Thursday 30 June 2011

Pokemon Black and White Review

Pokemon Black

I remember the year 1998. I was young and naive, combing through my local Toys R Us store, contemplating what I was going to experience if I found the awesome new game I had heard all about. The original Pokemon Blue version, which totally blew me away. So much so that I, even now to this day still like to insert the old and dusty cartridge into my ancient Gameboy Pocket. The feeling I got when I played the night away catching monsters of all sorts was rivalled by any other game. Pokemon had me hooked like a Magikarp on land, I couldn't leave. Fast track to the present day and the Pokemon series has enjoyed a healthy growth, spawning 4 more generations of games and entertaining millions the world over. While past iterations were always good, they never captured the spark that the originals had. That is, until the latest instalment, Pokemon Black and White on the Nintendo DS.

The template for a Pokemon game is simple, you are a teenager whom sets out on an adventure into the wilderness to pit your monsters against others, proving your mettle by earning Pokemon League badges at gyms. Along the way an organisation is disrupted in their evil ways by your journey, fortunately you are the hero of the day in these games. While generic, it works. The fifth generation, however, actually has a story, while not true RPG quality it is a step forward. I won't give any spoilers, but I will say that there are darker, more mature themes involved than in previous games. Any Pokemon trainer will gladly admit though, that story is not where the addiction lies.

The game play itself is an upgrade on Diamond, Pearl and Emerald, with new additions to the battle mechanics, such as new moves and abilities which allow for a wider range in strategies. In truth, the series is built on “if it aint broke, don't fix it”. This is painfully clear, with the controls being copied and pasted throughout the series, but it works. It allows veterans to jump right back in yet it's a simple layout for all newcomers.

The visuals remind me of stepping into that sand dune on a hot summers day overlooking the ocean. I can see where they are headed but they aren't quite there yet and right now they are suffering for it, much like my red raw feet that day. While it is nice to see the attempts at bringing the series into a true 3d environment, unless pre-rendered, it creates scenes in which you can't help but notice each singular pixel. A great example of this is the revamped battle sequences, while the camera is moving much like an action film, zooming in and out with each attack, it causes the Pokemon or the attacks to become a blur of pixels. Instead of the clear avatars of each Pokemon that has become a staple of the series, we are given what sometimes looks amazing, and other times looks like a heap of watermarked garbage. The backgrounds in the over world, however are something to behold, from the 3d sky scrapers of Hiun City to the unpredictable rain drenched lands of Route 7, the environment is colourful and full of life.

The vibrant sounds of a Pokemon game always delivers, engrossing the player into the universe, Black and White being no exception. From the frenetic chorus of battle through to the peaceful town ambience the music captures each situation. Never mind the fact that there's over five hundred different Pokemon cries heard throughout the game. There isn't much I can say to fault the music, however, some may take the sudden change of music with a grain of salt once your Pokemon's health becomes critical. It is a feature I really enjoyed though as it created a sense of urgency through the fights.

The main draw card of the series over the years has been the implementation and improvement of connectivity and multi player aspects. While the ability to communicate over Wi-Fi was introduced in the previous set of games, it was limited to scrolling through forum after forum for a persons friend code unless you knew them in real life. Gamefreak have found the solution for all the lonely souls who are technically too old for Pokemon. With the introduction of random battling, something which fans believe should have been in Diamond and Pearl anyway the casual gamer is now able to sign onto Wi-Fi and easily start a battle. The Global Trade System returns, but is still plagued by people asking for impossible trades (level 9 Dialga???). There is also a new feature called “Dream World” where you place one of your Pokemon “to sleep” and play various mini-games for special abilities, items and even sometimes new Pokemon.

Gamefreak pretty much pioneered this sub-genre in RPG gaming and have, as a result, become fluent in the creation of their games. There aren't many qualms I have, or at least none that ruin the overall experience. The multi player aspect has been taken to a new level as has the graphical aspect of the games. If I was to point out a certain aspect which does need work on it would be the pixelated game play through the battles. Being such a minor problem in such a beautifully polished game though, we can let it slide.

What Gamefreak have done superb with the fifth generation of Pokemon games is add just enough nuances to recapture the original feel of the games. I enjoyed my journey through earning my badges, and I plan to do even more adventuring as I discover what might be awaiting for me. For a Pokemon fan I strongly recommend that you give this game a chance.

Rating

Story: 7
Game Play: 9
Visuals:8
Audio:10
Multi Player: 8

Overall: 8

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