Pokémon Black & White (Nintendo DS) Reader Review

Now let me say this, I'm a big Pokemon fan. Pokemon Yellow was my first game for my Gameboy Color. But since I was little boy at the time, I couldn't grasp on how big the game really was. Now I'm 17 ,  I can truly enjoy each version's game experience one by one. From Pokemon Yellow, to Gold, then Sapphire, afterwards Diamond, and even all the remakes they did. I've played them, enjoyed them, moved on the the next gen games, and here are my thoughts of Pokemon White/Black for the Nintendo DS.

(P.s , I know this is a fairly old game now due to the releases of the sequel,  and the newly announced Pokemon X and Y. But before I review any of those, I got to get them first and beat them. Since this is the only recent Pokemon game I completed from start to finish, I wanted to give my thoughts and opinions. I hope ya'll find this information useful.)

• Graphics
  

The DS is an aging system, with the release of the 3DS, I knew that this is going to be Nintendo's next big thing for handheld gaming.  Now, I wasn't to impressed with the leap from GBA, to DS for the franchise. I honestly felt like they could've done better. Such as moving backgrounds, sprites, or even it being in 3D! I've seen it done in the RPG's before. Now, I'm totally talking about Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. The games were still in 2D with some 3D aspects for the towns and cities. Not a visual beast, but still beautiful in it's own way.  Now let's talk about the graphics in Pokemon White/Black. Still, most of the game was still in 2D, but their were very noticeable updates that Game Freak did. The Pokemon sprites now have movement, everything looked more crisp and clear, overall not bad. I still wish my pocket monsters would be in 3D, but hey, it still looked good. The whole landscape of Unova  was way more developed than the last region, Sinnoh. Cities actually looked like cities, the areas are more enhanced, and it just made me feel like I'm actually in the game. Truly showing the capability of the DS in this one. All the landmarks stand out as they all utilized beautiful 3D texture.

Rating : 8/10

 

(Castelia City, Unova)

 
( The new updated battle interface. Your  Pokemon and whom ever you're battling will have movement.)

• Sound
  

​Let's start this section off with the in-game soundtrack. From the title screen, to the Elite Four, and then the ending credits, I truly loved the soundtrack. It really sets the mood for whatever it is that you're doing in the game. Whether you're walking around the forests or in a intense gym leader battle, it's the music that's pumping you, making you to continue. Motivating you to push and defeat that trainer, and to continue on in your journey.  Some of them are just very well done remixes of older songs from  past games. I like the electronic vibe, it's very well done with all the other beats. Very modernized. I actually would recommend some of the tracks for your IPod! But their are still some flaws. The Pokemon itself still doesn't the proper voice acting. A bit nit picking,  but I'd rather here my Pikachu say it's name than a broken mess of sounds. 

http://youtu.be/8s6IkFafrK4 - Here's one that I liked.

Rating: 8/10

• Gameplay
  

Pokemon is a very simple RPG. During the years, very little changes has been added to the remedy. In Gen 3 ( Pokmeon Sapphire, Ruby, & Emerald) The idea of Pokemon Contests was born. Though it didn't much appeal to me, it was fun. In the remake of Pokemon Silver, and Gold, the Pokeatholon was introduced. An Olympics for pokemon where they compete against each other in fun mini games. I thought that was cool. But Pokemon White/Black takes this time to inprove on the online features, and the newly re-amped version of the PokeGear, the C-Gear. It's used to connect to wifi, and other trainers. Other than those simple upgrades, triple battles were introduced, also with rotation battle. Where Pokemon would rotate turns to see who will attack or be attacked. Kinda gimmicky though in my opinion. Pokemon takes the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." approach. But suprisingly the game feels refreshing and still a joy to play.

Rating: 9/10

This game is simply replayable. Multiple hours can be spilled into this game without you even knowing. Pokemon has been around as long as I have, and yet I feel the series is still as strong since it first started. Its fun, addicting, well told, and if you think the new gen Pokemon is your reason not to buy and pick up this game, well my friend, you're missing out. 

OVERALL RATING: 9/10