Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 are role-playing video games created in 2012 by Game Freak. They were released by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. These games are part of the fifth generation of the Pokémon series and are follow-up games to Pokémon Black and Pokémon White. They were first released in Japan in June 2012 and later released worldwide in October 2012. These games were the last major titles made for the Nintendo DS. The games include two legendary Pokémon, Black Kyurem and White Kyurem, identified by Junichi Masuda. The games were first announced on February 26, 2012, during an episode of the Japanese television show Pokémon Smash! An international announcement followed on the official Pokémon website.
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 tell the story of a new Pokémon Trainer who aims to become the Unova League Champion, two years after the events of the original games. The story continues after the events of Black and White, where the criminal group Team Plasma returns as Neo Team Plasma. Players must stop their plans to take over the world. The games include new features, such as the Key System, Hidden Grottoes, new cities, and additional Pokémon. Like other main series Pokémon games, players must trade between the two versions to complete the Pokédex.
A Pokémon Grey game was not made because the name "Grey" did not match the theme of opposites in Black and White. The developers also wanted to surprise players by not following the same naming pattern as earlier games. Critics generally praised the games for their new features and changes from the original. However, some reviewers said the games did not introduce enough new ideas.
Gameplay
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 include two main types of gameplay: exploring the world and battling. During exploration, players control their character from a top-down view, interact with non-playable characters, and search for items and Pokémon. Battles involve sending out Pokémon to reduce the opponent’s Pokémon to zero health points. Players use their Pokémon’s "moves," which can attack, help or hurt other Pokémon, or cause special effects.
The game takes place two years after the events of Pokémon Black and White. Many early events occur in new areas on the western part of the Unova region. These areas include Pokémon that were not available in the original games, with a total of 300 unique Pokémon available at the start.
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 can be used with a new downloadable game for the Nintendo 3DS called Pokémon Dream Radar. This game introduces a character named Professor Burnet and alternate forms for Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus, which can be transferred to Black 2 and White 2 after being captured. The Dream World, a feature from Pokémon Black and White, was shut down on January 14, 2014, along with other services for fifth-generation games. The mythical Pokémon Keldeo also gains a new form called the Resolute form in this game.
A new feature in Black 2 and White 2 is the "PokéStar Studios" side game, where the player helps film a movie with Pokémon and other actors. A character named Brycen-Man appears, as Brycen from the original games returns to his movie career. Another new feature is the Pokémon World Tournament, where players battle trainers from previous games, including Gym Leaders like Brock, Misty, Volkner, and Giovanni, and League Champions like Cynthia, Steven, and Lance. The Key System is another new mechanic that unlocks after completing the game. It allows players to access new challenges, areas like Black Tower or White Tree in the same version, and special chambers where they can capture Regirock, Registeel, and Regice.
Plot
The story of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 happens two years after the events of Black and White. New areas are added, such as Virbank City, Flocessy Town, Lentimas Town, Humilau City, and Hidden Grottoes, where special Pokémon can be caught. Instead of starting in Nuvema Town, the player begins in Aspertia City, a new city in the southwest of Unova. Unova’s design is inspired by New York City.
The player and their rival start their journey in the previously unexplored western part of Unova. They live in Aspertia City and receive their starter Pokémon from Bianca, an NPC who was a rival in Black and White. The player also meets Cheren, the other rival, who is now a Gym Leader in Aspertia City. As in other Pokémon games, the player travels the region, battles Gym Leaders to earn eight Gym Badges, and then challenges the Elite Four and the Unova League Champion to finish the game.
The main antagonist in Black 2 and White 2 is Neo Team Plasma. The player first meets them during an errand and later when the group announces its plan to take over the world and steal Pokémon in front of the player, the rival, and new Gym Leader Roxie. At Iris’s request, the player helps Burgh search for Neo Team Plasma members in Castelia City’s sewers, where they meet Colress, a researcher who claims to study Pokémon’s strengths.
