Some of you may not know, but when DSiHub was up, I was a frequent contributor of game reviews to the site.
Anyway, today I'm here to review the recently released Pokemon Black and White version games, for the Nintendo DS family of portable game systems.

These newest installments in Game Freak's phenomenally selling franchise, Pokemon Black and White, include many new improvements to the series' story telling, game mechanics, music/graphics and online capabilities, all of which add up and make this game one to buy.



A Kid from Pallet Nuvema Town:

As is standard for the hand held Pokemon games, Black and White start off with a kid from a small town being given a Pokedex by the region's well known professor in order to discover all of the Pokemon in that region in order to gather info on them (of which there were 156 added). However, unlike every other past title, Black and White doesn't make you spend the first, say, twenty minutes of the game doing some mundane task before your journey really begins. Once you've gotten your starter Pokemon and battled your rivals (yes, there are 2 this go round), you're on your way to collecting all 8 Gym Badges and becoming the new Pokemon Champion of Unova.

As has been standard since the Ruby and Sapphire games on the GBA, these entries feature a meatier story, and even more so this time around. When you arrive to Accumula to, you'll see a group of strangely dressed characters standing in the town square. This is Team Plasma, the group of antagonists in Unova. A highly ranked member of said team is giving a speech on the liberation of Pokemon from human oppression. I found this respite from the recent plot lines of (mostly) evil criminal syndicates with the goal of severe change/destruction of the world a nice change of pace. My one disappointment with the "liberation of Pokemon" concept (espoused generally by Plasma's puppet leader, N) is that while it is talked about often, the plot doesn't really explore the possibility of that concept being "correct" as much as I would have liked, which would have been quite interesting in my opinion.

NEW STUFF?!111(one):
Game Freak added several new game mechanics to the tried-and-true ones of yesteryear. The most notable additions are in the new battle styles: triple and rotation battles. In the former, each trainer sends out three Pokemon. Whom each Pokemon is able to attack depends on its position on the battlefield, with the 'mon in the middle able to attack anyone. You can switch positions, but it uses up a turn. In the latter, three Pokemon are still used, but only on from each side fights at any given time. Switching between Pokemon for offense and defense is key to winning these. Combination attacks have also been added to the battles. By chaining certain attacks (such as Grass Oath and Water Oath) result in a stronger attack, often with added effects. Lastly, a new Area known as the Dream World has been added, which features unique Pokemon and abilities, which I’ve yet to use myself since it is currently unavailable due to server maintenance.
Two other modes of play have been added as well: Pokemon Musicals and the Battle Institute. Pokemon Musicals are sort of like the old Pokemon Contests, but you're focusing on appealing to the crowd based on the accesories you place on your Pokemon. In the Battle Institute, you fight against 5 progressivly harder trainers, regardless of each battle's outcome and are ranked on how well you performed.



Hear no Music, See no Art:
Graphics-wise, the Pokemon series has never been hailed as a having spectacular graphics. Black and White’s graphical style most resembles the recent HeartGold/SoulSilver games, but it does feature more polygonal buildings and objects. Many of the games’ varied environments have cool effects such as leaves blowing around, that give off a cool, natural feeling. On a side note, there are several animated scenes in the game which were very well done, but were unfortunately used only a few times.



In Pokemon battles, Game Freak finally opted to give Pokemon in battle animations. This, combined with the panning camera, has a mixed effect. While it is certainly cool, the Pokemon that you control are often quite pixilated due to being zoomed in. This was a slight disappointment, but not a game breaker. The Pokemon’s designs themselves (along with their corresponding names) I found to be good overall, although there are a few where you wonder whether they were running out of ideas or needed a filler Pokemon. I mean, a Rock type named Boldore? Come on now.

I found almost no disappointment in regards to the games’ many sounds and musical scores. From small town music of Nuvema Town to the epic Ghetis battle theme, the game never failed to please my ears; I found the music played when a Gym Leader was down to their final Pokemon to be one of my favorites.
Most of the Pokemon’s cries are good, but there are some where you’re just like…WHY, GAME FREAK? WHY?

WPA Works Now! :
Game Freak really upped the ante with their multiplayer and online support this time around. Most of it involves the new item called the C-Gear, which is the one stop place to access the majority of multiplayer functions. The C-Gear, which takes permanent residence on the touch screen, allows you instant access to wireless activities such as the Xtransceiver, the Dream World. And infrared connectivity to friends’ games for trades, battles, etc. This is a welcome addition. For those who are annoyed of Nintendo’s cumbersome friend code system, Game Freak has made it so that you can fight random opponents online, no friend codes needed.
A new multiplayer feature that was added is called the Entralink, which allows you to go into a nearby (registered) friend's world. To do so, you select one of several missions, which range from leaving a Quick Ball on a bridge, to a 2 vs. 2 Pokemon battle.



There are many other things that were added to these two games, such as the Unity Tower, but I feel that this review is becoming to lengthy due to all of these new features.

Pokemon Black and White are great games for anyone, fan or not, to buy. It's easy enough for newbies to play, and has enough strategical depth for those who are into competititve battling (like myself).

Rating:
9/10

---

Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock n' roll.

---