Pokémon Platinum

Sinnoh, but this time with real punch. Pokémon Platinum is the enhanced version of the Diamond and Pearl pair, and exactly as with the third versions of previous generations, this is the incarnation of the region you want to remember. The frosty, foggy atmosphere of the mountains, redesigned route layouts and, above all, the Distortion World, a surreal gravity-defying dimension where the final showdown with the legendary Giratina takes place.

The basic loop stays intact and sacred: you catch, train, evolve and send pocket monsters into turn-based battles in which knowledge of type weaknesses and timing decide the outcome. Platinum, however, adds a number of clever improvements. The Battle Frontier offers five specialized battle facilities for hardcore trainers, a significantly wider selection of Pokémon available already in the base game, and a brisker pace that addressed one of the main complaints about the slower Diamond and Pearl.

The game was developed by the studio Game Freak, the series' home creator, under the publishers The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. It came out in the fourth generation, which was the first to fully exploit the dual screens and touch controls of the Nintendo DS, including online features via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for trades and battles with players around the world.

Culturally, Platinum confirmed that Pokémon on the DS had come of age. Generation four introduced the split of physical and special attacks according to the specific move, which profoundly deepened competitive play and to this day forms the foundation of modern mechanics. The Distortion World, moreover, became one of the most frequently recalled locations in the entire series for its bold, disorienting aesthetic.

For collectors and competitive players alike, Platinum represents the peak of the Sinnoh era, which the later Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes could only struggle to approach. It is the version that fans still recommend as the definitive way through the Sinnoh region.

Why play: The definitive form of the fourth generation with the unforgettable Distortion World and a brisker pace than the original Diamond and Pearl.