Problems with the Pokewalker

Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver come with a Pokewalker, a small device allowing you to bring your Pokemon with you on walks.  It can be used to level up your Pokemon, catch new Pokemon, or get more items. The small addition of the Pokewalker is bringing back old Pokemon fans who haven’t played the new games. But before you run off to pick up the remake of Gold and Silver, you might want to know the problems with the Pokewalker.

Level Cap

Each time you bring your Pokemon out on a walk, you can gain up to one level no matter how much you walk.  For lower level Pokemon, it is much quicker to level them up in the game than it would be to use the Pokewalker.

Pokewalker Access Limited to Title Screen

If you want to transfer a Pokemon to or from your Pokewalker, you must enter the title screen (where you select to continue your game).  This means if you are playing the game and are ready to save and go out with your Pokewalker, you need to restart the game and get back to the title screen before you can put any Pokemon in your walker.  You can only transfer Pokemon from your PC to the Pokewalker so if you want to bring one from your party: you need to enter the game, find a PC, transfer to your PC, then exit back to your title screen to transfer them to your Pokewalker.

Accuracy

The Pokewalker is much more compact than typical pedometer which causes it to have issues registering every step. The manual for the Pokewalker warns you may not be able to get accurate readings if:

• When walking in a crowd or other situations where you stop and start repeatedly.

• If the accessory is loose inside a bag or held or attached loosely by a hanging strap.

• If the movement is different from walking, such as joggling, running, or other vigorous activity

• If the movement is softened by shuffling, walking barefoot, or wearing slippers or sandals.

This may not seem like an issue to many, since they plan to shake their Pokewalker to simulate steps instead of actually walking.  The inaccuracy actually affects them most because you need to shake the Pokewalker in a specific motion to get it the register.

The Belt Clip

Most pedometers come with a strap to connect the device to your belt.  The Pokewalker includes one but you have to install it yourself.  The back of the Pokewalker is smooth and you can’t simply snap the strap on when you need it.  You need to unscrew the back of the Pokewalker and then screw the strap in its place.  If you want to easily go from sitting in your pocket to clipped on your belt, you are out of luck.  Here are the instructions for installing the clip:

Limited Space for Pokemon and Items

It is a small complaint but the Pokewalker can only store up to three Pokemon and items found.  If you find any more, you will be asked to select one of the others to be discarded.  If you didn’t have access to your game for awhile, it might become a problem.

The Pokewalker isn’t designed to be a stand-alone product and if you are buying HeartGold/SoulSilver just for the Pokewalker, you might want to rethink it. If you are already interested in the games, it does add new ways to catch Pokemon and let’s people contribute to their game even during their walk to school. When you transfer the Pokemon back to your Nintendo DS, it has a colorful storybook view of your time spent with the Pokewalker.  It is a small amusement to an overall solid and timeless game.

Tags: HeartGold, Pokemon, Pokewalker, SoulSilver