Pokemon Black Version

 DS
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 873 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 624 out of 873
  2. Mixed: 146 out of 873
  3. Negative: 103 out of 873
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  1. Focaccia
    Apr 28, 2017
    6
    In my opinion, the 5th gen is the worst pokemon gen, simply because the game isn't as fun as the other games. That does't mean it's a bad game, it's just that this game simply lacks originality, and at the time, pokemon was starting to get repetitive (until the 7th gen).
  2. NocheShade
    Feb 9, 2013
    7
    I don't mind the design here it's just that it gets really boring straight after the elite 4 and the level difference is about 10 and it's boring as heck doing that just to visit 2 more towns.The worst of the Pokemon but still a very good game.Get Black2/White2 though.
  3. POK95
    Mar 22, 2018
    7
    I've been playing those games these days, and i find them really good, story its the second best for me (The best now its Sun and Moon) and routes and great. The bad thing a can found its the designs of the Pokémon, some are really great, but, for example, starters... Just bad. The region is one of the most lineal, but it has interesting places. Difficulty doesn't exists here at least inI've been playing those games these days, and i find them really good, story its the second best for me (The best now its Sun and Moon) and routes and great. The bad thing a can found its the designs of the Pokémon, some are really great, but, for example, starters... Just bad. The region is one of the most lineal, but it has interesting places. Difficulty doesn't exists here at least in the main story, a bit at postgame, which is great.

    I really love the soundtrack and Ghechis is a great villain. Games are good, if you want a great pixel Pokémon game, this is a good one.    … Expand
  4. guitarguy001
    Jan 8, 2014
    7
    A great RPG for the DS, though not as good as it's previous installments. While the gameplay is incredibly familiar and addicting and it has great visuals for the DS, the story itself is meh, especially towards the ending. The music, while good, is pretty forgettable and for a Pokemon game, that's a negative. However, the game itself is very fun and addicting especially with friends, butA great RPG for the DS, though not as good as it's previous installments. While the gameplay is incredibly familiar and addicting and it has great visuals for the DS, the story itself is meh, especially towards the ending. The music, while good, is pretty forgettable and for a Pokemon game, that's a negative. However, the game itself is very fun and addicting especially with friends, but it is not the best Pokemon installment.… Expand
  5. dislexicpotato
    Nov 2, 2018
    7
    With many new ideas Pokemon Black is definitely a good game however many of its new Pokemon are quite forgettable and the experience overall just isn't as memorable as its predecessors
  6. Glitter
    Aug 30, 2013
    7
    An essential reboot of the Pokémon handheld titles, Pokémon Black and Pokémon White are not so innovative as they might aspire to be. The same mechanics are utilized, and little to nothing new is brought to the table. Attempting to attract attention of leading the edge in modernization, by adding over a 150 new species to the Pokémon roster, it fails by doing little more than this. TripleAn essential reboot of the Pokémon handheld titles, Pokémon Black and Pokémon White are not so innovative as they might aspire to be. The same mechanics are utilized, and little to nothing new is brought to the table. Attempting to attract attention of leading the edge in modernization, by adding over a 150 new species to the Pokémon roster, it fails by doing little more than this. Triple battles and rotation battles, while a nice addition, are barely featured and almost a backdoor surprise feature that you don't unearth unless you go looking for them. The Unova region is heavily grotesque in that it fails in its forced marriage of nature and urbanization. Within 30 seconds you are able to travel from a forest, to a bridge, to a metropolis, to a desert. The inspiration of New York City bares little resemblance outside of the trivial skyscrapers and harbors in Castelia City. Perhaps the only redeeming and general progression in the Pokémon series is the beautifully crafted soundtrack. However, outside of this there is little if anything new to the series.… Expand
  7. sebastianali
    Jul 17, 2021
    5
    Great graphics, one of the best plot of the franchise, amazing soundtrack and a great amount of replay value, whats wrong then?
    Im not a big fan of the new exp system, the grinding is excessive, lack of innovation, some of the Pokemon designs are horrible, the level curve of battles are a bit excessive sometimes and the pacing is still very slow, so it gets boring.
  8. Nikitosss95
    Feb 13, 2021
    6
    This is the last Pokemon game that I played so far. I didn’t go beyond generation V and I have stopped right there. This game is still solid, however I found those new Pokémons a bit distasteful and weird (as if someone was running out of ideas). I am a Pokémon fan of the first four generations; maybe I grew up from Pokémon, but Pokémon Black didn’t impress me that much, although theThis is the last Pokemon game that I played so far. I didn’t go beyond generation V and I have stopped right there. This game is still solid, however I found those new Pokémons a bit distasteful and weird (as if someone was running out of ideas). I am a Pokémon fan of the first four generations; maybe I grew up from Pokémon, but Pokémon Black didn’t impress me that much, although the region was fun to explore... when I heard that the following games would contain Megaevolutions, that ruined Pokémon world for me forever, unfortunately… Expand
  9. LordJazbin
    Apr 19, 2021
    6
    Story is bad, but not as bad as before, Pokémon designs are horrible, more inspired by Kanto than ever and most of them evolve at high levels so you won't be able to see their final form in the maingame this time around, maingame is short and difficulty is a joke... But... The game is pretty fun to play and it improved a lot all of the flaws Diamond and Pearl or Platinum had. It reallyStory is bad, but not as bad as before, Pokémon designs are horrible, more inspired by Kanto than ever and most of them evolve at high levels so you won't be able to see their final form in the maingame this time around, maingame is short and difficulty is a joke... But... The game is pretty fun to play and it improved a lot all of the flaws Diamond and Pearl or Platinum had. It really feels like a DS game, not like those. Also the music is as always very good.… Expand
  10. Sfrio
    Jan 13, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pokemon black&White é um excelente jogo em história , tem uma equipe vilã é um vilão bom, e também tem um envolvimento melhor dos lideres de ginasio na história, podia ter mais conteudo em gameplay, mais ele é excelente em exploração , o que me encomonda muito é que as batalhas são fáceis demais, mais trás sistemas novos como de estações do ano, e de batalha tripla é batalha rotatória.… Expand
  11. KramR
    Mar 23, 2018
    5
    La generación que volvió la saga repetitiva y se vendió como "innovadora". Para mi, lo único bueno que saqué de esta generación fue la historia, que se transformó en mi favorita, pero ahora ha llegado "Sol y Luna" eclipsándola por completo. Creo que "Blanco y Negro" necesitan un buen remake que dé vida a posiblemente la región más sosa de la saga junto a Kanto.

