<div align="center"><img src="http://pkmn-ph.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Pokemon-White-Logo.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<b>Pokémon Black and White</b>
Nintendo DS
Release Date: September 18, 2010 (Japan)
<b>Introduction</b>
Hi DSDatabase readers, this is the long and anticipated review of the Generation V games of Pokémon Black and White! Announced in February 2010 with the release of the Pokémon Zoroark, who starred in the thirteenth movie Phantom Champion Zoroark, this game has been receiving its fair amount of advertisement. It is probably the most anticipated Nintendo DS Game ever, breaking over 1.5 <b>MILLION PREORDERS!</b> Just two days into selling the games, it broke over 2.63 million copies sold, approximately one million more than Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, which sold about 1.58 million copies. Well, enough about that. Let's move into the game itself.
<b>First Impressions</b>
If I had to sum up this entire game into one word, I'd say: "WOW." Not "wow," but "WOW." I say that with all capital letters because this game blew me away from start to finish. I'm the very picky type that has to have everything be top notch, and almost everything was! Game Freak and The Pokémon Company have actually woken up and created a true gem worthy of being called a mainstream Pokémon game. With the enhanced gaming engine and the 156 new Pokémon introduced into the series, bringing the Pokédex count to 649 critters, there sure is a LOT to do in this world. The new features introduced pleased me greatly and I was happy to say that it made the experience that much better.
<b>Story</b>
<b>POTENTIAL SPOILERS TO FOLLOW: IF YOU WISH TO AVOID STORY DETAILS PLEASE SKIP THIS SECTION.</b>
The story is not like every standard Pokémon game. The story involves a more adult plot instead of the cheap cut and dry formula from past generations. Yes, you're still saving the world. You are still getting eight badges. You're still going to somehow end up the Pokémon League Champion...AGAIN. Only this time around, you have a lot more to do in the story. It involves constant battles with your rivals and childhood friends, Belle and Cheren. Another THIRD rival is introduced, named N. This boy is trying to split Pokémon and humans apart. He's a part of the evil organization called Team Plasma. Forget the Plasma name. I call them the freaky Knight Templars because they look like they're medieval warriors. Even their leader, Geechisu, looks like a Dragon Ball Z knockoff! Anyway, you get a starter Pokémon, you get badges, and you become a hero. The game itself just keeps you on your toes with a ton of stuff inbetween.
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/mjojsg.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>Rival 'N' being escorted by Team Plasma Sages.</i>
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2vjolfr.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>Plasma leader Geechisu crowning 'N' in the Opening Video.</i>
<b>NOTE: If you are lost within the Pokémon Black and White storyline and are not Japanese literate, just look for the Plasma people around the cities and towns. They are EVERYWHERE.</b>
<b>Gameplay</b>
This game's general formula has not changed very much. It's still a ton of battling and catching new Pokémon everywhere. It's just a lot harder. I got killed by the first gym leader several times. There's a new experience system. There's new animations. The graphics have improved. The Pokémon Diamond and Pearl engine was stepped up to new heights with fancier visuals, more details, and better 3D surroundings. The amount of detail in the overworld is seriously accurate. Grassy fields actually look like grassy fields. Cities have walkways and alleys to run around in. NPC characters run into you and interact with you. Sprites are actually animated in battle now. We can video chat with other players and compete in new missions with friends thanks to the C Gear and the High Link.
Certain patches of grass shoot out rare Pokémon even though you're on repel. The wild Pokémon rates have been upped, to my joy! They appear every few steps, so a repel can always come in handy. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
Oh yeah, just as a personal taste to describe how much harder this game got. I ran a Nuzlocke Challenge on the Diamond and Pearl Games, got through it easily. THIS game killed me on <b>Route 1.</b> I wish those of you attempting it good luck, and I admire those who can do it.
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/23r1gtk.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>The newly enhanced 3D engine in action.</i>
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/fx6vdc.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>Welcome to New York City!</i>
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2pyb53b.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>This C Gear is kind of wonky! XD</i>
<b>Special Features</b>
This game has a large amount of extra features to allow for maximum enjoyment. This game has adopted a mini MMO system in which you can compete in missions with other friends. For those with a Nintendo DSi from the Japans, you are quite lucky since the extra features are usable. The features I'm talking about are the live caster (Skype for DS) and the Global Link. I personally don't care about these features since I'm a US player with a 1.4U DSi. This C Gear device is a tool that constantly searches for new people to interact with while playing the game itself. It's going to be constantly on looking for people around you even as you approach daily life! It gathers information such as name, play time, and starter Pokémon! It's all a bunch of eye candy for Pokéfans out there, me included.
