Part 1: Welcome to the World of Dual Screen!
Part 1: Welcome to the World of Dual Screen!
Well now. Is it finally time?
You should definitely watch the opening. Why?
Cause it's pretty spooky! Because...
It is finally time for Pokemon Platinum! Oh my days, I'm so excited for this game, I love it to pieces, it's one of my favourite games... ever, and something I've been looking forward to showing off in excruciating detail for a long time now.
Professor's Intro
While you should click every music link, because oh my days this soundtrack is so fucking good... it's a Pokemon game. We've been here before. If not, you'll learn quickly.
Two screens!!!
Alright, so we've been a fair few guys lately, and while this cold and unforgiving region is no place for a lady in a miniskirt, like hell I'm playing as the guy with the doofy hat. Get outta here.
Japanese names are pretty good, since Dawn is good, but LIGHT/SHINE is better.
The only exception to this is our rival. His name is Barry, everything about his character is Barry and he is one of my favourite characters in the franchise.
Let's get going!
Rowan's TV Spot
I really should find the remote, damn Old Man Lecture is on repeats...
Twinleaf Town Day / Night
Before we begin, eh, no.
Much better! You might also notice that, yes, music now changes depending on the ti-
Barry Encounter!
Hey, Hikari! Did you see the TV? Sure you did! Prof. Rowan's that really important guy who studies Pokemon, right? That means he must have lots and lots of Pokemon. So, if we ask him, I bet he'd give us some Pokemon!Well sure, that sounds reason-
Uh... where was I? Oh, right, right! We're going to go see Prof. Rowan and get some Pokemon. I'll be waiting outside. OK, Hikari? If you're late, I'm fining you $10 million! Twinleaf Town Day / Night
Truly we live in the future. Uh, as I was saying, when we're first introduced to an area, I'll list both tracks to compare, but as we finish old locations again, I'll alternate or whatever.
Barry already left. I don't know what it was about, but he sure was in a hurry! You know how impatient Barry is. He took off before I could even ask what it was about.Some might find Barry annoying, but he is my hilarious hyperactive child and I will protect him always.
It would be OK if you had your own Pokemon, but you don't, so... well, take care, sweetie!
Twinleaf Town: Fresh and Free!
A literal translation of the Japanese name, while also a reference to both you and your rival's beginning growth.
Futaba Town: Where new leaves breathe.
From futaba, the sprout of a new seed that forms two leaves.
Something I just thought of, click the image to also see the DP version of the map! There's a lot of differences between these games and to go over all of them would take way too long!
Sinnoh has become a more muted, snowier region in Platinum, which I feel really adds to the ambience. Just ignore the tropical bit in the top right corner.
Ehehe, yeah. Definitely. We'll get to that later.
I think he's home now. Why don't you go check it out?Honestly, even after he said he'd meet us on Rou-
Barry Encounter!
What was that about?! Oh, hey, Hikari! Hey! I'm going to see Prof. Rowan! You should come, too! And quickly!
It's a miracle he even gets fully dressed everyday.
He was gone for a second, but then he came running right back home. He just can't sit still, that boy. I wonder who he takes after?
Oh, hey, Hikari! I'll be waiting on the road! It's a $10 million fine if you're late!
I'd guess he would be out on Route 201 by now? He just can't sit still, that boy. I wonder who he takes after?Truly, it'll be a mystery for the ages.
Route 201 Day / Night
All right! Let's get moving to Prof. Rowan's lab. ... ... What? Don't go into the grass, right? No worries! No problem! It doesn't matter that we don't have any Pokémon. Trust me on this one. I've got an idea! Now listen. You know how wild Pokémon jump out when you go into tall grass? So, what you do is, you scoot over to the next patch of grass before any wild Pokémon can appear! If we just keep dashing, we can get to Sandgem Town without running into wild Pokémon! OK, stick with me! OK, here goes! On your marks...It was nice knowing you, Barry, try not to get mauled into too many pieces.
