Game Rant’s Riley Little reviews Pokemon Black and White
Pokemon has been a massive series for Nintendo for over a decade, and since it’s been around so long it has built up quite a loyal fan-base. That’s why when Nintendo announces a new Pokemon game it quickly soars to the top of many most wanted lists. Now that the latest games have finally hit store shelves, Pokemon Masters everywhere have come out of hiding and are now fully immersed in Pokemon Black and Pokemon White.
For those who have managed to come this far without purchasing the game then they surely need to know what they’re missing out on.
Pokemon Black and White both start off similarly to other games in the franchise. You’re once again the child of a single mother, you love Pokemon more than anything else, and you set off on a journey to catch ‘em all – while simultaneously becoming a master Pokemon trainer. However, other than those staples of the franchise, the game’s beginning is pretty different. This time players won’t have to wander around their extremely petite village doing mundane tasks in order to go off into the world and start building a team – because players will select their starter right from the get-go.
The fine folks at Game Freak have also taken the initiative to give the main character two best friends that also serve as rivals – meaning they’ll be encountered and battled pretty frequently. Having two rivals also ensures that the one Pokemon that is left behind at the lab actually has a home this time, and isn’t just left on a desk to collect dust (something that was always a bit of a personal pet peeve). Neither of the rivals come across as Gary Oak arrogant, which doesn’t make for overly entertaining appearances, but each actually has a distinct personality that comes through clearly upon reading some of their dialogue.
Welcome to the Unova Region.
The story is one of the most entertaining and enjoyable ones that the series has ever seen, which makes for a nice breathe of fresh air. Sure, the plot focuses on another team of deviants who are trying to paint the world in the image they see fit, but it’s a little deeper than most of the other Poke-plots.
Team Plasma and the 7 Sages are trying to liberate Pokemon from humans, so that they can all reach their true potential – like PETA. Team Plasma tries to accomplish their goal by running around stealing Pokemon from unsuspecting trainers. They do use Pokemon to battle – but they claim it’s strictly for the greater good. Are they hypocrites? Yeah, but that’s what makes for an interesting story.
The story may be better in Pokemon Black and White, but odds are that a lot of people aren’t purchasing the game for its story. Instead, they’ll be checking out the new land of Unova and all of the new Pokemon that inhabit it. The second players are exposed to Unova they will notice a substantial difference compared to past games in the series. Black and White are built on the same engine that was utilized in Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, but Game Freak has implemented a panning camera which helps immerses the player even more. The cities now feel 3D and also help give players a better sense of scale when it comes to the size of these towns and cities – but the towns have received more then just an aesthetically pleasing 3D feel.
One of the first things aspiring Pokemon trainers will notice is that the Pokemon Centers and PokeMarts have now been combined into one extremely helpful building. Creating the PokeCentMart makes a lot of sense and those who are frequent flyers of both locations now save a lot of time that used to be spent running back and forth between the two locales. Gyms have also been upgraded and now feature even more interactive puzzles that must be deciphered before players are able to challenge the gym leader. Some of the new interactive puzzles include a roller coaster, massive cannons, and even walls made of honey that players can walk through.
Roller Coasters. Check. Cannons. Check. Honey Walls. Err... check.
The new Unova region is very cool, but it’s the new Pokemon that will take up most of your attention. Game Freak has completely booted out all of the previously known Pokemon (until the main story has been completed anyway), leaving only the new roster intact, and this is actually an extremely good decision on their part. For the first time since Pokemon Red and Blue players are thrown into an unfamiliar land as they encounter unknown creatures with new moves and abilities. It’s refreshing to walk into a cave and NOT see a Zubat or Geodude, however, in some areas it seems like they have just been replaced by the likes of Woobat and Roggenrola.
The Pokemon battles, themselves, have also seen a nice upgrade (both mechanically and visually). One much appreciated upgrade that fans have been asking for since Pokemon Stadium on the Nintendo 64 makes its debut in Black and White, and that is, of course, that now the Pokemon will actually move while in battle. The battle camera seems to have also followed the path the Pokemon took and it is no longer stationary, meaning that it zooms in and pans around which immerses players even further in the battles.
