So Tonight We're Gonna Catch 'em Like It's 1999.

In case you couldn't tell from the title, I like Pokémon. It was a series that I grew up with, I mean, it practically defines a large portion of my youth all by itself. I never really lost my love for the little critters either, I still play the games to this very day. I have found recent additions to the series to be somewhat cumbersome though, something that may have weathered away my original love for the games, if only slightly.

Hopefully, that should all be about to change though. The release of Black and White are only 3 days around the corner, and they've been heavily praised for refining a series that had began to go a little stale. Hopefully, Game Freak have put their money where their mouth is on this claim. I mean, a new region to explore is always nice, but the novelty eventually wears off. I know there aren't any of the old 'mon featuring in the game, at least for the main portion of it, and a vast majority of the new monsters seem at least imaginative and interesting. That said, some of them do seem to suffer from some kind of look-a-like disease...

A trio of human-esque fighting types similar to Machop and it's evolutions...

...a tadpole that turns into a grotesque toad that seems to bear lesions all over it's body...

I mean, even the Zubat replacement's western name is a little disheartening. Woobat? That's the best they could come up with then, I suppose. Maybe they were just being really foolhardy and decided that they didn't care what the public thought, it was their choice and they were sticking to their guns..

Ahem, back on topic. My main gripe with the series was that it was all becoming incredibly similar, oh, and the game mechanics, whilst perfectly balanced, were far too slow. Black and White don't depart drastically from the tried and tested formula, for sure. You get given a monster, and set out to beat 8 leaders and eventually the Elite Four and the Champion, whilst at the same time foiling some incoherent plot-line. It's cliché, but we all love it, mostly. At least the actual physical differences between regions, a more detailed plot and other such features aim to break the mould slightly, whilst keeping the key principles of the series intact.

Oh, and the battles are meant to be faster too, which is a massive plus in my book.

I think I've rambled on long enough, so I guess I'll conclude now. I'm excited for the new games, as I know a fair few of my friends are too. I'll be getting White version, as I prefer Zekrom and the version exclusive 'mon. As for my starter... it'll most likely be Oshawott.

Roll on Friday, eh?


SanityEdge