I never got the chance to play Pokemon Black 2 Version when it came out in 2012; I was much too preoccupied with playing the first Generation 5 games, as well as catching as many Pokemon as I could to transfer to the Generation 6 games when they released. Unfortunately for my wallet and I, fate played a dastardly trick and the games shot up to prohibitively expensive prices. Well, years later in December 2023, I emerged from a local game store 130 dollars lighter and with a legit Black 2 cartridge. I could finally put all the praise I heard about this game to the test. Well, was it a good Pokemon game?
Hell yes! Let’s get down to it!
(PS: Like my Pokemon Omega Ruby review, I won’t be reviewing features added to the Generation 5 games overall, just what Black 2 changed or added from it’s predecessor.)
Pros:
- I think I’ll start this review with changes to the map and region. B2 and W2 (White 2) were the “first” sequels to a Pokemon game (Gold and Silver were sequels, but not in the same way), and as such, many locations have been added or changed to reflect the passage of time. All new cities and Gyms have popped up, like in Aspertia or Humilau; new areas have been built or become accessible, like the Castelia Sewers and Strange; and many locations have been changed—Route 4 has finished construction, Relic Castle has been filled with sand, Victory Road has suffered a cave-in and now has a completely different layout…there’s a lot. It is frankly INSANE how many new areas there are to explore and it’s so cool to see that many changes have in-universe explanations, which makes the region feel so dynamic and lifelike—the most out of any Pokemon region. It truly felt like a new game.
- I could gush about the visuals of these areas for a long time. Marine Tube has changing 3D imagery based on the time of day, where you can see different marine life swimming by. Castelia Sewers connect Castelia all the way to Driftveil via the underground Relic Passage. The Strange House’s furniture changes every time you change rooms, letting your progress further into the building. And of course, the elephants in the room are Pokestar Studios and the Pokemon World Tournament, which I’ll discuss later. It’s all just so cool.
- There’s also a lot of gameplay-related changes that add some fun mechanics. The best change is undoubtedly the addition of non-Unova Pokemon to the main game, which was a large criticism of Black and White 1 and is more than welcome. The Pokedex now has the habitat list, which gives you a look at what Pokemon live in an area and if you’ve caught them—for once, the Pokedex is actually useful as a source of information! The XTranscivere isn’t just a voice chat machine; you can actually use it to learn what Abilities do and how to evolve certain Pokemon. And we’ve got the Medal Rally! By god, Pokemon has achievements now, and some of them are absolutely unhinged (beat the Pokemon League with Pokemon of only one type??? Get 1,000,000 experience in one day?!) All amazing changes that were sorely needed.
- We’ve also got a new “gamemode” in Pokestar Studios, which tasks you with following a movie script with your Pokemon. It plays almost like a puzzle game, where you’re given a Pokemon with certain moves and abilities and tasked with achieving a goal, like knocking out one Pokemon every turn, and it’s up to you to figure out how to do that in the timetable you’re given. And of course, who could forget the Pokemon World Tournament, which pits you against Gym leaders and Champions from past games in battles for BP, and with new ways of battling to boot with Rental Tournaments (battle with preset Pokemon) and Mix Tournaments (you and your opponent swap a Pokemon with each other). Absolutely puts the Battle Subway to shame. Not even CLOSE to being as cool as the PWT.
- Keeping with making the game feel like a true sequel with a dynamic world, returning characters reflect on their past experiences, and the previous protagonist’s impact can be seen in the world. NPCs you could interact with in the previous game comment on their interactions with that protagonist, Victini is absent from Victory Garden, Ghetsis mentions being bested by a Trainer two years earlier, and when you visit the home of the previous protagonist in Nuvema Town, the woman living there thinks your her child at first, which is actually really sad. I know that sequels referencing past events are kinda their whole thing, but it is an exceptional instance for Pokemon, so I feel compelled to praise it. Oh well.