    No fue un mal juego, pero    La generación que volvió la saga repetitiva y se vendió como "innovadora". Para mi, lo único bueno que saqué de esta generación fue la historia, que se transformó en mi favorita, pero ahora ha llegado "Sol y Luna" eclipsándola por completo. Creo que "Blanco y Negro" necesitan un buen remake que dé vida a posiblemente la región más sosa de la saga junto a Kanto.

    No fue un mal juego, pero fue más de lo mismo. Poca innovación, poco arriesgar, poco más que la primera historia memorable de la franquicia.

    Los diseños la transforman en la generación que más añadió, pero que menos funciona. Los Pokémon iniciales son seguramente los menos "bonitos" de la saga. Aún así, creo que ciertos Pokémon cuentan con un diseño arriesgado pero acertado, el problema principal de los diseños es que el 80% intentan copiar los diseños de la primera generación.

    De hecho, estos son los juegos que más se basan sin duda en "Rojo y Azul" fue un intento fallido de "Reboot" para la saga.

    La dificultad es nula, sin llegar al extremo de facilidad que tocaron "X e Y", pero convirtiéndose en uno de los juegos más fáciles de toda la saga.

    No es el peor juego de la saga, pero seguramente, de los menos interesantes. Si lo juegas, que sea para enterarte de la historia.    … Expand
  12. Steeldude
    Oct 13, 2014
    6
    Pokémon that look really ugly, lack of Pokémon from other generations making your team very limited, the worst region which is completely linear and is basically a single line and a very boring post-game. Easily the worst Pokémon game I've ever played and even the better story than usual cannot outweigh the flaws in this one.
  13. WhiteTalpa
    Jan 19, 2013
    7
    I was a little let down with this game. After the amazing soulsliver i expected this to be just as good or even better however that was not the case sadly.
  14. brendo214
    May 21, 2019
    6
    I always never liked that the Pokemon from previous generations weren't in this game.
  15. loungegecko
    Mar 10, 2012
    5
    I will say right off the bat that I'm not giving this a 5 because of the new pokemon. I actually think they're very well designed, and a lot of them are super cool. Here's my thing with Pokemon: I like the play style every time. They take the same ol classic Pokemon gameplay and update it with some good changes to make it feel new. I think this time they might have gone a bit overboard,I will say right off the bat that I'm not giving this a 5 because of the new pokemon. I actually think they're very well designed, and a lot of them are super cool. Here's my thing with Pokemon: I like the play style every time. They take the same ol classic Pokemon gameplay and update it with some good changes to make it feel new. I think this time they might have gone a bit overboard, though. It doesn't play like the Pokemon we know and love. Now the number one most important thing to me with Pokemon games: the post-game. I really liked the second and fourth gens (and Emerald in the third gen) because there was so much to do after you beat the Elite Four, and I never actually found myself deleting my save. In Black and White... there's almost nothing. You can go catch a few legendaries. That's it. There's no captivating Battle Tower like thing (there's something similar, but it's not quite as fun, and it can be done throughout the game), there's no captivating new area (once again, there is a new area, but it can be torn through rather quickly without much to do in it), and there aren't many people you can rebattle. I guess with this generation of Pokemon game I'm not mad, just disappointed.… Expand
  16. krabboss
    Mar 7, 2011
    7
    Unfortunately, it seems Game Freak still hasn't worked out a few kinks in the Pokemon design. Like the previous generation, Pokemon Black and White play at a snail pace. Your walking speed is atrocious and you're stuck with it until you're given the running shoes. I don't understand this design choice at all. Why disallow us from running in the first place? I've always found this to be aUnfortunately, it seems Game Freak still hasn't worked out a few kinks in the Pokemon design. Like the previous generation, Pokemon Black and White play at a snail pace. Your walking speed is atrocious and you're stuck with it until you're given the running shoes. I don't understand this design choice at all. Why disallow us from running in the first place? I've always found this to be a nonsensical milestone to meet in the games.

    Most actions and events are unnecessarily slow too. Transitioning from one scene to another (such as entering/exiting a building or a battle) still takes too long. Battle phases are still too drawn out as well. It should not take so long to show the attack you've used, the damage it has done and any multipliers or effects applied to it. This could all be remedied by simply showing all relevant information above the rival Pokemon (a la most RPGs), rather than the usual text boxes at the bottom of the screen.

    The new Pokemon are better than I expected, to be fair. I'd seen a lot of the official art of these new Pokemon a while ago and I was not impressed. Fortunately, as sprites, they look a little less hideous. Still, I consider them to be pretty weak compared to earlier generations (I didn't think much of Generation IV's new Pokemon either), but that could be nostalgia clouding my judgement.

    The story in this generation is slightly darker and more complex than the series has ever seen before, which is a nice touch. There are themes in this game I wouldn't have ever expected to see in the series and I'm glad they're there. In terms of story, this generation is far ahead of anything before it. However, don't expect to be enthralled by it - this is still a Pokemon game.

