Pokemon Black 2 and White 2

When the Pokemon series was first released in Japan back in 1996, it’s doubtful that the creators could even imagine how wildly popular their series would become in the following years. Since its release, Pokemon’s popularity has spread across the world bringing it to become the second most popular video game franchise in the world. As a longtime fan of the Pokemon series, I was just as excited for Black 2 and White 2 as I am for any main game in the series. These games didn’t disappoint. Black 2 and White 2 are another step-up for the franchise and displays how much the franchise continues to grow. Black 2 and White 2 combine both old and new elements to create a game that really highlights why people love this series so much.

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 are third tier games for the Fifth Generation of Pokemon. But unlike other third tier games such as Emerald or Platinum, Black 2 and White 2 are not remakes of the original Black and White. Instead, these games serve as direct sequels to Pokemon Black and Pokemon White. Black 2 and White 2 take place two years after the events of Black and White. The game introduces a new adventure that features both old and new characters from Unova and past generations. If you’re one of the people who plays for pure nostalgia purposes, you may be pleased with the connections Black 2 and White 2 have to the past generations once you complete the main story. Black 2 and White 2 also introduces new features such as the Pokemon World Tournament for battlers and the Pokestar Studios for those who prefer non-battle challenges.

Black 2 and White 2 break the small starting town tradition by having the player start in the large Aspertia City. Aspertia City is a place filled with large buildings, a trainer’s school, a Gym, and a Pokemon Center among other buildings to explore. The city is also home to a beautiful lookout area that really makes you appreciate how much the graphics in these games have improved over the years. In Black 2 and White 2, players will start in their house as normal before they set out to meet their starter Pokemon and begin their journey to becoming a Pokemon Master. Throughout their journey, players will encounter the villainous Team Plasma who is back and improved. With new sinister intentions, the new Team Plasma is different than the old Team Plasma. Black 2 and White 2 takes place in the Unova region with some changes. Some of the changes made include new towns, new routes, and new Pokemon. For people who don’t like Unova Pokemon, you may enjoy the past generation Pokemon they chose to add with such Pokemon as Lucario and Eevee being among those you can now catch in the wild in Black 2 and White 2.

As players advance in the game, they will encounter both old and new faces. Faces like Cheren, Bianca, and Elesa have been given new looks but faces like Juniper and Skyla are the same as they were in Black and White. New faces like the rocker Roxie and the swimmer Marlon also make their entrance in these games. Once you complete the main game and enter the Hall of Fame, players are introduced to an entirely new set of things to explore. Don’t think your journey is over just because you entered the Hall of Fame; you now have another set of challenges to conquer.

Among the things to explore are two brand new difficulty settings. Challenge Mode and Easy Mode allow you to change the difficulty of the game by turning on their keys via the main menu. However, there is a bit of a catch. Only Black 2 has Challenge Mode and only White 2 has Easy Mode. In order to get Challenge mode on White 2, you will need someone with Black 2 to connect with who will hand you their Challenge Mode Key. Likewise, in order to get Easy Mode on Black 2, you will need someone with White 2 to connect with who will hand you their Easy Mode Key. Challenge Mode increases the opponent’s levels and increases their Artificial Intelligence. This mode is good for players looking for a bit more a challenge than the normal difficulty can offer. Doing the opposite of Challenge Mode, Easy Mode decreases the opponent’s levels and decreases their Artificial Intelligence. This is perfect for the child players of the series or just for anyone looking for an easier time during the game.

Another new feature to the games is the medal system. The medal system rewards players with medals for completing certain tasks. Some tasks like walking your first step on Unova may seem a bit silly but as you advance through the game, you will find harder medals to achieve. Medals like entering the Hall of Fame with a team of only one certain type or link trading with multiple people may prove to be a bit difficult for some players to complete. But nevertheless, the medal system introduces a new challenge to players who want to take it on.