- The central characters of the story also showcase the impact of the past game’s events through their development. Bianca went through with her reflection on battling not being as fun for her, and now she works with the Pokemon professor. Cheren has continued to hone his battling craft, and now heads a Gym. N, who comes in near the end of the game, has reformed a sect of Team Plasma and resolved himself to search for the protagonist in order to thank them for the impact they had on his life. I might be giving this game too much credit, since Pokemon games are usually allergic to character building except in rare instances like this, but whatever.
- I also just want to take a second to praise the visuals of this game. I truly believe Generation 5’s games were the peak of Pokemon graphics—they combined DS-era 3D overworld graphics with animated battle sprites (say, did I mention animated Trainer sprites? Because that’s AWESOME). The visuals in this game are amazing, and I’m so glad areas like Gyms and the Elite Four rooms received a facelift (Marshall’s podium staircase assembling itself in front of you is so badass) to showcase how banging they are.
- AND OF COURSE the soundtrack absolutely fucks. Pokemon has NEVER failed in this department and hooooooly shit they delivered some heat this time around. Hugh’s battle theme, Floccesy Ranch, Virbank Gym, Castelia Gym, Nimbasa Gym, the Strange House, the GODDAMN PLASMA THEME??? How did they make peak even peaker??? Black 2’s music joins Nimbasa City, Driftveil City, Route 7, the Elite Four battle theme, and Gear Station in the Pokemon soundtrack Hall of Fame.
- The postgame of Black 2 is also insanely expansive. There are tons of legendaries to catch postgame, and unlike some encounters in newer Pokemon games, actually require you to explore and discover them for yourself. The Regis have another suitable puzzle that also makes use of Unova Link (more on that later), Cresselia and Heatran require you to find items hidden in the Strange House and Route 18 respectively, and once you discover the Cave of Being, you can find Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. And to make up for the post-game routes of BW1 being main-game in their sequels, everything past Skyarrow Bridge and between Twist Mountain and the Moor of Icirrus has been rendered post-game in its stead. I actually loved this, especially for the novelty of the early-game routes of BW1 being the exact opposite, and the excitement of seeing what became of the BW1 protagonist once I reached Nuvema. I’m telling you, encountering level 60 Pokemon and Veteran trainers on Route 1 is a surreal experience. So is fighting Preschoolers with level 61 pseudo-legendaries. 10/10.
- Unova Link is a feature I couldn’t make use of, since it requires two DS systems with local communication, but it sounds like an insanely cool feature. I’ve grown to find paired Pokemon versions more of an annoyance than fun (version-exclusive Pokemon are so annoying…) but I could get behind it if they were implemented like Black and White 2. Unova Link lets you swap “keys” between the two versions, allowing you to access some of the features of the other version—namely White Forest/Black City and the corresponding Regi. Unova Link also allows for Memory Link, which not only lets you view events that happened between BW1 and BW2, but also carries over some features from that game, such as giving Cheren and Bianca Pokemon they had in the previous game, and viewing Pokedex certificates and Battle Subway trophies in the house of the previous protagonist. All interesting mechanics that Pokemon will assuredly never bother with ever again.
- One more tiny thing: Black 2 has the best credits sequence, showing the player traveling all the way back to their home from the Pokemon League, and having people congratulate them on their accomplishments along the way.
Cons:
- While I do really like the story insofar as it incorporates the events of previous games and the passage of time, I think it’s a step down from the emotional resonance that Black and White 1 had. Team Plasma was such an interesting adversary to fight because their goals were purportedly altruistic. They wanted to liberate Pokemon from their owners, since it’s not as if they could consent to being captured. This is legitimately the closest Pokemon has ever come to being self-aware of that harsh truth, which is actually really funny now that I’m thinking about it. Anyway, that’s gone in the sequel since Ghetsis is now just hellbent on conquering the Unova region like he originally wanted to in BW1, but since it’s now removed from the context that the “sympathetic” Team Plasma provided in BW1, it falls flat and makes him seem like any other bad guy. And it doesn’t help that N, the best character in BW1, only comes in at the very end of the game. I guess I’m trying to argue that BW2’s story is bad because it isn’t BW1…but whatever.
