Neo Android: What the heck are you talking about. Some trainers had teams that were almost entirely Shadow Pokemon, and they were possible to catch in one go. And if you did lose it, apart from the final boss, (who is rematchable), every other Shadow Pokemon is found through Miror B.
Hmm..my thoughts on XD. It's certainly still quite an enjoyable game. It's easier than Colosseum, although the level gradient is nicer. The pokemon choice feels about right, and it's enjoyable enough in it's own right.
I'm disappointed they ditched a lot of the classiness of Colosseum to make it more like the GBA games though. It was nice not being a wünderkind child for a change.
Overall, it improves in most areas over Col, except Colosseum is still the peak of classiness and difficulty.
They're still both better than the GBA games though.