Pokemon Black/White

It's been over 15 years since the first series of Pokémon was released in Japan and become the juggernaut that it is today. The latest Pokémon Black and White versions came out last Friday. And I think my first impression would be simply that they feel “fresh”. They're the same games as they always have been, with the same formula, but Game Freak have somehow managed to make them feel new, adding a slew of new features and upgrades.

The first, and most noticeable difference between these games and, for example, HeartGold and SoulSilver, the previous games in the series, is the much more cinematic nature of the new titles. While the series has had 3D graphics (confined to a semi-2D plane) since 2007's Diamond and Pearl, it is in Black and White, with the lower camera angles (and indeed the dynamic cameras in the larger areas) that really show off what the DS is capable of. Whether panning about the Skyarrow Bridge (the games' version of the Brooklyn Bridge – oh yes, they're set in, as my friend puts it “fantasy New York”) or moving around to show off the seafront in Castelia City (downtown Manhattan), they manage to make the games feel much more imersive and dynamic than their static predecessors. Another key change is the introduction of a semi-3D battlefield for the Pokémon battles themselves. Pokémon now move around in battle, their sprites animating, and often reflecting their condition, for example a sleeping Pokémon will close its eyes (which, incidentally, on some of them is just adorable).

In terms of gameplay, this has been substantially tightened up, to provide more of a sliding scale in terms of difficulty – defeating Pokémon at a much higher level than your own will gain more experience than defeating them at the same or lower levels, making training more rewarding for those willing to put in the time. It does seem subtly different to previous games though, perhaps due to being the first properly “new” game since 2007, Platinum and HG/SS being essentially enhanced remakes. Indeed, there is much more of a plot this time around, with your two rivals frequently engaging you in both story and battle, as well as the ongoing fight against villainous Team Plasma. There are also many enhancements over how you interact with the game, the ever-present “Register” button has now been replaced with a list of options you can set when Y is pressed. The Pokémon storage system has also been made far more intuitive, with “drag and drop” being the operative here, something which I felt was sorely missing from HG/SS. Connectivity with others has also been increased, and you're not encouraged to play the game with the wireless on, to take advantage of trading, or even visiting others' games via the Entralink.

From all this gushing praise, you could be forgiven for thinking the games are perfect. They're not, and indeed there's a lot of things which have been taken out and are missed. For example, in HG/SS all options were easily accessible on the touch-screen. Black/White have taken a step back in my opinion by replacing them with the C-Gear (the wireless tool). Furthermore, while having multiple options available on the Y button is convenient, it nevertheless often requires more button presses than would otherwise have been necessary. One could also claim that the game is decidedly linear, the Unova region being less complex than Sinnoh or Hoenn regions, or even Johto or Kanto. Though I feel that this isn't so bad, as it removes ambiguity from the storyline, it certainly could be argued to limit freedom.

In general though, Black and White are without doubt the best Pokémon games yet (or at least until the next one comes out, which will most likely be an enhanced remake or “third version”). That which was removed is more than made up for by that which remains, with tightened mechanics, a decent storyline and some top-notch graphics, I'd really recommend picking these up, even if you only played Pokémon “back in the day”. They're easy enough to be picked up by newcomers, but deep enough to provide a highly satisfying experience for the older gamers.

Add Comment

You must log in to submit a comment.