With the release of Pokemon Black and White, you know you're going to be playing your Nintendo DS with a relentless fury, am I right? Well, you're not the only one. To make your Black and White experience even more enjoyable, you want to make sure you have a way of keeping your precious DS system safe and sound while you're coming back from school, going over to a friend's, or just toting it around in your pocket. That's where you're gonna want some cool accessories to help protect your Nintendo DS, while also tricking it out!

I'm excited to say that Power A was kind enough to send me some of their new Pokemon Black and White accessories to try out and review! That's pretty sweet, but also a great opportunity for me to really get a chance to see if their stuff is worthy of Marriland's recommendation.

While they have a lot of cool Pokemon Black and White stuff that they're soon going to be releasing, they sent me four items in particular to check out: the Pokemon Character Kit, the Pokemon Hard Case Kit, the Pokemon Playthru (the Reshiram edition; there's also a gray/whitish-colored one with Zekrom on it), and a set of the Pokemon Character Styluses.

The Whole Package

Let's start by taking a look at the outside packaging of the cool stuff from Power A! You can either watch my video introduction examining the goodies, or you can read my review here and look at still pictures.

Here's a look at the exterior of the Black and White themed goodies they sent for review. Their packaging is top-notch, most definitely instilling a sense of quality even from the exterior. Imagine seeing these in a store: being the Pokemon fan that you are, you know you'd definitely want to look at these and would probably consider getting them, huh? I know I would. Packaging and presentation can have a big influence.

Starting from the left, you'll find the Playthru Case, followed by the Character Case Kit, then the Hard Case Kit, and finally the Character Stylus Set. Let's take a look at each of these products in-depth!

The Character Case Kit

The cases are what drew me to Power A in the first place, back when I was looking for a case to keep my Nintendo DS safe while traveling. You'd be surprised how many different cases I purchased trying to find one that kept my DS safe and store some games in it, too! I went through three made by other companies before finally finding Power A's HeartGold and SoulSilver case last year, and that one blew me away both in quality in price. I've definitely got a little bias in favor of the case going into this, knowing how happy I was finding last year's model, but let's see how the new Black and White Character Kit stands up to a proven success.

First of all, one of the nice things about the Character Case Kit is that it doesn't just come with the case; it also includes a full set of the Character Styluses — which consists of Tepig, Oshawott, and Snivy — two nifty single-card DS game card holders for storing individual games, and also a cleaning cloth to clean your DS screen with. Plus, the case looks pretty sweet on its own.

As you can see, you get quite a bit of stuff in this set. It's pretty impressive!

The inside has room for either a Nintendo DS Lite or DSi. It fits inside comfortably, without bumping the L or R buttons while it's stored, and you can also strap it down nice and secure using some of the elastic inside. There's a flap that you can detach from the velcro on the upper side of the inner case that gives way to where you can store up to two spare styluses and up to three DS games. The games fit snugly, even if you put them inside of the included game card cases. The included styluses are rather large to fit up there, but they do actually fit, although it is recommended that you turn them so the face of the styluses is placed backwards, so they aren't scraping against the DS.

When you've got your DS Lite or DSi inside of the case, it fits great in your pocket or backpack or whatever you use to tote things around. The front of the case looks like it could get scratched or punctured if exposed to a sharp object, so try to keep anything pointy away, although it should be more than durable enough to withstand a lot of pressure and such.

I'm satisfied with this. It is simple and easy to use, comes with some pretty sweet bonuses, and is a great way to keep your DS portable while also keeping it protected. Though it is a shame you can only fit two of the three styluses inside, and if you put them in wrong, they'll scrape against your DS, but I don't think that's necessarily a major downside by any means and I would certainly recommend this if you're looking to deck out your DS.

The Hard Case Kit

Ok, this one in particularly looked very impressive from the get go, appearing very heavy duty and appealing to even DSi XL owners, who have a bit more limited options. The fact that you can store up to 6 DS game cards in it is handy, plus it does come with a jumbo DS stylus pen (which is very comfortable to hold!) as well as a Reshiram and Zekrom cleaning cloth (that is different from the one in the Character Case Kit). That sounds good!

