This past weekend, I attended a Pokemon Black and White event put on by Nintendo, in Mississauga, Ontario. Taking place at the International Centre (a large convention centre,) the event was a part of the annual Toronto Kids' Fest convention. Representatives from Nintendo set up a booth, which featured several Nintendo DSi handhelds for demonstration purposes, as well as two LCD screens and a face painting area for the kids. Pikachu was also in attendance to meet the children who lined up in droves for their chance to play the game and/or have their face painted. It was a great way to appeal to the series' main target audience. Judging from what I saw when I walked around, Nintendo's booth was by far the most popular attraction at the convention, with only the jumping castle as its close competition.
Shortly after I arrived, I was allowed a chance to sit down and play a short demo of each version of the game. The demos were timed to end at a specific part of the game, lasting several minutes each. However, I took time to walk through the grass to engage in random battles in each demo, so that I could add some length to my trial experience. Despite the demonstrations' brevity, I was quite impressed with what I saw and played.
Both versions of the game are quite similar, apart from some minor differences such as different Pokemon. Because of this, the two demos were very similar. They took place during a section of the game where the main character is getting ready to approach the Darkspire Tower, which is supposed to be the residence of some legendary Pokemon species. This trial had me speaking to a few different members of a small town, engaging in a battle with my rival, as well as a battle with one other member of the town, before approaching the bridge leading to the tower. Luckily, there was also a strip of grass available to use for random battles.
When I would enter battle in each game, I was given three different Pokemon with varying abilities to use - each around level 20. The enemies I faced were weaker than my team, so it wasn't very hard to defeat them, but I tried to use as many different abilities and Pokemon as possible. Each battle I fought was a traditional battle, but I have heard that there will be triple battles within the game that will force you to send out half of your team against enemies. However, the regular battles I saw featured new animations, featuring animated Pokemon sprites that would move their tails while they waited and would animate well during their attacks.
Visually, Pokemon Black and White looks really nice. It's impressive to think of how far along the series has come since its days on the Game Boy. The series' colourful visual palette returns and looks great. The character models were well-done and varied. The game also features different seasons, for the first time in the series (in addition to a day/night cycle.) The section I played took place during springtime and the green grass and foliage popped. The seasonal cycle not only changes the look of the game drastically (with each of the four seasons lasting one month in duration,) but it also changes the types of Pokemon you'll find in the wild. Some locations on the map will also only be available during specific seasons. This is a pretty large change, which I look forward to playing with, as it should change the dynamics of the games quite a bit.
The control scheme is primarily the same as it was in previous DS Pokemon releases. The top screen shows the battle (with animated sprites, stats, etc.) and the bottom touchscreen is used to control moves, switch Pokemon, use items or run. If you don't like to use the touchscreen, you can toggle through the menu on the bottom screen with the directional pad, but I found that was clunky compared to the ease of using my finger or a stylus. Moving through the world with the directional pad was easy and I found that exploration worked quite well.
I'm really looking forward to playing through it in early March. I've been a fan of the Pokemon games for years and have grown up playing them, since my cousin introduced me to Pokemon Red years ago. Black and White add some interesting new changes to the series' great, tried and true gameplay formula.
Here are some more details, changes and facts about the game:
- The game takes place in a region (Unova) far away from those in other games, which is only accessible through airplane or boat. It is a much more industrialized area and features a larger population.
- The camera is much more adaptive during battles. It will zoom in and out and change its viewpoint.
- Poke Marts and Global Terminals are now placed in Pokecentres
- The game features a three-dimensional city and three-dimensional bridge designs
- There is a new Miracle Shooter function available for multiplayer battles. It allows you and your opponents to use items during battles. This works on a points-based system.
- You can transfer Pokemon through all of the DS Pokemon games - Black and White included.
Pokemon Black and White will be available for the Nintendo DS on March 6, 2011.
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