Longtime Pokémon producer Junichi Masuda has explained to Gamasutra why developer Game Freak has kept the core Pokémon series much the same as it was when it launched in 1999. The answer: they see it more as a sport.
"When you think about games, just like playing, for example, soccer and basketball, they're games that have been around for a very long time," Masuda explains. "The core gameplay of those -- the core of how you play basketball and soccer -- hasn't really changed. Over the years, there's regulation changes or rule changes to those games, but the core gameplay doesn't really change for those, and that's how we kind of feel about Pokémon as well."
He was speaking ahead of the US and European release of Pokémon Black Version 2 and White Version 2, the first direct sequel in the series. The game picks up two years after the events of Pokémon Black and White, and offers an entirely new storyline, the chance to make your own Pokémon movies in the Pokéstar Studios and the chance to import your old save game to unlock new narrative avenues.
Critical reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. "Better than Black and White" says Official Nintendo Magazine's 91% review. "A hearty meal of a game" reckons Nintendo Gamer, offering 89%. "You'll be impressed with just how much Game Freak has added to this second trip around the Unova region" says GamesBeat.
Pokémon Black Version 2 and White Version 2 is out on October 12th for Nintendo DS