You two don't seem to have any Pokemon between you? Then, what is the meaning of going into the tall grass?! ... ... ... ... ... ... Hey, Hikari. This old guy... it's Prof. Rowan, isn't it? What's he doing here...?
Hmm... what to do...? Their world would surely change if the were to meet Pokemon... is it right for me to put them on that path...? ... ...
Meh, I've gotten over it.
Whoa, hold up! You're not making any sense here! Er-hem! I didn't quite catch that, so I will ask you again.
Okay, maybe a little bit...
You two. You truly love Pokemon, do you? What?! You can ask a hundred times! The answer will never change! We'll both answer a hundred times, we love Pokemon!
Look, there hasn't been a single terrorist attack or gruesome death yet, so I'm not loving this so far.
...that joke's getting old! ...a pair of reckless kids who foolishly try to enter tall grass without Pokemon of their own...? It worries me what people like that would do with Pokemon. ...uh... well, I, uh... ... ... well, then forget about me, but give a Pokemon to my friend here! I mean, it was me who tried to go into the tall grass and all... ! How big of you... very well, then! I will entrust you two with Pokemon! I apologize for putting you through that exercise. However! You must promise me that you will never recklessly endanger yourselves again. Now then... Hm? Now, where...? Dawn Encounter / Lucas Encounter
You left your briefcase behind at the lake. Is something wrong here?
Wha...?! Those Pokemon are crucial. You're giving them away? Hm! We exist side by side with Pokemon. There comes a time when people should meet Pokemon. There is a world that should be explored together. For them, today is that time. The place, right here. Go on! Open the briefcase and choose a Pokemon! Really?! Prof. Rowan! I can't believe it! I'm so happy now that I can't keep a straight face! Hey, Hikari. You can choose first. Hey, I'm practically a grown-up. I have to show some class here.
Go on! Open the briefcase and choose a Pokemon!
Well these games just get wordier and wordier, eh? There's a reason this first update has nearly 500 screenshots. Regardless, I think the dialogue is pretty snappy and really shows off character. But who cares about reading, anyway, it's time to meet the starters!
Another generation, another batch of templates that take me a fair few hours to complete. There's a lot to talk about with new moves, new abilities and the physical/special split. Finally, Pokemon is good again and battling is much more interesting.
But in the context of this little guy, battling to begin with ain't too interesting since there's a lot of Tackle wars that will be waged until it learns Razor Leaf. It also evolves pretty late, so you'll have to endure for a little while longer, but while it'll remain slow, it hits very hard when it collects the right moves and will be a perfectly fine choice.
Sprites differ between DP and Platinum, so the regular sprite will be DP, while the shiny and back sprites will be Platinum ones. It'll also show gender differences, when applicable, so regular for male and shiny for female. Also I finally figured out where to put Abilities, always good to remember.
This cheeky monkey hits hard and fast from both spectrums and evolves nice and early. While its movepool isn't too exciting until later, it'll get some fantastic options to compliment its stats and it'll have no trouble against the first Gym, despite it being Rock type. A perfectly fine choice.
As always, take the info I listed, especially the name and design notes, with a pinch of salt, mainly cause it's good for you, but also because I don't exactly spend a lot of time on each one making sure info is 100% accurate. Thank you for your understanding.
Water types can never do you wrong, especially in a game with heavy HM use. But aside from learning all the Water HMs, Piplup is a prime attacker with good level up moves and a typing that'll make it even more resilient later on. It learns Bubblebeam earlier in Pt, which is always nice and like Chimchar, learns a surprising number of moves to really boost it later on. A perfectly fine choice.
But which one are we going for? Honestly? It's really hard to decide, all 3 of them are fantastic choices and are all equally strong in their own right. But since we chose Water last time, we've wrapped around to Grass again. Oh? But didn't I have Bayleef and then Houndour as my first catches in the Orre games? Well those aren't canon, so never try to follow my patterns, I do what I want! So Turtwig is our choice!
