Pokemon Black Pokemon White

SCORE: 70

Pokemon Black and Pokemon White are essentially the same game. At the end of the game players get access to a different legendary Pokemon. In Pokemon Black they can enlist the aid of Reshirom. They have to battle Zekrom. Pokemon White flips that. If you have played any Pokemon game in the last decade you know what to expect from Pokemon Black/Pokemon White. You set off on a mission to get all eight badges from the gym leaders. Then it is on to the Pokemon League. Pokemon Black/Pokemon White actually shifts the story up some. First off you do not have a rival. You have two friends who help along the way. They force you to battle them at times for various reasons. So in a way it is more like the cartoon. Which is progress for this franchise. There are 150 new Pokemon, and you have to beat the game before bringing in Pokemon from previous games. Which is actually a way to keep the game fair for those who have not beaten the game. Of course once you beat the game, then all bets are off, and Pokemon like Celebi can be brought across.

The graphics in Pokemon Black/Pokemon White have some real high points. There are some neat little cut scene movies that are shown at various points in the game. Many of the buildings tower over the scenery. Unfortunately we can only go to a few floors in these skyscrapers. But that is a minor quibble. The violence in Pokemon Black/Pokemon White is various attacks the player tells their Pokemon to enact. Special effects display on the screen and the opposing Pokemon flinches. Losing all health points makes a Pokemon faint. They are then highlighted in red. Going back to a Pokemon Center, healer, or using a Revive item brings them back. Many of the creatures look friendly in Pokemon Black/Pokemon White. Some of them are hideous - like the ghost and psychic types.

The music is a remix of standard Pokemon sounds. I recognized a lot of the music in Pokemon Black/Pokemon White. The Pokemon have sounds they make before a battle. These range from cute to irritating. I played a lot of Pokemon Black/Pokemon White with the sound off. At least the countless hours needed in terms of grinding. Grinding is needed to get the Pokemon to the right levels to progress and beat the game. Team Plasma is on a mission to free Pokemon from their trainers. They remind me of the environmentalists who want all humans living in cities instead of living in harmony with nature. There are some plot twists in Pokemon Black/Pokemon White that I will not mention in this review.

Pokemon Black/Pokemon White allows for two to five players to enjoy the game together as long as each player has a copy of the game. Well one of the games. Players can battle, trade Pokemon, and more. We spent close to a hundred hours playing both Pokemon Black and Pokemon White. After the game is beaten a plethora of new areas open up. This also opens up the possibility of bringing in Pokemon from previous games. The one drawback to Pokemon Black/Pokemon White is how addictive it can be. This game gets in your head and does not let go. I am thankful that once I beat the game it diminished. I spent seventy dollars on these two games. I feel I got my moneys worth.

I have one quibble against Pokemon Black/Pokemon White. That is leveling up. It takes way too long, especially at the end. Other games have all characters gain experience whether they are in the battle or not. The Pokemon franchise needs to progress that direction. I also got very frustrated constantly having to swap types out in my party to progress through the next area. This artificially adds additional play time. I would be happy if it took forty hours to beat the main storyline. There is still a ton to do afterwards. Do we really need to be logging two hundred hours or more on one video game? The various types add strategy and make swapping Pokemon mandatory.

Pokemon still have multiple evolutions where they become something more powerful. This is done through hundreds of battles. The two main legendary Pokemon somehow created the region. Not really sure where they got these creation powers. Psychics and ghosts are some of the more powerful Pokemon in Pokemon Black/Pokemon White. Sure they have their type weaknesses. Multiple type Pokemon are some of the most frustrating to battle against in my opinion. The dark type Pokemon were my least favorite. A basic reading ability is needed to understand what is going on. Pokemon Black/Pokemon White can be used to assist in reading. Good luck with pronouncing the Pokemon names.
- Paul

Graphics: 70%
Sound: 75%
Replay/Extras: 83%
Gameplay: 64%
Family Friendly Factor: 60%
System: Nintendo DS
Publisher: Nintendo
Rating: 'E' - Everyone
{Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence}

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