Pokémon White journal - entry two

Volt Switch is really freaking annoying move, especially when Pokémon spam it. I was really looking forward to my gym battle with Elesa, but it turned out to be incredibly obnoxious. Despite the fact that her Emolgas and Zebstrika know four moves each, they only seem capable of using that single one.

I'm getting a little bit tired of Cheren. It's great that the game presents two rivals, both of whom are your childhood friends and have their own narratives. But I really don't feel the need to face him after every gym battle - he never puts up much of a fight anyways, despite his goal to be the champion of the Unova league. Bianca, on the other hand, shows up to battle less frequently, but has a more interesting story. A scenario where a parent was concerned about their child's safety in the wide open world filled with Pokémon is something fresh. It actually gives me a reason to empathize with her.

I do appreciate the fact that the game presents a lot to do, even early on. Also, instead of gradually easing your way into things, the game mixes up trainer battles, gym battles, Team Plasma battles, and sidequests. All of this is tackled in a way that I feel would not be overwhelming to any newcomers to the Pokémon series, but for someone who has blazed similar trails in the past, it's nice to have that element of variety.

Speaking of Team Plasma, I'm really curious to see where N's story will lead. Despite the grunts being pushovers that spout off cheesy dialogue, Team Plasma is perhaps the most complex of any of the villainous organizations in the series. That is due in no small part to the fact that what they are fighting for isn't exactly a bad thing. Rather, it's their tactics that make them bad guys.

I am looking forward to trying out the new triple battles and rotation battles. I've had my fair share of double battles thus far, and I've found them more enjoyable than the few I engaged in throughout Soul Silver, most likely due to the fact that my current team in White Version is much better suited to a team effort.