Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 are role-playing video games created in 2012 by Game Freak. They were published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. These games are part of the fifth generation of the Pokémon video game 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 first-party titles made for the Nintendo DS. The games include two legendary Pokémon named 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.
In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, a new Pokémon Trainer begins a journey to become the Unova League Champion, two years after the events of the original games. The story continues after the events of the first games, 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 new Pokémon. Like other main series Pokémon games, players must trade between the two versions to complete the Pokédex.
A Pokémon Grey game was not released because the title would conflict with the theme of opposites in Black and White. Developers also wanted to surprise players by not following the same naming pattern as earlier games. Critics gave the games mostly positive reviews, praising the new features and changes. However, some reviewers noted the games lacked innovation.
Gameplay
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 include two main ways to play: exploring the game world and battling. During exploration, players control their character from a top-down view, speak 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" to attack, help their own Pokémon, hurt the opponent’s Pokémon, or cause special effects.
The games take place two years after the events of Pokémon Black and White. Many early parts of the story happen in new areas on the western side of the Unova region. These new areas include Pokémon that were not available in Black and White, with a total of 300 unique Pokémon available from the start.
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 work 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. These alternate forms can be transferred to Black 2 and White 2 after being caught in Dream Radar. The Dream World, a feature from earlier games, returns but was closed 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 the game.
A new feature in Black 2 and White 2 is "PokéStar Studios," a side-game where the player helps film a movie with Pokémon and other characters. 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 strong trainers from previous games, including Gym Leaders like Brock, Misty, Volkner, and Giovanni, as well as champions like Cynthia, Steven, and Lance. A third new feature is the Key System, which unlocks after finishing the game. It allows players to access harder challenges and new areas, such as Black Tower or White Tree, within the same version. Players can also unlock special chambers to capture Regirock, Registeel, and Regice.
Plot
The events of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 happen two years after the events of Black and White. New areas are added that could not be reached in the earlier games, such as Virbank City, Flocessy Town, Lentimas Town, Humilau City, and Hidden Grottoes, where special Pokémon can be caught. The player starts their journey in Aspertia City, a new city in the southwest of Unova, instead of Nuvema Town. Unova’s design is based on New York City.
The player and their rival begin their adventure on the previously unexplored western side of Unova. They live in Aspertia City and receive their starter Pokémon from Bianca, an NPC who was one of the player’s rivals 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 across Unova, battles Gym Leaders to collect eight Gym Badges, and then challenges the Elite Four and the Unova League Champion to complete the game.
The story of Black 2 and White 2 centers on Neo Team Plasma, the main enemy group. The player first meets them while running an errand and later when they announce their plan to take over the world and steal Pokémon in front of the player, their 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 studies Pokémon’s strengths.
It is later revealed that Neo Team Plasma stole a Purrloin the rival planned to give to his sister, angering the rival. After learning about Kyurem, a Legendary Pokémon that arrived at the Giant Chasm years ago, the player discovers Neo Team Plasma plans to use Kyurem’s power to freeze parts of Unova, including Opelucid City. The player tracks Neo Team Plasma to Humilau City, where Gym Leader Marlon helps defeat them and helps the rival retrieve his Purrloin, which has evolved into a Liepard used in battle.
The final battle takes place in the Giant Chasm, where the player learns Colress is working with Neo Team Plasma to study Pokémon’s abilities. 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. N appears with Zekrom in Black 2 or Reshiram in White 2 to try to stop his father, Ghetsis. N’s Pokémon is defeated and fuses with Kyurem, transforming it into Black Kyurem or White Kyurem. The player battles and defeats Kyurem, which separates from N’s Pokémon. The player then faces Ghetsis, who is surprised by his defeat. N convinces Ghetsis to stop, and N thanks the player for helping defeat Neo Team Plasma. Afterward, the player 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 this object to capture the Pokémon again. The player can also battle former champions, Gym Leaders, and complete challenges in Black City or White Forest. Using a feature called "Memory Link," the player can access new content tied to the original Black and White games, such as references to the player’s name, flashback scenes, capturing Pokémon that once belonged to N, and battling Cheren and Bianca who remember the previous game’s protagonist. The player 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 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 the time, as it allowed players to quickly learn about the game world. Takao Unno wanted players of Black and White to see the region of Unova in Black and White 2 from a different viewpoint. Junichi Masuda, the executive director, believed that starting the game in a new city would make the game world feel fresh to returning players. He also explained that he tries to experience the games as someone who is new to the series, ensuring that the games are easy to understand for players who have never played before.
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 were released at the same time as the movie Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice. In Japan, some theaters gave players who watched the movie a special in-game Pokémon for Black and White or Black and White 2.
The background music in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 includes songs from Pokémon Black and White, adds new music, and uses arrangements of most tracks from Pokémon Black and White. 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 a complete soundtrack before.
Reception
Critics gave the games "generally favorable reviews," and they have an average score of 80 on Metacritic. Famitsu magazine scored Black 2 and White 2 with 36 out of 40 points, which is slightly lower than the perfect scores of their earlier versions. IGN's Audrey Drake gave the games a 9.6 out of 10, praising the changes made from the original games. Game Informer's Kyle Hilliard said the new features fit well with the Pokémon game style but noted there were not enough new ideas. Nintendo Life gave the games a 9 out of 10, calling them "the best in the series to date" and "fresh and easy to play." GamesRadar+ scored the games 4 out of 5, saying they relied too much on Black and White but praised the expanded story and new areas in the game.
Within the first two days of release, Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 sold more than 1.6 million copies. By the end of the first two weeks, they sold over 2 million copies. By January 2013, the games had sold a total of 7.81 million copies worldwide. By 2020, worldwide sales reached 8.52 million copies.