In the run up to their launch this autumn, Nintendo have decided to continue their drip-feed of information, by releasing yet more details about Pokemon Black & White Version 2 (to get up to speed with what the Pokemon games are all about, check out our full Pokemon Black and White review). Set several years after the original Black & White games, Version 2 takes you on a critter-catching tour of the Unova region - but it seems things move quickly over there, as many of the towns and cities have undergone large changes - and not just because half of the region's been encased in ice while you've been gone. To make matters worse, the nefarious Team Plasma are back, and are every bit as determined to forcibly release people's Pokemon, thereby relieving your Pokemon from "suffering" you've imposed upon them by capturing them.
We suppose that's what you get for chuffing off a mega powerful ice dragon...
Today, Nintendo have released some details about two of the features in the game designed to appeal to those who've played through the original Black and White games. First, comes the 'Memory Link', letting you connect up your Version 2 game to a previously played Black/White original game, which, once activated, makes a number of changes to your game. People you speak to will talk proudly about you having previously defeated Team Plasma, and there'll be numerous other changes, snippets, and segments, too, including several which fill in the gap between Black and White, and Version 2. Of course, the amount of changes your game will see depends on how far you've got through the original games - people won't talk about you defeating Team Plasma if you haven't yet done it - so it may be worth playing catch up a bit in the months leading up to the launch of the Version 2s. The Memory Link can be activated by either using local wireless between two DS/3DSs (one running the original game, one with the sequel), or a single DS/3DS, if you've synched your original Black/White game with the Pokemon Global Link website.
Another new feature is a chain of shops known as the 'Join Avenue', which will become populated by any friends you've battled and traded with, as well as anyone you've picked up through the game's wireless tag mode (kind of like the 3DS' StreetPass feature, in that leaving your DS closed with this enabled will wirelessly exchange data with people you walk past). The shops will sell rare items you can't find anywhere else in the game, whether they're supplies or items which power-up your Pokemon's abilities - including a special diner where some of the dishes can make your creatures gain eight whole levels. The more people who populate your avenue, the rarer the items you'll be able to purchase.
Another new feature is the ability to make films starring you and your Pokemon.
Pokemon Black and White Version 2 should be hitting DS' in Europe on the 12th October - and 3DS owners will also be able to purchase the eShop Pokemon Dream Radar application on the same day, ready to nab some rare 'mons for their games. But that's not all that's on offer for owners of Nintendo's latest handheld device, as they'll also be able to buy Pokedex 3D Pro, an application with data on all 640+ Pokemon, as well as funky quizzes to complete - although there's no concrete release date for it yet, and if they don't have a way to use it at the same time as the DS game, it may prove a bit of a worthless investment. October may seem like a long way away, but we do have a brand-spanking new trailer for the Version 2 games to tide us over, showcasing the new 'Join Avenue' feature:
