To me, as a Pokemon loyalist who has stuck with the series since the beginning, they come off simultaneously as exhilarating, and as a bit of a disappointment. Make no mistake, Pokemon Black 2/White 2 are great. As they stand, they are probably the ultimate realization of the Pokemon formula, with everything fine tuned to pitch perfection, the best series progression and pace structure, the best selection of game modes both online and offline, the best roster of critters available from the get go, and overall, delivering the kind of deep, immersive, and addictive Pokemon experience that I demand from each new entry in the saga.

But they also often feel like a step back for the series.

Pokemon Black/White came as a breath of fresh air. After nearly a decade and a half of continuity that the games were increasingly burdening themselves with, the games decided to say ‘screw it,’ and basically rebooted the entire franchise, taking the players to the far off and absolutely disconnected from everywhere else Unova region. Every Pokemon you encountered here was brand new, so you had the sense of discovery and wonder that had not been a part of a Pokemon game since Red and Blue kickstarted the phenomenon back in 1998. Every location was brand new, everything, even though it unfolded as you would expect it to unfold, felt new, as though seen from a fresh new lens. Even the games graphics took the biggest jump a Pokemon game has ever taken visually between two installments, and the games took on a new cinematic bent, with an emphasis on storytelling and characterization, delivering the richest story the games have ever told, one that dared to break series conventions and even ask ethically probing questions that lie at the foundation of the franchise itself.

That is all gone now.

Pokemon Black 2/White 2 take place in the Unova region. Most players coming off of the original Black/White will find themselves almost uncomfortably familiar with the region. The games have taken it upon themselves to make the region seem fresh for returning players: you start out in a new town, and all the places you visit until your third gym battle are brand new locations that you have never been to before. Subsequent to that, you revisit older locales in your quest to win all the gym badges of the Unova region, but you find that they have changed – two years have passed in the game world since the events of Black/White, and for example, a construction site in that game now sports a full fledged newly developed suburb. There’s more, but mostly, it spoils the element of surprise, and I don’t want to spoil the element of surprise, since there isn’t much of it in the game.

A lot else has changed too: the order of the gyms, the layout of the gyms, the roster of Pokemon that gym leaders have, and finally, sometimes, even the gyms themselves. New Pokemon have started appearing in the wild, and Pokemon Black 2/White 2 represent the best distribution of Pokemon in the wild; before the second gym battle, you can have some viable Pokemon on your team that might even make it into your final roster of six, from Mareep to Growlithe and Magnemite. In the past Pokemon games, you just caught throwaway Pokemon to progress through the game, and didn’t even start building your real team until after the end of the game. Not so here. After you’re done with the inordinately long intro sequence, you’re free to start building your team from the get go.

That’s a huge advantage that cannot be understated, and it is reflective of what defines Black 2 and White 2 at their core: these are not Pokemon games for newcomers. Past Pokemon games have always been held back by the fact that they might be the first games for a new player, and so, they have had to slow themselves down, at the expense of the Poke-veteran, to make sure the new player can catch up. Not so with Black 2 and White 2. Oh sure, there are still the introductory tutorials, you’re taught how to use a Pokeball, and all of those shenanigans. But that’s not what I am talking about. The game assumes that you have played Pokemon before, at the very least played the original Black/White before you jumped into this. As such, it doesn’t shy away from having an almost brutal difficulty curve, and introducing some of the more advanced mechanics to begin with.

Even the post game content is made for Pokemon veterans. The lack of a proper post game was, in hindsight, a huge problem, as Black and White never really offered much for the player to do. not so this time. Apart from of course the addition of an unlockable Easy Mode, and a Hard Mode, Pokemon Black and White 2 have the best innovation for the series’ post game since Emerald brought us the Battle Frontier back in 2005: the World Tournament, a brutal Pokemon battle series that uses competitive battle rules, and pits you against old favorites from the previous games, such as Brock, Misty, and Blue from Red and Blue, to Lance and Whitney from Gold and Silver. All the 32 gym leaders, and four sets of Elite Four plus Champions are represented in the World Tournament, and the battles you have there are some of the most intense ones you will ever have had in a Pokemon game.

It all sounds so good. Add to that the smaller touches, like the new Achievements system, the save file link with the original Black/White (nothing quite as robust as Mass Effect, but still pretty good), the distractions like Pokewood Studios, and you come to the question… so what part of it is disappointing exactly?

The disappointment comes from the fact that after Black/White tantalizingly hinted at something bigger, better for the series that they were just taking first steps towards, Black 2 and White 2 seem to have stubbornly returned to the series’ old grind. Yes, they are expansive and stuffed to the brim with content, rivaled only by the absolutely massive HeartGold and SoulSilver when it comes to that. Yes, they are polished and perfect, and the ultimate iteration of the Pokemon formula.

