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| Zachary Pintchik |
Did someone say video chat?
07.13.10 - 12:36 AM
The latest scans from CoroCoro magazine have revealed new information on the creatures, characters, and gameplay mechanics of the next entry in the popular Pokémon franchise. 3-on-3 battles are one of the big new additions to the series. Players will have to carefully consider where they place their Pokémon, as battle formations will have a hand in determining damage given and received.
Pokémon Black & White will also add new ways for players to connect to each other. Similar to the "Canvassing" mode in the recently released Dragon Quest IX, "Passing By" mode will allow DS consoles to automatically communicate with each other while closed, sharing items, experience, and other information. "High Link" mode, accessible from the middle of the Isshu region, allows you to take on missions in order to help players who are in trouble.
One of the new Pokémon, Musharna, has an ability called Dream Smoke. While the details on this ability are still sparse, it seems that players will be able to use Dream Smoke to access a feature called "Game Sync," which will in turn allow players to upload their save file to the Pokémon Global Link. The result of uploading a save is still unknown, but more details are sure to be revealed in the coming months.
The final mode of connection, "TV Transceiver," is exclusive to the DSi and 3DS due to its use of the consoles' cameras. Once players receive an item in the game, they will be able to communicate via video chat. 4 players can chat locally, while only 2 can chat over a Wi-Fi connection.
In addition to gameplay features, these scans revealed a host of new characters. The woman in the lab coat, Makomo, is a friend of the new Professor Aragi. The boy with short hair, Cheren, and the girl with the blonde hair, Beru, are two childhood friends of the main character. Finally, there is the mysterious man with long blond hair, N, who plays an as-of-yet-undisclosed role in the story.
The scans also confirmed two version-specific areas, the Black City and the White Forest, that were leaked earlier in the week.
Last, but certainly not least, here are the Pokémon shown in the scans:
- Wargle, the Valor Pokémon. (Normal/Flying) Height: 1.5m, Weight: 41kg. It's name is a combination of "war" and "eagle." It has the Keen Eye ability and showcases a new attack called Free Fall in which it lifts the enemy pokémon into the sky and drops it on the ground.
- Rankurusu. (Psychic) Height: 1.6m, Weight: ??. It appears to be a small, green pokémon floating in a transparent green body.
- Gochiruzeru. (Psychic) Height: ??, Weight: ??. It is a humanoid pokémon clad in black and purple, playing off the gothic-lolita fashion from which it derives its name (Gochikku translates to Gothic). It has a new attack called Magic Room which nullifies the effects of the items held by both pokémon on the field.
- Musharna. (Psychic) Height: ??, Weight: ??. Musharna is the evolution form of the previously announced Dream Eater Pokémon, Munna, and has the aforementioned Dream Smoke ability.
- Koromori. (Psychic/Flying) A pokémon that looks like a bat.
- Kibago. A small green pokémon with large fangs ("kiba").
- Minezumi. A pokémon that looks like a chipmunk, and has wild eyes.
