[B/W] Black and White: Was it as good as you thought?

[Pokemon Trainer UV]

I love Pokemon Black, but I'll be honest, it wasn't as good as I thought it'd be.


For one thing, it is EASY (So far: I'm on Victory Road) I swear, they just give you really useful items so early in the game, the Gym Leaders aren't very challenging (Although the A.I is significantly better), and it's also easy to find items.


The other thing that was a let-down for me was the story.
A lot of people who I know told me that the story is different than other games, but so far I think it's pretty boring and cliche. In fact I liked Diamond and Pearl's story more, even though it was more simple.

To be fair, I am kinda rushing on the game in order to get done before Black 2 is out. (Rushing indeed.. I got this game on Saturday..)

Another thing that was upsetting were the Pokemon.
I don't like to sound like a Genwunner, but I just find most of the new Pokemon to be very ugly.
In my first Pokemon playthroughs, I always choose on appearance.
I feel that I don't got a lot of choices in this game.

It took me till the 5th Gym to actually start catching a Pokemon to my team.


However, I still am enjoying the game despite these flaws.
The battles are still fun, the interface is better, the gyms are more interesting, the music is great, some characters are really interesting and some Pokemon really look cool.

For those who are curious, this is my team so far:



I wanted to get Braviary, but apparently it's not in Black...

[KyokuseiXRyusei]

Black/White is exactly what I expected to be and I think it's a Smooth come-back for Pokemon. Black/White is my absolute favorite out of them all and I can't bring myself to have complaints.:cer_nod:

[Grif of Hearts]

It was everything I was expecting and more.

It still falls flat in a couple areas, but the upsides are more than enough for me to overlook any issues in the game (of which there are very few). It was a wonderful game, really. I thought it was another great step in the right direction for the Pokemon games, and I eagerly await for the English release of Pokemon Black and White 2 just so I can see how Unova has changed in the years.

My only problem with it are the Pokemon found in the early stages game. There isn't much type variation, with only Patrat, Lillipup and Purrloin being catchable before the first Gym, as opposed to a plethora of Normal, Flying and Bug type Pokemon you'd usually find, along with many others. Of course, if you're willing to swap out some of your old Pokemon for some newer ones along the way it really isn't a problem.

[PlatinumDude]

Black/White were totally what I expected: awesome games with a cool storyline and interesting Pokemon to be caught. But it kind of slowed down post-National Dex.

[joshbl56]

I actually didn't have many expectations (I never really do when a new game comes out) but the ones I did have were satisfied. The only things I really wanted though was a new look for the game (most of the game was new looking, still hate routes :/) and new pokemon (I liked most of them, including the starters but some killed me on the inside with just how generic it seemed to be (Gigalith and Conkeldurr come to mind automatically)). Overall, a fun experience but I wish they would put more thought into some of their pokemon.

[Bourne-mouth]

I didn't have much expectations for it, other than awesome graphics and new Pokemon, and I just reeled it in. But I admit it went downhill after post-league.

[Elgyem]

I didn't really like many of the Pokemon (Too many complex patterns and spikes, not enough creativity in design), and the region was way too linear. Plus, the game was too easy.

Overall, the game didn't even get close to meeting my expectations.

[Hikari10]

Black and White was what I totally expected.

The storyline was epic, the characters were cool and I loved most of the new Pokemon.

It did slow down for me post-National Dex but I still love it and Black and White quickly became a favorite for me.

[DusknoirZac]

I thought it lived up to it's expectations. I really liked the story, and I thought the new pokemon aren't too bad (in their looks). Also, I love the music and the new features (like the C Gear and all that)

[HAMMER PATRIOT]

Personally Black exceeded my expectations and I thought it was great. however my expectations were admittedly low because of my dis-like of diamond and pearl.

[GolurkIsDaBomb]

No. It did not live up to my expectations at all. At least, that's what I thought at first. But, once I replayed it, I began to slowly appreciate Pokemon White. The music, the story, the characters, and especially the graphics/pokemon. It just got better and better with my second (and now third) play-through, and has far exceeded my original expectations.

[Cerberus87]

It was a good game, the new Pokémon were fun to use (there were less rip-offs of old Pokémon than in Gen III for example), and the story, although cliché, was interesting. N is one of the best characters in the series IMO.

