By Matt
Like the name implies, My Pokemon Ranch is a game where you have a ranch, and can add Pokemon to it. This game has been available from the Wii Shop Channel since around 2008, and costs 1000 Wii Points ($10). When you start the game for the first time, you will meet Hayley, the owner of the ranch. She will explain the basics of owning the Ranch, and everything there is to it. In fact, this isn’t even a game; it’s just a channel where you can see your Pokemon in cartoon form.
If you don’t have Pokemon Diamond or Pearl Version, you can just visit the ranch everyday so Hayley will bring a Pokemon for you. If you do have one of those games, you can use the Connect DS feature and bring Pokemon from your PC box to the ranch. When you have a lot of them, you can add a Nunchuk to your Wii Remote and start looking around, marveling at all that you have amassed. There is no real consequence for leaving the ranch and not going back to it for a while; Hayley, as well as the Miis you can place on the ranch, will take care of the Pokemon. You’re probably thinking how you can accumulate them over time.
When you leave the ranch, Hayley will ask you what kind of Pokemon you want for tomorrow. She will provide two descriptions, usually very vague (i.e. short, yellow). If you choose no to both, she will tell you the kind of Pokemon she will bring tomorrow. The Ranch has levels, each having a capacity to carry more.
If you reach a certain number of Pokemon, Hayley will announce that the ranch will be expanded, and it will be ready the next day. Toys will also appear on the ranch when you have enough; there are many kinds. They may not be there at first; that’s because they are Toy Boxes. You have to shake the Wii Remote to have an earthquake open the boxes. (Another feature is the hurricane, which, when you shake the Remote a different direction, blows all of them around in a magical storm, but that won’t open the boxes.) Periodically, members from Club Look-See will ask you to visit their ranch.
Their ranches have themes, like having only one Pokemon, or of a certain element. It’s best to check their ranches, because you don’t know when they will come back; plus, there are 37 different members, each with a different theme. Another cool feature of this game is the ability to take pictures. The game will allow you to take only 20 pictures, but you can move these to an SD card, where they will turn into convenient .jpeg files. You can drag them to a specific part of the ranch, use the convenient “look here” function (which is a horn), and take pictures of your favorites.
While you carry a Pokemon, you can drop it on top of another, which then it will ride around on. Flying-type Pokemon will fly around the ranch, carrying Pokemon too for a certain amount of time. I have had the game for a few years myself, and I say it’s definitely worth your time and money.
Tags: Nintendo DS