- Maybe I’m just a little stupid, but there are way too many online features spread too wide for me to make sense of. Game Sync, Feelings Check, Survey Radar, Entralink, Dream World, Xtransciever…Union Room, Global Trade, Random Matchups, all spread between the second floor of Pokemon Centers, the C-Gear, and the Main Menu. It’s a little overwhelming, though I’ll give credit for explaining them all pretty well. I still feel like they could have been consolidated a little bit more to be easier to digest.
- While I GREATLY appreciate Game Freak’s attempt to add a Challenge Mode and Easy Mode to Pokemon, it’s implementation is sorely lacking. You can only play it if you’re gifted a key via Unova Link, and you can only select it at the beginning of a new save file. This means not only do you have to get the key from someone who’s already beat the game—meaning you’re out of luck if you’re playing solo—but you will have to delete your save if you want to start a new one with either mode. PLUS, even though the new difficulties do change the levels of opposing Pokemon, the stats of the Pokemon still scale based off Normal Mode, making the change in levels only really affect EXP gain. Ironically that makes the early-game of Easy Mode harder since you’ll be getting less EXP every fight, and the Pokemon will still be just as strong as Normal Mode.
- Three smaller complaints: First, Pokemon Breeders always rematching you every time you reload the location they’re in is a clear downgrade from rematches. I don’t get why Trainer rematches haven’t been standard in every Pokemon game. I guess it is still an improvement since BW1 didn’t have this feature. Second, the Battle Subway was not updated for the new Unova Pokedex—they still use the same teams from BW1 (at least in the non-Super modes), which means it’s only Generation 5 Pokemon. And lastly, level grinding in this game sucks. It’s all Audino genocide all the way down. That’s certainly better than wild Pokemon with normal EXP distribution…but as I said above, it’s worse than rematches. Say what you want about Generation 6, but key item EXP Share made the inevitability of grinding at least tolerable.
Objective rating: 4.5 stars
Subjective rating: 4.5 stars
Hell yes! Let’s get down to it!
(PS: Like my Pokemon Omega Ruby review, I won’t be reviewing features added to the Generation 5 games overall, just what Black 2 changed or added from it’s predecessor.)
Pros:
- I think I’ll start this review with changes to the map and region. B2 and W2 (White 2) were the “first” sequels to a Pokemon game (Gold and Silver were sequels, but not in the same way), and as such, many locations have been added or changed to reflect the passage of time. All new cities and Gyms have popped up, like in Aspertia or Humilau; new areas have been built or become accessible, like the Castelia Sewers and Strange; and many locations have been changed—Route 4 has finished construction, Relic Castle has been filled with sand, Victory Road has suffered a cave-in and now has a completely different layout…there’s a lot. It is frankly INSANE how many new areas there are to explore and it’s so cool to see that many changes have in-universe explanations, which makes the region feel so dynamic and lifelike—the most out of any Pokemon region. It truly felt like a new game.
- I could gush about the visuals of these areas for a long time. Marine Tube has changing 3D imagery based on the time of day, where you can see different marine life swimming by. Castelia Sewers connect Castelia all the way to Driftveil via the underground Relic Passage. The Strange House’s furniture changes every time you change rooms, letting your progress further into the building. And of course, the elephants in the room are Pokestar Studios and the Pokemon World Tournament, which I’ll discuss later. It’s all just so cool.
