Gotta catch 'em all...

... almost out of obligation.  A more appropriate title for this post should read "why a grown man can still play pokemon with minimal shame".  This review is going to go through the simplistic review of Pokemon Black and White, as well as explaining a little bit of my justification.  For the sake of time, I'm going to try and avoid talking about pokemon gameplay, but if anyone's confused, I'll break it down later for you.

Pokemon Black/White (BW) is the fifth generation of pokemon, and it's a good one.  It's well rounded, well paced, and delves into the issues of what makes pokemon what it is, and it does so in gameplay as well as the narrative.

Liked:

Solid Start - This game kicks off at a decent pace that the other pokemon games kinda lack... usually it's a bunch of crap.  Run an errand for this guy, randomly get a pokemon for your own, learn how to fight in the tall grass... This one has those elements, but it doesn't beat around the bush - the game knows it's about those things and kicks straight into it.  No waiting, no pretense - here's your pokemon, now go kick ass.

Smart Trainers - Pokemon's gameplay is basically a big complicated game of rock, paper, scissors.  Certain pokemon are good against others ("It's super effective!") and some are not (It's not very effective..."), and this simple concept is where the strategy is built.  I'm about 2/3 through the main story and have run across some fairly intelligent cpu trainers.  I've always wondered in past games, "why doesn't this guy use a potion, he's just about dead...", and this game addresses concepts like that.  In game trainers will uses items and abilities like you do, adding to the gameplay as well as the challenge.

Super What? - My first pokemon game, I didn't have the internet, strategy guide, or even a friend to help me through.  I found a gameboy color and a copy of Yellow in the middle of a big park with no one around.  Not once during the gameplay did the game explain anything about type compatibility.  I thought when things were "super effective" that it was just luck.  This game takes a great step in that direction by educating the player about what works well against what.  It's unavoidable, and written into the storyline - this makes BW a great choice for any first time pokemon players.

Visuals/Sound - This is a minor one, considering the DS's graphical limitations, but they've really kicked it up as best they can.  More 3D (not 3DS) interactive areas, cooler animation for pokemon attacks, and a world that changes appearance with the seasons. (Although I am curious why it says it's Autumn in my game when my DS's date is correct... Maybe its Fall in Japan?)  The soundtrack is also good.  Same basic pokemon melodies redone with new flair.

Pokethical Questioning - For all practical purposes, pokemon are basically animals. They help us, serve us, love us, fight us, scare us, etc.  But the ethics of capturing wild pokemon and battling them against others who have done the same thing has never really been addressed.  One way to train captured pokemon is to go to a gym (one in every city!) and fight them all day long! There's even a sanction league and government to support this.  In BW, the main antagonists are basically the PETA of the pokemon world. Later in the game the payer finds out that their motives aren't as pure as they seem, but it's still pretty ballsy to bring up the ethical dilemmas that basically create the gameplay.

Dislikes

The Pokemon - They really need to hire some more creative artists at Game Freak.  The pokemon of this generation are far and away my least favorite, with a few exceptions.  I feel like they just sat around one day looking at things around them and turned them all into pokemon.  I love Ghost type, and usually make it a focus on my team, but they're all stupid.  One is a pokemon named Chandelure... which looks like a freakin' chandelier - zero points for creativity.

No older Pokemon - This generation of pokemon are all new creatures.  In the previous games, at least a few of the older gen games pokemon would show up, but these are all new.  I have a special attachment to the older guys, and not having them in the game is a little frustrating.  After beating the main game, I can transfer my old ones in, but the main fun of the game is over by then.

Defense

I enjoy pokemon a great deal.  Part/most of it is nostalgia from my younger days of gaming, but part of it is how it breaks up my gaming life.  It's something I can play in short stints on breaks, or something to wind down a day with.  RPGs have always been a bit of an uphill climb but the casual nature of pokemon - save anywhere and keep going at will - makes it possible to put down at any moment.   I also enjoy the large level of customization.  There are literally hundreds of pokemon to choose from when making a team, and each of those pokemon can learn a variety of moves to give your team a sense of balance.  The large level of customization gives the player a sense of pride and uniqueness that can only be said of their select team.  I've been proud of my character before, but bragging about my individual Commander Shepard really wouldn't make a whole lot of sense.  My pokemon are uniquely my own, and even have registration to prove it.

I also think pokemon is a healthy game to be playing. Each generation is released as two sister games, encouraging players to interact and trade with one another to complete their games.  The portable systems are usually out and about anyways, so working with other people who play to complete your game is a cool feeling.  It's almost a sense of fellowship, or mutual dorkiness that happens.  It's great!

My only real regret is how much the game is marketed to kids.  The gameplay and strategy is fairly complicated (some moves can only be taught by breeding pokemon together!), and this story in particular is fairly nuanced (I don't think many kids are being effected by the discussions of pokemon ethics in game).  It almost feels like a waste to add it in since the marketing really only draws in kids under 12.  The player plays as a child in the game as well, so it makes it even tougher to justify.

I actually want to play a pokemon game where I get to play as the antagonist, harassing other trainers and trying to take over the world with my pokemon.  It would all revolve around the same gameplay, but would be a new unique twist on the story. It would be dark, and awesome.

- - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - -

Credit to Penny Arcade. I couldn't get the link to work, so I uploaded the downloaded image.

Sorry for the length here, I hope you read it all.  Sorry I've been so absent from the blog lately.  I've been out of town on vacation and busy the weeks prior.  I did comment on most of the older threads so if your curious as to my thoughts feel free to check up.  Cheers!