After opening the box, I found myself struggling to open the case itself. There's a little outer lip that looks like you're supposed to pull down on it while you pull the top part apart from it. It's a fairly common assumption to make that that's what you're supposed to do. Is it? Nope! The one major problem I had with this nice-looking case (which, mind you, has really cool imagery of Reshiram and Zekrom laser painted on the front, as opposed to a flimsy sticker — this is heavy duty stuff!) was that it was so darn hard to open! At least, it's hard to open if you're thinking like me and thinking you need to pull it apart.

I was just about to pry it open with a screwdriver when I looked at the box one last time, examining it very carefully to find that there had to be something that could pull those two little latches apart. It turns out the little outer lip thing is actually a button that you are supposed to press inward and then, while holding that in, pull upwards. That part wasn't obvious to me at all (maybe you figured out, but if I couldn't, I'm sure others might not as well), which is a shame. Having it look a little more obvious that it is a button or something would have been nice, because there's nothing really telling you to press there.

Once the case is open, it's a really nice layout inside. The outer box has one of the foam inserts while the other one is inside of the case. These fit into the middle of the hard case so you can turn it from being big enough for a DSi XL to just the right size for either your DSi or DS Lite. Look carefully at the logo on the foam insert! If it has the Nintendo DSi logo on it (with the i in the circle), well, it's for the DSi; the other one is for the DS Lite. Put whatever one that matches your system inside, or chuck 'em aside if you're a DSi XL user. You have to be delicate when removing the DSi or DS Lite from the case, although since it has a slight angle, you can actually get a little bit of leverage if you pull from the top left or top right corner. Try to avoid opening the screen and lifting it up that way, since you don't want to pull your screen off, but it isn't too terribly hard to remove, even if you're gentle.

You can pull the tab with Power A's logo on it on that black velvetty part on the other side of the case. It'll lift up and pull away, giving you access to where you can store those games of yours. The storage is really well done — games are extremely easy to place inside while also being very easy to remove, and, on top of that, they stay in place, even after lots of shaking and smashing of the case once it's been sealed up. That's good stuff, there, it is! You can also store an additional standard DS Lite or DSi (or XL) stylus up there, although you do not have enough space to store the Character Styluses, which are larger than any of those.

The Hard Case Kit is great for packing up your DS and keeping it safe while it's in a backpack, laptop bag, travel bag, purse, or whatever other else you use to tote stuff around in. It's resiliant as heck! Even after shaking the whole case with my DSi and games inside of it around for awhile, slamming my hand against it, nothing inside moved or rattled at all. Though it's too big to fit into your pocket — unless you are gifted with some very big pockets — it does work great if you need to go over to a friend's house or do any number of other traveling where you want to have your games and stuff handy, but don't need to have it in your pocket. Even a long car ride is a good example. If you're looking for something you can keep in your pocket, though, you'll want to look at one of the other cases, but I'm really impressed by the durability and how well the Hard Case Kit protects your gaming gear.

Just remember to press the button inward and lift up to open it! (Not knowing that was a pain for me.)

The Pokemon Playthru (Reshiram)

At first glance, you might wonder, "Just how does this work? How am I going to put this on my DSi?" Well, it's much easier than you might think! In fact, it's literally a snap. I'll get to that in a sec, but to start, I've gotta say that this Playthru works only on a DSi; it does not work with the DS Lite or DSi XL (or the original DS for that matter).

Now, looking at the top part of the case, you'll see an awesome 3D embossed Reshiram and Pokemon logo (there's another version that's white and has Zekrom on it instead). This is not sticker or anything! It's popping right out of the case and has a cool texture to it. It's also very detailed and intricate. Awesome!

Putting this on your DSi is pretty easy, but before you do so, make sure you remove your DSi stylus! You'll have access to everything else on the DSi except for the stylus, so grabbing it out before you apply the Playthru is smart. To apply it, it's simple: you just press the bottom of the DSi against the bottom of the inside of the Playthru case and then... *snap*! It'll snap right in. Then, just join the top part together with another snap and you'll have your brand spankin' new DSi Playthru case all set up!