Players will also have new challenges to encounter. The Pokemon World Tournament is the perfect place for battlers to turn to. The PWT definitely makes up for the removal of the Battle Frontier from the games. In the PWT, players enter into tournaments. During the main story, players can't enter too many cups but post-game, players can enter many new cups. After entering the Hall of Fame, players will unlock the Unova Cup. After completing this cup players will unlock the Sinnoh Cup, Hoenn Cup, Johto Cup, and Kanto Cup. These cups feature the Gym Leaders from their respective regions. So fight hard and you may get to once again face off against your favorite Gym Leaders. Upon completing these cups, players will unlock the World Leaders Cup. In this cup, you face Gym Leaders from all five regions and Bianca is also a challenger. Once you have completed this cup ten times, you unlock the Champions Cup which lets you face champions of all five regions. Like most events, there is a catch. You cannot use items and you cannot change your line-up. You must go through three trainers with the line-up of Pokemon you began the cup with so choose carefully. Who you will challenge can change every time you enter the cup so trying to predict who you will face may not work out very well. Players can choose which battle style they prefer. The PWT allows players to do Single Battles, Double Battles, Triple Battles, and Rotation Battles. The PWT also rewards Battle Points. The amount of BP you get depends on which cup you are challenge and which battle style you choose, your reward can vary from 1 BP to 3 BP.

If you want another battle challenge other than the Battle Subway and the PWT, players can head one of two new areas. White 2 players can head to White Tree Hollow and Black 2 players can head to Black Tower. These two areas are new battle arenas. You cannot predict what you will face as every time is different. The trainers and floors are randomly generated and change every time you start new. As the player progresses through the floors, the floors progressively get harder and harder the higher the player gets. There are a total of ten floors. Each area has a Gate Trainer and Boss Trainer that you must defeat before advancing. After completing the fifth floor for the first time, players earn the privilege of exchanging keys. A White 2 player can give a Black 2 player the Treehollow Key which will unlock White Forest and White Tree Hollow for that Black 2 player. Likewise, a Black 2 player can give a White 2 player the Tower Key which will unlock Black City and Black Tower for the White 2 player. Unlike other challenges, players’ Pokemon can earn experience from defeating Pokemon within these areas. You also collect prize money for defeating the trainers. However, if you lose or forfeit a match, you will lose all of the money you earned in the area. So be sure not to be defeated or quit!

For people who are looking for a challenge not battle-centered, the Pokemon Musical can be lots of fun. But if you want something new, Pokestar Studios may interest you. Pokestar Studios is a new area settled just outside of Virbank City. As you may have guessed, Pokestar Studios is based off of Hollywood. You and your Pokemon get to become actors that play parts in a variety of movies. You can choose to do this area before you complete the main story or after. If you complete it before, make sure to comeback post-game because new movies are unlocked. When you first do the movies, you must use a rental Pokemon. Once you get a good rating on the movie using rental Pokemon, you may use your own Pokemon for that movie next time you film it. Be sure to read the objectives and movie information carefully, some movies can throw you for a loop requiring you to do something like purposefully lose the battle. Also remember to think carefully about your moves and the dialogue. You have a limited number of scenes to accomplish your objective and some dialogue lines just don’t sit well with certain directors. In total, there are 44 films for you to star in.

Black 2 and White 2 is continued improvement in the Pokemon Franchise in many ways. Among the improvments are the graphics. The graphics in the games are excellent and astounding; this series has come along way in the line of graphics since it first began. Throughout the game, players will be given many opportunities to admire the graphics. The lookout in Aspertia City and the boat ride to Castelia City are just two examples that showcase the amazing work done on these games. The storyline is also a bit more in-depth than past games and carries more emotion. If you’re an emotional gamer, you may find yourself tearing up a time or two from finding out about Hugh and his promise to his little sister or from hearing more of N’s story. Black 2 and White 2 may have one of the best storylines in the series so far.

Overall, the game is a great one that is sure to please most Pokemon fans and will appeal to RPG lovers as a whole.