    I was hoping for more change in these games, honestly. I wasn't expecting these changes (I imagine straying from the proven formula too much could prove hazardous), but they would have been nice. That's about all I've got to say, really.    … Expand
  17. Rundas342
    Jan 7, 2012
    5
    I played every pokemon released up to date, and this one is by far the worst i have ever played. Reason why? 1. It is very hard to find TM's and HM's in the game.
    2. There is NO vs seeker or method to fight the trianers you have battle before like previous pokemon game.
    3. Enemy Pokemon are much stronger than yours unless your really take time into the game to EV train them. 4. Once you    I played every pokemon released up to date, and this one is by far the worst i have ever played. Reason why? 1. It is very hard to find TM's and HM's in the game.
    2. There is NO vs seeker or method to fight the trianers you have battle before like previous pokemon game.
    3. Enemy Pokemon are much stronger than yours unless your really take time into the game to EV train them. 4. Once you beat the elite four the first time there is a MAJOR level gap when you beging to travel to the next town. A 20 level difference to be exact, which mean time to grind for 20 levels all your pokemon. (Not fun imo) 5. It seems that the makers of pokemon are running out of ideas in making new pokemon, some that where released just look ridiculous 2 of weirdest i've seen are #568 which is a garbage bag pretty much and #618 which looks like a fish who was run'd over by a truck. Those were my negative thought about the game.
    As for my positive they are as followed,

