Pokémon: 10 Reasons Diamond, Pearl & Platinum Are Under-Appreciated
3. The Last Game To Feature Many Beloved Mechanics
This is something that might blow your mind.
We imagine that the beloved Safari Zone is in every Pokémon game, but in reality it is only in 57% of them. The Safari Zone is such a fun concept as well. You are given 30 Safari Balls, Mud, and Bait to use to try to capture as many Pokémon as you can in 500 steps. It's weird to think that the last original game to have a Safari Zone were the ones in Gen IV.
Another thing this Generation is the last to have, is a third game. Red and Blue had Yellow, Gold and Silver had Crystal, Ruby and Sapphire had Emerald, and Diamond and Pearl had Platinum. Everyone constantly talks about the third game for a reason. The third game is a way for Game Freak to figure out what worked and what didn't work and make the best game possible.
Finally, the last thing Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum were to offer us was the ability to name your rival. It's not a major thing in terms of story, but it was certainly a fun thing to do. All of these things definitely need to make some sort of come back as Nintendo moves its way away from the 3DS and onto the Switch.