3DS Articles | Pokémon Black & White Version 2

Pokemon Black & White 2 is a colossal disappointment

by Ben Salter Featured 36 Comments 34 Votes 6563 Views 27/02/2012 Back to Articles

Nintendo, what have you become. Pokemon Black and White Version TWWOOOOO! I thought you were better than that. And a DS game? Get real. This is 2012 where the 3DS reigns supreme. You might as well grow a ponytail and strut around in a full denim body suit.

Now, I know Nintendo want to wait until the Generation 6 Pokemon are unveiled to jump to the 3DS, but that could be a painful two year wait. I would have much preferred to see the same Pokemon on new hardware. Then again, Pokemon lost me after the demise of the first generation. The real generation.

Nintendo have always released Pokemon games in threes -- two at launch, followed by the “enhanced” version. They are near-as-makes-no-difference the same game to the average player, and yet Nintendo suck us into buying more than one copy.

Then again, the Pokemon games have hardly changed since the Red and Blue days, and yet, they still captivate millions of players.

That’s not really a problem. My concern is that Nintendo has looked to diversify with a numerical sequel, rather than a different colour or shiny rock. That’s not the Pokemon way. Furthermore, what is “Version 2?” What does that mean exactly?

Presumably Nintendo has numbered them to make it clear that they are bonafide sequels using the same generation, not just a rehash of the games we played in 2011. That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t excuse the DS choice.

The first six months of the 3DS’s life were abysmal. Frankly, Nintendo owe us big time. All that -- the lack of games, nothing but ports, no eShop at launch, the premature price cut debacle -- could be forgotten with a Pokemon game. It’s absolutely astounding that they’ve decided against it.

A Pokemon game would secure the 3DS as the leader in handhelds this generation. It’s starting to break sales records, a year later than Nintendo would have anticipated, and the PS Vita hasn’t faired as well as Sony may have liked. If history repeats itself, the Vita will become a serious contender in 6 to 12 months. Imagine the difference a Pokemon game would make before the end of that period.

I would have preferred Pokemon Grey: A 3DS enhanced version of Black and White. Sure, there’s merit in a new game, but will it really be that new? It will include the same Pokemon and maybe a minor tweak on the story, which will still resolve around training Pokemon as you travel the world as an 11-year-old (seriously guys, was Ash actually meant to be 11?) on your way to becoming a Pokemon Master.

Unless they mix it up and change the tried and tested formula of rookie to master, it won’t be that different to what Pokemon Grey could have been.

Sure, B&WV2 will be compatible with the 3DS, but it’s not the same as a new game developed for the hardware. Nintendo has missed a huge opportunity to take our relationship with the 3DS to the next level. Talking about backwards compatibility, why isn’t here a Pokemon game on the eShop yet? Nintendo could make millions. What gives?

I’ll buy and enjoy Pokemon Black and White Version 2, but I can’t help but feel disappointed.

By Ben Salter

Link to us http://ds.mmgn.com/Articles/Pokemon-Black-White-2-is-a-colossal-disa

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Pokemon Black & White 2 is a colossal disappointment Comments

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Kudos: 71,373

Silence

It's just like when Gold and Silver came out.

I don't mind at all. So far, I still have no reason to 'upgrade' to a 3DS.

27/02/2012

I'm from the Internet. Nothing I say is original.

Kudos: 282,479

Gryllis

Silence said: It's just like when Gold and Silver came out.
I don't mind at all. So far, I still have no reason to 'upgrade' to a 3DS.

Black and White actually came out after the 3DS. That was acceptable, but again? [Facepalm]

27/02/2012

The member formerly formerly known as ICC_06, formerly known as Ben.

Kudos: 11,259

kangle4

Only reason is there are still a lot more DS' around and I'm not sure how much of a say Gamefreak have in it but maybe they wanted it on DS still.

They may also be saving 6th Gen for the 3DS.

