Pokemon Black and White US Release Confirmed, Dated

Nintendo confirmed today that the next pair of Pokemon games, Black and White, will be released in the US and Europe.  The games will be released in the west Spring 2011.  For the Japanese (and import fans) the game will become available far sooner, some time this September.

Check here for more info about Pokemon Black and White.

Nintendo Releases Pokemon Black and White Details

Since the announcement of “Pokemon Black and White”, the first pair of games to advance the plot in four years, I’m sure there has been rioting.  I don’t know where this rioting has actually occurred – there haven’t been any news reports – but I am confident that it’s happening.

Well, if it’s time to put down those flaming bags of dog poop and pay attention; Nintendo released some basic information about “Black” and “White” on Friday via the games’ website. (Yes, it is in Japanese)  While “basic info” may not sound all that exited, if you’re a fan this is exactly the kind of info you’ve been waiting for.

First, we have the trainers.  The protagonists in this game seem to be a little bit older than the series norm.  According to 1up, the website describes trainers as “a stylish young man” and “a young girl with a lively style.”

Next comes the game’s setting:  “Black” and “White” will be set in a far-away region called “Iishu.”  Iishu is a “modern megalopolis with nature and man coexisting”.  Looking at the picture, that can be translated to “giant city with wild Pokemon running around for some reason.”  There may also be an emphasis on water travel…  Though they didn’t mention anything about that.  Nintendo says the region is “far, far away”, so don’t expect any cross-over from previous games.

Saving the best for last, these are the all-new starter Pokemon – the three that players will choose between at the start of the game.  “Mijumaru” is a blue sea-otter with a seashell on its stomach.  “Tsutarja” looks like a lizard with poison ivy on its tail.   Lastly, the pig is called “Pokabu”.

All of this new information has a common theme – Nintendo is distancing itself from previous entries in the series, while maintaining the overall feel that has made Pokemon such a phenomenon.  To date, Nintendo has made no mention of an American release for “Black” and “White.”  Then again, the Japanese release date hasn’t been set either, so there’s still a lot in the air right now.

Pokemon Black and White Screens

Well, technically they’re scans, not screenshots.  Media outlets were hesitant at first to refer to these images from Japanese gaming mag CoroCoro as the very first screens from “Pokemon Black and White.”  Nintendo just announced “Black” and “White” last week, which may be why there were so many skeptics.  Though the gameplay seems to be similar to be classic Pokemon, the new game(s) feature a visual overhaul – Black and White are dropping the classic overhead perspective, in favor of a dose of 3D.

Nintendo Announces New Pokemon Games in Japan

Nintendo Announced the next pair of Pokemon games on Wednesday.  Pokemon “Black” and “White” will be released in Japan some time this fall.  According to Nintendo, the new games will be the first true sequels in the series since “Diamond” and “Pearl” in 2006.  At the announcement, Nintendo dropped the names of the first two new Pokemon, “Jiroa” and “Jiroaaku”.(Japanese Names)

As of now, there is no official plan to release “Black” and “White” stateside, but we’ll keep you posted.