The best Pokemon yet! I put about 20 hours in Black/White so far and until the sixth generation, Pokemon fans have great games in Black/White. Everything is pretty great for new Pokemon trainers as well as longtime Pokemon fans. Addictive as ever. And as an adult, I recommend these games to everyone!

Pokemon Black and White remind us why Pokemon is such a hugely successful franchise. The tried and true formula is improved upon, the aesthetics are enhanced, the story is more creative, and there are tons of new Pokemon. Game Freak is never going to fix what isn't broken, but they sure has hell are not complacent--there was clearly a lot of effort put into these games, and it paid off. A true RPG masterclass, and a great send-off for the DS.… Expand

Pokemon Black/White is, arguably, the best Pokemon game to date.
Fully utilizing the DS's somewhat limited power capabilities, Pokemon Black/White does an excellent job of creating a realistic, breathing world filled with Pokemon on Nintendo's handheld.
The 2.5D graphics are brilliant, and some of the bridge landscapes (you'll see what I mean when you play it) are truly phenomenal. The battle system is much improved; combat works faster, somehow, and the new animations for the Pokemon make the battles more interesting. However, for some baffling reason the Pokemon that you are using is just a blown up version of a smaller image, so it appears really pixelated, which I don't understand why the developers didn't do something about. Other than that though, the battle system is brilliant and triple and rotation battles add a breath of fresh air to the tried and true formula, the latter even encouraging more tactical thinking.
Then there are the Pokemon - around 150 new Pokemon, meaning that for the majority of the game you won't see a Pokemon that you recognise. Although some of them look stupid, it is extremely refreshing not to walk into a cave and be assaulted by a Zubat. The story is also far more mature than the other Pokemon games, with the game's villians (Team Plasma) even dealing with quite a tough moral issue, which I won't spoil in this review.
Basically, if you have read this far, GO AND BUY THE GAME. I have hardly put it down since I got it, and I have been carrying my DS everywhere with me so that, at any chance I get, I can dive right into the world of Pokemon.… Expand

Be fore I begin my review realgamer fan just to let you know you gave the game a 0 I believe by accident. Anyways Pokemon Black and White are truly a great rethinking of the series. Sure they have their flaws such as mostly weird pokemon and then no pokemon following behind you any more. The good out weights the bad by far however. Zekrom and Reshiram and awesome. Axew and its family are wickedly powerful. The graphics are nice but the chamera is not as good as others were saying it was. In the end however I found both to be great games even if they could have come up with mostly better pokemon. I give the games a 9/10 overall.… Expand

Absoloutely astounding. Whatever some reviewers may say about Pokemon Black not showing any new way for Pokemon, I don't think it needs a brand new developement, slight additions to the game each time adds new fun each time. Although it's not brand new, the great graphics which are used in Castelia City are amazing, some (ok lots) of the pokemon are dodgy and have slightly (ok very) unusual names, but that is not worthy of knocking a mark of it. I give it 10 here, but if i was marking it out of 100%, I would give it 95%. 2% off for not being completely new, 2% off for a few dodgy pokemon, and 1% off for few legendaries. But, that aside, brilliant!… Expand

They've done it again, made a superb pokemon game. I've been playing since Red and Blue and this game, whilst maybe not as good as the previous in terms of new features it is fantastic. My only regret is not buying white for the forest and more triple battles! There are a massive amount of pokemon to catch, loads of trainers to fight, loads of fighting methods, new moves, new abilities, the new region and of course the 2.5D view which works amazingly well. There are some breathtaking visuals with amazing cut scenes. There's also the ability to transfer pokemon from the older games making completing your pokedex a lot more easier. All in all there is well over 300 offline hours available in this game, loads more if you go online.… Expand

I signed up for this site just to write a review on this game. That's how good I feel Pokemon Black and White is. The animations are cool to look at, the combat runs smoother than ever before. It's a whole new experience. It's the first game in the series to separate itself from its predecessors. You never know what you are going to encounter. Random wi-fi battles are awesome as is the global trade center. Overall, if you haven't picked up this game yet on your DS you have to get this! I don't know how they could have made the game better (Besides some of the music) so I'll give it a 10/10!… Expand

