Pokémon - Black Version

Having been a fan of the games since I was a kid and first received Pokémon Blue, I've been following the series since its inception here in the States. Previous to the release of Black & White, Gold, Silver, & Crystal were easily my favourites. Although Diamond, Pearl, & Platinum were great games with plenty of new features that supported Wi-Fi and international play anytime and anywhere one had an internet connection (with the DS this isn't always an easy feat), it never quite had the pizazz that Johto had (needless to say I adore HeartGold & SoulSilver). Anyway, this new game has an entire new feel to it. I think that Nintendo realized that a good portion of their fanbase is now my age (18-24 area), so they decided to make the game a little more "mature." The game is obviously still aimed for the whole family, but there is a different feel to the story (there actually is a real one) than ever before. The story has depth, the characters have personality and depth, and the Gym Leaders actually participate in the game rather than just sitting in a big building waiting for a ten year old who got his/her first Pokémon that morning to whoop them. The supporting characters follow you throughout the Unova region as always, but they are much more engaged. They accompany you on side-quests, they fight alongside you against the bad guys, and, of course, they challenge you to battles throughout the game. Pokémon Black & White have also added plenty of new variety to the game. This ranges from the diversity of characters like Professor Juniper who is a woman, Gym Leader Lenora who is African American, & there is a plethora of foreign language speaking citizens of Unova (Spanish, Italian, German, & French [probably the most populous] come to mind). There are several Pokémon that are unprecedented as well in type and appearance. The Pokémon of Unova are very love or hate. There are many that I absolutely adore such as Victini, Serperior, Hydreigon, Excadrill, Krookodile, Zorua, Bisharp, Unfezant, and so on, but there are also some that I don't think ever should have made the cut. They're either just simply hideous or they aren't very appealing. All in all, I really enjoy the new Pokémon. I feel that this can attributed to the fact that Nintendo & Game Freak almost make you like the new Pokémon. If you have not heard, there are no Pokémon from the previous 4 generations in Black & White before you have beaten the Elite Four. This sounds like a miserable breaking away from the Pokémon that we all know and love (Umbreon & Dragonite :D), but it turns out to not be that bad. At first I was extremely skeptical, but I realized that the new 156 Pokémon are more than capable of populated the Unova region. It also gives you a chance to become acquainted with the new Pokémon rather than just resorting back to the ol' tried & true. Enough about the Pokémon and on to the features. This is where Black & White shine above all else. Black & White have incorporated features to utilize Wi-Fi connectivity as well as local communications. As for local, the new feature called the C-Gear allows you to use an infrared connection to connect with another Trainer. This connection allows you to battle, trade, exchange Friend Codes (for online play), and do something called a Feeling Check. The most important aspect of this is that you do not have to run back to the Pokémon Center or anything. You can simply tap the IR portion of the lower screen and have at it. The C-Gear also has a feature called passerby. This feature launches the DS' local wireless communications and searches for other C-Gears in the area. For example, when I am sitting in the library on campus playing, I can see on my C-Gear how many other detectable C-Gears are in the vicinity. When another C-Gear is detected, you can have rather limited correspondence with that detected Trainer, see where in the Unova region that person is located, how long they have played the game, and see how many people are in the Union Room among other small things. Needless to say, this can be a bit of a battery drain, but it is an amazing feature and I love it. Most impressively, the C-Gear stays active when the DS is closed, so other Trainers can detect you while you're just walking around. Wi-Fi connection is also leaps and bounds ahead of previous generations. Black & White finally feature Random battles. These Random battles allow you to connect to the server, pick your preference of battles (Singles, Doubles, Triples, Rotation [awesome!!], and Launcher [I'll get to that later]), and link up with somewhere from anywhere around the globe for a battle. It is something I thought should've been implemented in Generation IV, but it is enjoyed nevertheless. The Global Trading System (GTS) is still around and it is much more accessible as well. It can be accessed from any Pokémon Center in the region. The biggest feature of Wi-Fi is arguably the possible connection to the Global Link. The Global Link is a website created by Nintendo & The Pokémon Company that allows you take part in mini-games and so forth while syncing with your game. The Global Link also gives access to the Dream World. The Dream World is actually a pretty detail intensive subject so I'll just give a brief overview. The Dream World is a place where you can send a Pokémon, we'll use my Snivy for example, and that Pokémon can engage in activities in the Dream World. These activities include befriending Dream World Pokémon, growing Berries, and so on. My Snivy would be able to befriend other Pokémon in the Dream World and these Dream World Pokémon typically have different Abilities than the regular Pokémon. Berries also don't grow in the Unova region, so my Snivy will have to grow them for me in the Dream World. At the time of this writing (March 29), the Dream World is not currently active here in the States. It was set to be launched on the 30th, but, due to the recent catastrophes in Japan, the worldwide release of the Global Link has been postponed (my best wishes to all of those in Japan coping with all of their worries). A few things that I would like to point out about the game that I was displeased with were the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity in the Battle Subway, the lack of a Time Machine-esque feature, & the fact that Pokémon no longer follow their Trainer outside of their Poké Balls. The Battle Subway, in the same vein as the Battle Frontier of past games, allows the Trainer to bring a set amount of Pokémon to battle consecutive Trainers for Battle Points (BP). The Battle Subway features battles for Single and Double Battles. In Pokémon Platinum, one used to be able to connect with a friend via Wi-Fi and create a "Tag Team" for playing in the Battle Frontier. This feature has been removed and I am very dissatisfied by this. I loved this feature, and my brother and I used it very frequently since we live in different states. For those who do not know, Generation II (Pokémon Gold, Silver, & Crystal) offered a feature called the Time Machine. The Time Machine allowed the Trainer to trade from Generation II games back to Generation I games (Pokémon Red, Blue, & Yellow) with the exception of new Pokémon and any Pokémon that know new moves (such as a Beedrill that knows Rage). Since Pokémon Black & White are the first Pokémon games to make a double appearance on the same system as the previous generation, I feel that trade between Black & White and Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver should be possible. At times I still play HeartGold & SoulSilver, so I would like to be able to trade Pokémon back from my Black Version or White Version for use in Pokémon HeartGold or SoulSilver. It is a little frustrating that I can't do this, but it's one of the reasons that I loved Generation II so much. As for Pokémon not being able to walk around with their Trainer, this is a little self-explanatory. I loved this feature from HeartGold & SoulSilver and I am saddened that it was removed. I would place money on the bet that the third installment of this fifth generation will bring back Wi-Fi connectivity in the Battle Subway as well as having your Pokémon follow you around. Sadly, this will be enough for me to buy the new game and start my adventure all over again for the third time. All in all, this game is very fun to play. It is one of the best Pokémon games and definitely one of my favourite games overall. This game is great for everyone including the casual player and the hardcore gamer. For casual players, Pokémon Black & White offer a very fun environment for one to immerse himself or herself into. For the hardcore gamer, Pokémon offers many metagame opportunities that include competitive battling, intricate breeding systems, and a game that can be played virtually anywhere and at any time. I have only taken the time to highlight a few of my favourite features, but I hope this convinces those who have not yet purchased the game to go ahead and pull the trigger. Good luck in the Unova region! Now back to training my Pokémon... FC = 1721-2533-8212 for those that already have the game. Either send me a message or

