46. Pokemon Black and White (last year 48), First Impression 7, replayability 8, technical score 7.5
Pros: Game Freak steps up its storytelling game with this one, with the under-villain N and over-villain Ghetsis, with a more ambitious plan than most: to overthrow the entire system of Pokemon ownership and set them all free. The game also scored points for relying less on nostalgia by having every bit of the game up until the first run at the Elite IV be populated entirely by new Pokemon. Having a secondary Elite IV and a surprise appearance from Cynthia made for one of the most robust post-games since Gold and Silver
Cons: Changing the EXP scaling to be a double-whammy: not only does the amount needed for the next level go up with each level, but the amount you earn from KOing the same Pokemon goes down. Only Audino saved this from being a catastrophic move. It was also my second Pokemon game in as many years at the time, so it loses a bit on first impression due to burnout.
Monster Hunter: pissing me off since 2010.
