Pokémon Black and White

The Pokemon franchise has been around for a long time - celebrating it's 10th anniversary in 2006. For the die-hard Pokemon fan every new game release is cause for excitement.

I first started my Pokemon journey with the iconic first generation Red and Blue back in the good old days of the handheld GameBoy with that oh-so-tiny screen. I had to "Catch them All" too. When the Black and White pair of games was announced I happily pulled out my "bag of Pokemon" and my old GameBoy Color (purple) and popped in my Red cartridge to check my Pokedex - yup all 151! As the years progressed both my son and I fiercely competed against each other to see who could beat the Elite Four first and of course, with the Gamelink cable we were able to battle each other to see who had the best Pokemon team.

For our family Pokemon is a way of life, and in some cases the only way to solve an argument is to have a PokeBattle!

On September 18, 2010 the fifth generation in the Pokemon franchise was released in Japan. The Black and White game versions are set in the Unova Region which is located far away from the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh regions where previous versions of the Pokemon franchise are set. Black and White also differ in that they feature only the 156 new Pokemon until you beat the game. Once you have completed the game then you will be able to import others into your game. This was done in part to add a feeling of freshness and let you relive the feelings from when you played Pokemon for the very first time.

Like all Pokemon games, the storyline involves taking on "bad guys" - Black and White are no exception. After defeating Team Plasma's high ranking officers the player is tasked with finding the other members of Team Plasma's Seven Sages so they can be brought to justice. After the Sages are defeated, the player can then challenge the Elite Four, again.

You will also gain access to the eastern portion of the Unova Region, which contains Pokémon that are obtainable in previous games, as well as access to two areas unique to either game: Black City in Pokemon Black, and the White Forest in Pokemon White.

In Gold and Silver, the day/night cycle was first introduced, but Black and White are the first time a Pokemon game features a seasonal cycle. The year is divided into four seasons and this affects the appearance of outdoor areas, and some areas are only accessible during certain seasons. This is also true for some Pokemon as well, some Pokemon can only be found in the wild during the winter season and the same goes for each of the seasons.

There are two new battle mechanics in Black and White: Triple Battles and Rotation Battles.

Triple Battles - For this type of battle both teams send out three Pokémon at once. The position of the Pokemon in the lineup determines whether they can be targeted. Pokémon on the left or right sides can only target the Pokémon directly opposite of them and the Pokémon in the center position. The Pokémon in the center can target all Pokémon in the field. Positions can be changed, but this uses up a turn.

Rotation Battles - For this type of battle both sides also send out three Pokémon at once. But instead of a three-on-three match it is a one-on-one match where the Pokémon in the front can be switched with either of the two other Pokémon sent out without using up a turn.

Black has more Rotation Battles than Triple Battles, and in the White version there are more Triple Battles.

Combination Moves - Your starter Pokémon can be taught one of the three moves that can be used in combination with each other to produce more powerful attacks.

Double Battles against wild Pokémon - Another new battle mechanic is found in the wild -differently colored and styled tall grass enables you to have double battles with wild Pokemon.