[Darkrai Lv.1000]

I loved basically everything about it (even it's effort to replace Zubat with Woobat xD ), from the characters, to the story, to the awesome music (Route 10 comes to mind), and the new Pokemon. The fact that you had to get the badges because you HAD to, not because the player wanted to, was a nice take. The region, as straightforward as it was, was incredibly immersive. The game was so great, I had to also buy Pokemon Black months later as an excuse to play through it again. Natural stuck out the most to me. He was such an amazing character, from how he was brought up, to his change in the end. I'm glad you get to meet him again in Black and White 2 (hope it's not just for that one event from that screenshot).

My only gripe, however, was the fact that such an adorable Pokemon gives out a crapton of experience, and most experience runs rely on it. Everytime I defeat one, I feel a little bit of guilt. I feel like they did that slightly on purpose, to make you question your morals (was KO'ing that cute little Audino worth those points? xD ). I hope Audino gets a different role in Black and White 2 other than the Grinder's Punching Bag. :/

[Ninjagon]

Definitely a game that's contents will not soon be forgotten! I LOVED the BW instalments and im waiting eagerly for their sequels. They definitely went in the right direction with BW, given some pokemon were... um... different? But i liked pretty much all of them nonetheless. Hydreigon/Haxorus are my favourites. But they definitely fit the bill of my expectations. Even though post-game, there wasn't much, but it was enough.

So yeah they're great games, if you're reading this and you haven't bought/played them, BUY EM NOW ;3.

[pleb]

I thaught it was better then I thaught.

[Cerberus87]

Originally Posted by Darkrai Lv.1000

My only gripe, however, was the fact that such an adorable Pokemon gives out a crapton of experience, and most experience runs rely on it. Everytime I defeat one, I feel a little bit of guilt. I feel like they did that slightly on purpose, to make you question your morals (was KO'ing that cute little Audino worth those points? xD ). I hope Audino gets a different role in Black and White 2 other than the Grinder's Punching Bag. :/

Audino is BW's Blissey, but is actually an original take on the concept.

And I loved killing Audinos! They even heal your Pokémon at high levels!

Originally Posted by Elgyem

I didn't really like many of the Pokemon (Too many complex patterns and spikes, not enough creativity in design), and the region was way too linear. Plus, the game was too easy.

Overall, the game didn't even get close to meeting my expectations.

Ahem...

[kenshin-]

When I bought it, they were my first pokemon game. (Black and White).

I tried Black as first. It was not really I expected to. (I dislike some pokemon who are almost like real animals. I finished it quickly and , I also finished White version. After that I bought HG/SS.

I liked the fact that we are with the first pokemon in the list. (We can see him on the screen).

So, I was really interrested by the pokemon world.

I discoverd some fan projects (Raptor Ex => finish and in English) (Gemme => Beta in French). I played more than usually.

After that, I joined there this forum, and I spoke about black version. I wanted to redo it once. I ignore if it's the fact of having played HG/SS, or an other thing, but I really appreciated this second time (even if I have not ended yet because I have all the party after the main story).



I just not expected to catch all the previous pokemon after the league.

When you started your journey, you only found two pokemon in grass (patrat and lillipup). Once you finish the league, you can catch to many pokemon about previous generations.


How they come here ? By plane with skyla ?

I expected that there's a new territory to explore once I finished the main story. For this, pokemon B/W were below my expectations. (I'm talking about other regions).

[Forever]

Hopefully we can keep the appropriate stuff for perfect score thread & bad remarks thread, yes? n_n If not then we'll jump in but I feel like with every opinion thread everything overlaps. XD;

Anyway, for me, they bypassed my expectations. Originally I expected them to suck, a lot. I kinda disliked the look of Castelia City at first and complained I'd never buy Black and White because it was too pixelated and it's change and Pearl sucked so therefore B/W will suck and that B/W Pokemon suck.

...

Months later, at the announcement of Blitzle and stuff, that opinion changed easily lmao, and rose more as I played through the games. Definitely bypassed my original expectations for the better! The perfect games, imo. /bias

Good responses here, too :3

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

No, it wasn't, and for one huge reason... I was completely unaware that they tinkered with the experience earning system to penalize those of use who like to level grind. So that was a very nasty surprise and letdown when I started realizing it was taking forever to level up my Oshawott on Route 1 so it could be Lv10 when I reached Accumula Town.

