Black and White is anything but
Artwork by Ed Gloor
The release of Pokemon Black and White on March 6, 2011 by Game Freak brings a whole new generation of Pokemon to capture, and a new generic story to follow.
For Pokemon fans, this is going to be another hit; those that don’t appreciate the innovative series for what it is, certainly won’t enjoy this game. Game Freak found its niche and it is sticking to it. After all, if it’s not broken, why fix it? The new generation does attempt some new mechanics to the game, and the addition of animated cut scenes throughout the game is a nice touch.
The addition of triple battles was something I was really looking forward to when I picked up my copy of Pokemon Black, but sadly I was disappointed. Unlike the single and double battles, one Pokemon fights triple battles at a time, with an option to rotate the pocket monster that is fighting. I was hoping for this mechanic to be similar to the double battles introduced in previous generations, where players choose the move of each of their Pokemon on the field. It was a good attempt however, and does add a slight change to the constant monotony of most battles.
Another new addition to the game is the ability to find a wild Pokemon double battle. This doesn’t make training easier, but it also ads some previously lacking depth to the training experience.
The final addition that really stuck out on my journey through the new region of Unova was what I have dubbed “shaking grass.” The shaking grass is something that has been added to help speed up training. When traveling next to the long grass in which wild Pokemon appear, there is a chance that one patch of the grass will start to shake. If entered, one will find a Pokemon rare to the area. These Pokemon can be anything from fully evolved Pokemon, to new and rare double-typed Pokemon. The experience gained from knocking out these encounters are significantly higher than the common ones found elsewhere. This is an attempt to speed up the training process of our companions, but in my eyes it didn’t work as well as I had hoped. I feel this way because the Pokemon encountered outside the shaking grass grant significantly less experience than they did in previous generations, so, unless players are willing to run back and forth until shaking grass appears, then the leveling process will take much longer. Shaking grass also appears elsewhere. It appears in caves in the form of a dust cloud, and in water in the form of surfacing water. Items are occasionally found in these rare environmental elements, but they are less common.
I loved the cut scenes and 3D that was added to this game. No, the Pokemon will not be shooting fire out of the screen, and if players were hoping that their opponents surf attack would clean them off after not showering due to excessive play time, they will be disappointed. What I mean when I say 3D is the depth to the graphics that was only touched upon in Pokemon Soul Silver and Heart Gold, which adds panoramic scenes and offers a look at what is below the players. During certain parts of the game, the camera angles will change, and the player will be greeted with a beautiful cityscapes and environments that were previously unseen in the games before these. I was taken back the first time I walked on an overpass and cars were zooming around underneath me. This really added freshness to the game that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Unova is the new region in which this story takes place, and if it looks different from previous games, that is because it is. This generation’s cities were modeled after New York City rather than being modeled after Japan. In the game, players can recognize the Brooklyn Bridge and tall skyscrapers that have made New York what it is today.
Although the new elements were a bit of a let down, everything else was flawless. The new story, although almost the exact same story as previous games, was my favorite, and I found myself interested in some of the characters for once. The Pokemon are all outstanding. Character design was perfect, and the witty humor that was thrown in was much appreciated. Fans of previous games will fall in love with this game, as well. Non-fans may be disappointed, but who knows… pick up a copy, and maybe it will impress, as it has with so many others across the world. I am going to go out on a limb and do something I rarely do, and give this game a perfect five stars. Sure, the game has flaws, but what game doesn’t? None of these flaws prevented me from enjoying the game and, therefore, I can’t complain. Well done Game Freak, well done.
★★★★★
