New Pokemon Black/White is no joke, mon

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 28 January 2011 20:57

Your IT - Entertainment

Although some wouldn't poke Pokemon with a ten-foot barge pole, mon, preferring Pacman instead, the Japanese game is still a big hit for Nintendo, with the company releasing two new Black and White Pokemon games.

Pokemon - wasn't that some 90s craze? Maybe that was the Tamagotchi instead.

Now that I get my brain cells working a bit harder, I can remember there being a Pokemon buzz during the 2000s, and clearly, in 2011, Pokemon seems as addictive to some as does Poker, even though the two games have nothing in common.

Actually, it's not Pokemon, but Pokémon, with Amazon's description of the game being that it is a 'handheld Role-Playing game (RPG) for play on the Nintendo DS / DSi' (and presumably, although unmentioned, the upcoming Nintendo 3DS).

There are two versions, being the Pokemon White Version and the Pokemon Black Version, with that Amazon description continuing, stating that 'players enjoy classic challenging RPG-Adventure Pokémon gameplay as they catch wild Pokémon and utilize them in face-offs against other Trainers to see who is the best.'

There are new features, too, listed as 'access to the Legendary Pokémon, Reshiram; the player's choice of one of three starter Pokémon; an all-new and diverse game region, Unova; improved graphics; multiple new battle modes; the ability to wirelessly trade Pokémon; multiplayer options and more.'

If you're into RPGs and have a Nintendo DS/DSi/3DS, then this game is probably right up your alley, especially now that Nintendo is further extending its reach into the online world.

Indeed, there's going to be a 'Pokémon Global Link web site', launching this spring (or autumn for us here in the Southern Hemisphere) after the new Pokémon video games hit shelves, which Nintendo says 'will give players the ability to sync their game play from their Nintendo DS systems to PCs via the Internet, and access customizable web-only content, befriend additional Pokémon, communicate with fellow Pokémon Trainers, earn and view Worldwide Battle Ratings, and more.'

If you're a Pokemon fan you probably already know all of this stuff and are salivating in anticipation of the game's launch early in March - it almost sounds like a type of 'World of Warcraft Lite' for kids, and it sounds like a lot more fun than poking people on Facebook.

But as I'm not a huge fan of Pokemon, largely through never having played the game, I'll simply direct you to the new Pokemon site, where you can pig out on Pokemon to your heart's content!