My Pokémon Ranch
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is a 2008
virtual pet A virtual pet (also known as a digital pet, artificial pet, or pet-raising simulation) is a type of artificial human companion. They are usually kept for companionship or enjoyment, or as an alternative to a real pet. Digital pets have no conc ...
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
developed by
Ambrella was a Japanese video game developer, video game development company that worked under a publishing agreement with Nintendo. They were best known for making spin-off games for the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon'' video game franchise ...
and published by
The Pokémon Company , simply known as Pokémon is a Japanese company responsible for brand management, production, publishing, marketing, and licensing of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, which consists of video games, a trading card game, anime television series, f ...
for the
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
. It was released on the
WiiWare WiiWare was a digital media entertainment service operated by Nintendo that allowed the download of games and applications developed for the Wii video game console. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the W ...
service. It is a spin-off of the ''
Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
'' series. Internationally, this game only works with ''Pokémon Diamond'' and ''Pearl'' versions; the Japanese version was updated to receive Pokémon from ''
Pokémon Platinum is a 2008 role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the third version of games based in the Sinnoh region after ''Pokémon Diamond'' and ''Pearl'' and is part ...
''.


Overview

''My Pokémon Ranch'' is similar in concept to '' Pokémon Box'', and allows players to transfer up to 1,000 of their
Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
(1,500 with the ''Platinum'' update) from up to eight separate ''Pokémon Diamond'' and ''Pearl''
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
game cards, to a ranch run by Hayley, a friend of Bebe who runs the PC box system in these versions. Here, they can view their Pokémon rendered in 3D, while using their Miis to interact with them. Players do not need to own ''Pokémon Diamond'', ''Pearl'' or ''Platinum'' to play ''My Pokémon Ranch''. Players with or without the Nintendo DS game will be given six starter Pokémon and a new Pokémon at the start of each day. Additionally, each day Hayley will give the player requests for certain Pokémon not in the player's Pokédex to be added to the ranch, along with instructions on where to find them in ''Diamond'', ''Pearl'' and ''Platinum''. It has also been confirmed that players can obtain a special Mew and Phione. Hayley can also trade certain Pokémon she already has in her possession. Eventually, adding more Pokémon to the ranch unlocks new features to the game and expands the ranch. Similar to the actions in the
Mii Channel The Wii system software is a set of updatable firmware versions and a software frontend on the Wii, a home video game console. Updates, which could be downloaded over the Internet or read from a Nintendo optical discs#Wii Optical Disc, game dis ...
's plaza, the Pokémon on the ranch can perform different idle actions, such as talking, playing, and sleeping at other players' ranches. Players are also able to take snapshots of their Pokémon and send them to friends registered on their Wii, as well as downloading the photos in .JPG file to an SD card, and transfer them onto your computer or camera. A simple HUD shows the ability to monitor the time and the number of Pokémon in the ranch. Apart from storing collected Pokémon on the ranch, players are otherwise unable to further train or level up their Pokémon on the ranch.


Updates

On June 18, 2008, an update was made available for the game. Another update was made available on November 5, 2008, in Japan to ensure compatibility with ''Pokémon Platinum'' and to improve and add some features, such as adding an increased storage of 500 additional Pokémon, making the total amount of
Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
1,500 at max capacity.


The Pokémon

Most notably, as ''
Pokémon Platinum is a 2008 role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the third version of games based in the Sinnoh region after ''Pokémon Diamond'' and ''Pearl'' and is part ...
'' essentially introduces seven new Pokémon in the manner of new forms of previous Pokémon and these can all be placed in ''Pokémon Ranch'' and have their forms remain while in the Ranch. However, this will have some effect on ''Pokémon Platinum''.


Shaymin

Shaymin's alternate form is activated in a different manner than Giratina's. If the player has the Gracidea item in ''Pokémon Platinum'', the Ranch will recognize it and unlock the Gracidea as a new toy in the Ranch. Shaymin will normally be Land Forme, however if the player gets the Gracidea and Shaymin touches it, it will transform into its Sky Forme for the duration of the player's Ranch visit. However, if the player removes Shaymin from the Ranch while it is in its Sky Forme, it will revert to Land Forme.


Rotom

In ''Pokémon Platinum'', Rotom was given five different forms. Each form represents Rotom possessing a different appliance. They will keep their form upon being transferred to Pokémon Ranch.


The Ranch

Various changes have occurred for the Ranch too, most notably, a 26th level of the Ranch has been added, allowing you to deposit a total of 1,500 Pokémon onto the Ranch. This does not give the player any extra rewards though.


Animations and Toys

Also in the Ranch there are twelve more animations that the Pokémon will partake in should the screen be left idle. These include water races, wrestling tournaments between the fighting Pokémon, fights between Pokémon rivals (such as Zangoose vs. Seviper, Dialga vs. Palkia, Darkrai vs. Cresselia, and so forth), and a Rotom animation utilizing all its formes. Eleven new toys have also been added, including the aforementioned Gracidea Flower.


Menu Options

With this update it is possible to change the background music from the default. It is now possible to store up to 30 in the game. It is now also possible to copy and delete photos over to or from the
SD card Secure Digital (SD) is a proprietary, non-volatile, flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA). Owing to their compact size, SD cards have been widely adopted in a variety of portable consumer electronics, including dig ...
in bulk.


Club Look-see

There have also been some changes in regard to Club Look-see. Previously, the player could only visit NPC members' ranches after they visited and invited the player. With the ''Pokémon Platinum'' update however, the player now has the option of revisiting ranches that were previously visited, allowing the player to see their unique Miis and Ranches at any time. The number of Club Look-see members has also been increased from 37 to 40.


Reception

Overall, the game has received negative reviews, with an aggregate rating of 46 percent at
GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
. ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' was disappointed in the game and gave it a 4/10, believing the graphics to be ugly, citing "absolutely hideous" Pokémon models, and likening the gameplay to a
screensaver A screensaver (or screen saver) is a computer program that blanks the display screen or fills it with moving images or patterns when the computer has been idle for a designated time. The original purpose of screensavers was to prevent phosphor s ...
, claiming it to be a largely "sit-n-stare experience." However, they had some praise for the Nintendo DS connectivity. WiiWare World, who are today known as ''
Nintendo Life Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...
'', also gave it a 4/10, calling it "half-assed" and "obtuse" and particularly noting the flawed nature of the Pokémon storage system. While they believed that it was "chock full" of missed potential, the game was still ideal for younger ''Pokémon'' fans. The UK's ''
Official Nintendo Magazine ''Official Nintendo Magazine'', or ''ONM'', was a British Video game journalism, video game magazine that ran from 2006 to 2014 that covered the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U video game consoles released by Nintendo. Originally p ...
'' gave the game a below-average score of 48%, finding it hard to justify the 1000 Wii Points price, and believing the game only appeals to ''Pokémon'' completists. Not all reviews were negative, however; ''
Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninte ...
'' gave it a "Recommended" when they reviewed it.


See also

* ''
Pokémon Channel ''Pokémon Channel'', released in Japan as is a 2003 video game in the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon'' series developed by Ambrella and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the GameCube. The player's goal is to help Pro ...
'' * '' Pokémon Box''


References


External links

*
My Pokémon Ranch
at
MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:My Pokemon Ranch 2008 video games Ambrella games Delisted digital-only games Games with Wii-DS connectivity Pokémon spinoff games Products and services discontinued in 2019 Single-player video games Video games developed in Japan Virtual pet video games Wii games Wii-only games WiiWare games