- Challenging and a Lot of Fun!Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is my favorite Pokemon game set so far (coming from a 26-year-old female gamer who owns at least one copy of nearly every Pokemon video game that has ever been made). It is FAR more of a challenge than the normal games (like Diamond/Pearl). Pokemon moves in these games have more to them than just type, power, and PP. They also have a range, which adds a whole new element to playing the game and building good teams. Damage from attacks also works a bit differently. Ground attacks will not hit flying types (just not for as much damage), so imunities don't mean as much as they do in the normal games. Terrain and weather were improved for these games, as well. There is a wealth of items to use, and they are pretty plentiful in dungeons.
In short, this is a game that will take a while to complete, and finishing the game's initial storyline is only the beginning. You certainly won't finish every task in a week using that super-powerful starter you probably used to beat Diamond/Pearl. This game will require more training, thought, and strategy to complete every task.
I definately recommend getting a guide to use while playing the game, but it's difficult to say which guide is better to buy. Personally, I like the Nintendo Power guide better because it gives information about the items commonly found in each dungeon (while the Prima guide wastes that space stating the blatently obvious about the dungeon's Pokemon), gives more information about the starters, gives MUCH more info about Friend Areas, and it's Pokedex is better written and less redundant. However, Prima's guide is the only one with information about TM compatibility (and a poster in the back, if you care about such things). Neither one gives dungeon Pokemon levels or in-depth dungeon item appearance statistics.
If you are looking for an easy Pokemon game, this is not the best choice for you. If you beat Diamond in a week or less and dream of something that might actually challenge you a bit, give this a try. (If you have a DS, I recommend Blue over Red, as the second screen makes a great place to keep your level map, and there are a few more wireless features in Blue that are not in Red.)
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