While some diehard series fans were quick to show their dismay that the new games aren't coming out on the Nintendo 3DS first, Pokemon Black and Pokemon White is still looking like a pretty decent update for the million-selling series. That's the take-home we got, at least, from a set of screenshots published in this week's issue of Famitsu magazine.
Among the things hinted at in the screens is a brand-new cityscape setting, with your trainer traveling on elevated paths (an extension of cycling roads, perhaps?) and weaving his way through tall buildings. Also depicted is a new one-stop Pokemon shop that combines the facilities of a PokeMart, Pokemon Center and Global Terminal into a single building -- the Pokemon equivalent of a Walmart Supercenter, you could say.
The setting isn't the only new thing, either. In addition to the usual sort of visual upgrades, Pokemon Black/White will feature a battle system that, if initial impressions are worth anything, will be quite a bit more dynamically depicted than before, with the battle camera switching viewpoints depending on the action and the fighters even casting realistic shadows on the ground. (The Pokemon are still 2D sprites, though, so don't expect some kind of massive Pokemon Colosseum-style graphic upgrade.)
"As you can tell from the screenshots, Pokemon Black/White's adventure takes place in an area different in nature from before," a Pokemon Company rep told Famitsu. "The new story that unfolds in this place, along with the never-seen-before Pokemon you'll encounter, will allow both old fans and people who haven't played the other games to enjoy the experience without preconceptions."
The new games have a tentative fall release date in Japan and will presumably hit American DSes sometime soon afterward.