Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness

"Explorers of Time & Darkness combines these two very different types of RPG to create something a bit friendlier to newcomers: Death is no longer a step behind the heroes, and neither is it quite so debilitating. Defeated parties keep their experience and some of their goodies upon death. Dungeons tend to be smaller and easier, and the powers and abilities that were contained in equipment and scrolls in Shiren are now inherent to the pokémon themselves -- and with nearly 500 different species to collect (each retaining its full skill set from the series' main titles), that's still plenty of variety."

You can't keep a good dungeon hack down. And as far as the Rogue-like "Mysterious Dungeon" games go, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon was one of the best ones in the series (read our review to find out why). The game's sequel was recently released in Japan, and we spent a couple of hours with one of the two versions, Darkness Exploration Team.

"The second set of Mystery Dungeon titles are out for your Nintendo DS. The game sports over 490 Pok�mon and a new story for you to enjoy. Additionally, a ton of connectivity options via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, email, and text messages should keep you and your friends in the loop and battling it out for months to come."

"No matter what we say, Pokemon fans will surely take delight in both Explorers of Darkness and Explorers of Time. However, it just feels like the same go-around we went through with the previous Mystery Dungeon games, rather than something groundbreaking."

"Explorers of Darkness doesn't provide the intense challenge or genuine sense of accomplishment that some of the other Mystery Dungeon titles are known for, and adult players might find the whole thing a little cutesy. Still, it's the perfect way to introduce the next generation of roguelike fans to this obscure, hardcore, but very entertaining genre - as well as a perfectly serviceable, if a little underwhelming, addition to the DS's growing RPG library."