Other than that, I wasn't expecting too much from B/W, and I didn't get it.

[Kruse]

Originally Posted by Requility

Anyway, for me, they bypassed my expectations. Originally I expected them to suck, a lot. I kinda disliked the look of Castelia City at first and complained I'd never buy Black and White because it was too pixelated and it's change and Pearl sucked so therefore B/W will suck and that B/W Pokemon suck.

...

Months later, at the announcement of Blitzle and stuff, that opinion changed easily lmao, and rose more as I played through the games. Definitely bypassed my original expectations for the better! The perfect games, imo. /bias

Good responses here, too :3

I have to somewhat agree. Only..

The game did not appeal to me. I thought the Pokemon concepts were a tad ridiculous. I bought the game a few good days after its official US release, obviously not expecting too much. I was largely disappointed by a lot, but at the same time, surprised by a lot. I wouldn't say it is my worst generation, but it doesn't really fall into my best either.

After restarting the game a few times, I warmed up to a few Pokemon and actually started liking a few. The designs didn't bother me at all. I guess I don't fancy the idea of perpetual, new generations released. I'd settle for new storylines but unchanged Pokemon.

[Xeninacra]

I remember when the first screenshots were shown (specifically that one in which Zoroark and Zorua appeared in battle) and people began to say "WHAT HAVE THEY DONE? THEY'VE JUST SCREWED IT UP! That's not Pokemon anymore!". That was funny.
Personally, I think they're a very good versions. The new graphics just look amazing and the battles do look amazing too (I love animated battles). The weather is an awesome thing too (I like waiting to catch certain Pokémon). And I could say a few things more.
But now, there are tow important things that I didn't like. One, the storyline. It was kind of boring to me. Two, it was a too-easy game or maybe it was short, I don't know, but it looked like I beat very soon and I never was like "where do I go know?", I mean I never got lost, I remember I did in Pokemon R/S (yes, when you had to look for Team Magma/Aqua for example).
Anyway, they were not bad games. They introduced very good and cool features.

[CycloneGU]

Speaking of Zorua and Zoroark from the post above, when I first sent my Zorua out, I almost had a heart attack thinking there was a bug with the game. I couldn't figure out why, say, my Emboar was suddenly appearing in a battle where it's weak! I mean, Zorua's moves were right there! I then realized the engine calls the Pokémon whatever it becomes an image of; in-game, it means nothing, but in a competition it can give you the competitive edge because all the opponent would see is Emboar, then after a physical attack, they realize they were fooled. I love it. :D

Cyclone

[Cassino]

I thought HG/SS would be better and they still are, overall.
B/W amounts to about what I expected in terms of quality (though many sprites could do with more fluid animations), but the amount of content is lacking.

[Patchisou Yutohru]

Originally, absolutely not. I thought the Pokémon designs were weird (I still think some of them are a bit out there) and the game was too straight-forward and there's a lot of places in the game where you're just like "Ugggh I hate this area do I really have to keep playing?". After so many playthroughs, though, I've found it become tied for my favorite game (with Yellow, though I'm somewhat sure nostalgia plays a role in it). Certainly my favorite generation as a whole.

[chella182]

Originally Posted by Grif of Hearts

It was everything I was expecting and more.

It still falls flat in a couple areas, but the upsides are more than enough for me to overlook any issues in the game (of which there are very few). It was a wonderful game, really. I thought it was another great step in the right direction for the Pokemon games, and I eagerly await for the English release of Pokemon Black and White 2 just so I can see how Unova has changed in the years.

My only problem with it are the Pokemon found in the early stages game. There isn't much type variation, with only Patrat, Lillipup and Purrloin being catchable before the first Gym, as opposed to a plethora of Normal, Flying and Bug type Pokemon you'd usually find, along with many others. Of course, if you're willing to swap out some of your old Pokemon for some newer ones along the way it really isn't a problem.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts on it. Totally surpassed my expectations (although I still prefer SoulSilver).

Originally Posted by PlatinumDude

Black/White were totally what I expected: awesome games with a cool storyline and interesting Pokemon to be caught. But it kind of slowed down post-National Dex.

I agree, it did slow down post-National Dex, but that's why I've thrown myself into aiming to complete my dex, which is still fun :D