Pokémon 2 (Nintendo DS)

I was sceptical of Pokemon Black/White Version 2, mainly as I couldn't get into White 1 and that maybe I had outgrown the series. The new features and pokemon from past games making an appearance intrigued me, so I took a chance, ordered the game and ... was pleasantly surprised

You may have the same starters but with a new town to begin in and encountering old favourites like Growlithe, Marill/Azurill, Mareep, Koffing, Riolu and many more within the first hour or so, it really felt like a fresh adventure into the unknown once again.

Some of the towns from Black/White are back, with slight alterations but are nicely presented with plenty of folk to chat and battle to and areas to explore.

The story's still has the same aim in beating eight gym leaders and then onwards to become the champ against the elite four, but with a friendly partner/rival to help you out here and there and to compete against, not to mention the mysterious Corless and Team Plasma and using the file from White/Black 1 to fill in the gaps that have happened in the two years, there's enough there to keep it all fresh and keep you plodding along.

With plenty of extra content in the post game to complete from battling previous gym leaders from previous games like Brock and Misty and re-battling the elite four whose pokemon levels are upped each time, to pokemon musical and film directing: choosing a scenario, lines/actions to act out and perform to unlocking more areas and of course the version exclusives, there is so much to do.

I'm glad i took the plunge and in my eyes, tops blue and Gold which were outstanding. The perfect swansong for the series on ds

Btw, if you have a 3ds, you can download the Pokemon Radar app and progressing in the app, download certain pokemon to your game, some that are not available in the game and that have hidden abilities.

So far I've been playing and astounded at just how good this game is I will purchase Black asap.
Everything has changed and for the better! Within the first town Floccesy you can go North to the ranch where you can capture Mareep, Azurill, Lillipup, Psyduck, Riolu and many others including Patrat and before the ranch is mostly just Purloin.

The graphics have improved slightly yet again, battle mode is excellent, the range of Pokemon in this game is perfect for me I really enjoy it.

It is unlikely people are playing this for the first time and I am so glad they really cut down on the level of 'tutorials' in the beginning, they still have a capture tutorial and just a few odd basics in case but these games despite what people think really aren't for young children.

It all gets you really thrown in (and sucked in) to the game early on so you have to keep playing. I've played Pokemon for years I am now 19 and I think this game is amazing they really have done a good job here making this it has old elements and lots of new ones. I did find it a little disorientating because you aren't in your normal start point and it has all changed so much but I really like it, makes it all a brand new adventure in a familiar place with familiar Pokemon.

All in all I highly recommend this for anyone and everyone. Definitely worth your money, you haven't lived until you've played this game!!

I've loved Pokemon since the Red and Blue days. However, by the time the third generation rolled around (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald) I was losing interest. The series was becoming stale. The Pokemon were bland and boring. I tried Platinum when that was released, and while I liked it better, it still didn't hold my interest well.

Then finally, last year with Black and White, we had a brilliant Pokemon game again. And with Black and White 2, for the first time in close to 10 years, I was excited for an upcoming Pokemon release.

It's hard to say whether this game is better than it's predecessors. Set again in the Unova region, sometimes it can feel like the same game, but there's enough to keep you interested. There are three new gym leaders, and the gyms of those who remained from the last games have had a total make-over, giving it all a fresh edge. Instead of just having the Unova Pokemon available, which could be limiting in B/W (although it made good sense as they wanted to have a fresh start), you have over 300 pokemon from a variety of generations available in the regional Pokedex. You can catch Riolu and Mareep within the first 20 minutes (granted, they're very rare!). Growlithe (MY FAVOURITE ^^) and Magnemite are available before the second gym. Wild Eevee are available. Everywhere you go you'll find the Unova Pokemon introduced in the last game, mixed in with a great selection of classic 'mon.

A lot of the music, such as for routes and cities, is the same as before, but there are a few new tracks and a lot of remixed ones - great ones at that. In all, the soundtrack is fantastic. If you're anything like me, you'll sit there grinning like a maniac when you finally get to the Champions part of the Pokemon World Tournament and hear the new Kanto Champion theme as you battle your old nemesis, who struck fear into your heart as a child whenever he came along for a battle before you got to go to a Pokemon Centre... Gary Mother*mumble* Oak! (and if any pedantic fanboys come along with their "HIS NAME IS BLUEEE!" bit, I shall set my Starmie on you. xD)

The storyline, I don't think is as good as in B/W. B/W had a great storyline that was a welcome change from the usual Pokemon fare. While I don't think this one quite lives up to it, it's still good. A splinter faction of Team Plasma return as your main antagonists. Along the way you'll also meet and battle other people, some new, others familiar.

Where this really shines is the endgame, which does outdo B/W. There's a lot to do after you beat the Elite Four and become Champion, such as several cities you weren't able to visit, White Grove or Black Tower (depending on what version you have) and my favourite, the Pokemon World Tournament. I've spent most of my time since beating the game there - you get to fight through tournaments where you battle the gym leaders from each previous game (and they all have their gym leader themes remixed) until finally you unlock the Champions Tournament, and get to fight trainers such as Lance, Red, and Cynthia (again, all with new, remixed battle themes).

You can also, if you have two DS consoles, link with your completed file from B/W through a feature called Unova Link. This doesn't have any impact on actual gameplay, but lets you have extra dialogue and cutscenes that relate to what happened in the previous games.

In all, this is a great addition to the Pokemon series. It's also likely to be the last on the DS - I'm pretty sure the next generation will be on the 3DS, and I look forward to where it will go from there.