The new Triple Battle system is quite amazing. For a regular player, such as a younger child, it's just a new thing. For the metagame competitors, this Triple Battle system is FOR SURE to bring about a serious change in the way this game is played. The new combinations and strategies become endless.
Another little toy to play with is the returning Double Battle system. Now, why would I advertise a feature that went back as far as Generation III back in 2003? In this game, a new twist is given, which lets you Double Battle in the WILD. Gear up and get up, you've got a lot more to worry about now.
Now, the Triple Battle system disappointed me a bit. It's not the system. I love the system! It's how MUCH you see the system throughout the story. From start to finish, which took about 15 hours (yes, I played it in two days, in fifteen hours, goodbye life) you only encounter around 3-4 Triple Battles! This feature was so highly advertised and it was rarely seen. I was a bit shocked that there were so little, and Double Battles came around even less! A few points are gonna be lost for that in the long run, Nintendo. Next time, add a few more! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/155i58h.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/1zp1f2q.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>This new battle interface looks refreshing!</i>
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/156rd7d.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>The new triple battle interface looks cool. Godly Pokémon, that's all I can say.</i>
<b>Replayability</b>
I'd definitely replay this game over again since it actually made my brain think. Maybe it's because I don't understand a lick of Japanese. -.- Come on Nintendo, localize for the United States faster!
<b>New Pokémon!</b>
The cream of the games are always the new Pokémon introduced. In the Isshu region, you get 156 new species of Pokémon that are not predecessors of Kanto, Hoenn, Johto, and Sinnoh. All are new and native to the Isshu region. Of course, once you get the National Pokédex, the older creatures flock to certain areas and you can go on the catching spree, or use your old Generation IV saves (Pokémons Diamond/Pearl/Platinum and Pokémons HeartGold and SoulSilver) to transfer them to the new games via the Transfer Machine which is unlocked later on.
Of these new Pokémon introduced, I like a lot of them. Some are quite ugly, but others strike a tune of cool and make me want to catch them all! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> The sprites of all Pokémon are below. With 156 new creatures added to the series, you have 649 to look for. Good luck!
<img src="http://gbatemp.net/pix/171835/first%20part%20of%20isshu%20dex%20-%20black%20and%20white.PNG" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<img src="http://gbatemp.net/pix/171835/second%20part%20of%20isshu%20dex%20-%20black%20and%20white.PNG" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<img src="http://gbatemp.net/pix/171835/third%20part%20of%20isshu%20dex%20-%20black%20and%20white.PNG" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<img src="http://gbatemp.net/pix/171835/last%20part%20of%20isshu%20dex%20-%20black%20and%20white.PNG" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>Thank you SoulSnatcher for the images.</i>
<b>Game Music</b>
Oh man. This is where the game really shines. The soundtrack is not so childish anymore. It sounds more manly and adult-like. The soft theme when you catch Dialga in Generation IV is now replaced by a VERY epic theme when catching Zekrom and Reshiram in Black and White. Here's a tease of the Zekrom theme.
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OeSt9UGJUes&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OeSt9UGJUes&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
<i>It sounds even more epic when you're catching them!</i>
Many themes you will here within Black and White are sort of rehashed from Generation III. It's quite refreshing. The Elite Four theme is epic in its own right. I love this soundtrack more than any other game.
<b>Conclusions</b>
This game is certainly much better than what I anticipated, even though I followed Serebii and Pokébeach daily. It beats ANY other game in past generations and is now considered my favorite game. If you want to ask me if it's worth it, I'd say yes all the way! I know there are some folks out there who argue that The Last Window is way better, but I say otherwise. *cough cough* :faroah: <b>*COUGH COUGH*</b> Sorry, my cold is quite awful. I'm still getting over it.
Unfortunately with its release in Japan and soon to be United States, I'm just fading away now. There aren't that many good games left since the DS has come out with what, 5300 releases? It's sad since I put a few years into the scene and this is probably my last BIG shot.
<b>FINAL SCORE</b>
Story: 9/10
Gameplay 20/20
Special Features 18/20
Replayability 10/10
New Pokémon 20/20
Game Music: 19/20
<b>Score: 96/100</b>
I really hope you enjoyed this review as much as I wrote it. I love the games, now I have work to do. See you next time DSDB Readers!
