Pokemon Black & White

Review

Pokemon tread new ground

March 22nd, 2011 by Liam Edwards

reviewed on NDS

Pick up and play

It is hard to find someone these days who has not played Pok�mon (Me, me! �Ed), but with Black and White, Gamefreak has really created a game that new players can jump right into. All this without denying veterans the game the always want to play. Many small subtle changes within Black and White are what make the game so great. It is also these changes that help new players get to grips with the series.

What became blindingly obvious from the first three towns is that this game is set on easy mode. The citizens of each town like to shout out to you how to defeat gym leaders and other trainers with tactics that actually work, and they also teach you about type advantages. The more you talk in B/W, the more items and vital information you acquire. This is a nice change from the previous games where talking to people was fruitless and brought about mindless chatter that halted your progression for minutes at a time. Now, talking to almost anyone will end with you being given an item such as potion, status healers or - if you are lucky - a TM or HM. This is just one of the ways Gamefreak have made it easier for new players to slide into the ageless gameplay.

The gameplay hasn�t changed. With a few minor additions, Pok�mon is the same as always. You travel to towns via routes and on these routes you battle other trainers in turn-based action to gain experience points to level up your Pok�mon. You then travel to the next town and beat the gym leader to gain the badge.

However, while the gameplay may be the same, the way the game plays out is different. B/W is the most story-driven episode in the series, with the over-arching story of being the Pok�mon master taking a back-seat in this version.

Small additions to the gameplay such as three-on-three Pok�mon battles spice the game up, but these battles are too few and far between to be called major developments to the formula. The three-on-three battles are sections where you battle with three Pok�mon at a time. The first three Pok�mon in you six Pok�mon party are called up to battle together, and this means that choosing types that work well together is vital. These battles can be fun, but at times can become confusing and slightly hectic. You choose a move and a target for each of your Pok�mon to perform and attack. Then the opponent will attack you back in the same style. You never know which Pok�mon they are going to attack in your party, so you could be risking some of your Pok�mon in these battles.

You also have to watch out for certain moves your Pok�mon perform. Moves such as surf will attack the whole opponent�s team, but it also hits the Pok�mon in your party that is next to the Pok�mon attacking. So, it isn�t a good idea to have a water-type and a fire-type next to each other, because your water attack may completely knock out your fire Pok�mon. This does add an element of tactics to the battles, but it is only a minor thought when battling. Although some people will gain some enjoyment from these new types of battles, it wasn�t for me.

Another small addition, a pokemart within the Pok�mon centre, is a lovely addition that has everything under one roof. Although buying items isn�t something you need to do that often. Except for pokeballs you practically gain all the items you need and the game is easy enough that most of the time you don�t need to have potions. A nice addition to the series is having places or people who can heal your Pok�mon in areas such as mountains and caves. Instead of having to walk all the way back to the Pok�mon centre encountering random battles left, right and centre, there are now trainers and doctors who will heal your Pok�mon. This is handy in the much larger areas that require exploration.

9.0

fun score

Pros

A rejuvenation for the series and the best since Red and Blue

Cons

Pok�mon are lacking creative thought, hopefully last generation of Pok�mon