But they are also a return to the same formula that we have had for nearly fifteen years now, a formula that the series refuses to move on from. In making a game that appeals to the hardened Pokemon veteran, Game Freak have lost almost everything that made Black/White so good- the sense of discovery in exploring a new region unlike any in the Pokemon world? Gone, because you’ve been here before. The sense of wonderment at each new wild Pokemon that appeared? Gone. Not only are the Unova Pokemon a familiar bunch now, but the healthy servings of the older Pokemon add further to the sense of stagnation. The wonderment at seeing Black and White stretch the DS to its limits with their graphical effects is also gone, since Black 2 and White 2 cannot conceivably stretch the system beyond what the originals did. And the daring and bold story of the originals, that has gone too, replaced by a plot that exists only as an excuse for you to get out there and fight Pokemon, disregarding whatever questions the original game brought up, and reducing Team Plasma to caricatures of their former selves.

It’s slightly sad. The evolution that Black/White represented is the antithesis of what Black 2/White 2, their direct sequels, represent. But at the same time, Black 2/White 2 possess uncharacteristic confidence: yes, they know they’re the same old grind the series has seen before. But they’re better, bigger than ever before, more refined and polished than any other entry in the series. You, who are a Pokemon player, got a dose of what fresh new things could mean for Pokemon with Black/White. And yes, that spirit will probably be maintained in the inevitable sixth generation that will hit the 3DS sometime in the not too distant future. But for now, and for the first time ever, it’s good to be back where you belong: home, as the Pokemon series, for the first time in fifteen years, acknowledges you, the fan, the Pokemon player that has been there since the beginning and now knows the games inside and out.

This game was reviewed on the Nintendo DS.

Fans who purchase the upcoming Pokemon Black and White 2 between October 12, which ius when the game releases, and November 12, will get a free Pokemon called Genesect via Nintendo WFC.

Now what the hell is this Genesect thingie?

It’s a new legendary, bug/steel type Pokemon, and it’s got this special attack called Techno Blast. Team Plasma recovered it from a 300 year old fossil and modified it, which is how it got that special attack. Supposedly, Genesect is the only Pokemon to have this attack in its arsenal.

Sounds pretty good to me. I was going to buy it anyway.

The Unova region of Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 has undergone many changes, and new additions can be found in both Black City and White Forest. White Treehollow is found in the White Forest ofPokémon White Version 2, while Black Tower is now a part of the Black City found in Pokémon Black Version 2, and both locations offer advanced players challenging new obstacles to overcome. At both sites, players can do battle with high-level Pokémon to earn Exp. Points and items. The layouts of the White Treehollow and Black Tower are randomly generated, creating a unique experience that will challenge players to solve their maze-like construction and defeat the Trainers that stand in their way again and again.

Today Nintendo have revealed new information about the new  Pokémon World Tournament mode set to feature in the upcoming Pokémon Black/White 2 games.

Pokémon World Tournament mode will includes the following:

The ability to enter the Pokémon World Tournament, an exciting arena where players will be able to take on Gym Leaders and Champions from previous Pokémon video games. This means not only will trainers like Lance, Volkner will be battlable, but players also use the new battle styles and moves found Pokemon Black/White 2.

Players will enter the Pokémon World Tournament as a part of an elimination tournament. Featured battles include single battles, double battles, triple battles and rotational battles. Using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, players can also receive data that allows them to battle with special trainers such as the top players and their teams from the 2012 Pokémon Video Game World Championships.

Pokemon Black/White 2 launches on the Nintendo DS, 3DS and 3DS XL on 12^th October 2012.

Here are seven things we want to see in Black/White 2, seven things that might just make the upcoming sequel a game worthy of the franchise’s name and worthy of the predecessor.

Enjoy, and leave behind your feedback in the comments section below.

Proper continuity

Being a direct sequel to Black and White, there obviously will be continuity here. But how well Game Freak manages that will also be very important in deciding the fate of the game. Will we see more of Team Galactic? Will we have to collect all 8 gym badges again? What’s gonna happen to N (more on this later)? There are just so many plot threads that need to be continued in Black/White 2, plot threads that will not only affect the story progression, but how the game plays out. Let’s hope Game Freak gets it right.

More cinematic

Pokemon Black and White had sweeping camera angles, awesome bridges and cities to show off from impressive angles, some great cutscenes- and not just by Pokemon standards-, and other things we would never had imagined to see in a Pokemon game before. With Black and White, Game Freak proved that they are ready to experiment. We’re hoping we see more of the cutscenes and the new, awesome camera angles Black and White 2 as we did in 2010.

HeartGold/SoulSilver UI

We loved Pokemon Black and White, but we will never understand why Game Freak removed the awesome touch screen interface that was incorporated in HeartGold/SoulSilver. The interface of HG/SS was awesome- one touch, and you could do all the fundamental stuff that was required in a Pokemon game- no using buttons and long winded menus. Everything was clean and crisp, and HG/SS were perhaps the first and only Pokemon games to make good use of the touch screen. We want Black/White 2 to see the return of the same interface- we don’t care if Game Freak changes it at all, because it was perfect as it was. Just bring it back.

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