Giving Fans What They Care About
Before this review gets started, it needs to be pointed out that I am a huge Pokémon fan. I have been playing these games ever since I was eight years old when I got Red Version and a Gameboy Color for Christmas. So, as a fan since the beginning, I have noticed consistent trends that have been found in these games that I felt were not necessary to the gameplay. The new installments work to correct and eliminate these constant irritations, and offer so much new and refreshing content that will make any fan smile with content.
Pokémon Black is set in the Unova region which is located far far away from any of the other regions from the previous games. This shows the developers attempts at rebooting the franchise as there are also no Pokémon from previous games seen until the completion of the story. The story involves the evil Team Plasma who are determined to liberate Pokémon from their owners to make a better world, and they will not stop for anything even if the trainers don't allow it. The story is more developed than previous games and more focused, but still doesn't take away from the main goal of the game which is to collect all of the gym badges and defeat the Pokémon League.
The most noticeable changes this time around are the vast improvements in graphics, and the increased variety. The entire environment is completely rendered in three dimensions which brings life into the cities and towns. I was particularly impressed with the enormous Castelia City, which resembles Lower Manhattan, and its huge skyscrapers and citizens that rushed back and forth giving the feeling of traveling through a metropolis. Also, during the battles, the Pokémon sprites are fully animated which gives each species its one character. The game even adds a handful of cutscenes for added effect. New types of battles called Triple battles and Rotation battles are added to the mix. These new battle modes allow the player to use up to three Pokémon at a time. Unfortunately, these new modes are scarce in the actual game, but luckily can be played online.
As far as the core experience goes, it remains virtually unchanged, which is what makes this series what it is. All of the unnecessary gimmicks that didn't seem to work in the previous games have been done away with, or altered to work better. The game itself feels more organized, with a simpler map and inventory. Trading and battling online is improved and less complicated. Even transferring Pokémon from previous generations is easier, although an extra DS is needed.
Pokémon Black and White are impressive and well made games that deliver to fans and give newcomers a place to start. Although a couple of minor annoyances keep it from being perfection, it is still the best one to come out since the original Red and Blue Versions came out way back in 1998. Game Freak has their work cut out for them if they plan to top the high quality of Black and White, but knowing those guys, I'm sure they can do it.
Final Verdict: 9.5/10
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