Version Exclusive Areas and Video Chat in PokÃ©mon Black and White

Corcoro magazine has become THE magazine for new PokÃ©mon Black and White details and this month's issue is no exception. Several new Pokemon and game details were revealed. Perhaps most importantly, Corcoro has officially reported that each version will, for the first time ever, have version exclusive areas. White Forest and Black City are the exclusive areas in question.

Now, I'm not a rocket surgeon or brain scientist, but it's likely (and completely unconfirmed) that White Forest will show up in PokÃ©mon White, while Black City will appear in PokÃ©mon Black. It's awesome that Gamefreak has finally decided to change the map depending on which version you buy (even though it's only one area), because having the only difference between versions being five or six exclusive PokÃ©mon was always pretty lame.

Here are the other juicy new details revealed in the magazine:

PokÃ©mon Black and White will also include a new feature that will likely turn a few heads: video chat. Concerned PokÃ©mon fans who don't have a DSi or DSi XL should calm down because the game will still work on your camera-less DS, but you won't be able to video chat. The video chat feature uses a new feature called the TV Transceiver and will allow up to you and another friend to chat via an online connection. However, if four of your friends are within range of each other then it can support all of you simultaneously.I don't know why anybody would want to video chat with someone who is in the room beside them, but I guess some people have their reasons. Hopefully when using the video chat online it won't support an option that randomly pairs you up with strangers, because then it's just going to turn into Chat Roulette. Plenty of visible tension release for everyone to watch and be disgusted with.

The games will also have a new feature called the "Passing By Option" and it sounds like it will function in a similar way as the Nintendogs "Bark Mode" that allowed players to connect and interact with each other while playing. "Passing By" will let players connect with others around them and help them out, while the "High Link" feature that was announced a few weeks ago will let players take on missions to aid other trainers in their quest to become a PokÃ©mon Master. Which sounds very similar to a co-op mode which is actually a first in the series. Co-op sounds freaking awesome and although it's not the PokÃ©mon MMO that everyone at Game Rant wants undeniably it's a step in the right direction.

Three-on-Three battles were announced only a few weeks ago, but now we have some concrete details and the news should get strategy junkies pumped to free-base some PokÃ©mon goodness. In these battles placement of the actual PokÃ©mon will have a significant role, according to Corocoro. PokÃ©mon can switch places on command, which means that that thunder attack that you just sent out on Pidgeot just got sent to Rhydon... and did nothing.So another layer of strategy has been added to the games and Nintendo and GameFreak seem to radically be changing everything we have ever known about PokÃ©mon. All this information is exciting, but a little intimidating. Hopefully the world we know, love, and grew up with doesn't change too much, and as long as I can transfer over my Charizard and Mewtwo I'm excited for the next step and the final PokÃ©mon game on the Nintendo DS before the 3DS takes over.

What do you guys think of the new modes? How often are you going to video chat with your buddies?