Everyone's Pokemon Ranch - hands-on

Ever since Everyone's Pokemon Ranch was announced, we've had a lot of questions. Mainly, is it actually a game? Or does it just let you view your Pokemon in 3D and not much else? Well, we've downloaded the Japanese release (with an imported Japanese Wii) and have been tinkering with it since it became available last week. As we all knew, you can upload your Diamond/Pearl Pokemon onto Pokemon Ranch and interact with them in an N64-esque environment, but what else is there to do? The details can potentially make or break this game here, so let's get right to it.

Above: Dance party!

Pokemon transferred to the ranch are removed from your DS
Unlike Pokemon Battle Revolution, which just makes a copy of all the Pokemon on your DS, when you transfer your Pokemon to Pokemon Ranch, they actually leave your DS cartridge. But don't panic - you can still transfer them back at any time. Still, if you're playing Diamond/Pearl, it's probably not a good idea to send a bunch of Pokemon that you use regularly to the ranch, because it's kind of a hassle to send them back and forth. Instead, start with the fodder you keep in the last boxes of your PC - you know what we're talking about - that half-finished Unown collection and dozen male Combees you couldn't bring yourself to release. Now they'll finally have a happy home.

Above: Afuturistic hot air balloon beams Pokemon back and forth between your DS and Pokemon Ranch

You can't level up your Pokemon while they're in the ranch
From a training perspective, there's no real benefit to sending your Pokemon to the ranch. You can't battle, level up, teach new moves, or otherwise train your Pokemon while they're uploaded to the ranch. Think of it as storage for all the Pokemon you're no longer using, like a retirement home for Pokemon stagnating on your PC.

Above: You'd think they'd earn some experience points for excecuting this perfect totem pole, but sadly, they don't