This time I will focus on Furret, the Long Body Pokémon. After evolving from Sentret, Furret is one of those archetypal rodents you first encounter in your adventures as soon as you leave your hometown. In Pokémon Red and Blue, we have Raticate and in Pokémon Gold and Silver, there's Furret.

Like Furret, most real-life ferrets love to burrow underground and in anything that gives them protection. Ferrets have been used throughout history as tools for hunting rabbits, rodents, and other small pray down holes to catch them. Also, these animals like to sleep a lot and are mostly active at night. Ferrets also exhibit what is called the weasel war dance which is crazed movements and hops following play. They also have anal glands that sometimes secrete a strong odor when startled or surprised. Strangely enough, Furret doesn't learn any specific moves that even references these common ferret behaviors. Not even a Poison Gas.

I remember using Furret after it evolved in the beginning part of my game in Pokémon Gold. I used it to battle Whitney in her gym, though it fainted at the hands of the evil Miltank and its Rollout. I also needed a Pokémon to learn Strength, and Furret was a great candidate. Furret can learn a plethora of elemental moves from Surf to Thunderbolt to Flamethrower. But its Special Attack stat is really low so it can't successfully take advantage of its wide movepool. It later gains the ability to learn moves like U-turn that take advantage of its Speed to scout the battlefield and retreat.

Furret really is only good as a scouting Pokémon. I remember using Furret and its Run Away ability in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire when searching for specific Pokémon in the grass. If I didn't run into the one I wanted, Furret's ability always helped me escape the battle. It may not be much of an attacker, but it sure was helpful.

We all know about Pikachu, Mewtwo, and Lucario. But what about the brand new ones like Tynamo, Joltik, and Munna? I've added all 649 Pokémon into a randomizer and I will try to focus on all of them as they come and in no particular order. Even if you are not a Pokémon fan, I hope you'll get nostalgic with me as you read about their origins and how they've impacted my gaming experience. Hit the jump for Heatran, the Lava Dome Pokémon!

There really is no back-story to why Heatran exists, but the games do mention that it was created around the same time Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina created Sinnoh. Heatran is very similar to Entei in that is closely related to volcanoes. But while Entei is a symbol of the fire that burned down the Brass Tower, Heatran seems to represent the inside of a volcano and the inner depths of the Earth's core. Its dual Fire and Steel-types mimic the volcanic area inside the Earth's core that is also composed of metallic material.

Aside from the geological inspiration for Heatran's design, it may have also been based on various myths of monsters that exist in a volcano. In Chile, for example, there is a myth about a monster called the Cherufe that inhabits volcanoes and is responsible for eruptions and earthquakes. In order to calm him down and appease his hunger, villagers would have to sacrifice virgins and throw them into the bowels of the volcano every so often. The Cherufe is made up of rock and lava, so it may not be a direct comparison, but Heatran does learn Earth Power by leveling up. Its name comes from the heat that circulates its body and also from the word dragon as its Japanese name, Headran, alludes to it.

You can't catch Heatran until after you defeat the Elite Four in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum and then you can find it deep within Stark Mountain. Heatran is actually the only Legendary Pokémon that can be either male or female. Its gender makes no difference on how it fights, but it's interesting that it has a gender and that it varies - just like any wild Pokémon. The nice thing about having Heatran on your team is that it has many resistances that let it switch into many Pokémon easily. It does, however, suffer from a 4x weakness to Ground-type moves like Earthquake. But its weakness aside, it has an awesome Special Attack stat that when paired with an item like Choice Scarf gives it the ability to deal massive damage to many Pokémon and beat them in Speed too.

You can't go wrong having Heatran on your team. Its body may be half melted because of its intense heat, but overall, it has solid stats that make it a great Pokémon to use. It may have been overshadowed by the other known Legendaries in the Generation IV games, but don't forgot how much potential it has on the battlefield.

We all know about Pikachu, Mewtwo, and Lucario. But what about the brand new ones like Tynamo, Joltik, and Munna? I've added all 649 Pokémon into a randomizer and I will try to focus on all of them as they come and in no particular order. Even if you are not a Pokémon fan, I hope you'll get nostalgic with me as you read about their origins and how they've impacted my gaming experience. Hit the jump for Zekrom, the Deep Black Pokémon!