Now, listen well! The Pokemon you have been entrusted with are unfamiliar with the world. In that regard, they're much like you. As fellow newcomers to the world, I hope you'll do well together. If you have any trouble, come see me at my lab in Sandgem Town. And now, we'll be on our way.
How do you like that? Prof. Rowan's really nice. On TV, he seems so stern and scary.
You can guess what's coming next.
I've always wanted to say this... the time has finally come! Hikari! I challenge you to a battle!
Rival Battle 
Here's more reasons why I love Barry, his battle theme is awesome and he's the first introduction you'll get to trainer animations! Even for a bland character it adds that little extra bit of spice.
We've also got proper backsprite animations for Pokemon, since they've been shaking and barely distorting since Emerald, as well as opponents interjecting at certain points, though that was introduced in DP. While the overall look of battles is pretty similar to before, this is some nice, if pretty small stuff.
Not a tough battle, especially when all he does is Leer.
Man, we haven't had a rival fight first fight since Yellow. How the series has changed.
Alright pretty standard, though that's terrible Speed and good SpDef.
Whew! Let's go home. I'm beat after that battle. My Pokemon needs rest, too. See ya, Hikari! Twinleaf Town Day / Night
...wow. That's what happened to you? You and Barry are lucky to have met Prof. Rowan. Imagine if you didn't... I wouldn't like to think what the wild Pokemon might have done to you two. Hikari, go see Prof. Rowan, and thank him properly for your Pokemon. His lab is in Sandgem Town, isn't it? Now that you have your own Pokemon, the tall grass won't be so threatening. Oh, I know! Hikari, put these on.
With those Running Shoes, you can get to faraway places much faster. OK... let me read the instructions... "Press the B button and dash about faster than ever before! Put on the Running Shoes and blaze new trails of adventure!" Well, isn't that just nifty!
Super nifty, since we can now run basically anywhere, even inside houses. See why this is one of my favourite games?
Let's have a little glance at our new lad. There's a fair few pages of info, but most of the mechanics are the same from last gen, so there's not too much to go over. A Modest nature is terrible, while its IVs are overall mediocre, since I can check them on a save editor. It's 12/15/6/5/19/1, if you're curious. Yowch.
Barry Encounter!
I'm going to go see Prof. Rowan, so I can thank him properly. So, I had this great idea. Listen up, OK? You know that lake where we always play at? You know how they say a legendary Pokemon lives there? You guessed it! Let's catch that Pokemon. That'll make Prof. Rowan happy. I'm sure of that!
Indeed, Barry will be following behind for the moment. We'll get into this mechanic when it actually matters next time, but we can have a natter with the mad lad.
That Pokemon battle... wasn't that wickedly fun or what? I mean, I'd pick the moves, and my Pokemon would use them! Yeah, I'm going to battle tons and get real close with Pokemon. Pokemon all have different moves, huh? A Trainer makes his Pokemon battle by ordering them to use moves. That's so awesomely cool. Do you believe it? I can hardly believe it. You and me, we're Pokemon Trainers all of a sudden. Man, we've got tons to learn about being a Trainer. But seeing this Pokeball with this CHIMCHAR inside... it makes me feel like I can do anything! Nothing's impossible! That lake has a mirage Pokemon living in it. Everyone says it's just a legend, but I know I'm right. Hey, do you know about the Champion? There's this out-of-this-world tough Trainer who gets called that. Well, I'm gonna get so tough, the Champ has to battle me. You watch! With this little guy here, I'm sure I can get that tough. Hey, that's enough talking already. I'm itching to get going to the lake. Come on, come on!
So many screenshots containing so much dialogue...
According to legend, this lake is home to the Pokemon said to be "The Being of Emotion." It is because of this Pokemon that people can experience sorrow and joy.