Later, it is revealed that Neo Team Plasma stole a Purrloin the rival was planning to give to his sister, making the rival angry at the group. After learning about Kyurem, a Legendary Pokémon that arrived at the Giant Chasm years ago, the player discovers Neo Team Plasma is using Kyurem to freeze parts of Unova, including Opelucid City. The player tracks the group to Humilau City, where Gym Leader Marlon helps battle Neo Team Plasma to stop them from controlling Kyurem. Marlon also helps the rival recover his Purrloin, which evolved into a Liepard used in battle.
The story’s climax takes place in the Giant Chasm, where the player learns Colress is working with Neo Team Plasma to study Pokémon’s power. Ghetsis plans to use Kyurem, a Pokémon formed from the leftover energy of Zekrom and Reshiram, to achieve his goal of ruling the world. After battling the Shadow Triad with the rival’s help, the player confronts Kyurem and Ghetsis in the Giant Chasm. N, with either Zekrom or Reshiram, tries to stop his father Ghetsis, but his Pokémon is defeated and fused with Kyurem, creating Black Kyurem or White Kyurem. The player defeats Kyurem, which separates from N’s Pokémon, and then battles Ghetsis. After Ghetsis is defeated, N thanks the player for helping stop Neo Team Plasma. The player then battles the Elite Four and the Unova League Champion, Iris, to complete the main story.
After finishing the main story, the player can challenge N, who lives in his former castle. When N’s Pokémon is defeated, it becomes an object that N gives to the player. The player can later use the object to capture the Pokémon again. After completing the game, players can also battle former champions like Alder, Cynthia, and the Striaton City Gym Leaders, and take on challenges in Black City or White Forest. Using a feature called "Memory Link," players can access new content based on their previous game, such as references to their name, flashback scenes, capturing Pokémon that belonged to N, and battling Cheren and Bianca who remember the previous game’s protagonist. Players can also participate in the Pokémon World Tournament.
Development
During the development of Black and White 2, Takao Unno introduced the theme of resonance, which inspired the idea of allowing 100 players to connect and play together using the Entralink feature. To help both new and returning players enjoy the game more easily, a Pokémon Center was added to the first city in the region. This was a new feature in Pokémon games at that time, as it allowed players to quickly learn about the game world. Takao Unno wanted players to view the region of Unova in Black and White 2 from a different angle. Junichi Masuda, the executive director, believed that starting the game in a new city would make the world feel fresh to players who had previously played Black and White. He also explained that he tries to experience the games as a new player would, ensuring that newcomers can understand the series easily.
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 were released at the same time as the premiere of the movie Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice. In some Japanese theaters, players who watched the movie could receive a special in-game Pokémon for Black and White or Black and White 2.
The background music in Black and White 2 includes songs from the original Pokémon Black and White games, adds new tracks, and uses arrangements of most songs from the earlier games. The official soundtrack, titled Nintendo DS Pokémon Black 2 · White 2 Super Music Complete, was released in Japan on July 25, 2012. Disc 4 of the soundtrack also includes music from Pokémon Black and White, Pokémon Emerald, and Pokémon Platinum, which had not been included in an official soundtrack before.
Reception
The games received "mostly positive reviews" from critics and have an average score of 80 according to Metacritic. Famitsu magazine gave Black 2 and White 2 a score of 36 out of 40, which is slightly lower than the perfect scores of their earlier versions. IGN's Audrey Drake gave the games a 9.6/10 rating and praised the changes from the original games. Game Informer's Kyle Hilliard also liked the new features, saying they "work well with the Pokémon formula," but he was disappointed by the "lack of innovation." Nintendo Life gave the games a 9/10 rating, calling them "the best in the series to date" and "fresh and easy to play." GamesRadar+ gave the games a 4/5 rating, noting that they relied too much on Black and White, but they also praised the expanded storyline and new areas in the game.
Within the first two days of release, Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 sold over 1.6 million copies, and over 2 million copies within the first two weeks. As of January 2013, the games had sold a total of 7.81 million copies worldwide. By 2020, the games had sold 8.52 million copies worldwide.