Pokemon's critical hit rate increases, but also it may not obey (and which can also be stopped by calling the Pokemon). Another note on Shadow Pokemon (which are definitely the focus of the game, no?) is that the only move they know from the start is Shadow Rush. They regain moves as you purify them. When they are fully purified at the Relic in Relic Forest, they regain experience and level up (more than likely).
A complaint I will give is that sometimes, your character moves so SLOWLY... And did I mention that all your battles in the game are fought 2-on-2?
Also, apart from Story Mode, there's Battle Mode/Colosseum Mode. You can use Pokemon from your GameBoy games, or use pre-set Pokemon. Also in Story Mode, there is a place called Mt. Battle, which is a remade Battle Tower. It is a long area of 100 Pokemon trainers, going from low levels to really high ones. It would be a lot harder if you didn't get fully healed after every match.
The gameplay is quite like any Pokemon game, really. Tedious sometimes, but still good.
Gameplay: 9/10

Music/Sound Effects:
I love the new music in this game, as well as old remixes. It seems very fitting, wherever you are. A couple can get repetitive after a while, such as the Pre Gym song and the evil area theme, which seems to be remixed about 3 times in the game... But the battle songs are great. It's very well done. The sound effects also get the job done, nothing special, but still good.
Music/Sound Effects: 10/10

Graphics:
Pokemon Colosseum's graphics shine! Everything seems very detailed. Your character's cape flows when you walk. One thing that bugs me, though-- some items are just little sparkles. In one area of the game I took one of those as water dripping. Also, some characters (especially the 4 Cipher (evil crime syndicate) Admins) look really creepy. This one guy, Miror B., he's got this GIANT Poke Ball-colored afro and a gold disco suit, for crying out loud. What would you expect out of anime, though? Pokemon sprites look wonderful. The attacks look great too!
Graphics: 10/10

Challenge:
As far as getting everything in the game, it is VERY challenging. You wanna try catching all the Shadow Pokemon (AND purifying them all)? It can be tough, due to the move Shadow Rush, which conveniently inflicts a little bit of damage to the user. Mt. Battle is a challenge as well. And in some cases, beating a certain boss can be hard, and you might have to go level up (as tedious of a process as ever, especially considering the 2-on-2 idea).
Challenge: 10/10

Fun Factor:
Personally, I'm not one who is very bothered by tedious battles or gameplay. However, due to the massive amount of battles you fight in Colosseum, to many people this game may not seem 'fun'. In my opinion, I've always thought Pokemon games to be addicting. At some times, this game was boring, however. This one is totally my opinion, I guess...
Fun Factor: 7/10

Replayability/Extras:
If you're at all like me, you won't want to delete your 'prize file' to start a new one. Even if you do manage to purify all the Shadow Pokemon, catch Ho-oh, and beat the game... There's always the oppourtunity to raise all your Pokemon to level 100, get everything from Mt. Battle, and try to make the ultimate lineup of 6 Pokemon. Battle Mode/Colosseum Mode is always open to battle in, with your Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire and the upcoming Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green versions or the pre-set ones. Counting all this as extras, since they aren't required to beat the game and some can only be gotten after beating the game, I would have to give it a high rating. However, if you did not think of the game as 'fun', then you may not want to play Pokemon Colosseum any more after beating it.
Replayability/Extras: 10/10

Pros and Cons:
Pros:
-Great graphics
-Wonderful music
-It's a difficult game
-Enough in it to keep you playing it for a long time
-You can "snag" Pokemon from trainers
-At least it's not the Pokemon Master idea!
-Hey, it's a Pokemon game, period!
Cons:
-Strange, not well-thought-out plot
-Tedious playing at times
-Requires many other things that must be bought separately to make the most out of Battle Mode/Colosseum Mode
-You can only "snag" Shadow Pokemon from trainers
-You can't get all the Pokemon
-Hey, what happened to the Badges?

Rent, Buy, or Leave it on the Shelf?
For the rare few of you who have never played a Pokemon game, I suggest renting it to see if you like the series. Any die-hard Pokemon fan should buy it, definitely! Only Poke-haters should "leave it on the shelf", so to speak, as in "not buy at all".

Overview of Scores:
Story: 8/10
Controls: 10/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Music: 10/10*
Sound Effects: 10/10*
Graphics: 10/10
Challenge: 10/10
Fun Factor: 7/10
Replayability: 9/10*
Extras: 10/10*
*: Separate categories in the Overview, listed in the same category in the actual review. When changed into 2 categories from 1, they are subject to slight change.
Total: 93/100 (or 9.3/10, rounded to 9/10)