Get ready, because we're capturing that legendary Pokemon. Trust me on this one. It's here. It even says so on the sign! Lake Verity
I will make it all mine one day... Cyrus is my name. Remember it... until then, sleep while you can, legendary Pokemon of the lake bed...
What was that about? Weird guy... OK, Hikari! Let's catch that legendary Pokemon!
! Did you hear that, Hikari?! That was the legendary Pokemon crying! That had to be it! OK! This is our chance! Let's catch it! ...wait! What...?! We don't have anything on us! You know, Pokeballs! P-O-K-accent-E Balls! If we don't have those, we can't catch Pokemon or take them around with us! ...do you think Prof. Rowan'd give is some if we asked him? You know, you remember what he said, don't you? He said to visit him at his lab if we needed anything. OK, Hikari! I'll race you! First one to the professor's lab in Sandgem Town rules!
Well we're not gonna lose to tha- goddammit!
Wild Pokemon Battle
Ah, it's the game's mascot already. Despite everything moving to the bottom screen, they didn't fancy moving the battle positions down so we still get a big box of nothing. Still, the interface is entirely touchscreen and much faster than using buttons, so give it a try!
It won't take long to get through Route 201, especially since it's just a bunch of Tackle battles, so nothing too interesting.
Might as well get a bit more exp, but we'll go over these Pokemon when we can actually catch them, as is the norm.
If a Pokemon runs out of HP, it faints and can't battle anymore. If a Pokemon's HP gets low, you should heal it with a Potion. Here, let me give you a Potion as a free sample. First one's free! It will automatically go in the Medicine Pocket of your Bag.
Oh yeah, that's something I haven't gone into yet.
Running out of bag space is a thing of the past! There's a lot of pockets to put stuff in and we'll be hoovering up all kinds of crap in this game. There's a lot of it.
Please, come with me. The prof's waiting to see you. See? This is our Pokemon Research Lab. We'll just go ahead and- Barry Encounter!
Oh, it's you, Hikari! That old guy... he's not scary so much as he is totally out there! Aww, it doesn't matter, Hikari. I'm out of here. See you later!
Your friend always seems to be in such a rush. Anyway... let's go in. Prof. Rowan's Lab
Hikari, was it? Let's have a look at your Pokemon. ... Hmm... I see... this Pokemon seems to be rather happy. Hm! Entrusting you with that TURTWIG was no mistake, it seems!
Thanks to Leraika and various EO peeps for deciding on this nickname.
"without Pokemon, I was shocked." I was astounded by these foolhardy children. But now, you've astounded me in an entirely different way. Already, there is a bond growing between you and that Pokemon. I feel privileged to have met you. I'm sure TURTWIG feels the same way about you. That's why I'll ask you to cherish that TURTWIG of yours. Boy, am I glad you're kind towards Pokemon. If you weren't, well... I don't even want to think about it. Er-hem! Let's move on to the main topic. There is something I want you to do for me. Allow me to properly introduce myself first. My name, as you know, is Rowan. I study Pokemon. First of all, I want to know exactly what kinds of Pokemon live in the Sinnoh region. To do so, it is necessary to collect data using the Pokedex. This is what I wish to ask of you. I want to entrust you with this Pokedex.
After typing up so much dialogue, I think I'm done with work for a while...
... ... I can stand here without speaking for hours. I'm a very patient man. Let me ask you again, Hikari.Alright, alright, I'll complete ANOTHER Pokedex, not doing anything else with my time.
It will automatically record data on every kind of Pokemon you encounter. Hikari, I ask that you go everywhere and meet every kind of Pokemon in this region. I've got the same kind of Pokedex as you. When you walked up Route 201 with your Pokemon, what did you feel? I've lived for 60 long years. Even now, I get a thrill when I'm with a Pokemon. Now, you should know there are countless Pokemon in this world. That means there are just as many thrills waiting for you out there! Now go! Hikari, your grand adventure begins right now! The professor asked me to help, so I'm filling in the Pokedex pages, too. That makes us comrades working toward the same goal. I'll teach you stuff later, OK?
