## 2025-11-23 Replaying this so I can play **Black & White 2** since I never did and I’ve heard it has the best content in any Pokemon game. Gen V has always been my favorite non-nostalgic pick[^1], and replaying it 15 years later I still think that feeling is founded. It has the cleanest aesthetic of all the handheld games, existing as a culmination of everything GameFreak had learned to build on the little consoles up to that point. It’s a perfect blend of 3D and 2D as far as the overworld goes, and I *really* love the battle scenes in this game. The animated sprites are gorgeous and battles somehow feel dynamic despite being two pngs hitting each other from across the field. The story is as interesting as I think a **Pokemon** game can get. It’s nothing painfully complex, but “hey, isn’t it kind of weird we ask Pokemon to do our bidding?” is the most complex mainline Pokemon has ever gotten, at least up to that point. N remains as compelling of a character as ever, and the music is on point too. I’m trying to go with a different party comp this time, starting with Oshawott instead of going for my usual grass-type pick. That also leaves me room for Leafeon, the greatest pokemon ever created, of course. ## Posts [[Pokemon Black and Finding Yourself]] [^1]: That honor will forever go to **Heart Gold & Soul Silver**