27/02/2012

Melbourne, Victoria

Kudos: 71,373

Silence

Silver and Gold came out after the Colour too. But Crystal was made for the Colour…

27/02/2012

I'm from the Internet. Nothing I say is original.

Kudos: 282,479

Gryllis

Silence said: Silver and Gold came out after the Colour too. But Crystal was made for the Colour…

And that's pretty much what I expected. The third game in the set made for 3DS instead.

27/02/2012

The member formerly formerly known as ICC_06, formerly known as Ben.

Kudos: 298,465

Tano

So we should expect a Pokemon 3DS game in a year and a half.

27/02/2012

"Niko! Cousin!"

Kudos: 197,488

sjt333

nintendo owe you jack shit

27/02/2012

To get shot and not do much else, turn to page 58 "I've always liked cowabunga."

Kudos: 282,479

Gryllis

sjt333 said: nintendo owe you jack shit

Actually they owe me everything after I paid $350 for the ruddy thing [Rage] [Rage] [Rage]

And by $350, I mean $280.

27/02/2012

The member formerly formerly known as ICC_06, formerly known as Ben.

Kudos: 33,911

Blob

Ben said:
Silence said: It's just like when Gold and Silver came out.
I don't mind at all. So far, I still have no reason to 'upgrade' to a 3DS.

Black and White actually came out after the 3DS. That was acceptable, but again?

Black and White came out late 2010 in Japan iirc.

If they released Grey rather than BW 2 it would have still been on the DS. Getting a sequel is better than a slighty enhanced version IMO.
They only way we would get a 3DS game is if they jumped straight to gen 6 (which it seems they are trying to get to quicker, Meloetta is only getting a short film with Keldeo's movie and Ash is smashing through Unova in the anime I am told).

27/02/2012

Your mums bed

Kudos: 282,479

Gryllis

Blob said:
Ben said:
Silence said: It's just like when Gold and Silver came out.
I don't mind at all. So far, I still have no reason to 'upgrade' to a 3DS.

Black and White actually came out after the 3DS. That was acceptable, but again?

Black and White came out late 2010 in Japan iirc.
If they released Grey rather than BW 2 it would have still been on the DS. Getting a sequel is better than a slighty enhanced version IMO.
They only way we would get a 3DS game is if they jumped straight to gen 6 (which it seems they are trying to get to quicker, Meloetta is only getting a short film with Keldeo's movie and Ash is smashing through Unova in the anime I am told).

Why do they need Gen 6? Why can't they make a new game with the current Gen for 3DS? Or release remakes of Ruby etc for 3DS?

27/02/2012

The member formerly formerly known as ICC_06, formerly known as Ben.

Kudos: 33,911

Blob

Waste of resources. The engine and everything for gen 5 is made for the DS.

27/02/2012

Your mums bed

Kudos: 282,479

Gryllis

Blob said: Waste of resources. The engine and everything for gen 5 is made for the DS.

But that doesn't mean anything. You will have to rebuild that anyway for a 3DS game. Why can't you use the same pokemon that already exist now? Why do they have to change?

Remember how much money it will make. Certainly not a waste of resources.

27/02/2012

The member formerly formerly known as ICC_06, formerly known as Ben.

Kudos: 197,488

sjt333

Ben said:
Blob said: Waste of resources. The engine and everything for gen 5 is made for the DS.

But that doesn't mean anything. You will have to rebuild that anyway for a 3DS game. Why can't you use the same pokemon that already exist now? Why do they have to change?
Remember how much money it will make.

93.42 million vs 15.03 million

27/02/2012

To get shot and not do much else, turn to page 58 "I've always liked cowabunga."

Kudos: 282,479

Gryllis

sjt333 said:
Ben said:
Blob said: Waste of resources. The engine and everything for gen 5 is made for the DS.

But that doesn't mean anything. You will have to rebuild that anyway for a 3DS game. Why can't you use the same pokemon that already exist now? Why do they have to change?
Remember how much money it will make.