For someone who had lost faith on Pokemon after Crystal, due to awful entries like Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and Platinum/Diamond/Pearl, not to mention the cashgrabs that were HeartGold and SoulSilver, with absolutely zero improvements, Pokemon Black was just what the series needed: fresh ideas and changes. Animating the Pokemons was an absolutely superb idea that should have been implemented before, and the fact that TMs can be reused, which makes planning strategies much easier, was just the icing on the cake. Complete with very good music, and a storyline which may be not oscar-winning but does it job well, and also playing with more "mature" themes while keeping the core well preserved, this game is a must have for Nintendo DS owners and Pokemon fans alike. Not to mention that the online elements like the Dreamworld also further improve and expand the experience. If you also dropped Pokemon at one point and want to give the series another try, this is the entry that you're looking for. Very recommended!… Expand

I'm very surprised at how well this game turned out. Been playing since Red and Blue versions debuted in the US, and I was very happy with this installment. Black gave me that sense of depth and team customization that I hadn't had since Blue. Until you beat the Elite Four, all the Pokemon you encounter are new. Every fresh face you meet, you wonder "How well would this guy fit into my team? Does he have any good moves? Who would he replace?" The team combinations seem endless as you progress through the story. The story itself is pretty engaging, but not much to talk about. It's unfortunate that the Pokemon Global Link is down for maintenance until March 30th. I would've really liked to have this game feature available at launch. Another nitpick is that they removed the auto-run option from HeartGold/SoulSilver.… Expand

At first I did not want to buy this game. I guessed that adding 156 totally new Pokémon to the game would cause too little variation and few really new and exciting Pokémon. I was definitely wrong. The starters are awesome. Although the start of the game is a little slow, it gets much better when you meet team Plasma, and begin to expand your team with new exciting and beautifully crafted Pokémon. There are a few minor things which could be improved. I think the battles go to slowly. If there was an option that could speed up the animations a bit, it would have saved me a lot of time. Another thing I'd like to mention is that there are far too many Normal and Flying type Pokemon. Some of them are cool like the ancient Pokémon Archeops (Flying type) or the cute dog Pokémon Lillipup (Normal), which eventually evolves into a huge dog, which is the first dog Pokémon I have ever used on my team. Old fans of the game might miss the classic first gen Pokémon, but if you just enjoy the game until after you beat the Pokémon League you will be able to find Pokémon from earlier generations. This, in addition to the already great variation of Pokémon in the game, and a huge potential for replayability adds up to create a game in which I have been completely lost in for several days already. This is a must for every DS owner.… Expand

What can I say? Gamefreak has done a really good job incorporating the graphics from 3D games into the DS to make these new Pokemon Games as enjoyable and exciting as ever.

Easily the best pokemon games to date. The pokemon are the most original pokemon we've seen since generation 2. I would also say these are the most difficult pokemon games, although they're still easy. I didn't like the attempt to incorporate a story more so than the other pokemon games did, but that's not why I play these games. Also the new graphics are nice but again, nobody plays pokemon for the graphics. The core reasons to play a pokemon game are all there, such as new pokemon, new world to explore, new secret areas / secrets to find, new legendary pokemon to seek out in interesting ways, new gym leaders and battles, etc.… Expand

I never thought the Pokemon series could get this good. I really couldn't. With Nintendo releasing the same tried and tried and tried and true formula over and over again on all it's portables, I thought that the best of the series would always be Pokemon Silver/Gold on the Gameboy Color. Boy, am I wrong.

Pokemon Black/White follows the same story as the other Pokemon games. You're a young boy/girl without a dad that goes off on a quest to catch all those adorable and dangerous critters we all know and love. You've got your rivals, your evil teams and your 8 gym battles that culminate in you going to the Pokemon League and facing off against the Elite 4. Same old, same old. Pokemon Black/White, however, tweaks these story elements a little. Instead of one rival who may or may not be a total douche, you've got 3 rivals, all with distinct personalities. Bianca is the airhead with the heart of gold, Cheren is the know-it-all kind of guy who ISN'T an arrogant prick and N is the wierdo that can "hear what your Pokemon say" (And who also may or may not be the leader of an evil organization.) These characters feel alot more fleshed out than previous rivals in the series. They've got goals, and different ways of getting to those goals. Previous rivals' personalities consisted of "I'm better than you. Let's fight. Oh **** you're better. I'm gonna go away and be better than you so we can fight again." It's a welcome change that I love.

The evil teams that always appear in Pokemon games also got a positive change in Black/White. Team Plasma actually has a somewhat legitimate reason for wanting to take everyone's Pokemon. They're trying to release them from their trainers so they can all live together in balance. It made me think about the ethics of Pokemon treatment. Should we be stuffing adorable fuzzies into tiny, little balls and have them fight for fame and glory? Yeah, we should. Those guys are wrong. I'm right. Still, Team Plasma does seem like a well conceived evil group. They have a cult-like feel to them, which is a change from other Pokemon games.

