On April 9th, 2010 the announcement of two games rocked the gaming community: Pokemon Black and Pokemon White. Scheduled for release in Japan next Saturday, it’s been a long 5 months of rumors, speculation, and slow releases. According to rumors posted on Pokebeach, there are 157 new Pokemon (the most ever to be added with a new generation) in Generation 5, bringing our total to 650 in all. We’ve been shown only 42 of those so far, officially (I discounted the six rumored starter-evolutions, even the ones in the sketches for the anime). While 42 is a big number, it’s not even a third of what’s to come, and generally those released have been first forms or non-evolved Pokemon, which, while cool, are generally unexciting.

Not only have images of new Pokemon surfaced, but we’ve got some information on the changes made to the game play. We were promised that “every aspect will be reborn innovatively” and, as a guy who’s played them all since the release of the first generation games, I am very much impressed by the changes/additions they have made. Most people tend to feel that every Pokemon game is the same thing in every package, but GameFreak has done a ton of work into making this a “whole new game” and I think that the Isshu Region (based off New York) will bring the freshness that was promised to us.

When double battles were first introduced in the 3rd generation, it was a both a game changer and a big risk. Instead of having one target, you had to worry about two, and combinations like Rain Dance and Thunder all happening in the same turn. Now, we’ve got triple battles, rotation battles, moves that are actual combination moves, and the Miracle Shooter (using items in player-versus-player battles). The seasons also change depending on the time of month, and with them the chances to catch certain Pokemon. Another new addition to the game is the Pokemon Musical. Similar to other mini games seen in previous generations like the Pokemon Contest and the Pokeathalon, you dress up your favorite Pokemon and take on new, fun challenges against other Pokemon. There is also the addition of the Pokemon Global Link, where you can battle randomly online, and the Dream World which allows you to catch non-Isshu Pokemon, some with new moves/abilities, and collect rare items on your computer and transfer them to your game. Perhaps the biggest part about Black and White that makes them feel like new games is that you cannot catch any Pokemon that were included in the previous generations until you beat the game, making them feel like it is in fact an entirely new experience. A lot of people think this may be a risk since when you start a Pokemon game, as you generally go for your favorites first, but I feel this bold move is most likely what will make Generation 5 fantastic. Famitsu must agree, as Pokemon Black and White are the only Pokemon games to whom they have given a perfect score, joining a roster of only 14 other games with a similar rating.

Now that I’ve presented what’s new and confirmed, let me get to the juiciest part of any new game: the rumors. As you can guess, since its reveal back in April, the 5th generation has been subject to tons and tons of rumors and tons and tons of fakemon. You get people left and right, claiming to have “insider” information and that they “work for GameFreak”, spreading lies across the web. I’d have to say that among all these rumors, the most controversial are the “confirmed” starter evolutions. On the first of September, Serebii.net, perhaps one of the most trusted Pokemon sites on the web, posted what they claimed to be the real deal. Normally, this would have generally been accepted, but the writer had no evidence; he found them on 2ch and said they were “confirmed by his informant”. Of course, people would not let that rest. In suit, other popular Pokemon sites such as Pokebeach and Pokejungle had said that they too believed these to be the real deal. There has been endless debate all over the web concerning the legitimacy of these evolutions. 4chan’s very own Pokemon board, /vp/, even created a fake Pokemon in similar fashion and submitted it (they classified it now as a rumor) to a Pokemon news site, claiming it to be real, just to prove how easy it was to influence webmasters.

Now, a scan from a book soon to be released in Japan has made things even more hectic. Based on its description, the final evolution of Wotter is either far off, or on the mark. On the point of it being something unpredictable, it is. Something going from bi-pedal to quadrupedal is pretty extreme. The shell pictured on its head sort of looks like a samurai helmet, while the shells on its legs resemble armor. Its whiskers remind of a shogun. But evidence against these evolutions is still staggering. First off, the interview says that the Pokemon uses the shell on its chest as a katana. The evolution revealed doesn’t even have one, and further, in this preview for the anime, Wotter is shown detaching the shell on its chest and using it as a weapon. Sugimoro also stated that the designs of the grass, fire, and water pokemon would be based on the West, China, and Japan, respectively. Smugleaf’s evolution has no hints of Western origins (except for looking cocky) and Pokabu’s evolution hardly looks Chinese-based, save a few little designs on its neck. In fact, this one page has people so reassured that Bulbapedia has called the “revealed” starters as fake and Serebii has gone so far as to editing his original post to “not confirmed at all” and “most likely fake”, which is hilarious considering a member on his forum posted the scan of the interview. As more scans of Pokemon Pia are supposed to hit the net tomorrow, information will be pouring out for the next few days until the official release. Of course, we’ll never know for sure until the game hits stores in Japan.

Pokemon Black and Pokemon White hit stores in Japan next Saturday and come to America next April.