Pokemon Black & White Announced for the DS

[John Funk]

Pokemon Black & White Announced for the DS

The fifth Pokémon generation is here: The DS will be looking at the world in shades of White [http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=78063] (versions) this fall. In Japan, anyway.

On Monday [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99687-New-Pokemon-Games-Getting-Shock-Announcement-Sunday], we learned that the next generation of Pokémon games would be getting a "shock announcement" this Sunday. Well, it may not be Sunday - not even in Japan, where it's the future - but Nintendo has taken the veil off of the newest Pokémon games anyway ... sort of.

After three generations of being named after gems and minerals (Gold/Silver/Crystal, Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, Pearl/Diamond/Platinum, for those keeping score at home) it seems that Pokémon is getting back to some simpler colors with Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version. Insert your own Peter Molyneux joke here.

Though I'd predicted that the games would be launch titles for the 3DS, it looks like I was wrong - the games will be coming out for the regular, plain ol' DS, and will be released in Japan this fall. Judging by HeartGold/SoulSilver, hopefully this means we'll be getting Black & White here in the West in the beginning of 2011.

Other than that, we don't know much about the new generation of games, other than it will be adding at least two new pocket monsters, seen here: Zoroark, the Dark-type Monster Fox Pokémon, and its pre-evolution Zoroa. Nintendo is promising that "every aspect will be reborn innovatively," translates Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/09/pokemon-black-and-white-announced-for-ds/], but what that means is anyone's guess.

I guess we'll be learning more soon - either on Sunday as originally announced, or on April 15th as mentioned on the official website. Until then, I'll be over in the corner squealing in glee and preparing to catch 'em all. Again.

Five bucks says they're introducing a Light-type.

(Pokémon Black & White [http://www.pokemon.co.jp/bw/index.html])

Permalink

 

[Erana]

I hope this means a nifty spinoff and not a replacement- I like the old mechanics enough to keep buying the same game for over a decade.
Still, the fact that its a color pair with no header or subtext worries me...

 

[crimson5pheonix]

Heh, beaten to the news room, http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.187117-Well-heres-your-new-Pokemon-Gen. This is the first time I've seen this happen...

Also, they look silly.

 

[Braininator]

And so the third game of Gen V will be Pokemon Grey?

 

[Tapzzy94]

New pokedex will be 1 line per pokemon and will be larger than the compleate works of stephen king. and as boring and monotonal. now upto 9001?

 

[Aggressor and Usurper]

I'm excited already. Plus I don't have to buy a new console either.
Bring on the 5th generation. I wonder what new features they're gonna introduce?
[sub][sub]Multiple saves would be nice[/sub][/sub]

 

[Weaver]

For some reason I still love pokemon. Sure all the games are more or less identical, but they're so damn FUN!

 

[ANImaniac89]

so happy about this
and glad that it will still be on the DS

 

[HaraDaya]

Damn it, my eyes skipped Pokémon in the title, thought it was Black & White for the DS. You know, that God simulator.

 

[TheTygerfire]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF---

I hate most the new Pokemon they introduced in the last two versions, now they're going to tack on 100+ more useless rehashes of the first 250.

Heart Gold having the 3rd and 4th Gens made me have doubts about buying it....a game I'd been hoping would happen since the Red/Blue remakes. That's how much I dislike those generations.

I'm still going to though, Gold/Silver was one of my favorite games ever.

 

[Andronicus]

Meh, new Pokemon. Everybody knows anything after Gold and Silver was pure blasphemy and just milking the franchise. I mean, they're obviously running out of ideas; those two new pokemon look hardly original, and anything that IS original will just be completely weird. Why can't they just make a fully 3D 1st person pokemon MMO already?

 

[Mordwyl]

All this excitement for a rehashed Pokemon Red and Blue? No thanks.

 

[Generator]

I want to be excited for this; I really do. But I just can't bring myself to be excited for more Pokémon, especially if their promotional ones look as uninspired as that. Nice to hear they're reinventing the wheel I suppose, but I doubt it will rope in any new players, and will only serve to ostracize fans. That's my two cents, anyways.