<!--coloro:red--><span style="color:red"><!--/coloro--><!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->NOTICE: I have seen progress of ROM save editors and translation patches for the games in the works. Just to let you know, DSDatabase does not advocate piracy in any way. You're gonna have to Google the stuff for yourself. I don't want to have to warn and suspend everyone for leaking ROMs. Pretty sure it's in the rules too.<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec--></div>
<b>Pokémon Black and White</b>
Nintendo DS
Release Date: September 18, 2010 (Japan)
<b>Introduction</b>
Hi DSDatabase readers, this is the long and anticipated review of the Generation V games of Pokémon Black and White! Announced in February 2010 with the release of the Pokémon Zoroark, who starred in the thirteenth movie Phantom Champion Zoroark, this game has been receiving its fair amount of advertisement. It is probably the most anticipated Nintendo DS Game ever, breaking over 1.5 <b>MILLION PREORDERS!</b> Just two days into selling the games, it broke over 2.63 million copies sold, approximately one million more than Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, which sold about 1.58 million copies. Well, enough about that. Let's move into the game itself.
<b>First Impressions</b>
If I had to sum up this entire game into one word, I'd say: "WOW." Not "wow," but "WOW." I say that with all capital letters because this game blew me away from start to finish. I'm the very picky type that has to have everything be top notch, and almost everything was! Game Freak and The Pokémon Company have actually woken up and created a true gem worthy of being called a mainstream Pokémon game. With the enhanced gaming engine and the 156 new Pokémon introduced into the series, bringing the Pokédex count to 649 critters, there sure is a LOT to do in this world. The new features introduced pleased me greatly and I was happy to say that it made the experience that much better.
<b>Story</b>
<b>POTENTIAL SPOILERS TO FOLLOW: IF YOU WISH TO AVOID STORY DETAILS PLEASE SKIP THIS SECTION.</b>
The story is not like every standard Pokémon game. The story involves a more adult plot instead of the cheap cut and dry formula from past generations. Yes, you're still saving the world. You are still getting eight badges. You're still going to somehow end up the Pokémon League Champion...AGAIN. Only this time around, you have a lot more to do in the story. It involves constant battles with your rivals and childhood friends, Belle and Cheren. Another THIRD rival is introduced, named N. This boy is trying to split Pokémon and humans apart. He's a part of the evil organization called Team Plasma. Forget the Plasma name. I call them the freaky Knight Templars because they look like they're medieval warriors. Even their leader, Geechisu, looks like a Dragon Ball Z knockoff! Anyway, you get a starter Pokémon, you get badges, and you become a hero. The game itself just keeps you on your toes with a ton of stuff inbetween.
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/mjojsg.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>Rival 'N' being escorted by Team Plasma Sages.</i>
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2vjolfr.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>Plasma leader Geechisu crowning 'N' in the Opening Video.</i>
<b>NOTE: If you are lost within the Pokémon Black and White storyline and are not Japanese literate, just look for the Plasma people around the cities and towns. They are EVERYWHERE.</b>
<b>Gameplay</b>
This game's general formula has not changed very much. It's still a ton of battling and catching new Pokémon everywhere. It's just a lot harder. I got killed by the first gym leader several times. There's a new experience system. There's new animations. The graphics have improved. The Pokémon Diamond and Pearl engine was stepped up to new heights with fancier visuals, more details, and better 3D surroundings. The amount of detail in the overworld is seriously accurate. Grassy fields actually look like grassy fields. Cities have walkways and alleys to run around in. NPC characters run into you and interact with you. Sprites are actually animated in battle now. We can video chat with other players and compete in new missions with friends thanks to the C Gear and the High Link.
Certain patches of grass shoot out rare Pokémon even though you're on repel. The wild Pokémon rates have been upped, to my joy! They appear every few steps, so a repel can always come in handy. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />Oh yeah, just as a personal taste to describe how much harder this game got. I ran a Nuzlocke Challenge on the Diamond and Pearl Games, got through it easily. THIS game killed me on <b>Route 1.</b> I wish those of you attempting it good luck, and I admire those who can do it.
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/23r1gtk.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>The newly enhanced 3D engine in action.</i>
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/fx6vdc.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>Welcome to New York City!</i>
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2pyb53b.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>This C Gear is kind of wonky! XD</i>
<b>Special Features</b>
This game has a large amount of extra features to allow for maximum enjoyment. This game has adopted a mini MMO system in which you can compete in missions with other friends. For those with a Nintendo DSi from the Japans, you are quite lucky since the extra features are usable. The features I'm talking about are the live caster (Skype for DS) and the Global Link. I personally don't care about these features since I'm a US player with a 1.4U DSi. This C Gear device is a tool that constantly searches for new people to interact with while playing the game itself. It's going to be constantly on looking for people around you even as you approach daily life! It gathers information such as name, play time, and starter Pokémon! It's all a bunch of eye candy for Pokéfans out there, me included.