The gym leaders are YET ANOTHER welcome change. Instead of being random people with crazy hair/crazy clothes/crazy personalities that just stand around at the end of their respective gyms doing nothing but wait for challengers, the gym leaders in Black/White take an active role in the story. Burgh, the third city's gym leader, helps the player out against a Team Plasma plot based in the third city. These little encounters give the gym leaders a little more character, and make them feel like actual people, instead of just obstacles for the player to overcome to get those freakin' badges.

Finally, the namesake Pokemon. 150 completely new Pokemon. Thank you, Nintendo. No more Wurmples, Pidgeys or GOD DAMN ZUBATS. Every Pokemon you encounter in Black/White is completely new. Granted, some of the newbies are quite ugly. But hey! New Pokemon! Gotta love it.

The battle system is nothing new. A few new inclusions include Triple Battles, which are Double Battles but with another Pokemon thrown in, and Rotation Battles, which are pretty much single battles with the active Pokemon being swapped out for another every turn. A few new moves here and there, and done.

Graphics wise, Pokemon Black/White is a stunner. Sweeping camera angles, lovely weather effects and improved overworld character sprites. Also, the Pokemon actually ANIMATE during battles. Dear god, this made my day for me. Seeing an enemy Snivy cross it's arms and look smug during a battle was totally awesome. Don't ask me why, it just...was. A downside to the combat's visuals? Still no move animations. When I use Tackle, I expect my Pokemon to...tackle the enemy. Jutting forward slightly and adding an explosion sprite onto the enemy Pokemon does not equal a Tackle.

All in all, Pokemon Black/White is a fantastic Pokemon game. I dare say it's the best Pokemon game, next to Gold/Silver. Outstanding visuals, improved combat and no more god damn Zubats. Worth a buy.… Expand

Pokemon Black was a great game. It had good graphics(for the DS), good sound, and good controls. The only problems with the game were that that the pokemon names were bad and you couldn't battle any of the trainers again. I found this to be really annoying when training my Haxorus and Deino.

Best Game in the history of ever of all time in life. I love it. I want to marry it because of how much I love it. I played this game instead of eating. :D

I have played the Pokemon games ever since Red and Blue, and I can honestly say this is the best game since Pokemon Gold/Silver. The graphics, while not superb, are a lot better with 3d environments and the sprites of the Pokemon actually do something. The gameplay is unchanged, but that is not a bad thing. I mean its worked so far. The story is actually the best ever in the series. I actually felt at some points that these guys meant business, and they had goals that seemed logical. They didn't include drowning the world with a Kyogre because they like water or something like that. The game is actually very story driven, but that doesn't mean it is linear by any means. Something that is very welcome to the series is the idea that every Pokemon you encounter before the E4 is a new Pokemon. I did not encounter a single Geodude in my entire playing, and it was grand. I honestly could not put the game down for the first two weeks of my purchasing it, it is that much fun. The online capabilities are also drastically improved, now with the ability to do random matches against players and trade with random people, not just put up a Pokemon for auction. The only downside to the game is many of the new designs are hideous, and I don't say that lightly. I saw an ice cream cone and a pile of garbage, which was what was going through my mind when I saw the designs. Now that doesn't mean they all suck, on the contrary, many are excellent. Some of my new favorites such as Sawsbuck and Krookodile are some of the coolest looking Pokemon to date. I just feel that Gamefreak was more intent on quantity (156 new Pokemon), rather than quality when it came to the designs. That being said, many of these designs grew on me by the end of the game, and it really didn't detract that much from the enjoyment of the game. Pokemon Black is arguably the best in the series, and is a great way to get back into the series.… Expand

Definitely a large step up from the last Pokemon game, Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, which in my opinion were the worst of the mainstream Pokemon games published by Game Freak. These games mildly explore a variety of new ideas, such as cutscenes and the expansive Castelia City.
I disliked many of the new pokemon released in this game, although there are also many hidden gems which showcase the true talent of Game Freak.
This game has definitely persuaded me to stick with Game Freak for at least one more (hopefully spectacular) instalment in the Pokemon games.… Expand

