n00b Review: REVIEW: Pokemon White/Black (NDS)

I know it's kinda late to make a review about this game but I can't help it. This game is very good. It is like exploring Pokemon all over again but feels refreshing. New story, gameplay mechanics and landscapes to explore and catch Pokemon with.

(May contain spoilers!)

PLOT:

Pokemon Black/White has a new plot. It has a different feel that is different with its previous installments. The story of the game revolves around our hero and his/her two best friends; Cheren and Bianca, both of which has their own personality. Cheren aims to be the strongest Pokemon trainer in the Unova region while Bianca would like to understand and meet different kinds of Pokemon across the region.

There is a new team in the Unova region, the counterparts of Team Rocket, Team Aqua and Team Magma, their name is Team Plasma. Team Plasma's plot is to release Pokemon from their trainers so that Pokemons will be free. Team Plasma is composed of 7 Sages lead by Ghetsis. Sounds too good to be true right? Well, that is their agenda at first but not until you progress to the game. I won't spoil the fun here. Play the game. LOL.

For every Pokemon game, there is a rival. Sort of. In this game his name is N. N for Nintendo I think. You will unfold his part of the story once you play the game. Is he bad or good? You'll see.

Like all Pokemon games (not the spin offs like Pokemon Dungeon etc.) you will be introduced to the world of Pokemon by a certain professor, this time the professor is a she, he name is Professor Juniper.

Ain't she a beaut?

This latest Pokemon game also has new line-up of Pokemon to befriend and capture. The three starter Pokemons are; Snivy - Grass type, Tepig - Fire type and Oshawott - Water type.

PRESENTATION:

Pokemon Black/White is a new Pokemon experience. The graphics are upgraded at some point. There are new additions that gave awesome experience. There are flying leaves that adds a little depth to the surroundings, 3D modeled skyscrapers and a lot more.

There are also changes in the battle scenes. Pokemons don't usually move during battles in the previous games but here they are alive. When they get attacked by Sleep move you can actually see the Pokemon with its eyes closed and when it gets paralyzed, its movements are slowed. Other status ailments animation also apply. Not only during battle that you will see moving sprites, you can also see people moving round and about in the city of Castelia. The Pokemon Center and Pokemart have been merged into one too which is kind of convenient.

Pretty convenient don't you think?

Another wonderful addition to the game is the Triple and Rotation battles that will test how you take on enemies and have some kind of strategy. Battle train is also present which is kind of cool by the way.

In the previous Pokemon games, there are Pokeathlon and other mini games, here the Pokemon Musical is introduced. You will have to dress your Pokemon to perform in a musical number. The cuter your Pokemon is, the higher the chance of getting fans which will give you various clothing items to dress you Pokemon with.

The C-Gear is another cool feature of the game. It has three connectivities: IR (includes Battle, Trade, Friend Code and Feeling Check), Online (launches Game Sync that connects to the Dream World) and Wireless (Entralink that connects other people's world and Xtranceiver produce video chat with other DSi).

One cool feature!

THOUGHTS:

Pokemon Black/White, hands down, is an awesome game. Play it.There are tons of new things and features in this game. The soundtrack is also amazing, remixing previous songs to awesomeness. Totally a refreshing Pokemon game indeed. The 150+ new batch of Pokemon are quite enough to make you buy this game. The only problem is the design of some Pokemon which looks like crap.

Another problem is that the Pokewalker introduced in Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver is of no use in this game. I wish it could be used again to think that Pokewalker is one cool piece of pedometer.

Goodbye.. old friend.

You will play this game long enough before you knew it. I already played up to the end and I still play this game. With 46+ hours of play time, there are still lots of things to do and explore. So get your Nintendo DS and play this game. You know what the tagline is right? You gonna catch 'em all!

Pros:

+ New story

+ Awesome gameplay

+ Tons of new Pokemon

+ Amazing 3D

+ Animated sprites

+ Remixed songs

+ Replayable

Cons:

- Some poorly designed Pokemon

- No Kanto, Sinnoh or Johto
- Pokewalker is not used