Preview: Pokemon Black & White (by Nathan D.)

February 1, 2011, by Nathan D. - Pokemon is, by far, my most beloved franchise in all of gaming. I spent my years as a youngster playing Blue Version practically non-stop, and by the time Ruby and Sapphire versions released, I had dozens of level 100 Pokemon in my possession. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to transfer my ultra-powerful Pokemon over, but that's a story for another day. When Nintendo first announced Pokemon Black and White versions, I got giddy inside. I really enjoyed HeartGold and SoulSilver, but those two games were merely remakes, no matter how awesome they were. After spending seven hours with the Japanese Black Version I'm finally ready to share my thoughts, and let me tell you, the new generation of Pokemon feels as fresh and exhilarating as the first time I played Blue Version.

Like every other set of Pokemon games, the only difference between Black and White Versions is that a few select Pokemon are only available in each game in an attempt to get players to trade their Pokemon with their friends. The Wi-fi features introduced in Pearl, Diamond, and Platinum Versions make a return appearance in Black and White, only this time you can choose to leave the game connected to Wi-fi the entire time you're playing.

The first big change in Black and White is the visual style. Handheld Pokemon games have always had a top-down perspective with simplistic visuals. The camera angle in Black and White has been rotated and the overall quality of the game's visuals has been enhanced tremendously. The two versions feature a variety of vistas, including forests, snowy areas, mountains, and more. The most amazing area, however, is Castelia City. It's a huge metropolis with towering skyscrapers and pedestrians running amuck. The games also feature a day and night cycle and a season system.


Battles have also been overhauled in Black and White. Advanced training techniques such as EVs and IVs are still hidden, unfortunately, but they're there for the more hardcore players to take advantage of. Pokemon sprites in battles are animated now, and each attack as a specific animation for every Pokemon to avoid awkward situations in older Pokemon games where the attack "Flamethrower" would come out of Growlithe's nose since the animations were pre-set.

The Pokemon designs in general are a lot better looking than what was offered in Pearl, Diamond, and Platinum versions. To make the game feel even fresher, only the new 150+ Pokemon are in the game until you defeat the Pokemon League. Upon completing the game you'll be able to upgrade your Pokedex and catch all the classic Pokemon.

Pokemon Black and White releases in North America on March 6, 2011, for the Nintendo DS. Check back at iNintendo for future updates on Black and White, including a diary feature and full review.