- There’s also a lot of gameplay-related changes that add some fun mechanics. The best change is undoubtedly the addition of non-Unova Pokemon to the main game, which was a large criticism of Black and White 1 and is more than welcome. The Pokedex now has the habitat list, which gives you a look at what Pokemon live in an area and if you’ve caught them—for once, the Pokedex is actually useful as a source of information! The XTranscivere isn’t just a voice chat machine; you can actually use it to learn what Abilities do and how to evolve certain Pokemon. And we’ve got the Medal Rally! By god, Pokemon has achievements now, and some of them are absolutely unhinged (beat the Pokemon League with Pokemon of only one type??? Get 1,000,000 experience in one day?!) All amazing changes that were sorely needed.
- We’ve also got a new “gamemode” in Pokestar Studios, which tasks you with following a movie script with your Pokemon. It plays almost like a puzzle game, where you’re given a Pokemon with certain moves and abilities and tasked with achieving a goal, like knocking out one Pokemon every turn, and it’s up to you to figure out how to do that in the timetable you’re given. And of course, who could forget the Pokemon World Tournament, which pits you against Gym leaders and Champions from past games in battles for BP, and with new ways of battling to boot with Rental Tournaments (battle with preset Pokemon) and Mix Tournaments (you and your opponent swap a Pokemon with each other). Absolutely puts the Battle Subway to shame. Not even CLOSE to being as cool as the PWT.
- Keeping with making the game feel like a true sequel with a dynamic world, returning characters reflect on their past experiences, and the previous protagonist’s impact can be seen in the world. NPCs you could interact with in the previous game comment on their interactions with that protagonist, Victini is absent from Victory Garden, Ghetsis mentions being bested by a Trainer two years earlier, and when you visit the home of the previous protagonist in Nuvema Town, the woman living there thinks your her child at first, which is actually really sad. I know that sequels referencing past events are kinda their whole thing, but it is an exceptional instance for Pokemon, so I feel compelled to praise it. Oh well.
- The central characters of the story also showcase the impact of the past game’s events through their development. Bianca went through with her reflection on battling not being as fun for her, and now she works with the Pokemon professor. Cheren has continued to hone his battling craft, and now heads a Gym. N, who comes in near the end of the game, has reformed a sect of Team Plasma and resolved himself to search for the protagonist in order to thank them for the impact they had on his life. I might be giving this game too much credit, since Pokemon games are usually allergic to character building except in rare instances like this, but whatever.
- I also just want to take a second to praise the visuals of this game. I truly believe Generation 5’s games were the peak of Pokemon graphics—they combined DS-era 3D overworld graphics with animated battle sprites (say, did I mention animated Trainer sprites? Because that’s AWESOME). The visuals in this game are amazing, and I’m so glad areas like Gyms and the Elite Four rooms received a facelift (Marshall’s podium staircase assembling itself in front of you is so badass) to showcase how banging they are.
- AND OF COURSE the soundtrack absolutely fucks. Pokemon has NEVER failed in this department and hooooooly shit they delivered some heat this time around. Hugh’s battle theme, Floccesy Ranch, Virbank Gym, Castelia Gym, Nimbasa Gym, the Strange House, the GODDAMN PLASMA THEME??? How did they make peak even peaker??? Black 2’s music joins Nimbasa City, Driftveil City, Route 7, the Elite Four battle theme, and Gear Station in the Pokemon soundtrack Hall of Fame.
- The postgame of Black 2 is also insanely expansive. There are tons of legendaries to catch postgame, and unlike some encounters in newer Pokemon games, actually require you to explore and discover them for yourself. The Regis have another suitable puzzle that also makes use of Unova Link (more on that later), Cresselia and Heatran require you to find items hidden in the Strange House and Route 18 respectively, and once you discover the Cave of Being, you can find Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. And to make up for the post-game routes of BW1 being main-game in their sequels, everything past Skyarrow Bridge and between Twist Mountain and the Moor of Icirrus has been rendered post-game in its stead. I actually loved this, especially for the novelty of the early-game routes of BW1 being the exact opposite, and the excitement of seeing what became of the BW1 protagonist once I reached Nuvema. I’m telling you, encountering level 60 Pokemon and Veteran trainers on Route 1 is a surreal experience. So is fighting Preschoolers with level 61 pseudo-legendaries. 10/10.
