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Within the last week, most of the western world has seen the release of the latest games in the Pokemon series: Black and White versions for the Nintendo DS. They have already been released in Japan, Europe and North America, with an Australian release to follow very soon. These games mark the start of the fifth generation of the Pokemon series, taking it to new heights.

The games are set in the region of Unova, a land farther away from any of the previous regions visited in the Pokemon series (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh). As with all Pokemon games, you start out as a fresh new trainer, ready to get their first Pokemon from the local expert, Professor Juniper. Unlike past games, you are not alone in your quest, as you are joined by your two childhood friends: the slightly airheaded, but strong willed Bianca, and the ever knowledgeable Cheren. After your first battle (which results in your room being trashed - no joke ) the three of you will embark on your quest and will meet each other many times down the road, with both of them serving as rivals (double the rivals, double the fun).

Along the way, you will also encounter the nefarious Team Plasma, who seek to liberate Pokemon - whom they see as oppressed by people - to make the world better. However, they aren't as kind-willed as they seem. They are willing to take any measures necessary to achieve their goal, including stealing and attacking others to 'liberate' their Pokemon.

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So, that's the little introductory spiel, so now let's get to the real interesting stuff. What does this new game to offer? Well, it turns out there's quite a bit in here that will entertain not only long-time fans, but also new fans as well:

- New Pokemon: This generation adds 156 new Pokemon - the most out of any single generation yet - which brings the grand total to 649. However, Pokemon from previous generations will only become available once you have defeated the Pokemon League. You will have to rely solely on the new Pokemon for the main quest, which means old-time fans will have to rethink some of their strategies.
Even with that, not all of the older Pokemon are in the games. In order to complete your Pokedex, you'll have to transfer them from any of the fourth generation DS games through the Poke Transfer. With that in mind, you'd better start now if you want to catch 'em all.

- New visual aspects: The games use a higher level of 3D rendering than the previous generation, which leads to some very impressive landscapes. Overall, the cities and routes have more visual flair to them, and there are some areas where the visual glory is breathtaking. The best example is when you walk across Skyarrow Bridge, and the camera zooms out to give you a birds-eye view of the entire crossing. Castelia City is also a delight, as it actually looks like a real city, and not just some collection of about half a dozen buildings.
There's a new visual style present in the battle scenes as well. Now the pokemon are fully animated and move around during the battle, instead of just being static sprites on a screen. The camera also zooms in and out during attacks, making the turn progression seem a little more dynamic. The battle animations also seem swifter, making battling in general go much quicker.

- Seasons: Seasons will pass in the land of Unova, and each route will appear different depending on the season. Each season lasts only one month of real time, meaning the cycle of four only takes four months to get through. This is handy because in different seasons, some routes have different pokemon, or have different areas with item opened up.

- Triple/Rotation Battles: Much like how the third generation added double battles, this generation adds a new mode where you can send three pokemon out at once. However, it's not as simple as it seems. During a triple battle, the positioning of your pokemon is key to who can attack what opponent. With a rotation battle, only the Pokemon up front can attack, but you can change the ordering if needed. Your opponent can do the same, which means a rotation battle involves a lot of bluffing and trying to anticipate your opponent's moves.

- Connectivity Enhancements: One of the biggest enhancements to multiplayer play comes in the form of the Entralink. This allows you to connect to another player's game of Black or White and enter their own game world. You can meet with them wherever they are to battle, trade or even go on special missions for rare items. This trumps the old method of having to go to a Pokemon Center to trade or battle others.
There's another new feature that extends the game beyond the game cartridge itself. It is called the Pokemon Dream World, and it is an online service that you can operate through your web browser on your desktop computer. How is works is that you send a Pokemon from your game to the dream world (via a Wi-fi router) and when you log in to your account, you will be able to use your Pokemon to find rare items, and other Pokemon that cannot be found in the games. When you are finished, you send your Pokemon and anything you find back to your game for you to enjoy. (Note: The Dream World service is being delayed while Nintendo increases it's resources for it. It was overwhelmed when it first opened in Japan, and they don't want to repeat that for the worldwide release. At this time, they're saying it will become available on March 30th, so it isn't long now.)

- Pokemon Musical: A sidequest that is analogous to the Contests of earlier games.

- Battle Subway: Also analogous to the Battle Tower of previous games.

In addition to the new features, the story itself has been bumped up. There is more emphasis on the characters themselves, especially with the Team Plasma quest. Along the way, you'll meet the enigmatic trainer known only as N, and Team Plasma's leader, the excessively-dressed Ghetsis (look him up and you'll see what I mean). Also, they've made the finale to the main quest an actual grand finale, with the plot taking a few twists and turns on the way. This should please those who think that previous pokemon games have usually had a thin storyline.

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Now, that's all nice on paper, but what about the most important part: the impression it will leave on the player? Well, I was able to get Pokemon White the day it came out in North America, and I can say that it fulfills all the promises made. The new enhancements make the game feel fresh, yet familiar at the same time. The storyline has definitely been improved, and I'm glad to see that we get to know not only a few key characters, but also the different rivals, and even the gym leaders get more screen time over the course of the story.

