Since its creation in 1996, the Pokémon series has differentiated new entries by assigning them colors. Pokémon Red begat Pokémon Yellow begat Pokémon Gold and so on. With the upcoming launch of Pokémon Black & White 2 however, that’s all about to change. From the moment the Pokéduo were announced fans have been fretting that they might be a simple continuation of the story seen in 2011’s Pokémon Black & White, but according to a new report in Japan’s Coro Coro Comics magazine (helpfully translated by the Japanese gaming experts at Andriasang) the next entries in the Pokémon line will be almost entirely separate entities.
Like the original Black & White, the semi-sequels will allow players to choose whether to play as a boy or a girl, though their in-game avatars are totally new to the series. Likewise, the cast of characters you’ll meet in your quest to catch ’em all are largely created specifically for Black & White 2. Additionally, though the games are set in the same region as their predecessors, you’ll start your adventure in a previously unseen town and many of the locations you’ll visit will be new to the series.
Though it should go without saying, the most crucial part of any Pokémon title is the Pokémon themselves and while solid numbers are not yet available, Black & White 2 will feature many new, adorably dangerous ‘mon for fans to capture, stuff into tiny balls and exploit until they inevitably faint from exhaustion and horrific wounds.
Nintendo has yet to offer a solid confirmation that Pokémon Black & White 2 will see an American release, but c’mon. It’s inevitable. If not for tradition’s sake, then because Nintendo is run by people smart enough to realize the comically huge bags of cash the games would generate on store shelves here in the US. Coro Coro confirms the Nintendo DS titles’ previously announced June 23 Japanese release date, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see a localized version hit The States just in time for the 2012 holiday season.