The Unova region was created by a mythical Dragon Pokémon who helped two brothers rule its lands and its people. Everyone lived in peace and harmony, until one day both brothers were divided by how the region should be ruled. The older brother sought truth, while the younger brother sought ideals. As their dispute began to grow, their struggle caused the Dragon Pokémon to split into two separate Pokémon that each shared the feelings of the two brothers. Zekrom sought the future for its ideals and Reshiram sought the past for its truth. Eventually the two brothers reconciled, but their sons then behaved like their fathers once had, at which point Zekrom and Reshiram destroyed the old Unova with bolts and flames. The people of Unova then put the two dragons into a deep slumber.

Zekrom and Reshiram also represent the concept of yin-yang in Taoism, with Zekrom being the black yin of the Pokémon world. Symbolically, yin represents softness, passiveness, and femininity, and yet Zekrom is a lot more masculine in appearance than its white yang counterpart. In an interview, Ken Sugimori stated that its name comes from the word kuro (black) and that he added the "Ze" before its name because it was a stronger sound than Reshiram's "Re." It also looks a lot tougher, rougher, and more physically aggressive. Zekrom also has an electric generator built into its tail which is the source of its power.

After N awakens Reshiram and uses it to essentially rule the world, your job is to catch Zekrom to restore balance to the world. In fact, the game forces you to catch Zekrom in order to move forward with the storyline. Once it is on your side, you'll realize you have an awesome Pokémon on your team. Zekrom's unique type combination of Dragon/Electric gives it three weakness but plenty of resistances. It has a higher physical Attack stat than Special Attack, but you can easily give it Draco Meteor and Bolt Strike to make it a strong mixed sweeper. This is a Pokémon you'll want to play on Uber tier, so just be wary of faster Pokémon like Groudon and Garchomp that can easily decimate it.

If you think about how much the Pokémon series has grown over the years, the origin of Zekrom brings up a lot of mature topics the youngest of players might not understand. The more mature gamers, though, can think of different parallels that might have inspired Unova's origins. You could say Zekrom and Reshiram represent the two opposing political views based on practical ideals and religious truths that our founding fathers believed in. The battle of the two brothers could also represent our own Civil War.

Zekrom's Electric-type is also a more modern concept in human civilization that was made more commonplace through the progress of technology. This contrasts easily with the more rustic fire of Reshiram. Whatever your interpretations of Zekrom may be, it is certainly one of my favorite Legendary Pokémon. Its origins have deep meanings and it looks pretty damn cool too.

Pokémon Black and White both start out with the same ritual everyone is used to by now. Choosing your starter Pokémon signifies you're in a new region - this time you're in Unova - and it also signifies the start of a new journey. You choose your character, give him a name, and choose your Pokémon. It's all been done before, and each game since Pokémon Red and Blue have been prettier versions of the original. Pokémon Black and White is, in fact, the best game in the series so far. It combines new features with old series staples, but manages to give each player a unique immersive experience that will feel new and foreign even to the most seasoned Pokémon fan.

Speaking of species of Pokémon, Unova introduces 156 brand new creatures, each with its own unique design and type. As you make your way through the game and explore each patch of grass, you'll run into new Pokémon you haven't seen before. But his time you won't run into any Pokémon from previous generations until after you complete the main story, and even then, they will be hiding in areas you normally won't have access to right away. Game Freak's choice for doing this puts even the most seasoned Pokémon player on the same playing field as someone who has never played a Pokémon game before. It allows everyone to rediscover the game by discovering new Pokémon.

You may run into Pokémon that may remind you of previous ones, but that's because this game essentially starts from scratch. You'll run into pigeons, bats, dogs, cats, and other familiar animal-based Pokémon, but each one still manages to be unique and different. Pidove will remind you of Pidgey, and Woobat roams every cave just like Zubat did in past games. Think of Unova as the "American" parallel universe of a past Pokémon game. The game also introduces new type combinations that add to the its competitive battle system. You will encounter Pokémon that are Dark/Fighting, Ground/Dark, and Ghost/Fire, for example. And with 649 total Pokémon in existence, you now have the largest variety of Pokémon to choose from.

