Different Pokemon games have different levels of reputation, and Pokémon Black and White have experienced many ups and downs, from hatred to recognition as classics. This reputation can change over time for any game, but even though Pokémon Black and White (as well as Black 2 and White 2) are now beloved games that are fondly remembered, they were almost universally hated when they were released.
Pokémon Platinum is an example of a Pokemon game that was loved immediately after its release and remains loved to this day, but not all games are so lucky. He was lucky enough to repeat what Pokémon Diamond and Pearl did wrong, increasing the size of the Pokédex, adding additional endgame features and improving the quality of life. Many fans look back fondly at Pokémon Platinum, as well as other games such as Heartgold and Soulsilver, and at the same time find them attractive after release.
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And although Black and White are now remembered with love, they had to earn this reputation the hard way. Elements of games that are now loved, used to be despised. Game Freak took a risk with Pokémon Black and White, and the initial community reaction to these risks was less than enthusiastic.
Pokémon Black & White Had Risks that Changed the Situation
The first thing that initially caused the discontent of many Pokémon Black and White fans was that a completely new Pokédex of completely new types appeared in the Unowa region. No senior Pokemon could be obtained until the player received the National Pokedex. Fans weren’t happy about not being able to purchase their favorite Pokemon, and instead they were stuck with brand new species that they didn’t have affection or nostalgia for before. Some types of Pokemon, such as Garbodor and Vanilluxe, received a lot of criticism from the community as lazy Pokemon, and Unova Pokédex caused a lot of criticism, despite the fact that it had some of the best designs in the series, such as Hydreigon, Volcarona, Zorua/Zoroark, Chandelure. and Haxorus. In the case of Black and White, it also didn’t help that they had a third Fire/Fighting type series starter in a row with Emboar.
Black and White also took a risk with the animation inside the fight. Instead of Pokemon with animation at the beginning of the battle, Pokemon sprites are constantly moving, resulting in Pokemon looking a bit choppy and pixelated, and this seems to be a step back in sprite design compared to generation 4. Despite the fact that black and white are loved today, Pokemon sprite design might need to be changed, as it is somewhat bad he got old and became a factor in the initial poor perception of games.
Pokémon Black and White may have been the first time in the history of the Pokémon franchise that Game Freak put a lot of heart and attention into the story. The stories of Pokemon games were often mediocre, but Gen 5 was outstanding in this regard, and this is a huge part of why Black and White are so warmly viewed. Gen 5 was also the last time Pokémon games experienced real difficulty (they even had a difficult mode), and the poor reception of Gen 5 is one of the main reasons why Gen 6 (Pokémon X and Y) was so simple. in the comparison. Despite the fact that Black and White had a terrible reputation at the time of release, fans eventually warmed to them, and they became one of the most beloved games in the Pokémon series.
