| My Pokémon Ranch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Ambrella |
| Publisher | The Pokémon Company |
| Composer | Miki Obata |
| Series | Pokémon |
| Platform | Wii (WiiWare) |
| Release | |
| Genre | Virtual pet |
| Mode | Single-player |
My Pokémon Ranch (みんなのポケモン牧場,Minna no Pokemon Bokujō; Everyone's Pokémon Ranch) is a 2008virtual petvideo game developed byAmbrella and published byThe Pokémon Company for theWii. It was released on theWiiWare service.[1] It is a spin-off of thePokémon series.
Internationally, this game only works withPokémon Diamond andPearl versions; the Japanese version was updated to receive Pokémon fromPokémon Platinum.
My Pokémon Ranch is similar in concept toPokémon Box, and allows players to transfer up to 1,000 of theirPokémon (1,500 with thePlatinum update) from up to eight separatePokémon Diamond andPearlNintendo DS game cards, to a ranch run by Hayley, a friend of Bebe who runs the PC box system in these versions. Here, they can view their Pokémon rendered in3D, while using theirMiis to interact with them.
Players do not need to ownPokémon Diamond,Pearl orPlatinum to playMy Pokémon Ranch. Players with or without the Nintendo DS game will be given six starter Pokémon and a new Pokémon at the start of each day. Additionally, each day Hayley will give the player requests for certain Pokémon not in the player's Pokédex to be added to the ranch, along with instructions on where to find them inDiamond,Pearl andPlatinum. It has also been confirmed that players can obtain a specialMew andPhione. Hayley can also trade certain Pokémon she already has in her possession. Eventually, adding more Pokémon to the ranch unlocks new features to the game and expands the ranch.[2]
Similar to the actions in theMii Channel's plaza, the Pokémon on the ranch can perform different idle actions, such as talking, playing, and sleeping at other players' ranches.[3] Players are also able to take snapshots of their Pokémon and send them to friends registered on their Wii, as well as downloading the photos in .JPG file to an SD card, and transfer them onto your computer or camera.[4] A simpleHUD shows the ability to monitor the time and the number of Pokémon in the ranch. Apart from storing collected Pokémon on the ranch, players are otherwise unable to further train or level up their Pokémon on the ranch.[2]
On June 18, 2008, an update was made available for the game.[5] Another update was made available on November 5, 2008, in Japan to ensure compatibility withPokémon Platinum and to improve and add some features, such as adding an increased storage of 500 additional Pokémon, making the total amount ofPokémon 1,500 at max capacity.
Most notably, asPokémon Platinum essentially introduces seven new Pokémon in the manner of new forms of previous Pokémon and these can all be placed inPokémon Ranch and have their forms remain while in the ranch. However, this will have some effect onPokémon Platinum.
Shaymin's alternate form is activated in a different manner thanGiratina's. If the player has the Gracidea item inPokémon Platinum, the ranch will recognize it and unlock the Gracidea as a new toy in the ranch. Shaymin will normally be Land Forme, however if the player gets the Gracidea and Shaymin touches it, it will transform into its Sky Forme for the duration of the player's ranch visit. However, if the player removes Shaymin from the ranch while it is in its Sky Forme, it will revert to Land Forme.
InPokémon Platinum,Rotom was given five different forms. Each form represents Rotom possessing a different appliance. They will keep their form upon being transferred to Pokémon Ranch.
Various changes have occurred for the ranch too, most notably, a 26th level of the ranch has been added, allowing you to deposit a total of 1,500 Pokémon onto the ranch. This does not give the player any extra rewards though.
Also in the ranch there are twelve more animations that the Pokémon will partake in should the screen be left idle. These include water races, wrestling tournaments between the fighting Pokémon, fights between Pokémon rivals (such asZangoose vs.Seviper,Dialga vs.Palkia,Darkrai vs.Cresselia, and so forth), and a Rotom animation utilizing all its formes.
Eleven new toys have also been added, including the aforementioned Gracidea Flower.
With this update it is possible to change the background music from the default.
It is now possible to store up to 30 in the game. It is now also possible to copy and delete photos over to or from theSD card in bulk.
There have also been some changes in regard to Club Look-see. Previously, the player could only visit NPC members' ranches after they visited and invited the player. With thePokémon Platinum update however, the player now has the option of revisiting ranches that were previously visited, allowing the player to see their unique Miis and ranches at any time.
The number of Club Look-see members has also been increased from 37 to 40.[6]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 47/100[7] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| IGN | 4/10[4] |
| Nintendo Life |   [8] |
Overall, the game has received negative reviews, with an aggregate rating of 46 percent atGameRankings.[9]IGN was disappointed in the game and gave it a 4/10, believing the graphics to be ugly, citing "absolutely hideous" Pokémon models, and likening the gameplay to ascreensaver, claiming it to be a largely "sit-n-stare experience." However, they had some praise for the Nintendo DS connectivity.[10] WiiWare World, who are today known asNintendo Life, also gave it a 4/10, calling it "half-assed" and "obtuse" and particularly noting the flawed nature of the Pokémon storage system. While they believed that it was "chock full" of missed potential, the game was still ideal for youngerPokémon fans.[8] The UK'sOfficial Nintendo Magazine gave the game a below-average score of 48%, finding it hard to justify the 1000 Wii Points price, and believing the game only appeals toPokémon completists. Not all reviews were negative, however;Nintendo Power gave it a "Recommended" when they reviewed it.[11]
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