Many people have told me that i should stop being addicted to Pokemon but if the Pokemon haters played it they would see how good the series is. This in my opinion is the best one yet. It has the same experience as a 3DS with a regular DS it has tons of Pokemon and tons of other great things. There are only two flaws: 1. Like most Pokemon games its a little too short and 2. The villains have a stupid goal, they want to free Pokemon from their owners? Its a little stupider and worse then the goals of the other villains. Well I recommend this game to all Pokemon lovers and if you have never tried Pokemon try it!… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A lot better than Generation 4, the new pokemon look better, in general, than the critters from the Sinnoh region. Plus the fact that there are no old pokemon from the previous generation during the main story is a welcome addition. The story and the ending's also more original than the last few games. LOL, even my account name is a spoiler. =P… Expand

This game was for sure, the best of all Pokemon games. There was an intriguing plot while you would waist your time playing for hours and hours for the game. Over 150 Pokemon.... Many new legendaries... etc...
This game is semi 3-D, a dramatic change to the pokemon series. There were also many, many new features. Some scenes are real life. Overall, this game was still not perfect, but good enough with an intriguing plot, new features, and melodramatic real life scenes!… Expand

Pokemon Black and White are great games. I am a fan of the Pokemon series and have not been disappointed yet. Pokemon Black and White has hours of fun gameplay, and the story is lengthy, entertaining, and fulfilling. Pokemon Black and White have 156 new Pokemon with a new region called Unova, which is different from any other region you have experienced in a Pokemon game. The Unova Region has many large cities, some very large, with wilderness and ancient temples spread across the land. I would definitely suggest this game to anyone who owns the console to play it.… Expand

its a fantasitic game with less content, charm and originality than red and blue, and didnt quite click into place like ss hg, but still great all round, and getting an 90%

The best Pokemon game to date, the graphics are excellent, the story is surprisingly good and the battle mechanics are as good as ever. The Pokemon designs are mostly fantastic (including some of my favorite additions, like Dwebble), although there are a couple of odd choices. Everything added also feels right at home in the Pokemon franchise. The music is awesome as ever and everything, while technically being old game mechanics, feels fresh. My only complaint of the game is that it came out too close to the 3DS launch, so I worry that my pitiful 75+ hours spent on the game is not enough. It doesn't get a 10 because, if this is the best one yet, the next one might be better (silly reason really). Now bring on Pokemon Black & White 2! Just do yourselves a favor and buy this game if you have not already done so!… Expand

Pokemon truly changed for the better when they released this game. 150 new pokemon, a new darker story, and a new region to explore are the biggest changes, but it is also the tiny changes in the game that made it even better, like the organized areas where battles await.

What a great game, I cannot stop playing it again and again, because it has many features that keep you entertained for a long time. The online features are great for a DS game, it is like a preview of what is coming for next 3DS generation pokemon games. I hadn't played pokemon since Cristal and this edition captured my attention and now I'm back into Pokemon games. I recommend it if you want a game to compete with other people (you can play with random players from around the world), collect a lot of pokemon and items and expand your group by downloading dream world exclusive pokemon.… Expand

Amaziiiinnnnngggg.....well it's a good game great story sadly doesn't have as much stuff to do as black 2 but still a good game.....I find this game great and a must have

I've never been much of a Pokemon fan, played 3 games in the past, this would be my fourth one, I'd say it's the best game I've ever purchased for my DS lineup, I've already hooked up 100+ hours into it and it's just amazing and has lots of things to do, very perfect pokemon game.

In the generations of Pokémon, one color is representative of a version, be it Red and Blue or Gold and Silver. Never before were direct opposing colors used

Hmmm...Not the best but not the worst,while this game improves on some points it also shares an even amount of flaws.

For pros:156 new pokemon,better game-play mechanics,decent enough story,and a large world.

For cons:About 70% of these pokemon look too bulky and unnatural to be considered 'pokemon',the game-play mechanics improved in the multi-player section and dreamworld,but other then that,its still just the same old pokemon formula,the story was good but previous games have had better,the large world is pretty linear to the plot,so you'll be walking in a strait line to the elite four.

Bottom line,if you are a new pokemon fan,Have younger siblings that want to try pokemon for the first time,or just a more die-hard fan then this one is for you.But if your anything but the above,then I recommend the games:Pokemon Heart Gold and Sould Silver.… Expand

Pokemon may be getting old as some may say but Pokemon black proves that theory wrong.Pokemon black realizes the full potential Pokemon could reach with its great story and narrative ,new graphics and charming visuals , to its improved multiplayer.Where this game lacks is still weak graphics and weak Pokemon designs.