The new Triple Battle system is quite amazing. For a regular player, such as a younger child, it's just a new thing. For the metagame competitors, this Triple Battle system is FOR SURE to bring about a serious change in the way this game is played. The new combinations and strategies become endless.
Another little toy to play with is the returning Double Battle system. Now, why would I advertise a feature that went back as far as Generation III back in 2003? In this game, a new twist is given, which lets you Double Battle in the WILD. Gear up and get up, you've got a lot more to worry about now.
Now, the Triple Battle system disappointed me a bit. It's not the system. I love the system! It's how MUCH you see the system throughout the story. From start to finish, which took about 15 hours (yes, I played it in two days, in fifteen hours, goodbye life) you only encounter around 3-4 Triple Battles! This feature was so highly advertised and it was rarely seen. I was a bit shocked that there were so little, and Double Battles came around even less! A few points are gonna be lost for that in the long run, Nintendo. Next time, add a few more! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /><img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/155i58h.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/1zp1f2q.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>This new battle interface looks refreshing!</i>
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/156rd7d.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>The new triple battle interface looks cool. Godly Pokémon, that's all I can say.</i>
<b>Replayability</b>
I'd definitely replay this game over again since it actually made my brain think. Maybe it's because I don't understand a lick of Japanese. -.- Come on Nintendo, localize for the United States faster!
<b>New Pokémon!</b>
The cream of the games are always the new Pokémon introduced. In the Isshu region, you get 156 new species of Pokémon that are not predecessors of Kanto, Hoenn, Johto, and Sinnoh. All are new and native to the Isshu region. Of course, once you get the National Pokédex, the older creatures flock to certain areas and you can go on the catching spree, or use your old Generation IV saves (Pokémons Diamond/Pearl/Platinum and Pokémons HeartGold and SoulSilver) to transfer them to the new games via the Transfer Machine which is unlocked later on.
Of these new Pokémon introduced, I like a lot of them. Some are quite ugly, but others strike a tune of cool and make me want to catch them all! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> The sprites of all Pokémon are below. With 156 new creatures added to the series, you have 649 to look for. Good luck! <img src="http://gbatemp.net/pix/171835/first%20part%20of%20isshu%20dex%20-%20black%20and%20white.PNG" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<img src="http://gbatemp.net/pix/171835/second%20part%20of%20isshu%20dex%20-%20black%20and%20white.PNG" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<img src="http://gbatemp.net/pix/171835/third%20part%20of%20isshu%20dex%20-%20black%20and%20white.PNG" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<img src="http://gbatemp.net/pix/171835/last%20part%20of%20isshu%20dex%20-%20black%20and%20white.PNG" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<i>Thank you SoulSnatcher for the images.</i>
<b>Game Music</b>
Oh man. This is where the game really shines. The soundtrack is not so childish anymore. It sounds more manly and adult-like. The soft theme when you catch Dialga in Generation IV is now replaced by a VERY epic theme when catching Zekrom and Reshiram in Black and White. Here's a tease of the Zekrom theme.
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OeSt9UGJUes&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OeSt9UGJUes&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
<i>It sounds even more epic when you're catching them!</i>
Many themes you will here within Black and White are sort of rehashed from Generation III. It's quite refreshing. The Elite Four theme is epic in its own right. I love this soundtrack more than any other game.
<b>Conclusions</b>
This game is certainly much better than what I anticipated, even though I followed Serebii and Pokébeach daily. It beats ANY other game in past generations and is now considered my favorite game. If you want to ask me if it's worth it, I'd say yes all the way! I know there are some folks out there who argue that The Last Window is way better, but I say otherwise. *cough cough* :faroah: <b>*COUGH COUGH*</b> Sorry, my cold is quite awful. I'm still getting over it.
Unfortunately with its release in Japan and soon to be United States, I'm just fading away now. There aren't that many good games left since the DS has come out with what, 5300 releases? It's sad since I put a few years into the scene and this is probably my last BIG shot.
<b>FINAL SCORE</b>
Story: 9/10
Gameplay 20/20
Special Features 18/20
Replayability 10/10
New Pokémon 20/20
Game Music: 19/20
<b>Score: 96/100</b>
I really hope you enjoyed this review as much as I wrote it. I love the games, now I have work to do. See you next time DSDB Readers!
<!--coloro:red--><span style="color:red"><!--/coloro--><!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->NOTICE: I have seen progress of ROM save editors and translation patches for the games in the works. Just to let you know, DSDatabase does not advocate piracy in any way. You're gonna have to Google the stuff for yourself. I don't want to have to warn and suspend everyone for leaking ROMs. Pretty sure it's in the rules too.<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec--></div>
