Pokemon Black and White 2 Easy Mode Difficult

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Why does Pokémon make it easy for Pokémon White players and hard for Pokemon Black players?

• Thread starter Z-Beat
• Start date Aug 24, 2021

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• #1

So I was listening to a podcast talking about locking inherent system features behind stupid shit when lo and behold I discover that easy mode is only unlock able in Black/White 2 by beating the game. That was stupid enough on its own, but apparently easy is only unlockable via White 2 and hard via Black 2. And if I want to make things easier I need to get a White friend, or get a Black friend for hard mode. Otherwise I'd have to buy both versions and two DS systems (or get a friend with one)

Why? To make me buy both? Is it racial commentary? I don't understand

• #2

Because Gamefreak
There's no underlying or deeper explanation

• #3

Yes, to make you buy both.

• #4

it's even stranger that they never brought difficulty options back

• #5

Yes, to make you buy both.

Highly doubt they thought that people would really want to buy another game to make it harder or easier (lol) when that is only know/unlocked after you beat the game, otherwise they would have market it and make it available from the beginning

Last edited: Aug 24, 2021

Kotto

CEO of Traphouse Networks

• #6

Affiliated with the company that brought us Jynx.

So take that as you will, OP.

👁

• #7

I too listen to castlesuperbeast :p

• #9

Why? To make me buy both?

I mean, yeah, that's gotta be the driving factor behind Pokemon's release pattern and why they stopped doing making games like Emerald and Platinum after presumably realizing folks were just gonna wait for those final versions.

• #10

to create internet discourse

• #11

Why? To make me buy both?

It's more to get social play

I mean, yeah, that's gotta be the driving factor behind Pokemon's release pattern and why they stopped doing making games like Emerald and Platinum after presumably realizing folks were just gonna wait for those final versions.

You realise they did Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, right? And a negligible amount of people "waited" for those final versions

• #12

It's actually probably going to be the other way around if you bought both because you trade the difficulty from one version to the other.

Source: I bought both games, played through Black 2, then traded hard mode to White 2 and played through that.

• #13

That title is some top tier trolling

• #14

It's definitely not a good design decision, but I'm also wondering how many people actually have a need for both easy mode and hard mode.

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge

• #16

That title is some top tier trolling

Yep.

I actually thought it was going to be about the Create A Character options in the mainline games.

• #18

NGL with the near incessant threads that have cropped up here since both recent Pokemon games were generally received quiite well I thought this was genuine. Well played!

• #20

It's Gamefreak, that's why.

• #22

I was a Black Player and the difficulty was maddening at times but the experience was more than worth it!!

• #23

It's more to get social play

You realise they did Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, right? And a negligible amount of people "waited" for those final versions

Even if their argument is wrong, making 2 new versions in the form of USUM is not the same as the one near-definitive version of a gen like Yellow / Crystal / Emerald / etc. Even before SuMo they'd stopped doing it since B2W2, as XY didn't have a Z, for example, so the expectation for not having an actual 3rd version was already set.

• #24

Even if their argument is wrong, making 2 new versions in the form of USUM is not the same as the one near-definitive version of a gen like Yellow / Crystal / Emerald / etc. Even before SuMo they'd stopped doing it since B2W2, as XY didn't have a Z, for example, so the expectation for not having an actual 3rd version was already set.

One instance of it happening doesn't make a precedent or a pattern, but a dot. (B2W2 was considered an upper version)

But regardless, they're no longer doing it and did DLC instead for SWSH instead, after hearing fan feedback of "This should have been DLC", despite USUM being the best selling enhanced version since Yellow (they don't do mega numbers). Granted there were two of them, but contrary to belief here, the numbers who actually get both for themselves and not one for them and one for a friend/family member, are insignificantly low

• #25

Thought this was about race for a hot minute

• #26

obligatory

Damn, still a GOAT meta comment this many years on.

• #27

as a black player, i don't see the problem. i think all the other blacks are overreacting

• #28

This is not a very happy switcharoo i have to say

• #29

I was so confused with that title at first, lmao.

Neoxon

Spotlighting Black Excellence - Diversity Analyst

• #30

obligatory

Dammt, you beat me to it.

But yeah, it took a second for my mind to register what you actually meant, OP.

• #32

You're supposed to have a friend give you the key. It was to encourage social interaction. It had the missions to encourage that too, and also the mall thing.

...........It didn't work that well outside of Japan AFAIK

• #33

To encourage people to trade difficulties or to get people to buy both copies probably. Still a baffling and shitty game design choice. There were enough version exclusive things tied behind the unova link feature that difficulty settings didn't need to be one of them, especially since an easy mode, if a player really needed it, wouldn't be accessible for them unless they knew someone who beat W2.

I think it's probably just unfortunate coincidence that the difficulties were assigned to their respective versions of the games and probably not racial commentary.

• #34

One instance of it happening doesn't make a precedent or a pattern, but a dot. (B2W2 was considered an upper version)

But regardless, they're no longer doing it and did DLC instead for SWSH instead, after hearing fan feedback of "This should have been DLC", despite USUM being the best selling enhanced version since Yellow (they don't do mega numbers). Granted there were two of them, but contrary to belief here, the numbers who actually get both for themselves and not one for them and one for a friend/family member, are insignificantly low

How're B2W2 considered upper versions when, despite the asset reuse, it's a wholly different story (a sequel) with 2 new versions with the same standard version splits in pokemon as a 'regular' release? That's like saying FFX-2 is just an upper version of FFX (even though X-2 has more actual changes, but still) because it reuses a large amount of assets.

Also, 'it should've been dlc' is right, the 3rd version bogusness was just that in the digital age and having to restart from scratch in a new game that's slightly different like USUM is lame, despite what the numbers might say.

• #35

Seems appropriate for the region the games are based off of.

• #36

I wished those were unlocked from the start or at worst, with a cheatcode, and I also played Black 2.

• #37

Seems appropriate for the region the games are based off of.

I can assure you Pokemon Black is region free.

• #38

I wished those were unlocked from the start or at worst, with a cheatcode, and I also played Black 2.

Fans have been making definitive versions of Pokemon games for like the last 4 generations. This instance is no different. If you're chill with emulation then the fanbase has got you.

• #39

Everyone always talks about Black and White... meanwhile Brown never got a release a continues to be ignored.

• #40

Hard mode I can understand hiding behind finishing a game, but why the easy mode. I would've thought that in something like pokemon especially, easy would be the default (if difficulty options were a thing in the series outside of this)

• #41

It's more to get social play

I'm sorry but that's silly. You can have one version and encourage social play.

Two versions exists for only two reasons. Tradition and slightly more sales.

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Source: https://www.resetera.com/threads/why-does-pok%C3%A9mon-make-it-easy-for-pok%C3%A9mon-white-players-and-hard-for-pokemon-black-players.476091/

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