Loading ...Pokemon Black and White Review
156 new Pokemon are yours for the catching in the newest additions to the series.
A new iteration of Pokemon is upon us. New creatures, features, and areas to explore. Kids and adults both catch the fever and start plugging away at there brand new games. This time Gamefreak promised big changes. Did they live up to their own expectations?
The 5th generation of Pokemon takes us to Unova, a large region filled with huge cities, deserts, and forests to explore. You start off the game just like any other and choose from one of three Pokemon. Now unlike past games you have two rivals in the beginning who each take one of the other two starter Pokemon. These two rivals become traveling companions and occasionally set up for some awesome battles. Your hero must then travel around Unova collecting all 8 badges in order to entire the Unova League, just like all past Pokemon games. Along the way you will encounter an evil organization known as Team Plasma. Every Pokemon game has had there fair share of evil organizations but this one is...different. Usually the bad guys are trying to capture and steal Pokemon for use to control the world or change how the world works. This time around, Plasma is attempting to rid all trainers from being allowed to capture and use Pokemon. They believe trainers are hurting there Pokemon and using them for the wrong reasons. This may come across as slightly hypocritical considering all of the Plasma members carry and fight with Pokemon as well. The characters in-game will actually mention this at various times. Usually the evil team comes off as unnecessary and there goals are usually pretty strange. This time around you really do get into there motives and wonder why they think like they do. Gamefreak promised some big changes and the new and improved antagonists really are a welcome change.
This time around, Gamefreak has added 156 brand new Pokemon to play with. Thanks to the new moving sprites, each and every Pokemon appears more lifelike then ever. These new creatures happen to be some of the most interesting they have every added. In addition to the new Pokemon, Gamefreak has also removed all past Pokemon from the game until you reach the end. This makes for an almost completely new Pokemon experience. No longer do the accursed Zubats annoy you as you move through caves. Every Pokemon you encounter is new and unique in there own ways and surprisingly, this simple change to the usual scheme really spices up the entire game.
The game is jam packed with features, online and off. One of the newest features is the Dream World, a website where you can send your Pokemon to find items, other Pokemon, and play mini-games. Most of the online features from HeartGold and SoulSilver return with a few smaller features available. Entralink is a wireless feature that allows two gamers near each other to accept missions and play in each others games. Gone are the contests from the 3rd and 4th generations and added are Pokemon musicals. You dress up your Pokemon and they then dance on stage and compete for various prizes.
All in all, Pokemon Black and White are both amazing games. They follow much of the same pattern of greatness from past generations but this really isn't a bad thing. It seems every ones main gripe with Pokemon is that it hasn't changed much since its first Japanese release in 1996. Gamefreak did promise change and although it may not have been as groundbreaking as fans had hoped for, they still changed enough to keep it fresh but keep the same Pokemon feel that the masses love. As the saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
| Pokemon Black and White | |
|---|---|
| Gameplay |   |
| Classic Pokemon RPG battling mixed in with some fantastic exploration elements makes this game very playable. | |
| Sound |  |
| Pokemon music has always been very memorable and this game follows suit. You will be humming the battle music before you know it and some of the towns and cities feature some truly beautiful pieces. | |
| Graphics | |
| More recent Pokemon games have dipped into a more open 3D world but none as far as Black and White. The first time you cross some of the various bridges in the game, you will realize how well done the games graphics are. Characters are more detailed and the new moving Pokemon sprites adds so much to an already amazing looking game. | |
| Controls | |
| The controls work like any other Pokemon game prior. While they are nothing special, they are tight are easy to use. | |
| Overall | |
| Pokemon Black and White do not stray far from the formula established by the series' earlier titles, and this is by no means a complaint. The feeling of raising up your Pokemon and exploring the huge beautiful world, really is an experience. Although Pokemon may be targeted to a young audience, the game is so in-depth that young adults will have just as much fun, if not more, with this game. | |
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