*thinks* It's not...that similar. I guess the battle system could be, but the game itself isn't. Sure, you collect part members and switch them around, but you don't train them in the same sense, nor do you select their moves to the same extent. Honestly, if you look at it just by the battle system, a lot of RPGs are Pokemon rip-offs or vice versa. XD;
When I think Pokemon rip-offs, I think of the obvious ones. I dunno if it's considered as one (I always thought it was, even though I prefer it over most of the Pokemon games), but Dragon Warrior Monsters was one. It was similar in most ways, but it was unique enough that it held its own as a game. I still go back and replay it more than I do for the Pokemon series, so it wasn't all bad. XD