Pokemon Black Two Looks to be a Win

I am from the original generation of Pokemon. Forget the DS, go back further than the GBA, yep, I’m talking about the original handheld console with Pokemon Red and Blue. I have followed Pokemon through all of the generations, and never had I been disappointed until Pokemon Black. In all honesty the graphics were stunning, the plot was more adult than had been seen previously and they released a complete set of new Pokemon – the game should have been a win through and through. Except the grinding was more noticeable because they had levelled the experience gained from fighting, so whilst I usually enjoy the level grinding this was simply tedious. And whilst it was smarter, fancier and to be fair better, whilst I should have loved it I couldn’t help thinking I prefer Charmander to Tepig (for a start it doesn’t have the irritating fighting type as a secondary). But most of all I want my Pikachu back!

It was the first Pokemon game which I didn’t complete. It is the first Pokemon game where I felt compelled to swap starter Pokemon from fire to water because the fighting secondary type just made it too weak. It was the first Pokemon game which made me think, perhaps now is the time when I stop buying Pokemon games. I decided that perhaps I was growing up after all. The use of a completely new Pokemon set with no older Pokemon was perhaps a very brave move, but it really didn’t work for me.

However, this all changed with the news that the release of Pokemon Black and White 2 was coming out. If this was going to be in completely the same style then no matter how childish I might be then I would have let it pass me by. So, what swung it for me? Well, in the words of one rather famous meerkat, Simples. Unlike the original Black and White this game contains a Pokedex which allows you to catch Pokemon from older Pokemon games, and suddenly I’m interested. The original Pokedex now has 300 Pokemon you can catch before obtaining the National Pokedex and suddenly I can’t wait for it to hit the UK.

So, what else is new? Well the the game is set 2 years after the events of Black and White, which not having yet completed I can’t comment on. The game starts in a previously inaccessible area of Unova somewhere to the Southwest and there are other new areas with new gyms and leaders. In addition the game will be released on all of the DS platforms not just the 3DS, which is fairly new to Nintendo. Usually once they release a new platform the older ones are forgotten about. Maybe they’ve realised that the 3DS wasn’t quite as popular as they had hoped it would be.

But to be fair, not a lot is known currently about the new game other than it will be released in Japan in 2012 and the rest of us are simply going to have to wait and see. But from that trailer, I think is going to have to go onto my list of Must Haves. No matter how much I said I wasn’t going to continue playing Pokemon.

Read more:

Bowser’s Inside Story DS review

A remake of Legend of Dragoon?

When the cracks start to show

When the world asks for too much