Pokemon Black Impressions

I picked up Pokemon Black on release date (March 6th) and have beaten 8 gyms so far. At this point I have a good impression of what they have changed in the basic gameplay and in general how the game is. If you are considering getting it, you probably know generally what you will be getting, as the Pokemon games have relied on the same formula since the beginning of the series. That being said, it's a good formula that produces quality games.


One of the best things that they have done is make TMs multi-use. You can use them as many times as you want, but they don't restore the PP of the move they are replacing (so you can't have a Pokemon re-learn a move to replenish the PP). It's a lot easier to get type diversity this way, because you aren't worried about using a valuable TM.


Team Plasma, as far as villains go, are the best villains yet. Sure, Team Rocket is classic, but Team Plasma introduces a concept that had not yet been addressed: Are Pokemon essentially slaves, or do they benefit from their relationship with humans? Not that it really matters, but the idea of the enemy leader creating a "utopia" where Pokemon are free is an interesting part of the story.


Something that needs to be addressed is the new Pokemon. There are 155 new ones, although many are legendary Pokemon, some of which will not be available except through special events. The main story contains only new Pokemon, which forces you to learn their names and hopefully get attached to some of them. The starters are all good options, though it is a little disappointing to see the 3rd Fire/Fighting starter in a row. The Water starter, Oshawott, becomes an excellent option when you realize the limited number of water Pokemon available, especially because there are even fewer good ones. One of the fossils is a tough Water/Rock type, which is worth getting if you don't start with Oshawott. I started with Tepig and he becomes very strong as well.


Obviously there are the cliche Pokemon, like Pidove (a.k.a. Pidgey, Starly) and Patrat (a crappy normal type that you can catch early on. Pidove's final evolution, Unfezant, is a pretty solid Pokemon, making it a decent Pokemon to catch early. Lillipup is also worth catching early, as it has good HP and Attack stats. Also interesting is that you get an elemental monkey (Pansear, Pansage, or Panpour) of the type that your starter is strong against (Fire if you picked Water, Grass if you picked Fire, or Water if you picked Grass). Mainly they are used for the first gym, where there are three gym leaders that will use an elemental monkey that is strong against your starter. All in all, I think the 5th generation of Pokemon was well-done as a whole.

If you have liked Pokemon games in the past, you will probably like this generation. If you don't like Pokemon games, this generation likely won't change your mind. I have enjoyed playing through Pokemon Black so far, and hope you can enjoy this generation of Pokemon games too.