 

[John Funk]

Meh, new Pokemon. Everybody knows anything after Gold and Silver was pure blasphemy and just milking the franchise. I mean, they're obviously running out of ideas; those two new pokemon look hardly original, and anything that IS original will just be completely weird. Why can't they just make a fully 3D 1st person pokemon MMO already?

Speak for yourself. DPPt was awesome.

Without Gen3 or Gen4, we'd have no Blaziken or Gardevoir. We'd have no Empoleon. We would have no Absol, no Garchomp.

They've DONE different stuff with the franchise in the spinoffs. It's the main game that they keep mostly the same.

I'm curious as to how they'll "innovate" things, though.

Heh, beaten to the news room, http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.187117-Well-heres-your-new-Pokemon-Gen. This is the first time I've seen this happen...

Also, they look silly.

Sorry, doesn't matter to us.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

Meh, new Pokemon. Everybody knows anything after Gold and Silver was pure blasphemy and just milking the franchise. I mean, they're obviously running out of ideas; those two new pokemon look hardly original, and anything that IS original will just be completely weird. Why can't they just make a fully 3D 1st person pokemon MMO already?

Speak for yourself. DPPt was awesome.

Without Gen3 or Gen4, we'd have no Blaziken or Gardevoir. We'd have no Empoleon. We would have no Absol, no Garchomp.

They've DONE different stuff with the franchise in the spinoffs. It's the main game that they keep mostly the same.

I'm curious as to how they'll "innovate" things, though.

Heh, beaten to the news room, http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.187117-Well-heres-your-new-Pokemon-Gen. This is the first time I've seen this happen...

Also, they look silly.

Sorry, doesn't matter to us.

Yes, but without Gen 3, we wouldn't have Mudkip and we would be spared that meme.

 

[Gauntes]

I think I stopped caring about Pokemon shortly after Gold and Silver version

Ruby was okay but wasn't very memorably for me

or maybe I'm just too old and nostalgic...

 

[WhiteTiger225]

Heh, beaten to the news room, http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.187117-Well-heres-your-new-Pokemon-Gen. This is the first time I've seen this happen...

Also, they look silly.

So did the 4th gen which mostly looked like Megaman Rejects (Come on.. Magmortar!? He looks like gutsman and heatman's retarded baby!)

Honestly, Innovation is to pokemon what A gay jewish jiggalo is to a Nazi... something they never want to touch.

I was actually happy they added those little olympics games (Save for the fact most sucked and some barely worked like the jumping one) but they REALLY need to start working on the sandbox aspect of the game.

It would be nice if I actually could care for my little pokeman, feed him, give him items to play with, ACTUALLY train him (Like in Monster Rancher), and if they actually reacted to stuff around them.

for example, why is EVERY level 7 Rattata so eager to quick attack Rayquaza, Mewtwo, Ho-oh, Lugia, etc who are level 100? Would be nice to actually have to battle harden them to take on bigger challenges.

EDIT: I give the furry community about 5 more minutes before they lose control and start drawing porn of that new one XD

 

[crimson5pheonix]

Heh, beaten to the news room, http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.187117-Well-heres-your-new-Pokemon-Gen. This is the first time I've seen this happen...

Also, they look silly.

So did the 4th gen which mostly looked like Megaman Rejects (Come on.. Magmortar!? He looks like gutsman and heatman's retarded baby!)

Honestly, Innovation is to pokemon what A gay jewish jiggalo is to a Nazi... something they never want to touch.

I was actually happy they added those little olympics games (Save for the fact most sucked and some barely worked like the jumping one) but they REALLY need to start working on the sandbox aspect of the game.

It would be nice if I actually could care for my little pokeman, feed him, give him items to play with, ACTUALLY train him (Like in Monster Rancher), and if they actually reacted to stuff around them.

for example, why is EVERY level 7 Rattata so eager to quick attack Rayquaza, Mewtwo, Ho-oh, Lugia, etc who are level 100? Would be nice to actually have to battle harden them to take on bigger challenges.

Gotta get that one hit in before being set afire with a flame equivalent to a thousand burning suns! All Rattata's learn that in school!

 

[Starke]

Judging by HeartGold/SoulSilver, hopefully this means we'll be getting Black & White here in the West in the beginning of 201.

Japan has mastered time travel and will be releasing it before the fall of Rome?

Sorry, couldn't resist.