Another game, another Pokedex. This time it's slightly different, to beat the game, we need to see every Pokemon in the region. It's not too difficult, but this is what our Pokedex will be graded against. We don't have any obligation to catch anything.
The Pokedex is pretty nifty, letting you drag the time symbol between Morning, Day and Night, the three encounter dividers. Yes we're back to that, but the DS clock is much easier to change than the GBC clock. I'll be changing it every so often, otherwise we'd only play at night, since that's when I tend to record. And write updates. And be online. I haven't seen the sun in years.
There's a cry modifier... if that's your thing. Since I have headphones, I have to play in Mono sound, since this game is Stereo in battles and drives you insane. So I can't really tell the difference with these effects.
And then heights and weights of Pokemon, in all their ridiculously nonsensical glory.
Hahaha. Eh... I'm sure we can count on you!
"professor from the Kanto region."
Oh, my name is Roseanne. It's an honor to be an assistant to our professor! Sandgem Town Day / Night
Using a Technical Machine, or TM for short, teaches a move instantly to a Pokemon. Bear in mind, however, that a TM is single-use only. The move Return gains power the more friendly your Pokemon is with you. It's up to you, of course, if you want to use that TM or not. I'll send you off with the wish that your journey will be fun.That's a pretty mental move to get early, since it becomes very dependable very quickly. But weirdly enough, it's almost too early for this move, It's power is based on Happiness/2.5, maxing out at 102BP. On our starter, it'd be weaker than Tackle, but there's some Pokemon that'll really appreciate this move.
Next thing, he'll tell me he battled when he was young. Hey, Hikari! I want to show you a few things. So, follow me! Come Along
You can get your Pokemon healed if it's been hurt in battle. You'll find a Pokemon Center in most towns.
Hikari, since you're a rookie Trainer, you won't be able to buy very much stuff. Don't worry about it, OK? Oh, yeah, right! Hikari... you should let your family know you're helping Prof. Rowan put together his Pokedex. Sometimes, you have to go far away, so you should let someone know. Oh, but first, go heal up your Pokemon at the Pokemon Center. You'll be safe then. OK, be seeing you!
Alright, back in control. This update is pretty damn long, but I'm not having the first one of one of my favourite games just be a bunch of dialogue! At least the tutorial is mostly over...
Pokemon Center Day / Night
...I'm not going to explain what this is for. I'm more interested in the other stuff going on.
We are working underground right now. It's off-limits to the public. Please try later on.
Well at least there's something exciting upstairs.
Upstairs is your usual local wireless trading and battling Union Room. There's a couple of extra things, but we'll go over them when they come up. Don't wanna ruin all the excitement!!!
Pokemart
Woah, Pokemarts get their own track now, snazzy! Anyway, one big thing is all Marts now carry (mostly) the same stock since it's tied to your Gym Badges. Well, every 2 badges starting at 1, with Full Restores at 8 as the exception. So we won't be seeing much difference for a little bit.
We also need some balls, as well as ten in one go to get a Premier Ball. Very important.
Sandgem Town Day / Night
Employment under the professor must pay, a house at his age. Oh yeah, shit, since we've barely been able to move in this town, we need to go over it!
Sandgem Town: Town of Sand!
From, uh, sand and gem, since the games are gems, or the professor is a gem? I dunno man.
Masago Town: The sandy town connected to the ocean.
From 真砂 masago (sand).
Oh... you're Hikari? You're doing that Pokedex thingy for the professor! Wow! That's the same as my big brother! Go for it!
Aww they've got a shared room, that's cute. So why did I talk to most of Lucas's family? Oh, no real reason...
We'll be back here later. Say, I dunno, twenty updates? Fifteen? Whatever.
Route 201 Day / Night
Alright, enough dawdling, we've got Pokemon to finally catch! Only took us 400 screenshots!