93.42 million vs 15.03 million

But surely they're looking to the future 12 months in. They want to consolidate the 3DS's position. Millions will buy it for a Pokemon game. They're giving people an excuse not to buy one at the worst time.

27/02/2012

The member formerly formerly known as ICC_06, formerly known as Ben.

Kudos: 33,911

Blob

sjt333 said:
Ben said:
Blob said: Waste of resources. The engine and everything for gen 5 is made for the DS.

But that doesn't mean anything. You will have to rebuild that anyway for a 3DS game. Why can't you use the same pokemon that already exist now? Why do they have to change?
Remember how much money it will make.

93.42 million vs 15.03 million

Exactly this. Gamefreak doesn't see a cent from the 3DS's a Pokemon game will sell. The DS is a much smarter choice for them as a business.

27/02/2012

Your mums bed

Kudos: 197,488

sjt333

pokemon has always and will ever be marketed at kids, imagine you're a kid, your first pokemon game is black/white, you ****ing love it to death

now you see something about new pokemon games on a system you dont have and that costs a fair bit
these new pokemon games dont have the pokemon you love, they're all new strange ones and that turns you off the game

now what if you saw something for black and white 2, it has new things, different story, pokemon that are changed but still the ones you love and you dont have to buy a whole new gaming system to play it

now whats more attractive to parents; having to buy a whole new gaming system for one game their child wants or buying them a game they want for a system they already have?

27/02/2012

To get shot and not do much else, turn to page 58 "I've always liked cowabunga."

Kudos: 17,828

LDEvolution

sjt333 said: pokemon has always and will ever be marketed at kids, imagine you're a kid, your first pokemon game is black/white, you ****ing love it to death
now you see something about new pokemon games on a system you dont have and that costs a fair bit
these new pokemon games dont have the pokemon you love, they're all new strange ones and that turns you off the game
now what if you saw something for black and white 2, it has new things, different story, pokemon that are changed but still the ones you love and you dont have to buy a whole new gaming system to play it
now whats more attractive to parents; having to buy a whole new gaming system for one game their child wants or buying them a game they want for a system they already have?

This.

Gamefreak owns Pokemon not Nintendo so Gamefreak can release a new Pokemon game on whatever nintendo console they want since Nintendo has the license but its still Gamefreak's choice which console they want to target it towards.

Plus the 3DS has that pokemon rumble thing and if you want a new pokemon game on the 3DS then play Black/White v2 on the 3DS, problem solved.

27/02/2012

Kudos: 26,793

DarkEnemy

Why does Game Freak have to follow the two games then one enhanced version formula? I actually like this idea of a sequel to Black and White, and bringing to the same console where everyone has it in the 1st place. This breaks up the said formula and makes people talk more about it. I for one am excited to see what they will do with the game as a sequel.

In a marketing statagy, this was the quickest way to make another pokemon game since they already had everything made for that console. While they could be making a pokemon 3DS game as well, this at least can settle everyones cravings until the next gen can be released.

27/02/2012

Sydney

Kudos: 14,257

abujaffer

OK, I've been waiting for an article like this to rant on about why I think this logic is slightly flawed.

1) Engine: What you're asking for is a remake. A remake of a game released a year ago. You want them to take an existing game and its existing Pokemon and release it on an entirely new engine. An engine that'll cost millions to make, and is targeted towards a much smaller population of gamers; ones that have most likely already bought the first game, and are eagerly awaiting a new game. The game will also be greatly limited by the restraints of the previous hardware; I'd very much rather see a new game with an entirely new engine, tailored to that engine (be it 3D movement, real time Pokemon fighting, anime-style graphics, etc.), rather than a remake.

2) Formula: The "formula" of Pokemon games is this; a new handheld generation, two years later you get two Pokemon games. 1-2 years after that you get a culmination of both games, with a new legendary. 2-3 years later and you have a new hardware generation, repeat.

