Pokémon Black 2 journal - entry four

I’ve arrived at Victory Road, and it is the last thing that stands between me and the conclusion of the main game. It’s been a long road from the brief tutorials and first gym battle in Aspertia City, but it’s certainly been worth it. I was worried that Black 2 would be easier than White version, but the gym battles proved more balanced as a whole – due in part, I think, to the inclusion of Pokémon from past generations. The layout of each gym was cool and - between those and the cutscenes - showed just how much the DS cartridges can handle nearly eight years after the system’s initial release.

Choosing Serperior as my starter paid off in the end, with the water and ground-type gyms being significantly easier than in either White version or Soul Silver version. In fact, my whole team is a large break away from what I am used to – bug, steel, grass, and fighting are types that I previously only fought against, and the only dark type I ever got much use out of was my Umbreon in Soul Silver. But knowing what the Elite Four has in store for me, I can say that I feel much better prepared this time around than I did while playing White version. I have caught all three of the legendary horse Pokémon, though it was more because the story directed me toward catching them and less because I have any actual intention of using them for this first Elite Four encounter.

The story played out very well, and the final few hours fighting Team Plasma were challenging and intense, even with all the healing items on hand. I appreciated the fact that there was honestly no real need to grind throughout the entire game, though I did set aside a couple of hours to boost my Eevee’s happiness and evolve into an Espeon. While Black 2 has not been a wild departure from what I experienced in White version, the few tweaks that have been made here and there are welcome and benefit the game in small ways. Nintendo has adhered to the simple principle of not trying to fix what isn’t broken, though the new and expanded areas feel just as much a part of the Unova region as everything retained from the first two games.

I don’t expect my review to be up before the end of the month, but it should be posted sometime in early November. There’s a lot left to explore in the post-game, and I want to take the time to thoroughly experience that. Also, I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t interested in tracking down some of the legendary Pokémon carried over from previous generations (as well as a certain Shiny Haxorus).