In just under two weeks, Pokémon Black and
White will be released in Japan (after receiving a
perfect score from Famitsu). The latest monochromatic entries
in the long-standing series are shaping up to be the best yet, offering
a surprising number of gameplay changes and improvements and, of
course, tons of new Pokémon to collect.
While it's not uncommon for some to spend years playing a single
installment of the franchise, now there's yet another reason: seasons.
Based on the Nintendo DS's internal clock, the environment will change
around you, and more than just graphically. For example, high-up areas
that are inaccessible most of the year can then be surmounted with a
snow bank that appears only in the winter. And, of course, the seasons
will affect what Pokémon you can collect, as well -- at least one of the
new Pokémon revealed, a Normal/Grass fawn, changes appearance based on
the season. These are no doubt but a few examples of what are sure to be
a number of season-based features you can look forward to, and
fortunately the seasons aren't tied to what they would be in our world
-- they change every calendar month. Black and White are more than colors this time around. While previous
pairs of Pokémon games typically just mean a few different obtainable
Pokémon apiece, Black and White look like they're aiming for something a
bit more ambitious: subtle differences in towns and other areas, and
even exclusive areas in one game in place of the other. Pokémon Black
has Black City where Pokémon White's White Forest lies. Is there more at
work here than just bullet points for the back of the box? Maybe Black
and White is each in its own parallel universe? But what about the Pokémon? The games' director has made an ambitious
promise: that none of the previous generation's critters will show up
until the end of the game. How many new Pokémon total there are is as
yet a closely guarded secret, but the handful revealed so far show a
surprising variety and mixture of new types. Players can look forward to
collecting electric spiders, possessed sarcophagi, and axe-mouthed
monstrosities, just to name a few. You can expect some old friends to get new evolutions and prevolutions,
but strangely only one has been revealed so far: Mamanbou, the evolution
of Luvdisc (the oft-derided kissing fish Pokémon). It should be safe to
assume that some Pokémon people actually like will be getting a nod
from Darwin, too. Of course, everyone's mostly excited for the new
starters: Tsutaja the grass snake, Pokabuu the barbeque pig, and
Mijimaru the emo water otter. Also, there will be the requisite number of new legendary and event
monsters to collect. Gracing the boxes are Reshiram and Zekrom, the
feral embodiments of Yin and Yang (a big theme in Black and White). Also
revealed is Victini, a flaming rabbit-like Pokémon with a special
number in the Isshu Pokémon: 000. Of course, this is still a Pokémon game, so the Isshu region is replete
with the customary trappings one would expect from a Pokémon game. Eight
gyms? Check. Eight gym leaders who still mysteriously insist on
specializing in a single type of Pokémon? Check. Nefarious gang of
criminals? Check. Pokémon Professor? The first female professor... and
check. Foe-wise, you have Team Plasma, an armor-clad group of idealistic
miscreants inspired by the Knights of the Templar. Unhappy that the
world's fauna have been enslaved for glorified cock-fighting, Team
Plasma idealistically strives to change society, no doubt hypocritically
armed with a handful of the lamest Pokémon in the game. Oh, Team
Whatever... will you ever learn? Let's hope not. You'll also be going up against the mysterious "N," a powerful rival
trainer whose ideology goes a step further than Team Plasma's. He's
searching Isshu for a way to separate humans from Pokémon forever,
something that no doubt will require the power of the legendary monsters
gracing the games' boxes. So far, so normal, right? Wrong. The core of the game, the battles, are
getting a major overhaul. First up: triple battles. As the name
suggests, triple battles allow you to throw out three Pokémon at a time.
Unlike double battles, positioning is now an essential component of
triple battles; depending on their position, your Pokémon can only
attack certain others. By switching your combatants' positions, you can
take different offensive and defensive stances to maximize your attacks
and minimize your opponents'. There's also a Triple Battle variant
called Rotation Battle, which pits one monster against another at a time
instead of all at once, and you can rotate them without using a turn. In the previous games' double battles, there were always beneficial
monster, attack, and type combinations, but true combination attacks
were strangely absent. Well, no more -- a new line of "Oath" moves, such
as Grass Oath and Water Oath, can be combined to create devastating
super attacks that will affect your opponents' entire team with damage
and status effects. The battle presentation is getting a major overhaul, too. After 15
years, Pokemon will finally be fully animated in battle, no small feat
considering there are likely to be over 600 Pokémon to animate. Attacks
are flashier than ever, and also look speedier than any of the previous
DS releases. Some of Pokémon Battle
Revolution's streamlining seems to have made it's way into the game,
too, with weather effects no longer announcing themselves every turn,
for example. Each entry in the series also has its handy little adventuring gadget.
Apparently tired of attaching "Poké" to the front of words, this time
around you'll be armed with the "C Gear." The C Gear can make phone
calls and display a map, as you might expect, but also can use something
called "Deru Power" to give you temporary bonuses in battle, such as
increased experience point gain. These bonuses can be collected and
traded with your friends. Raising your ball-bound partners also just became much easier thanks to
infinite-use TMs. No longer will you need to hoard Earthquakes or worry
about wasting another Giga Drain, because you're now free to experiment
without fear of repercussions. Nintendo isn't exactly known for its online prowess, but leave it to
Gamefreak to take those irksome Friend Codes to interesting new areas.
First up, is the "High Link." This mode allows you and your friends to
engage in a number of online co-op missions spanning Isshu. How exactly
some of this will work is unknown, but color us excited. Next up, seemingly in the "because we can" category, players with DSi or
3DS systems can video conference with up to three other people. OK, so
this may be where the aggravating "enhanced security" of Friend Codes
might be a boon -- the last thing Nintendo needs is for Pokémon Black
and White to become the next Xbox Live Uno or Chatroulette. Potentially signaling an interesting strategic shift for Nintendo is the
new "Dream World." By huffing "dream smoke" excreted by two of the
weirder new Pokémon, players will also be able to send their friends on a
trip to the "dream world." Yea, okay. But what this actually means is
that you'll be able to upload your pets to the web and play a number of
minigames with them from your PC's web browser. While dreaming, your
Pokémon may run into monsters from previous generations, allowing you to
catch them early. Online battling also gets a major upgrade with the Global Link. Not only
will players be able to engage in battles against random players at
long last, the Global Link web site will keep rankings and detailed
statistics to egg on your competitive streak. Last, but certainly not
least, the Global Trade Station returns, allowing you to asynchronously
trade with people across the world. So, in summary: Pokémon Black and White are shaping up to be a major
step forward for this perennial favorite series. While it's still not
the revolution some people may be looking for, it's a pretty significant
and radical evolution. Keep an eye out for 1UP's forthcoming Pokémon
blog series, Gotta Blog 'Em All, where we'll cover the Pokémon Black and
White's epic launch on Saturday, September 18th, followed by hands-on
impressions! Originally published on 1UP.comA Whole New Place With A Brand-new Attitude
Like every previous Pokémon installment, the fifth generation Pokémon
RPGs take place in an all new region of the parallel Earth those
collectible monsters call home. Called Isshu, this region seems to be a
bit different than the sleepy, backwater regions of the past games --
home to more than one bustling city, a theme park, and a slew of new
areas to explore.
Oh, You're My Best Friend...
...In a World We Must Defend
Advanced Battle Is The Ultimate Test
You Teach Me, And I'll Teach You
Brave and Strong, Together We Will Be
I Wanna Be The Very Best
What You Need To Know About Pokemon Black/White
We run down everything we know so far about the next set of Pokemon and why it might have just received a perfect score in Japan.
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By 1UP Staff September 9, 2010 |