I haven't played Pokemon since I was a sixth grader, when Red and Blue just came out in the states. So, I've been gone awhile. The new generation of Pokemon is a great place to return to the series. As with the original, I'm kind of a completetionist when it comes to getting all 153 of the new Pokemon. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible, as a couple are only able to be acquired through various events that are now over. This is also the case with the National Pokedex, which involves collecting all 600+ from all generations of the game (many are event only Pokemon, including Mew, Celebii, etc, and are impossible to get now unless someone trades them to you, which is unlikely). So, if you are a completionist, don't bother. It's a nearly impossible task that will drive you crazy. Also, if you haven't played since Red/Blue/Yellow, you'll learn about all the new features that are in the series. Breeding Pokemon so they are as powerful and unique as possible, effort value training (effort values are abstract numbers not viewable in the game that you get by battling pokemon and dictate the stat gains of your pokemon as they level up), ability selection, etc. So be warned, Pokemon has gotten rich and complex, so much so that this clearly isn't a game that is "just for kids". The series sure has come a long way. Graphically, the series is updated with 3d graphics on the overworld, and battles that include sprites that continuously move, a camera that zooms in on the action, and dynamic music that changes depending on the situation in the battle. It makes for a more exciting game, but they manage to keep the pace of the game the same as it's always been. The game includes a lot of internet features. Unfortunately, I can't take advantage of any of them (I'm a soldier deployed overseas and don't have access to wireless internet), so I can't say a lot about it. One that I do know that sounds interesting is the ability to sync your game with your Pokemon account online, and send your Pokemon to a "Dream World" that you access from your web browser, allowing you to maintain a house, grow berries, get access to new abilities, and capture Pokemon that you can't get in-game. It sounds intriguing. Overall, this game brings back memories of Red/Blue/Yellow, and it's been a blast getting back into the series. I played the game when I was 11 years old, and I'm now almost 24. So even if you're older, don't be put off by the fact it's Pokemon. It's a charming game, completely addictive, and a lot of fun.

