Pokemon White/Black

Well it's about that time again, a new Pokemon on the shelves. Baring in mind this will be the first time I have played a Pokemon game since 1996, Pokemon Blue obviously, I am interested to see what Pokemon White has so offer! What has changed in 15 years? Well lets find out.

Pokemon White has an interesting story to say the least! Unlike the original Pokemon games where the objective is simply to get all 8 Badges and beat whoever else is in your path. Pokemon white has a more structured story, battling Team Plasma who's goal in the world is to free all Pokemon from their owners. I understand this sounds strange, but you begin to understand how this is wrong! Like always you still need to compete for badges and progress the same old way, but it is certainly nice to have a bit more of a story to play with.

The first thing you will notice is how the games presentation hasn't changed much, but why would it? The original Pokemon Red and Blue was very basic, but simply brilliant. I played Pokemon White and I am very happy with how it all looks, I was interested to see what Nintendo would do with the Dual screens and they did not disappoint! The top screen is your main screen like in most DS games, when walking the tall grass of Unova and also where you get to watch your favorite Pokemon battle it out! The bottom screen is used when fighting, it serves as your command center, you can chose your moves, items, switch Pokemon and the choice to Run here. You can either tap the screen which is a nice touch or simply direct the icon with the D-pad. When you are free roaming the bottom screen is only used for looking at items or if you have Online mode on, you can chose multiple options here.

The scenery is nicely done, with a few little effects whilst roaming, however the game does feel slightly out of date. In such a long time you would feel they may have changed it up a bit, a different camera angle or something.. Just to spice it up a little. Also when the Pokemon fight it seems very basic, a few Pokemon have some sweet effects but again it would have been nice to see a little more physical action between Pokemon.

I was always a fan of the Pokemon music, especially when you first turn the game on or when you get your first Poke battle, feeling like a kid again! And yet again Pokemon have done very well in providing a simple soundtrack, but for the most part I just had the sound off. Most of the sounds are very basic and can get a bit annoying, the option to play without sound is very nice.

The gameplay is nice as always with Pokemon, its very simple but highly addictive at the same time. You begin to play and even though all of these new Pokemon who you have never seen before, you want to see them grow as always! It was really nice to see them evolve because you had literally no idea what was coming! I do miss the original guys, Charizard and Blastoise.. Don't fear however, because you can get up to over 650 Pokemon in this game! Insane I know! You aren't able to get any of the older Pokemon until you have got or met all the new ones. I do want to stress one thing however, getting the old Pokemon is not easy in anyway. You can meet most of them, however a lot of the original Pokemon have to be traded from other games such as Soul Silver and Heart Gold, lame. I finished the game last night and all I wanted was my Charmander, but no. Now I am looking for a way to get him! As I have not played the previous game on the DS I don't know if this new 3 vs 3 battle is new or not, but its pretty cool.

The burning question is how long does it all last? Put it this way, the main story line takes around 40 hours to complete, seeing as the final battle is very hard and you end up having to go back and level up! Not only that, when you finish the game you can go back on with almost half the world left to explore and then you can fight the Elite four again, getting to level 100 when you only need to be around 50 to beat the game. There are a few Legendary Pokemon for you to get, obviously the Dragons on the covers, along with 5/6 more. There are also some Fossil Pokemon and exclusive Pokemon! They have to be traded over Black and White to 'Catch em all'. So you are looking at hundreds of hours easily! Well worth your money.

Before we end I know everyone who doesn't have the game already, wants to know.. What Color? Well a tough question, just like 15 years ago when you had to chose between Red and Blue the choice is here again. I went for white, why? I have no idea.. I liked the look of the cover? To be honest there isn't much difference, simply the final fight and a few Pokemon here and there, but nothing drastic. I say just chose which looks cooler to you at the time and wing it that way.

So lets recap. Pokemon yet again delivers in every way. Yes its still the same old Pokemon with a dash of color, but that isn't a bad thing! If you have ever been a Pokemon fan you will like this game. Even if it's not 'cool' anymore, I challenge anyone to play this for more than an hour and not enjoy it. If you are looking for a good game to burn some time into, have a relaxed time then this is for you. Well actually, I say relaxed, but I tell you.. There is nothing more frustrating than having an epic battle with this damn wild Pokemon who you, paralyze, put to sleep, confuse, basically everything under the sun.. Leave him with almost no HP and then after all of that..  the little Pokeball shakes 3 times.. Pauses then damn well breaks out!!! The rage does begin to flow, but it's is all part of the fun! As its a DS game the price tag isn't like buying a 360 game or a PS3 game. I am struggling to find anything wrong with this game at all, but simply because it isn't a huge leap forward I can't score it perfectly. Giving Pokemon White a...

9/10