Leader Rematch

Carlos and I have been balls deep in pokemon for weeks now, with no signs for slowing down. But I have been able to rip myself away long enough to put in some time with Sakura Wars. Long story short, it's really cool.

For those unaware (as I was) Sakura Wars is a Japanese dating sim and strategy RPG hybrid. This unlikely matrimony begets pure awesome. It's difficult to define a Japanese dating sim, but I'll try. For the first hour or so of the game, you never have a battle, but instead playing through a text adventure and picking from multiple lines of text when cued. Picking the most appropriate response for the character you are speaking to results in a strengthened bond between the two. The bond has implications in battle. Look for the review tomorrow night.

The extra surprises Game Freak put into the little changes here and there really make the game a treat. I'll only spoil this one right now (you've probably already heard): you can arrange rematches with the gym leaders later in the game. You could do that in Platinum version as well, but as an old school Pokemon fan, It's really special to be able to register these leaders in my phone contacts. I feel like a big shot. I put a guide up for getting a rematch with the gym leaders in Gold and Silver, which you can see here.