Game: Pokemon White 2
Genre: RPG
Developer: GameFreak/Nintendo
System: Nintendo DS (NDS)
Total Score: 92/100
Value Score: 9.2/10
• Story: 7/10
o Pokemon White 2's story takes place two years after the events of Pokemon White 1 (although if you played Black 1 and Black 2 it's the same and can be interchanged). You play as a new protagonist who starts off in a new town that did not exist two years prior and start off your journey opposite side of the region. Some of the gym leaders are different in terms of Pokemon, level and the actual trainer along with the fact that some of the towns and locations have gone through a extreme change or expansion which adds to the overall storyline and direction. Other than that you got Team Plasma divided into two factions - the good ones who wear white from the first game that help you and the black ones who will fight against you and are led by Ghetsis who comes back after his defeat. N makes his appearance again however the storyline isnt as dynamic or exciting as the first game as the first game introduced you to a whole level of storytelling in the series - the sequel however has goes back to the original roots and it is a bit bland because of that.
• Characters: 7/10
o You have access to getting over 300 pokemon before the National Dex is available to you, you will encounter all sorts of characters from the first game, new characters and even classic characters or references from the older generations which adds to the nice touch. The fact that you have access to over 500 pokemon is great character accessibility by itself.
• GamePlay: 10/10
o The gameplay infrastructure is simply the same as any other Pokemon game with the fact that the creators have started expanding over to the different types of gameplay they had introduced in the last two generations. Rotation battles and Team battles are far more frequent in this game and the battle tower is replaced with "Pokemon World Tournament" in which you can fight against gym leaders and trainers from different games and timelines. Sadly the berry function from the last two gens have died down a bit though you can still get access to berries through different NPCs and events. Having a secret grotto which was made famous in the last two generations once again falls short with the exception you have access to the areas but they serve a different purpose from what they were originally intended. The primary role of the game is to collect 8 badges just like any other Pokemon mainline game and fighting the enemy team/Elite four along the way. A odd change though is the fact that you can't get the main legendary until after you become champion which is a first in the entire series. Beauty/show case pageant mini game has returned along with a new mini game where you can make "movies" of your character and become popular. Everything else you would expect is included with the game including the usual Poke Center in each town, move deleter/tutor, the shops giving you all sorts of items, the Pokemon trading/battling online features, etc.
• Graphics: 10/10
o Pokemon White 2 does not bring anything new to the series as a whole however it still stays as one of the best looking NDS games made especially with its amazing 3D renders that it more than often has in this game than the rest. The vibrant colors and the day and night effects work well just like in the first game.
• Sound: 9/10
o Pokemon White 2 uses the same sound system as the first game with little to no changes. However despite it being great it doesnt add anything new yet is still good.
• Music: 10/10
o Pokemon White 2 uses almost all of the same tracks from the first game except it ends up with a few new tracks, remixes of the first game's tracks and more remixes from older games. Overall Pokemon White 2 features a extended Pokemon White OST with a few new tracks which is a nice touch to it.
• Length: 10/10
o Pokemon White 2 is longer than the first game as the post game content is far more wide and verse than the first game. Beating the initial story should take you about 20 hours that is not including the amount of time you might have to take to grind which can on top of that add another 5 hours or so depending on where and how often you train and encounter wild pokemon.
• Replay Value: 10/10
o Pokemon White 2 features far more extra content than the first game - one of the main features is the post game storyline which unlike the first game finishes after you become champion and it also includes a new feature which replaces the battle tower from previous games that allows you to fight old trainers and gym leaders from the different games and regions in a tournament style match ups. You of course also have access to all the other multiplayer etc options that you would get in a Pokemon game and have a lot of side quests on capturing different legendaries as well.
• Player Value: 9/10
o Although not as good as the first game in terms of storyline and impact to the series - however this game offers a large amount of content which goes along well with a storyline that needed some sort of ending and not a cliffhanger from the first game. Even if you havent played the first game - you can easily jump into this game as it is user friendly for the most part for all fans - old and new. Enjoy this good addition to the pokemon universe and one of the last GOOD RPGs to be released on the NDS.