Pokémon Colosseum

About Pokémon Colosseum

Pokémon Colosseum is a 3D role-playing game viewed from a third-person perspective. The player, controlling a Pokémon Trainer named Wes (default name), moves through various towns and other locations (traversed using a type of one-wheeled motorcycle), battling enemy Trainers and completing quests. Items are purchased at "Pokémon Mart" locations using the game's currency, "Pokémon Dollars" (). When a battle starts, the screen switches to a turn-based interface where the player's and enemies' Pokémon fight. Most battles are of the "double battle" format, which means two Pokémon on each side at one time. However, each Trainer can carry up to six Pokémon at one time, so once a Pokémon is defeated, his or her Trainer must switch out another one unless no more are left. Battles are also conducted at "Colosseums" in several cities.

Unlike most Pokémon games, Colosseum does not feature random encounters. The player begins the game with two Pokémon. More are obtained throughout the game by "Snagging" them from other Trainers using Poké Balls of various strengths. Only specifically designated "Shadow Pokémon", whose hearts have been artificially closed, can be Snagged. This contrasts with the normal means of acquiring Pokémon by catching them from the wild in other games. Pokémon can be traded between Colosseum and the Game Boy Advance games Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed, LeafGreen and Emerald.

Each of the player's Shadow Pokémon has a purple gauge that gradually drains through actions such as entering battle. Once the gauge is empty, the player may "Purify" the Pokémon by bringing him or her to Celebi's shrine in Agate Village, or by using a rare "Time Flute" item. Purifying Shadow Pokémon is desirable because while in that status, they will often disobey the player, they cannot gain experience points, and their moves are at first restricted to "Shadow Rush". Additionally, Shadow Pokémon will sporadically enter "Hyper Mode" state during battle, causing them to disobey the player character or attack themselves until the condition is alleviated by selecting the "Call" battle command.

Pokémon Colosseum is set in the Orre region. Orre is a mostly desert region in which no wild Pokémon can be found (although the sequel, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, adds wild Pokémon spots to the region). Orre consists of many cities, towns, and Colosseums.

The game's player protagonist is by default named Wes (レオ, Reo; Leo), but as with most Pokémon games, the player can change his name. Wes's Starter Pokémon are Espeon and Umbreon, two fox-like Pokémon who start at level 25 and 26, respectively. Additionally, shortly after the game begins, the player meets the game's partner character, Rui; she accompanies Wes on his journey, and uses her ability to see Shadow Pokémon to help combat the efforts of the game's villains. Team Snagem (スナッチ団, Sunatchi-dan; Snatch Gang), a criminal organization that uses "Snag Machine" technology to capture Pokémon owned by trainers as if they were wild, serves as an antagonistic entity in the game, of whom Wes is a former member. However, shortly after the game's start, Cipher (シャドー団, Shadō-dan; Shadow Gang) is revealed to be the main antagonistic force, having partnered with Team Snagem to steal Pokémon from Trainers, corrupt them into Shadow Pokémon, and distribute them throughout Cipher and the Orre Region. The organization employs many grunt workers, as well as four administrators: disco-loving Miror B. (ミラーボ, Mirābo; Mirorbo), the ill-tempered enforcer, Dakim (ダキム, Dakimu), the idol of The Under, Venus (ヴィーナス, Vīnasu), and the scientist who created Shadow Pokémon, Ein (ボルグ, Borugu; Borg).

The game begins with a cold open in which Wes infiltrates Team Snagem's hideout and steals their portable Snag Machine before leaving the organization, blowing up their hideout as he escapes. Passing through the Outskirt Stand, a dilapidated train engine in the middle of the desert that has been converted into a shop, Wes proceeds to the oasis-like Phenac City and sees two men named Folly and Trudly dragging a sack. After defeating them in battle, Wes opens the sack to find Rui, a girl who was kidnapped because she witnessed an unusually violent Pokémon that exuded a black aura visible only to her. They meet the mayor, Es Cade, and report the incident, and while Es Cade expresses skepticism over Rui's claim, he promises to launch an investigation. Upon leaving Es Cade's, Team Snagem grunts find Wes and Rui and reveal to Rui that Wes once worked for Team Snagem as a snagger, a specialist in Pokémon thievery. Shortly after defeating one of the grunts, Wes and Rui encounter Folly and Trudly in Es Cade's house and meets their boss, Miror B., who quickly leaves. Trudly battles Wes with the unusual Pokémon Rui saw before. Rui urges Wes to snag it from Trudly, and after he does so, she asks him to join forces with her in finding and snagging the remaining Pokémon with black auras (later named Shadow Pokémon), which he continues to do throughout their journey.