A stylus spinning, spinning, to catch Pokémon with a lasso rather than a Poké Ball.

No preference ranking here, so on to the criteria, and the contrast leaps out. On attachment and on fun, Pokémon Ranger climbs high, ahead of more than nine games out of ten, the one you relaunch for a quick session and end up keeping. But on the desert island, the game you would take to live in it fully, it drops right to the bottom, behind 96% of titles. The contrast is sharp: you grow attached, you have fun, but it is not the companion you would pick for the long haul. The rest, gameplay, visual style, atmosphere, settles around the lower third, on few votes for most, so still to confirm.

Against the classic Pokémon RPGs, Ranger tries something else, a stylus capture mechanic that leans arcade. It is a quick, short pleasure rather than a grand adventure you carry everywhere.

So, who is it for? For you if you love a singular gameplay idea and a warm attachment to the world. A lot less if you want the big Pokémon game you lose yourself in for weeks.