As with past Pokémon games, your journey to be the Pokémon League Champion is riddled with obstacles you'll need to overcome. For starters, there is an organization called Team Plasma that wants to liberate Pokémon from being oppressed by humans. They're basically a mixture of advocate and criminal since their mission to free Pokémon also involves stealing them from their trainers. Along the way, you will also run into your best friends, a girl named Bianca and a boy named Cheren who will challenge you to battles. These are essentially your friendly rivals in this game, but a mysterious person named N with ties to Team Plasma will also test you strength every so often.

New to the series are Triple and Rotation battles. Triple Battles require strategy, and depending on your Pokémon's position, attacks may not hit. Some attacks also hit all Pokémon, while others lose power when hitting multiple opponents. Rotation Battles, however, are more luck-based since you can switch out to any Pokémon during your turn and your opponent can do the same. There is only a small handful of instances when you will have to participate in these battles throughout the story, so I feel like these new battle variations weren't properly introduced. At least you can always test them out with your friends online.

The game's familiar graphics may remind you of past DS titles. A lot of things in the game look the same, and the top-down camera angles from those past games are back. But once you make your way to the grand metropolis of Castelia City and walk by giant skyscrapers and crowds of people, you'll notice that the game includes many 3D elements that surpass those of previous versions. The camera angles change also and create a dynamic perspective depending where you are. Every time you get a gym badge, for example, your badge case will open and your 3D badge will stylishly rotate and shine. Your first battle will also show you that your Pokémon now move while they battle and that the camera angles during battle shift to give you different viewpoints. The Pokémon animation may loop after a few seconds, but it's these nice touches that make you feel like you're not just playing Pokémon Platinum 2.0.

The game's music continues to get better and you will hear more depth in each arrangement if you listen closely. All the classic songs are back too, and they all are remixed nicely. You might also notice some songs pay homage to past generations and some, like the melody heard on Route 10, will simply amaze you that they come from a Pokémon game. The new Pokémon's cries are also a lot more complex than past generations, and when previous generation Pokémon battle alongside your new ones, you'll notice how jarring how some of the older ones actually sound.

Another great thing about Pokémon Black and White is that it removes all the annoying elements that made playing through a Pokémon game tedious for some. In other words, the game is a lot easier and more enjoyable to play. For example, TMs are now reusable, so casual players can have fun experimenting with different attacks and moves while the more competitive players now have an easier method of prepping their teams. Also, scattered throughout each cave and forest you'll discover are doctors and nurses that will heal your Pokémon whenever you want, thus eliminating the need to backtrack to a Pokémon Center every time to heal. You will also notice that there aren't many instances that require you to use an HM move, so you don't have to worry about having an HM slave with you at all times.

Nintendo hasn't forgotten the interactive experience of playing a Pokémon game either. The bottom screen of your DS displays your C-Gear, a device that lets you battle, interact, and chat with friends and strangers over Nintendo Wi-Fi, infrared, and local wireless. You chat with your friends using its built-in Xtransceiver, and if you have a DSi, you can video chat too. The game also lets you sync your game with your online Pokémon Trainer Club account which lets you access features like Dream World that allow you to upload your Pokémon to Nintendo's servers and then interact with them on your browser. This lets you plant berries, receive items, and befriend other Pokémon to import into your game. You can also use the Game Sync function to upload your battle records and trainer information onto the website's Global Battle Union that displays worldwide leaderboards and will occasionally host tournaments.

Another neat feature that you can access via your C-Gear is Entralink, a special area in Unova that lets you interact with a friend and visit his or her game wirelessly to do missions together. Once you complete these missions, you will get temporary in-game boosters such as increased experienced, money, or Pokémart discounts. After you befriend Pokémon in the Dream World, you can also enter Entralink to retrieve them.

