Pokemon Black and White Version Review

 The legendary Pokemon of Black and White

Being a fan of the series since it's humble, yet explosive beginnings in 1998, I arrived at Pokemon Black and White version (the 5th generation of Pokemon) thinking it would just be more of the same: Get one of three basic 'Mons, battle gym leaders, and then beat the Elite Four, maybe then trying to catch'em all. While that is true, there is so much more surrounding the basics that Pokemon Black and White versions should be picked up and played by anyone and everyone who's every tried to Catch'Em All.





More story-driven gameplay: Sure, Pokemon is at it's core an RPG. A pretty detailed one for being marketed towards kids. The stats, characters, and battling are all present, but one of the biggest changes in the world of Pokemon is something that is standard in almost all RPGs: The story. Pokemon Black and White actually has one! No longer are the gym leaders just chillin'. They get very involved in the plot surrounding you and Team Plazma, being led by the Seven Sages. There are also many other characters that help/hinder you on your journey to become Pokemon Master. This makes the story, and the game in general, seem much more grandiose. Team Plazma, the evil group of this generation, is seeking more than just world domination. They bring in issues of morality with Pokemon, and it's surprisingly dark (for a Pokemon game, mind you). There's much more going on in the world of Pokemon that gamers who have stuck with the series since the beginning will appreciate not just moving from one gym to the next.

If it ain't broke, you can still fix it: While there are a lot of improvements and tweaks that make Pokemon Black and White stand out, the addictive basics of gameplay remain the same. You catch, train, battle, and win. For those who like a little less battle with their Pokemon, breeding, contests, and now dances are available for you and your 'Mons to take a break from whoopin' ass and takin' names. Nintendo took the liberty of adding a few things to the experience: More puzzling and interactive gyms, changing seasons (which allow for different pokemon to be caught), finally being able to reuse TMs, as well as triple battles and rotation battles. Triple battles are basically 3v3, while rotation battles allow the player to more-quickly switch between Pokemon, even before an attack. This allows another layer of strategy during battles.

Triple Battles.

The good, the bad, and the just plain ugly: The Pokemon in this generation of game are all-new, and there are over 150 of these new monsters to catch and train. FINALLY, there are no ZUBATS over... and over... and over... and over. This breathes a lot of life into the series, I think, as you catch and experiment with new Pokemon with new moves to build a new team.  This is a double-edged sword, however. Some Pokemon are just plain ugly. I can understand how after 600+ Pokemon, you can start to run out of ideas... but an ice cream pokemon? Really? That evolves into a double scoop of ice cream? Yep... There are a few good-looking Pokemon (among my favorite is Cofgragigus, the coffin Pokemon) that'll stand out, but all-in-all... a lot of these Pokemon only a mother could love. For those wanting to catch Pokemon from the previous generation, you'll have to wait until you complete the game and get the National Dex.

Really?

Graphics: Going beyond the look of the Pokemon, the world itself is quite large, and for a DS game, very good looking. The city is based off of New York City, with it's large, central city and flat-out gigantic bridge. There are, of course, smaller towns as well. Nintendo pushed the three-dimensional buildings first seen in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl to the max, with anything and everything that can be build in three dimensions. The camera angle is also adjusted to more of a 45-degree angle, making everything pop that much more.

One of the biggest advances in Pokemon franchise history is that the Pokemon are fully-animated this go-'round. Sure, it's only a few second loop, but it's the first game to do it. It makes the battles seem a little less static.

The menu: I find the backpack  to be much harder and annoying to navigate out of battle this time around. It all seems really clunky, whereas in previous games it worked just fine. A minor gripe, but still hinders the experience while trying to get a TM, or berry from your backpack. During battle, however, the touch screen menu is streamlined as to not break up the experience.

The C-Gear: Arguably the biggest advance in the series, one that'll carry through all future releases for sure, is the C-Gear. This is a menu that is perminantly on the bottom screen, much like the Pokegear in D/P/Pl, which allows for trading and battling on the fly using IR and Wireless connections. No longer will you have to walk/fly to a Pokemon center. Also, you can simply trade any and all Pokemon in your possession, not just what you're actually carrying with you.

Differences between versions?: The major difference between the two versions, as far as I can tell, are White Forest and Black City; Areas exclusive to their respective versions. White City features Pokemon from previous generations that can be accessed after you complete the game, whereas Black City has features that do not appear in White. The city with the last gym leader looks completely different as well as the gym leader himself/herself. And, as always there are Pokemon exclusive to each version.

All-in-All, Pokemon Black and White Versions are a must-play for fans of the series. Sure, some of the Pokemon (Well, a lot of the Pokemon) look kinda... gross, the new 150+ Monsters freshen up the experience. Throw in story-driven gameplay and a more streamlined battling experience, and you've got not only one of the best Pokemon experiences to date, but one of the best RPGs on the DS hand-held. This is a fitting farewell to the Nintendo DS, and we can only wait to see what Game Freak and Nintendo have in store for us with the 3DS.