This game is fairly fast paced.
Many unnecessary tutorials are simply stripped away or shortened.
Roller skates work with the circle pad.
You get the so-called running shoes right when you start and there's no tutorial for that.
The lower screen is some sort of connectivity section. If you turn off wireless it will just show a banner to tell you to turn it on.
The lower screen also has very small toggles for access to your X button options (save, bag etc.)
The character can be controlled using the D Pad or circle pad. By default, circle pad makes the character move in roller skates.
You have 2 main rivals in this game (like BW).
You don't meet the professor right at the start (like B2W2)
There's much better variety of pokemon to catch or fight in earlier routes. Plus capture gives you exp now.
Each route has its own alternative name now, but I don't see the purpose in that.
The overworlds are 2D only. Turning up the slider has no effect.