On top of the aesthetic upgrades to the battles, two new battle modes have now been incorporated and they are actually quite enjoyable. Triple Battles have a certain layer of strategy to them as Pokemon on the right and left can only attack the Pokemon in front of them as well as the enemy’s pocket monster in the center. However, your Pokemon in the center is able to attack all three of the Pokemon that your opponent has on the field. This is a fun option, but after eliminating two of your opponent’s Pokemon it’s just a two-on-one battle that seems more slow than enjoyable. Some Pokemon also have moves that can be combined to offer up severe damage, and that ability was previously only possible on the cartoon show.
Triple battles are a nice addition, but it’s the Rotation Battles that up the ante and bring about an experience that has never been seen in past titles. Rotation Battles increase the difficulty substantially and really require some form of solid strategy for anyone who plans on walking away with a victory. You can switch around the positions of your Pokemon before attacks and the opponent can do the same, and that makes for some enjoyable and hard-fought battles that fans, new and old, will be able to enjoy.
The final pièce de résistance that appears in B&W is the addition of some seriously awesome and long overdue online features that are now accessed through a new Key Item called the C-Gear. The C-Gear takes the form of a menu that fills the entire bottom screen of the DS handheld, and it will enable players to instantly trade or battle with any of the friends that they’ve registered. Pokemon can now finally be traded from their inbox, which means that you no longer have to boot up the trading room, trade six guys over, leave, and get six more.
Pokemon Black and White may not have the best visuals ever seen on the Nintendo DS – but they are still the best the series has ever seen. The way they’re utilized draws players further into the game than ever before, and long-standing fans of the franchise will appreciate every second they spend in Unova. The new battle mechanics and visual upgrades really change the way the world feels and looks, which adds some much needed revitalization. These games could very well be the best in the series and they have ensured that the Nintendo DS goes out with a solid bang before the Nintendo 3DS hits retailers.
Pokemon Black and White are available now for the Nintendo DS.
P.S. If this review has convinced you to purchase one of the games then you better act sooner rather than later, because the legendary Pokemon Victini is only available until April 10th.
Our Rating:
4.5 out of 5
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Excellent review. I agree wholeheartedly with all of it.
Nice! How are you enjoying the game?
Very much! It feels so fresh and new while still keeping the things I love about Pokemon games. Excadrill and Galvantula are probably my favorite new Pokemon.
Those guys are actually very cool additions! My personal favourites are Krookodile and Haxorus. Although, for the first time ever in a Pokemon game I was actually torn between which starter to pick. Solid roster update in Black and White.
Same it was between Snivy or Oshawatt (sp?) for me, I could care less about tepig. So I got my nephew to trade me his Snivy and now I have both. Only cost me a Pidove and a trip to McDonalds…..Score!
But yea there are alot of solid additions I think this is the best new batch, after the original 151 of course. Haha
Wow, I just went from ‘not going to buy’ to ‘I need this right now’. I didn’t even know it was a new land. Stoked!
I just started playing Pokemon. For years I brushed it off as “just for kids”. Then I actually read about it and I decided to give it a try. I started with Diamond and I really like it. I ordered Pokemon Black and SoulSilver. I wish I had gotten into it sooner…
I’ve been a fan of the franchise since the original Red and Blue versions came out on the Game Boy. Game Freak has kept the Pokemon games cruising at a topnotch calibre for over a decade, and every new instalment just gets better and better.
Pokemon is one of those franchises that has become really deep without telling people it’s really deep. The game is still accessible to children and can be beaten with relative ease, but creating a team for combat with the best of the best is far more complex. It’s one of the rare games out there that is as casual or as intense as you want it to be.
Great Review Riley. I cant really give too much of an opinion as being in good old Australia it only came out yesterday and I had work until 5.
So far I only have the first gym badge, but my initial reaction is pure love!! I love that the story gets started right away without doing all the annoying deliver this deliver that before you even are allowed to buy pokeballs.
Cant wait to finish work today and get back into it at the pub with a pint
Thanks, Shamose!
The game only gets better after the first gym battle, so there’s still plenty to look forward to.
It was really nice that I didn’t have to run around doing trivial tasks before I could set off into Unova.
Overall, I’d say it’s the best Pokemon game to-date.
This is 1 of the few series, from which I played every game of. I even borrowed a 2nd DS, so I can put every Pokemon I ever caught on 1 gamecard.