    1. Great Story line.
    2. The triple battle system.    … Expand
  18. SortOfCritic
    Jan 1, 2018
    6
    Pokemon Black and White offers great music, a strong story, awesome pixel visuals, and the biggest new roster of Pokemon ever seen. However, its crippled by major balancing issues, as multiple challenge spikes will frustrate you to no end. I found myself going at a steady pace, but still getting stuck on every single gym I came across, I really hope I'm not just bad
  19. Rule2006
    Oct 23, 2011
    5
    When I first saw this game I was super excited, but after 2 hours of playing this game I just gave it away to a friend. First off people might think the graphics are great for a Pokemon game, but I didn't think it looked that much different than Diamond, Pearl and Platinum. Everything in this game is in 3D, except for 1 thing, YOU. I just think that Nintendo should take more risks in theseWhen I first saw this game I was super excited, but after 2 hours of playing this game I just gave it away to a friend. First off people might think the graphics are great for a Pokemon game, but I didn't think it looked that much different than Diamond, Pearl and Platinum. Everything in this game is in 3D, except for 1 thing, YOU. I just think that Nintendo should take more risks in these games because in each new installments the only thing I find better is graphics(slightly), maybe combat and te menus. There was only really 1 thing that I liked in this game and that was the unlimited use of TMs which I found quite useful. The one thing that really bothered me was that in the first Pokemon games you only had to collect 150/151 Pokemon to fill the Pokedex which was hard enough as is, but now to fully complete the Pokedex you have to collect over 600. I just think that Pokemon has gone too far with the series. Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Fire Red, Leaf Green, Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald were all great, but after that I found it was the same game with a new coat of paint. The series should soon end.… Expand
  20. CheeZ_Girl
    Feb 27, 2012
    6
    honestly, It's really getting boring. they should try to get better ideas...... I'm just kinda sick of the Pokemon series.... this is nothing compared to the amazing-ness of my favourite; pokemon ruby.
  21. rubin
    Apr 28, 2012
    6
    Why GameFreak, why? Why, after the excellent HG/SS versions, you had to come out with this... thing? The best bet I have is that the team that worked on this abomination is NOT the same that worked on HG and SS. But anyway. The entire franchise got so dumbed down with Black and White it's not even funny. Poison not working outside of battle? Region being linear as crap? Gym leaders onlyWhy GameFreak, why? Why, after the excellent HG/SS versions, you had to come out with this... thing? The best bet I have is that the team that worked on this abomination is NOT the same that worked on HG and SS. But anyway. The entire franchise got so dumbed down with Black and White it's not even funny. Poison not working outside of battle? Region being linear as crap? Gym leaders only ever having 3 Pokemon max? Audinos and Lucky Egg making the game lose ANY traces of challenge it ever had? And that's only scratching the top of a mountain of problems this game has. Truth to be told, the game has some improvements. Mostly minor, and/or completely irrelevant to the franchise as a whole (like a plot) but there are still there. Still, the game left me with a really bad aftertaste (esp. with what they did to the multiplayer...) and that pushed me, a lifelong fan of the franchise, to rate this game with such an avarage score.… Expand
  22. seieko_pherdo
    Jul 13, 2011
    5
