Unlike Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon XD on the GameCube, Pokemon Battle Revolution is more of an accessory to the DS games than a stand-alone game - there's no story, no characters and no Shadow Pokemon... just lots of battles.  As you fight through the coliseums and unlock new ones, you'll unlock more rental Pokemon to fight with, accrue PokeCoupons to customize your Battle Revolution characters and, more importantly, buy items to transfer to your DS games.

While the game can be played on its own with rented Pokemon provided by the game, the rental Pokemon are relatively weak and, of course, it's more fun to roll your own, which you transfer from your Pokemon Diamond or Pearl. The flow of battles has been streamlined considerably than earlier attempts, and thankfully they proceed faster and more smoothly than before, no longer hindered by slow text boxes. Dramatic commentary from an announcer highlights the matches instead.