Now I still have the wait for B&W to come out here…
Where do you live, Steve? I thought the game was out pretty much everywhere now. :S
Ha, I just checked: it has been out in the Netherlands allready. Apparently all of Europe had March 4th for the games, I’ve to search for it in stores…but still: which one???
I received both versions, but I like Pokemon White the best. I found that it just had Pokemon I thought were cooler, and I figured I wanted to catch rare Pokemon in White Forest instead of just battle them in Black City
@ Ace
haha you’re the worst uncle ever. Conning your poor, young, defenceless nephew out of his starter Pokemon. In all honesty, I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same.
I agree, the original 151 are still the best.
Haha yea, being the young cool uncle has a couple perks. And Highway robbery on my nephew to fill out my pokedex is at the top of the list haha
Ah well, he can just restart the game and get another one. So it’s not too bad.
Still, it’s pretty funny.
thank u so much for the review im playing it and having so much fun ahh D/P/Pltnm was nothing like this xP
Yeah, it’s pretty different. That’s certainly not a bad thing though!
Great review man. I agree, great effects, new battle modes, cool up-to-date gyms, alot to do, great story, neat characters, awesome cities (Castelia City..wow).My only issue is the new Pokemon itself and going to another region. Most of thew new pokemmon are a bit cheezy, not very original compared to Kanto and Hoenn Pokemon. Also not many water pokemon. And i love G/S/C because you could go back to Kanto after you defeated the elite four. Which ive done already, been to White forest and caught most of the Kanto/Johto/Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokemon on White. So kind of running out of things to do besides the Battle subways, battle houses, just have to find the 7 sages and more legendary pokemon. And btw, Zekrom was quite easy to catch, one pokeball lol. But great game for this legendary series though, 9.3 out of 10
Yeah, I agree about the water Pokemon. You don’t even get a Rod until you beat the game, but there are a TON of water-types currently floating around the National Dex so I can see why they wanted to cut down a little bit.
the ability to go back and revisit other lands was one of the coolest features in Gold, Silver, and Crystal, and it’s a shame that nintendo hasn’t done that with more games.
Haha Zekrom was the easiest legendary Pokemon I’ve ever caught. It only took me two Ultra Balls!
The game’s story did feel a little short, but overall it’s an absolutely phenomenal game. Now we just have to wait for the next one!
Personally i think pokemon platinum and soul silver were pretty cool i got a lvl 100 Giratina and Groudon and i have stayed with those 2 pokemon ever since i bought pearl. I didnt use cheats cuz im not a noob who uses that junk
. But anyway nice review dude i pre-ordered black and im gonna get it friday i cant w8 im so excited lolz XD.
I like it pretty well, but I one of my favorite things about Pokemon is catching all of the Pokemon I’ve loved since I was a kid (I didn’t get any video games until I was a teenager), but Platinum and Soul Silver pretty much filled those for me. My least favorite thing about it, though, is that all of the gyms’ mazes so far have been ridiculously easy. I’m up to badge six now.
One of my favorite things is walking over the SkyArrow Bridge. I love how the camera changes as you walk. And now I must end my mini-review because my mom is begging for the computer.
pokemon black and white has got to be the best ds game i’ve played. Im getting the 3ds next week (I’m in britain) so the game will be able to connect to wifi (i have a ds lite that doesnt connect to wpa..).
my rating=9.5/10 awesome game game freak!
I agree with this review, I’ve been playing them since red and blue and this really is one of the best games in the series.
Some of the pokemon could have been a bit more…creative but everything else the story/gameplay/graphics more than made up for it.
so far I’ve found this game to be very meh to be honest
Honestly I have been a fan since the very beginning of the series since I was a little kid. One of my favorite achievements was being the first to catch all 151 in the first generation before the rest of the kids in my class. Now a days these games have gotten way too easy and this one was just another dissapointment. I understand this is a kids game and needs to be easy for them but maybe they should make difficulty levels so its a good challenge for veteran players. As far as special effects, new pokemon, and the new region go I love it. But the gym leaders are too low leveled, team plasma doesn’t know what they want, and after you beat the elite four besides the online capabilities and the battle subway there are only a handful of things to do. Maybe its because I haven’t been able to use the dream world yet but this game is a step back for me from Heartgold/Soulsilver (which are still fun). P.S. if anybody says “well what about the dance contest” then I say too you “why did they get rid of the pokemarathon?”