Pokemon B&W V2 Has Some Really Neat New Features & Companion Apps

Nintendo have showered us with nuggets of information regarding the upcoming Pokemon Black & White Version 2 games, as well as their companion application available exclusively on the Nintendo eShop, the Pokédex 3D Pro.

the ‘Dex 3D Pro is described as the “perfect companion application for all pokemon fans” and, as you can imagine,  is an encyclopedic resource for all things Pokemon:

Players can learn all about their favourite Pokémon, as this enhanced and upgraded version includes detailed information about more than 640 Pokémon featured in the history of the Pokémon video game series. With the new Pokémon Challenge, players can test their Pokémon knowledge in a variety of quizzes. To ensure that players have access to the Pokédex that will aid them the most while playing Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2, the original Pokédex 3D will be removed from Nintendo eShop on 11th October.

That last line indicates if you were on the verge of buying the Pokédex 3D app, you should probably hold off until the new updated version rolls out.

Nintendo also revealed some substantial stuff regarding connectivity in Black & White V2, including an interesting sounding feature dubbed “Join Avenue”:

In Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2, players will also have the ability to explore a new area called Join Avenue. This area is populated with anyone that a player has interacted with via wireless Tag Mode, trading or battling. These players will open shops in Join Avenue that sell rare items not found anywhere else in the game. There are several different types of shops that can be opened on Join Avenue, including those focusing on supplies, powering-up Pokémon and more. The rarity of items that can be purchased from these shops is determined by how populated a player’s Join Avenue is.

I don’t know about you, but the PokéFan in me stirred with excitement at the prospect of some Online play that goes further than simply matching up to battle Pokémon, though it sounds as if it won’t be truly multiplayer – rather, an NPC version of your buddies. Still, populating your game with other players sounds like it could be an addictive feat if the success of Street Pass is anything to go by.

Perhaps even more interesting is the Memory Link feature, which allows players to connect Version 2 to the previous installment in order to see what happened to some of the characters from Black & White during the two year gap between games, as well as capture special Pokémon and “more”. This sounds like some pretty hefty content, and a cool bonus to followers of the series:

The scenes players encounter in Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 will depend on how far they have progressed through Pokémon Black Version or Pokémon White Version.

Finally, information was given about “Dream Radar”, another eShop app which lets players catch Pokémon and items using augmented reality technology by moving the 3DS to aim at and shoot, uh, “Dream Clouds”. The things you nab in this app can be transferred to Black & White Version 2.

All in all, it sounds like Nintendo and Gamefreak are lining up all the things you’ll need to scratch that continuing PokéItch. Look out for Black & White Version 2 on October 7th in America and the 11th and 12th for Australia and Europe respectively.