This a a great return for pokemon. Previous games have felt a little lackluster, with too few new pokemon, too many water types, too many hms and uninteresting storylines. Pokemon black and white addresses all these problems. The story is much more constant and interesting. All the gym leaders really feel like characters, you have up to three rivals who could challenge you at any time, and your ultimate rival is pretty interesting. The game features 150 completely new pokemon, with the return of some old classics only once you beat the Elite Four (there are up to three cities available only after you bets the E4, so the game should have a long life). My only gripe in this area is that the design of these pokemon seems a little dodgy compared to previous games. Some pokemon are awesome (Serperior, Hydreigon, Braviary), but there are waaay too many stupid pokmeon based on inanimate objects (there are even ice cream and chandelier pokemon for god's sake!). On the plus side though, water pokemon play a much more normal role in this game, and there are only two water hms, so you don't feel like you're having water types (which are personally my least favorite) forced down your throat. The game looks great, there's a lot of 3D (and a lot of bridges), though the pokemon sprites could do with a bit of an update. If you like pokemon, get this game, you wont regret it. R

casi no se tarda nada en llegar , las condiciones en que te lo entregan son excelentes y el precio realmente es muy adecuado lo recomiendo bastante,

It's my first review, so I'm warning it may or may not contain SPOILERS: I have to say I was seriously impressed with this new Pokemon game. I've been playing them since Gameboy Colour, and the last generation before Black & White just didn't seem to have much in the way of improvements or changes than the generation directly before it...but with Black, there was so many good new changes, improvements, additions, and a really good story that it seemed to bring back a "new-ness" the same way the Advanced generation seemed to. Black still has the same Pokemon-catching/battling system as before, but they've added unique battle modes like Triple Battles, and online battles against people from around the world. One thing that was a huge improvement in my opinion was the way they revamped the TM/HM system. For all the "collector" types out there that like not just catching and keeping 1 of every Pokemon, but also want to always save a TM just in case you use it and then want/need it later - they've fixed that. Any TM you get, you can use over and over, just like an HM. Now the only difference is that HMs are still permanent, but TMs aren't, so you could (in theory) teach a move to a Pokemon just for a battle, then get rid of it when a new move comes in, and even give it back the same move later....Or teach several Pokemon the same move. Also, when it comes to HMs, it's great that for the most part, for most of the story you no longer have to always keep a couple extra Pokemon with you just to keep some who know a certain HM-move, or use up a slot on one of your main Pokemon's moves with an HM you may not like, because now (from what I've seen in the first 20 hours of the game so far) most of the HMs are used for kind of extra areas to get extra items, etc. - kind of like a side-quest or something. So when it comes to going through the story, aside from the initial use of your first HM, you pretty much aren't forced to use any for at least a good chunk of the game unless you want to. Another thing is, is that the moves themselves have all been powered up quite a bit from what I can see, and the Types seem more balanced against each other now. (I know someone is probably going to disagree with me on that one, but it's "More" balanced, I'm not saying they weren't balanced before) This game feels like the player needs a bit more strategy to win, at least at the beginning, compared to the older games. Now back to the HM thing, because they aren't as important (dare I say, lol) the game seems much more progressive in a line, instead of going back and forth from places the older games in particular were known for. (Not saying you won't go back at all, but see for yourself :P) And on a final note, the fact that it moves forward like that seems to be because of an almost constant story-line, which I'm actually quite impressed about. All in all, they stayed true to the core ideas, but aside from that - everything was an improvement! There's a lot more that they changed and added, and I'm still figuring out some of them! but these were my most favourite features. Hope someone finds this useful. :)

Right price, good game, time well spent playing it. If you're a fan of the saga it's a must have, if you're not you should definitely try it.

Ich spiele meine Pokemon Spiele lieber auf English. Bei den neuen 3DS Spielen, gibt es eine Sprachwahl, bei den DS Spielen muss man diese aus einem english Sprachigen Land importieren. Das Spiel ist natuerlich genau wie die deutsche (oder japanische) Version auch, nur eben auf English. Wer Pokemon mag und lieber auf English spielt sollte sich dieses kaufen. Vorallem ist hier weniger Problem als zum beispiel ein US import ueber Ebay oder so ...