Top 50 Pokemon Games Of All Time

27 – Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness (GameCube)

Looking back at Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness is a mix of nostalgia and eye rolling. On one hand, it reused a lot of assets from Pokemon Colosseum, and acted as a weird spiritual successor that didn’t really improve upon the formula of capturing shadow Pokemon and purifying them. The story was relatively uninspired, and the areas available to explore were small and dull. That being said, Pokemon XD represents a final hurrah for console Pokemon titles like it, featuring a trainer progressing through a story and capturing Pokemon. It represents a type of game many fans still long for in a more full and polished incarnation: a console, story-based Pokemon game compatible with the handhelds and with their same fullness. Unfortunately, it may have doomed itself. As the worst of the Stadium/Colosseum games, it didn’t exactly inspire another sequel.

Still, the game was fun for what it was, and its compatibility with the Game Boy Advance Pokemon titles added to its desirability among trainers. It also featured a few more challenges than were available in Colosseum, such as Mt. Battle and the Poke Spots, allowing for more Pokemon to be captured.

Next: #26 - Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Explorers of Sky