Pokémon X & Y Review

 

(Video Version)

It’s been just over a year since Pokémon X & Y was released worldwide which was a first for a Pokémon game especially for a main title. But this wasn’t the only first that X & Y incorporated.

Before you even start your journey across the region of Kalos, you are asked the age old question of “are you a boy or girl?” and this has been standard since Pokémon Crystal on the Gameboy added the female trainer alongside the male trainer which was the only choice available for players in previous titles.

Then you get the option of how your selected trainer will look from a choice of three different skin tones and hair colour and you then get to choose your name and the game begins.

The first thing I’d like to talk about is the story.

The story of Pokémon X & Y isn’t anything new to anyone who is familiar to the main series of games:

You are a kid who is starting on their Pokémon adventure and goes out into the world in the game’s respective region (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn etc.) to catch and train Pokémon in order to earn Badges at various Gyms to prove yourself as a trainer and going on to challenge the Elite Four ultimately becoming the Champion while also stopping an evil organisation from realising their plans. So like with the past games, the narrative is kept simple and easily digestible for the intended younger audience while at the same time not being off-putting for an older demographic.

Next onto the graphics of X & Y.

Gone are the days of the 2D pixelated sprites and overhead perspective with the conversion to 3D that started in Gen 4 with Diamond/Pearl & Platinum with the introduction of 3D elements in the over world while keeping the static pixel sprites for the Pokémon till Gen 5 with White/Black and its follow ups where the sprites became fully animated, the over world leaned closer to 3D and the inclusion of a few cutscenes using Pokémon Stadium-like visuals and others utilizing anime-like animation for the Xtransciever/Live Caster.

With X & Y, the transition into full 3D is complete with a more modern look for the over world, NPCs, the Trainer and most importantly the Pokémon themselves since a handful did go under some slight redesigns over the years. The over world of X & Y is simply amazing to look at with the new dimension of depth and its bright and colourful scenery while also allowing for more interaction than previous games in the series as well as more dynamic camera angles during battles.

Onto X & Y’s mechanics,

At the core, X & Y are using the tried and tested formula of over world exploration and turn based RPG style battles that have been there since Red & Blue (Red & Green in Japan). Succeeding generations have seen the additions of double battles, triple battles, rotation battles and even multi battles involving four trainers whereas X & Y introduce three new variations:

Horde Encounters

Horde Encounters are when trainers come across five Pokémon of the same species who are usually half the level of a one on one encounter with the same Pokémon.

Sky Battle

Sky Battles are unique battles where only Pokémon who can fly or have the Levitate ability can be used to participate so you will need at least one Pokémon that fits into those categories in your party otherwise these battles will be locked to you.

Inverse Battle

An Inverse Battle is a battle where Pokémon type matchups are reversed and this variant can only be accessed by challenging Psychic Inver on Route 18 and he can only be battled against once a day.

Other additions in X & Y include the PSS which replaces the C-Gear from the previous generation and it allows for more connectivity with other players as well as some brand new features. The new features that PSS introduces are Wonder Trade were players trade Pokémon without knowing what they will get in return, the GTS which lets players search for specific Pokémon and put up one of their own for trade in exchange for one chosen by the player. It has many different functions, including these and more. The PSS primary interface is divided into three categories: Friends, Acquaintances, and Passersby, each of which allows a maximum of 100 players.

Some adjustments have also been made in X & Y to make the experience as quick and problem free as possible. The interface is more streamlined and makes tasks like checking your map to trading Pokémon a painless endeavour and thankfully the game save is near-instant which is greatly appreciated by myself and others who play till the batteries were practically dead.

Now Pokémon has always had the message of loving your Pokémon will help you succeed as a trainer but nothing has been in the games to iterate this but X & Y has changed this with Pokémon Amie. Pokémon Amie allows trainers to “bond” with a selected Pokémon in your party by feeding it Poke Puffs, playing games (you need three Pokémon to play them). You can also pet your Pokémon and even pull faces using the 3DS camera and by doing this, it can impact how your Pokémon may battle by land more critical hits and dodging attacks.

Then there is Super Training where trainers can put Pokémon through mini games to increase their IVs and also potentially increase the amount of experience that Pokémon gets from EV training. While I’m talking about EV training, In X & Y you can now gain experience from capturing Pokémon as well as battling them which makes levelling up much easier and this is made easier even more with the EXP Share which you get early in the game and the experience is shared between all the Pokémon in your party even if they never got used in a battle. But if you would prefer to grind each Pokémon to level it up like in older titles, you can always turn the EXP Share off.

In X & Y we got the introduction of a new Pokémon type which is Fairy the first new type since Gold & Silver. Fairy type was added to give a balance to Dragon type who previously were weak against Ice and its own type.

After so long, we got the ability to customise our trainers which is very extensive with all options ranging from skin tone and hair colour at the start to clothes which are available to buy at boutiques throughout your journey across Kalos and even changing your trainer’s hairstyle and eye colour after obtaining the Lens Case.

Lastly there’s the Mega Evolutions where certain Pokémon can temporally evolve during battle increasing their stats and sometimes changing a Pokémon’s type. Only one Mega Evolution can be used per battle so theres no unbalance in the battle system.

Sadly I now come to the drawbacks with X & Y,

The first issue is that of some frame drop while using the 3D feature of the 3DS but thankfully this only is really seen during Pokémon battles but were this is at its worst is in Horde Battles.

That being said leads me to the use of the 3D feature of the 3DS because I think that certain areas in X & Y were designed with the 3D slider in mind but ultimately the feature is disabled for the most part.

This one is more a personal view than a criticism and it’s about Team Flare because not only did I find them to boring as antagonists but their goal is to create a "beautiful and better" world while making money and eliminating everyone who doesn’t follow their standards was nonsense. The reason why I say this is because Team Flare never really does anything threatening throughout the game when compared to Team Galactic who blow up a lake which somehow is meant to lead to the liberation of Pokémon.

Team Flare's goal of "making the world more beautiful." is really ambiguous and never gets fleshed out, and the game never shows how humans make the world an uglier place, aside from some war which is never talked about in detail, only vaguely described right before you fight Xerneas/Yveltal and this is why it makes it hard to understand why Team Flare is doing what they're doing. Lastly the leader of Team Flare Lysandre had so much missed potential. It was interesting how he was portrayed to be a likable and sympathetic person, a kind person even, but then all of a sudden he sends out a Holoclip saying he's going to kill everyone and this just seemed so abrupt and somewhat forced or at least it felt that way.

Next is the small amount of post-game content because after you have beaten the Elite Four and the Champion, you get the opportunity to encounter one of the legendary birds from Kanto depending on what Kalos starter you chose at the start, capturing Mewtwo & Zygarde, finding all of the remaining Mega Stones after having the Mega Ring upgraded by Sycamore that also unlocks the Looker Bureau which is the final part of the main story and ultimately completing the Pokedex. This is the biggest issue that X & Y suffer from but you get access to the Friend Safari for Shiny hunting, the Battle Maison for new challenges after obtaining the TMV Pass and travelling to Kiloude City.

Overall Pokémon X & Y has made a successful transition into the 3D plain and the adjustments made make for a reinvigorating experience which still feels like the past Pokémon releases and I would say it is more of regeneration than a revolution for the franchise so X & Y offers something for everyone from older trainers, newer players, shiny hunters and EV trainers alike.

So in closing, Pokémon X & Y are two of the best in the whole main series of Pokémon games and while the story may have its shortcomings and what are the benefits to Mega Evolutions are mostly unclear, the new features and overall presentation reinvigorates the core philosophies and fun of being the best which makes the joy of catching em all once again a joyful and impressive experience.