    For whatever reason Black and White Version have there own separate pages, and I don't see why since since there basically the same game. Well in truth every Pokemon game is the same game. Ok the story is good and questions where you bring harm to your army of cute fire breathing badge getters, but just who is this game really for? While the rating says everybody is game aimed at the oldFor whatever reason Black and White Version have there own separate pages, and I don't see why since since there basically the same game. Well in truth every Pokemon game is the same game. Ok the story is good and questions where you bring harm to your army of cute fire breathing badge getters, but just who is this game really for? While the rating says everybody is game aimed at the old fans or the young kids who may not be old enough to care and just want to catch strange looking creatures. While I'm 20 and while I liked the plot I though they could have pushed it farther. However my real issues lie within some the other things the game does. The C-Gear is my biggest pet peeve as I missed the useful menu thing Soul Silver had that made use of the bottom screen apposed to some online thing you will rarely use. Well if you have a lot friends who play this then it has some use but once again whose buying this game? I know more people my own age who have this apposed to kids but I have no life. As the for the new Pokemon I don't care for them much with the exception of a grass type. The game seems unbalanced since if you pick the fire pig you can basically pat your self on the back since most of the Pokemon you will encounter will be weak to moves the pig will learn. While I thought it was nice that you can't resort to old favorites till you beat the game once. I liked the fact the levels were higher too so you can't just wipe out your foes with ease though the new music that plays when your health hit the red zone is really annoying. It's also annoying how they took out most of the neat stuff from Soul Silver such a gym leader rematches, the phone system (still in need of work). The world just feels like a closed off island. But they did finally make TM's unlimited so you could use a move more than once. In general I'm not how to look at this game, personally I think there should be a game that reaches out to the older players instead of trying to jumble the old and the young players. Until then I think for people like me Pokemon will stay as a kitchen sink game, the kind you play to waste time till class starts.… Expand
  23. RuneScapian
    Jan 27, 2012
    6
    Honestly, Pokemon games are starting to get worse and worse. Nintendo seems to be running out of ideas for new Pokemon (a sarcophagus, seriously). Generation IV of Pokemon pretty much ruined it all. It's more fun to actually go to another person's house and play the older Pokemon games in person.
  24. alex2542
    Jun 17, 2011
    5
    How dare you make such an awesome game, with such an awesome story and then have such weird looking pokemon. Honestly they look awful. Especially the legendaries. I was iffy about the pokemon in Pearl and Diamond,, but I eventually warmed up to them. In the same time, that hasn't happened with these. I like about 10 of them total.
  25. Speedie
    May 22, 2019
    7
    Story is a main focus for this game. Pokemon had been adding more and more story to their games up to the release of Pokemon Black Version and this game delivered one of the best stories yet. It challenges many things that you think about the Pokemon world and treats you more like a true hero than a kid playing a video game. Almost all of the new content to this game is memorable andStory is a main focus for this game. Pokemon had been adding more and more story to their games up to the release of Pokemon Black Version and this game delivered one of the best stories yet. It challenges many things that you think about the Pokemon world and treats you more like a true hero than a kid playing a video game. Almost all of the new content to this game is memorable and fantastic, especially the season changing feature, where the seasons in game will change every few weeks. Pokemon Black Version also had the cleanest graphics and art out of all of the 2D Pokemon games to compliment its variety of music, moods, and events.

    The reason this game falls a bit short is mostly its ambitiousness not quite paying off. The quick connection feature is something you rarely use, that Game Freak seems to have put a lot of time into. It seems like they wanted to expand into an online oriented game before moving the series to 3DS, when they should have waited for their next main series game instead. The "triple battles" was something I was so excited for when the game first came out, but I'm not sure I ever even used it.