Every person that plays Pokémon can have a totally different experience depending on his or her playing style. If you want to devote your time to creating your perfect team, go ahead. You can later import your Pokémon from previous DS versions to Unova and take advantage of their new moves and updated abilities. If you want to just have fun battling online, you can also do Random Battles against strangers all over the world or enter the game's Battle Subway for offline battles. Like dressing up your Pokémon and playing minigames? Then enter them in a Pokémon Musical. Pokémon Black and White gives you the reigns to do what you want.

Nintendo and Game Freak know the winning formula to a great video game series, and they're not going to completely revamp it anytime soon. Pokémon Black and White may simply be another game offering you "new beginnings," but the way the game introduces new Pokémon in a remote setting far removed from all other regions mirrors the first game in the series introduced over a decade ago. There really isn't anything groundbreaking about Pokémon Black and White, but its power to reintroduce something you're so familiar with and rekindle your urge to explore a new world each time a new version comes out is indeed impressive.

The Pokémon series continues to grow into something bigger and better each time new versions come out. My only question is how many more battles will it give us until it reaches level 100 and cannot level up anymore.

I've been playing the Japanese version of Pokémon Black since it came out in September. I also played the English version of Pokémon White for about ten hours to get a feel for it in English. Note that the online features mentioned above (Pokémon Global Link) will not be up and running until March 30.

After four generation of Pokémon games, we are used to familiar elements that appear in every game. For example, everyone knows you need eight badges to face the Elite Four; most towns have Pokémon Centers; and there is always a group of bad guys trying to rule the world. Another known fact is that at the start of your game, a friendly professor will always offer you either a Grass, Fire, or Water-type Pokémon to use on your journey to be the next Pokémon League Champion. Each Pokémon has unique characteristics and stats, so your gaming experience might differ depending on which one you choose. Pokémon Black and White is no exception. Hit the jump for Unova's Fire-type starter, Tepig!

When I first got glimpse of Tepig, I noticed how happy and energetic it looked. Its official artwork shows it sporting a big smile and its curly tail makes it look adorably spunky. I've always liked the Fire-type starters because they are based on different types of animals that you would not associate with fire, but then when you read their Pokédex entries, their relationship makes sense. Torchic, instead of the having a normal bird's crop sac for food storage, for example, has a heat sac that keeps its body warm and supplies it with fire. And in this case, Tepig's nostrils can spew fire when it's healthy, but when it's feeling sick, black smoke comes out of them like from a muffler.

Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokémon, with its long ears and striped coloration, resembles a Saddleback piglet. What I really like about Tepig's design is that it has subtle symbolism too. The black band around its loin can actually represent a baby's diaper and the black coloration on its ears and head give it the appearance of someone wearing a bandana. The yellow mark above its snout also looks like a flame from a lighter. As it evolves into its second and third evolutions, it gains more decorative designs that, according to Ken Sugimori, are inspired by Chinese art and folklore. Its name is a portmanteau of the words tepid and pig, while its Japanese name Pokabu also means the same thing. It comes from the words pokapoka describing being nice and warm and bu meaning oink.

Fire-type starters were always the most reliable Pokémon in previous Pokémon games simply because the Fire-type is surprisingly rare. Most versions only introduce one or two Fire-type Pokémon. Diamond and Pearl, for example, only gave us Chimchar's evolutionary line, an evolution for Magmar, and the Legendary Pokémon Heatran. I was very tempted on choosing Tepig as my starter because of this fact, but I ended up not choosing it. I did, however, receive it later on via trade and it grew on me as soon as I heard its cry and saw it shake its little foot during battle. It later evolves into a dual Fire/Fighting Pokémon, but unlike previous versions of this combo, Tepig's evolutionary family is a lot slower but it's also the only one that can learn the new move Heat Crash. This move does a lot more damage to Pokémon that weigh considerably less than the user.

I was torn between choosing Tepig and Oshawott. I really like Fire-type moves, but I figured a more unique Fire-type Pokémon would appear as I made my way through Unova. I also did not want to train a Pokémon that would later become another dual Fire/Fighting-type since I had already done this for the past two games in a row. I guess, I just wanted some more variety in the Fire-type Pokémon I would train. But, will Tepig's cute design and curly tail sway you to choose it?