Although it does add a bit to the weight and the dimensions of your DSi, it's not too bad, and I found that it actually feels better holding the DSi in my hands while playing. It feels like there's something solid underneath it. While a part of me does miss that nice matte finish of the DSi (the black one, at least), I didn't find the plastic to feel overly cheap or anything. It was smooth, albeit probably rather prone to fingerprints due to that, but comfortable.

The really nice thing is it's worth the extra weight, because you can slide out that bottom compartment to give way to some hidden storage, where you can store 2 extra DS games, as well as your stylus (you lose access to your stylus holder in the DSi itself, so you need to store it here) and an SD card. The zip cases, which also store games, force you to carry an empty case around while you're actually playing the DSi, making you put it in your pocket until you want to put your DSi away or switch games. That can be a hassle when you're on the go, so this is a good compromise, since it turns the DSi into your storage and the Playthru does keep the DSi itself safe from most scratches and damage. It keeps the L and R buttons more tucked in thanks to the added width, which means they shouldn't be as likely to press against stuff, keeping them preserved. I love the fact that it's an all around great protector-storage combination that is even more portable than a zip case, although the zip cases and the hard case do keep them much more protected, since several areas of the DSi are exposed (which, granted, they have to be otherwise the screen wouldn't flip! So that is good attention to detail...).

This thing did such a great job at keeping my DSi secure that, when it came time to removing it, I was rather confused of how to get it out of the Fort Knox of cases! In order to remove it, you should unhinge the top cover of the Playthru! Right by where the DSi flips open, you can actually pull the plastic shell apart a little bit in order to remove it from the top half of your DSi. Once it's off, you can easily remove the bottom half. However, not knowing it is so easy to do, you might not figure it out right away and find yourself stricken with a more difficult chore than you thought at first. Don't worry, it is easy, but you just need to know how to do it. (Instruction booklets are unneccessary for these, but it would be nice to have some direction!)

I like the Playthrus a lot. They're one of the things that I was very skeptical of before, but after trying it out, it is such a nice addition to your DSi that doesn't detract from any of its features or functionality (other than traditional access to the stylus). It's a solid product!

The Pokemon Character Stylus Set

This pack of three styluses contains a stylus for each of the new Unova starters — one for Snivy, one for Tepig, and one for Oshawott. Although there's not much to a stylus as far as function goes, when it comes to style, these styluses have it down in spades. They're long enough to be held like a nice, thin pencil, and they're much more comfortable than any of the tiny styluses that come with the Nintendo DS models. That means you can't store them inside of the DS, though, but that's the price you pay to have a cool looking stylus.

The styluses are all crafted really well. Each of the starters on the end of the stylus look very detailed and are presented in a cool, 3-D embossed manner that's hard to explain, but makes for a really rich effect. These are NOT just stickers placed on the top of some plastic, but they are very well done characters that have great expressions and plenty of personality. I like 'em!

These won't necessarily appeal to everyone, particularly those more old-school gamers like me that can't figure out these new fangled stylus things and still play their Pokemon games without so much as tapping their DS screen (gasp!). I know I've got a little bias in that department, but even I can see where stylus fiends and Pokemon fans would find these incredibly cool! Believe me, should I find myself playing a stylus-intensive game, I would want to have something like this both for the added function (hey, extra length and grippability to make a difference!) and style. These look really cool and aren't just cheap pieces of plastic that call themselves a stylus. Plus, they seem to be quite durable as well. I tried to apply quite a bit of pressure on one in order to see if it was going to snap or come unscrewed or something. Nope! It would take a lot of force to get this thing to snap, so that's good! Still, you might want to be careful with it just in case, but you don't need to baby it, either.

I'd definitely recommend these. They're full of character and add a nice touch of Pokemon style to your stylus situations.

The Wrap-Up

Overall, I'm impressed with the stuff that Power A sent for me to check out. I'd gladly recommend all of these to Pokemon fans and gamers alike, and I can only be led to believe their other goodies are of equivalent quality as well. Although I do think that some of these products could have used a little bit of instruction or direction, even if printed on the back of the box, once you figure out how to use them properly, they're pretty darn solid and serve their function well.

Good job, Power A! Pokemon gamers appreciate having Pokemon stuff, truuuustt me, and having it be of good quality is definitely a major reassurance!