This generation is entirely different. Not only has the DS's lifespan been prolonged, but it has a massive audience of around 150 million potential buyers. Black and White's simple existence is breaking the "formula"; that's two new Pokemon generations in a single hardware generation.

3) Profits: The biggest reason. You've got the game already programmed, with the entire environment, animations, and Pokemon drawings (they spent over a year doing these ALONE for the original game). They'll spend years programming all of that again, especially the animations and the Pokemon drawings. I'd very much rather they spend that energy making a new game; I don't want to wait another 2 years for another B&W.

These points (largely) apply to why I'm vehemently opposed to a Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald remake as well. Nintendo spent a really long time animating and redrawing the 650+ Pokemon for the B&W engine; they're going to have to do it all again for the 3DS. I'd be greatly surprised if the game was ready anytime before E3 2013 (where I expect they'll unveil the sixth generation). [Derp]

28/02/2012

3D world... where everything, even flat stuff, are in 3D.

Kudos: 207,021

M@ndyz

i just want a pokemon game that has nice graphics not pixelated.. i want mario 3DS graphics but pokemon.. why cant i have that?? :'(

28/02/2012

Add me on steam........... bootie [mmgn] Or raptr.......... bootie101 Or wiiu. actually don't add me on wiiu im never on it :p

Kudos: 44

stealth20k

Is this why game freak made drill dozer on the gba 1 year after the ds launch?

how did the ds turn out?

He complains about ports, and then he asked for one. Thats the problem with idiots.

And fyi the 3ds was breaking launch records when it launched. It was after that things got sticky
#8

28/02/2012

Kudos: 44

stealth20k

sjt333 said:
Ben said:
Blob said: Waste of resources. The engine and everything for gen 5 is made for the DS.

But that doesn't mean anything. You will have to rebuild that anyway for a 3DS game. Why can't you use the same pokemon that already exist now? Why do they have to change?
Remember how much money it will make.

93.42 million vs 15.03 million

Your numbers are wrong

The ds is past 150 million

and the 3ds is past 16.

But its irrelevant Game freak did the same thing last gen

28/02/2012

Kudos: 197,488

sjt333

stealth20k said:
sjt333 said:
Ben said:
Blob said: Waste of resources. The engine and everything for gen 5 is made for the DS.

But that doesn't mean anything. You will have to rebuild that anyway for a 3DS game. Why can't you use the same pokemon that already exist now? Why do they have to change?
Remember how much money it will make.

93.42 million vs 15.03 million

Your numbers are wrong
The ds is past 150 million
and the 3ds is past 16.
But its irrelevant Game freak did the same thing last gen

ya i got the numbers off wiki

28/02/2012

To get shot and not do much else, turn to page 58 "I've always liked cowabunga."

Kudos: 2

MBallen

"Black & White 2... I just heard the name and played all the game in my mind. And you know what? It sucks"

This is nothing new. Blue, Red and the "sequel" Yellow were in GB. Gold, Silver and Crystal in GBC. Ruby Sapphire and Emerald in GBA. All third versions of the game were in the same portable console, so what's new here?

Reasons? There's a lot more of DS users than 3DS users. That way, you can sell more and more copies, the game doesnt feel rushed, and, if someone wants to play it, will probably buy a 3DS since it's backwards compatible. You can extend the life of the console. Also, a lot of people are waiting for the almost secure 2nd version of the console, so they can sell a brand new pkmn game with, idk, the 3DS dualstick or something. There's a lot of smart reasons to do what they're doing.

Stop crying for nothing, because that's exactly what we know about it: Nothing. It looks like suddenly everyone hate sequels.

Oh, and: If you dont like it, just shut up and dont buy it. It's not like they're pointing a gun at you and making you buy it. And I'm pretty sure that if the game were the expected pokemon gray, you'd say something like "Another recicled sequel. we want a proper sequel, not the same game with tweaks!"