    Most of what Game Freak did for this game, was a massive leap for the series, but they tried to do too much, too fast. The game is definitely an exciting and engaging one, but too many features were a let down.    … Expand
  26. sathvik_
    Aug 1, 2023
    6
    Good but im not too fond of the "only gen 4 pokemons in this game" thing, its a bit lack luster
  27. kylesar
    Apr 21, 2013
    5
    The game has a nice storyline, but it all boils down to the Pokemon. I was highly pissed off at the Vanillite and Trubbish families. The Pokemon doesn't meet the awesomeness as it did in generation 4 and 1. Other than those things, the game is pretty nice. Unfortunately, the game revolves completely around the Pokemon you can catch
  28. ZangBang
    Feb 5, 2023
    5
    UPDATE
    Pokémon Black introduces us to the Unova region, a bustling melting pot of diverse cities, settlements, folklore and ideas. That is the stage of the player's adventure as playfully vibrant, resounding musical pieces accentuate the lively nature of the region and permeate the journey with an endearingly exuberant feel. A journey characterized by a surprising amount of interesting    UPDATE
    Pokémon Black introduces us to the Unova region, a bustling melting pot of diverse cities, settlements, folklore and ideas. That is the stage of the player's adventure as playfully vibrant, resounding musical pieces accentuate the lively nature of the region and permeate the journey with an endearingly exuberant feel. A journey characterized by a surprising amount of interesting character arcs, in a much more story-driven experience tackling unusually mature topics for the series like one's purpose in life, the clash of different ideologies, abuse and propaganda. Regrettably, all of this is done in a pretty simplistic way to avoid straying too far from the intended target audience, but it's nonetheless the most engaging plot and cast of characters in the series yet. Gameplay on the other hand doesn't do much to innovate the series' core formula, which can often be quite monotonous and repetitive especially by today's standards, but at least a pleasant level of challenge keeps the player on edge against the strongest adversaries, and the layered level design provides some rich, engaging exploration. Pokémon Contests do not make a return to leave room for Musicals, which are a dramatically worse side-activity with less depth, content and player agency.    … Expand
  29. AlexMakesToast
    Dec 16, 2022
    5
    Black = 5/10
    ...............................................................
  30. Garde_Mystik
    Aug 23, 2023
    6
    I was writing a review but got hit with a 403 forbidden and my review got removed. I'm just gonna leave it at this. tl;dr - Pokemon Black and White, as GAMES, are kinda mid. the climax was epic. the story was flawed and really boring much of the way through. the gameplay is super dull and barren for a pokemon game, almost as much so as the gen 1 games. this was disappointing for a game 5I was writing a review but got hit with a 403 forbidden and my review got removed. I'm just gonna leave it at this. tl;dr - Pokemon Black and White, as GAMES, are kinda mid. the climax was epic. the story was flawed and really boring much of the way through. the gameplay is super dull and barren for a pokemon game, almost as much so as the gen 1 games. this was disappointing for a game 5 generations in. Even games like XY people find are barebones have so much more to them in the gameplay aspect than Black and White. BW added detrimental features like the critical health theme, holding hostage the quality of each fight, the postgame was overrated, as it was simply 3 cities you explored with little incentive and not much reward. The Battle Subway is heavily lackluster in comparison to gens 3-4 battle facilities and gens 6-7 battle facilities, despite being the only battle facility in this game.… Expand
  31. Triblue
    May 21, 2023
    7
    Très sympa. C'est un Pokémon classique mais un Pokémon est toujours sympa et amusant au point que je pourrais presque mettre le même commentaire à tous les Pokémons.

Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best DS Game of 2011
1
#1 Most Discussed DS Game of 2011
2
#2 Most Shared DS Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 63 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 63
  3. Negative: 0 out of 63
  1. Universo Nintendo
    Jun 5, 2011
    92
    Learning from the past without ever taking his eyes off the present, this is the pinnacle of the series to date and proof that sometimes you don't need a revolution to give new life to a franchise.
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  2. GameOver.gr
    Apr 30, 2011
    90
    Game Freak did it again. Pokemon Black Version is a masterpiece, delivering all the superb gameplay elements that fans of the series learned to love over the years. The only drawback is the dated technology it uses, something that will surely be addressed in the future versions for the 3DS.
    Read full review
  3. Level7.nu
    Apr 18, 2011
    90
    Actually a Pokémon game with some news. The online modes have been polished, there's new pokémons, quick, better animated battles and better graphics.
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