Usually Pokémon, the seminal critter capture/battle simulator, has a pretty regular release schedule. Two versions of the same game are released simultaneously. Later, a third version comes along, acting as a sort of best-of release. Not so for the fifth generation of Pokémon games, though. Pokémon Black and Pokémon White released last year to the kind of acclaim and commercial success expected of one of Nintendo’s core franchises, but this time around Nintendo and Game Freak are taking a different approach.
Pokémon White 2 and Pokémon Black 2 will be direct sequels to Black and White, taking place two years after the events of the first games. In these follow-up titles, several new areas of the Unova region will be accessible, including some new gyms. While Black and White initially confined players to just the 150 new Pokémon introduced in the fifth generation, Black 2 and White 2 will add a selection of Pokémon from all past games, catchable from the beginning.
The sequels also add new Pokémon forms, including Black Kyurem and White Kyurem, fusions of the powerful legendary dragons that starred in the last games. Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2 are already out in Japan, and will be released in North America on October 7, following in Europe on October 12.
As a hopeless fan of the franchise and its curiously in-depth meta-game, all I have to say is that it’s not quite soon enough for my liking.