- Unova Link is a feature I couldn’t make use of, since it requires two DS systems with local communication, but it sounds like an insanely cool feature. I’ve grown to find paired Pokemon versions more of an annoyance than fun (version-exclusive Pokemon are so annoying…) but I could get behind it if they were implemented like Black and White 2. Unova Link lets you swap “keys” between the two versions, allowing you to access some of the features of the other version—namely White Forest/Black City and the corresponding Regi. Unova Link also allows for Memory Link, which not only lets you view events that happened between BW1 and BW2, but also carries over some features from that game, such as giving Cheren and Bianca Pokemon they had in the previous game, and viewing Pokedex certificates and Battle Subway trophies in the house of the previous protagonist. All interesting mechanics that Pokemon will assuredly never bother with ever again.
- One more tiny thing: Black 2 has the best credits sequence, showing the player traveling all the way back to their home from the Pokemon League, and having people congratulate them on their accomplishments along the way.
Cons:
- While I do really like the story insofar as it incorporates the events of previous games and the passage of time, I think it’s a step down from the emotional resonance that Black and White 1 had. Team Plasma was such an interesting adversary to fight because their goals were purportedly altruistic. They wanted to liberate Pokemon from their owners, since it’s not as if they could consent to being captured. This is legitimately the closest Pokemon has ever come to being self-aware of that harsh truth, which is actually really funny now that I’m thinking about it. Anyway, that’s gone in the sequel since Ghetsis is now just hellbent on conquering the Unova region like he originally wanted to in BW1, but since it’s now removed from the context that the “sympathetic” Team Plasma provided in BW1, it falls flat and makes him seem like any other bad guy. And it doesn’t help that N, the best character in BW1, only comes in at the very end of the game. I guess I’m trying to argue that BW2’s story is bad because it isn’t BW1…but whatever.
- Maybe I’m just a little stupid, but there are way too many online features spread too wide for me to make sense of. Game Sync, Feelings Check, Survey Radar, Entralink, Dream World, Xtransciever…Union Room, Global Trade, Random Matchups, all spread between the second floor of Pokemon Centers, the C-Gear, and the Main Menu. It’s a little overwhelming, though I’ll give credit for explaining them all pretty well. I still feel like they could have been consolidated a little bit more to be easier to digest.
- While I GREATLY appreciate Game Freak’s attempt to add a Challenge Mode and Easy Mode to Pokemon, it’s implementation is sorely lacking. You can only play it if you’re gifted a key via Unova Link, and you can only select it at the beginning of a new save file. This means not only do you have to get the key from someone who’s already beat the game—meaning you’re out of luck if you’re playing solo—but you will have to delete your save if you want to start a new one with either mode. PLUS, even though the new difficulties do change the levels of opposing Pokemon, the stats of the Pokemon still scale based off Normal Mode, making the change in levels only really affect EXP gain. Ironically that makes the early-game of Easy Mode harder since you’ll be getting less EXP every fight, and the Pokemon will still be just as strong as Normal Mode.
- Three smaller complaints: First, Pokemon Breeders always rematching you every time you reload the location they’re in is a clear downgrade from rematches. I don’t get why Trainer rematches haven’t been standard in every Pokemon game. I guess it is still an improvement since BW1 didn’t have this feature. Second, the Battle Subway was not updated for the new Unova Pokedex—they still use the same teams from BW1 (at least in the non-Super modes), which means it’s only Generation 5 Pokemon. And lastly, level grinding in this game sucks. It’s all Audino genocide all the way down. That’s certainly better than wild Pokemon with normal EXP distribution…but as I said above, it’s worse than rematches. Say what you want about Generation 6, but key item EXP Share made the inevitability of grinding at least tolerable.
Objective rating: 4.5 stars
Subjective rating: 4.5 stars