Some games truly evolve. Prince of Persia, for instance, is now a million miles from where it started. So too, Sonic the Hedgehog and even Mario. Over the last ten years, these games have either changeddirection totally, or shaken up the basic gameplay elements and crafted a similar yet far-removed experience. Some other games... haven't.
These are the games that refuse to change. Like Dick Clark, they look the same as they always did. Like Friends, they found a formula that worked and stuck with it. But, bizarrely, looking down the list, they're also still very good. See if you agree...
Pokemon (Game Boy, GBC, GBA, DS)
It's very clever, really. Renaming each installment with a new color, adding day/night cycles, a choice between a girl or a boy as your character... and making you think you're buying a new game each time. In fact, you're still doing exactly what you did in the last game. Long grass bothering, pokemon-hunting, gym-beating, level-upping fun.
Don't get us wrong, we love Pokemon. And the new Diamond/Pearl versions are just shiny enough to make us want to do it all over again. But where's the proper console version that looks identical to the brilliant cartoon? We expected one on GameCube years ago. Pokemon XD was a disappointment and we don't count it. One day, just maybe, we'll get a proper 3D Pokemon game. Fingers crossed.