The savior has come! Bidoof are awash in memes, but do they live up to the hype? In battle, well, kinda, they have excellent abilities that we'll go over in just a moment, and while its stats don't set the world on fire, it evolves pretty quickly and can definitely do its part. Of course, it's also an excellent HM user, very helpful in these games, so you should pick one up anyway. As to whether you should use it... well it's definitely better than some first route mons.
Simple is one way for your Bidoof to become a monster, since it doubles stat boosts, positive and negative. But not in a, well, simple way, it doubles the stat stages, but doesn't actually give your Pokemon double buffs, it gives it +1, but it's not until things are calculated that it's actually +2, so you can continue using a single boosting move like Defense Curl long after it stops boosting your stats. This results in a Psych Up user not properly copying boosts, while those gaining Simple through other means will have their existing stat changes doubled until they lose it. A nice easy ability to start us off, eh?
Unaware is also a crazy one, as it ignores the stat boosts of the opposing Pokemon, though it has no effect on moves that have their power determined beforehand like a Speed boost effecting Gyro Ball. The best way to stop a setup sweeper in its tracks. So long as you survive their unboosted attacks.
A simple one-two-three. If you're wondering if I'll catch every Pokemon in the Sinnoh Dex, I'll reply to this, and other such obvious questions with, is the pope cath'lik u cheeky tart?
Might as well vary up the areas we find new mons. Starly seems like a pretty average bird on first glance, but its early evolution tells of things to come. An early Wing Attack is very nice but in the bigger battles at the start, it'll struggle to leave its mark, so get that evolution going and watch as the ball gets rolling. You really need it to, to try and take down those Rock and Steel types.
Riveting, get in. That's not everything we can catch in this area, but we'll be back in just a sec!
Twinleaf Town Day / Night
What is it, Hikari? ... Wow. Professor Rowan asked you to do something that big. OK, dear, go for it! Your mom's got your back! Oh, I know! Hikari, I've got something that you'll find useful.
Check it, and you'll be able to remember what you did last. Gee, a journey full of adventure... I envy you, kiddo. Plus, you're not alone. You have your Pokemon with you. I wish I could go instead! I'm just joking, dear! Yup, Hikari! I'll be all right by myself, so you go and enjoy your adventure! When you're exposed to new things, and experience new sensations... it makes your mother happy, too. ...but come back sometimes. I would like to see the kinds of Pokemon you've caught, dear.
Oh? No, he's not... Oh... then, he must have left already... what to do... that boy shouted about going on an adventure, then he bolted. He's so headstrong and reckless... I at least wanted him to take this... Not to worry, Hikari will deliver that to him. Won't you, Hikari? Oh, really? You'd do that for me? Hikari, please take this to Barry for me.
Let me think... knowing my boy, he would probably head straight to Jubilife City... OK, please take that to my Barry.
Okay, we all good to head off? No one gonna stop us?
He was shouting something about becoming the greatest Trainer ever... he just can't sit still, that boy. I wonder who he takes after?
Alright, cool. Here's the only time you'll see the Journal, it's useful when you've been away for a while. But I won't need it. I'll never need it.
Anyway here's a bug only found in Platinum and only found during the morning and night. Like, it'd be thematic to start the game in the morning, but since I play at night anyway, this also works out.
It's the third fucking Pokemon, don't start this now.
Ah, the regional bug. They're usually terrible and this one is no different. It seems to be in its pupa stage already since it has fuck all for attacks and has terrible stats. Until it evolves, all it can do is Bide and Growl, and maybe learn Uproar as its best attacking move through tutors. Platinum tried to save this mon with Bug Bite, but it has to Bide its time for 6 more levels to do so. Alas, it's the best Bug move it'll get for a long time, unless you like Fury Cutter. You can at least catch it later on to make the wait less painful and it learns some good stuff when it evolves. But boy it's a hell of a time getting to that part.
And with that, we are done. Next time, we head to the big city and hopefully do something interesting for once.