28/02/2012

Kudos: 50,297

Nintendo

Ben, the reasoning behind this game being released on DS has already been explained.

3DS = Has full backwards compatibility
DS = Has 100 times more user-base than 3DS
For Game Freak...Pokemon game sale = More important than selling 3DS consoles

28/02/2012

I <3 JXD S7300B ~ SONY PS Vita ~ SONY PS4 ~ Nintendo 3DS XL ~ Samsung GALAXY Note 8

Kudos: 84,356

renagadez

i will get this

i dont even have black and white yet

28/02/2012

Sydney, New South Wales

Kudos: 43,838

Dusty Lids

M@ndyz said: i just want a pokemon game that has nice graphics not pixelated.. i want mario 3DS graphics but pokemon.. why cant i have that??

My exact thinking:P

I can't believe after like 15 years they still not released a proper pokemon game. I think they never will.

15/03/2012

Melbourne

Kudos: 25,464

maxiboy

I will eventually get a 3DS, no doubt about it, but I'm going to wait for a hardware revision.

17/03/2012

Sydney, NSW

Kudos: 197,488

sjt333

Dusty Lids said:
M@ndyz said: i just want a pokemon game that has nice graphics not pixelated.. i want mario 3DS graphics but pokemon.. why cant i have that??

My exact thinking:P
I can't believe after like 15 years they still not released a proper pokemon game. I think they never will.

17/03/2012

To get shot and not do much else, turn to page 58 "I've always liked cowabunga."

Kudos: 5,363

Naruto-Sage

it just seems that game freak is avoiding full 3D pokemon game i recall gen4 or gen 5 where the developer was insisting that 2D. was the way to go
pokemon on the Wii U sounds promising it may be the first full pokemon game

27/04/2012

Leaf Village

Kudos: 73,613

Tsunamo

Naruto-Sage said:pokemon on the Wii U sounds promising it may be the first full pokemon game

....um. I don't know quite how to tell you this Uno, but a Pokemon for Wii U hasn't been confirmed yet, nor even hinted at. :S

27/04/2012

[Perth, W.A | MMGN]

Kudos: 1,220

Magmantis

Tsunamo said:
Naruto-Sage said:pokemon on the Wii U sounds promising it may be the first full pokemon game
....um. I don't know quite how to tell you this Uno, but a Pokemon for Wii U hasn't been confirmed yet, nor even hinted at.

Even if this were true or not; the RPG Pokemon game will know and love, probably wouldn't be put on the Wii U, all their other main Pokemon games have been put on portable consoles. But that doesn't mean we may not get a full 3D Pokemon game on the 3DS in the future. :D

28/04/2012

Geelong, VIC | 3DS FC: 4639-8976-0679 |

Kudos: 84,356

renagadez

Wii U and 3DS connectivity done PROPERLY. [Derp]

So much missed potential between the Wii and DS. =[

28/04/2012

Sydney, New South Wales

Kudos: 73,613

Tsunamo

renagadez said:So much missed potential between the Wii and DS. =[

Inorite? I only saw one game actually make use of it, and that was just to import Miis from the Wii to the DS game. :/

28/04/2012

[Perth, W.A | MMGN]

Kudos: 2

Beau549

the only reason why they made it on the ds is because they take the original games and modify the to what they want, if they made it for the 3ds then they would have to make it from scratch

10/08/2012

Kudos: 2

Kabir595

Gotta say, a lot of kids didn't grow up with the same stuff we grew up with. True, it makes a lot of people hate their spoiled guts, but honestly let them enjoy their generation. We enjoyed ours, and who cares, it's a game. Besides you kinda sound like a spoiled whiny child when you start going on about pokemon black and white 2 not being for the 3DS. A) it's a marketing strategy B) It would take a lot more money to redo the first black and white into a 3D version for the 3DS. Just enjoy the games and stop whining about it. I doubt Nintendo really cares about a whiny child who's childhood was ruined.

19/10/2012