While I'm only part-way through the main quest (I have the first three badges at this time) what has happened so far has me eagerly waiting for what's next. It's not just gyms anymore, but Team Plasma or N could be right around the corner, waiting to strike again as they have so many times already.

Visually, the game is breathtaking, and while I haven't played with the new connectivity features yet, they seem interesting enough to have me looking forward to using them. Also, the difficulty seems set at the perfect level, with it not being too hard, but still having points where I have to be careful or risk losing (Word of advice: watch out during the second gym. It's harder than it seems).

In closing, whether you're young or old, a diehard fan, a newbie, or someone who hasn't played Pokemon in a while, I'd strongly suggest you give these games a try. I'm already loving them, and I was actually skeptical about them when they were first announced last year.

Wow, these games certainly sound interesting. I've been a pokemon fan since I was little, and when these games (Pokemon Black and White) were released in Australia I immediately asked dad to search Ebay so that we could buy one for a cheaper price than they are in-store. I plan to get Pokemon Black, since the Reshiram looks totally epic. Now that I have read all this I feel all the more eager to play Pokemon Black. If what you say is all true then I believe it will maybe be my favourite Pokemon game yet (though I doubt any Pokemon game could beat FireRed as my favourite...I just like the older ones for some reason y'know? The ones that helped start it all and make it popular for gamers aged 6 to ...Well, I don't know what to say since you can never be too old for Pokemon games :] ). I'm not too sure I like the designs and names for the new Pokemon, they seem...I don't know the word for it. Where the designs of the previous starters looked really cool, these new ones look kind of pathetic. But I could be proved wrong, I could grow to like them and they may battle better than they look.

I was originally gonna get this, but when I looked at the new pokemon I was like... o_o Ever since Diamond/Pearl, they've been running out of ideas for new pokemon. Therefore, I like to stick to the old ones. I wish Black & White had the old ones instead of new, because the graphics for the game seem REALLY amazing and advanced, but the point of the game is the pokemon, and since I dont like the pokemon, there's no point in me buying the game X3

I really want to experience this Pokemon game. I am an avid fan of Pokemon shows. But currently, I don't have enough cash to purchase the said game.

I hear what you're saying - most of the newer pokemon don't really interest me much either. There are still a few I enjoy, like Zebstrika (the electric zebra), Samurott (the final evolved form of the water starter) or Zekrom (probably one of the most epic version mascots out there). Zoroark looks like it has a lot of potential in competitive battling too, mostly because of its Illusion ability, making it a good pokemon for bluffing your opponent.

Your point about the wide age-range of the fanbase is also very true. Even at school I still hear people who love the original 151 because that's where they got their start. I even have a friend who refuses to acknowledge the existence of the newer pokemon. Even if we get to a total of 1500 pokemon, those original 151 will always have a special place in our hearts.

Well, after you beat the Elite Four for the first time, a bunch of new areas open up where many of the older pokemon are available to catch in the wild (especially in White version with White Forest). That, and if you have a generation 4 game, you can transfer all the older pokemon you own up to Black/White via the Poke Transfer. Would you enjoy that, or would using the new pokemon during the main quest still ruin it for you?

While playing through the game a little more, I've noticed a bunch of smaller things that when put together, make the gameplay a little smoother. It's things like putting the Pokemon Center and the Poke Mart in the same building, saving a trip for stocking up, or allowing TM's to be used over again that just remove some of the smaller hassles previous games have had.

I have it, its a fun game, though I'm mad that my Action Replay won't work on it, or that I can't trade pokemon from my soulsilver to it.

I'm definately going to get this game, even though I don't really like some of the new pokemon I would like to see a pokemon game with well-improved gameplay and new features. Plus, once I beat the elite four I can unlock areas that allow me to catch some of the older pokemon AND I can transfer some of my older pokemon from my generation four games. I have a friend who uses AR to enter cheat codes and get most of the starters, legendaries and rare/hard-to-find pokemon plus a few shinies and a few level 100s (but where's the fun in obtaining a level 100 instantly? The fun is all in the training and hard work you put in to get your pokemon to higher levels). He trades to me whenever I ask him, and I can just make a request like...Say, a Treecko? And he'll trade me a Treecko. Though I always request a lower level one, for I stand by what I said before: The fun is all in the training and hard work you put in to raise your pokemon.

I'm glad I'll be able to transfer a lot of the pokemon I like to the new game once I beat the elite four.

One other question though...Is the Elite Four going to be more difficult to defeat in this game? I find that all the previous Elite Four in the previous games were all rather easy to beat.

Na, just train your pokemon to level 50 and you can beat 'em.

Although, when you do get to the Elite Four, be prepared for a big surprise. I won't say anything more to prevent giving away spoilers, but I'm still giving you a heads up.