Pokemon X and Y is another entry into the Pokemon game franchise. With all of the main games having already obtained previous critical acclaim and selling at least one million copies, it was no question as to whether a Pokemon X and Y review would score it highly; it was only a question of how high. With that said, this review is not just one to give Pokemon X and Y a high score and call it a day, the series has a rich history and X and Y is bringing to the table some new features that expands upon what is popular, and offers all types of fans a gaming experience they can enjoy.
The central point behind the original Red and Blue RPG adventure was its unique connectivity options. You could connect your Game Boys together and be sending data across to each other, trading Pokemon that you had captured and spent hours training and even show your competitive side and see who had the strongest combination of types, attacks and strategy. All impressive stuff for a 15 year old game, but it is almost 2014 now, this formula has been done, so what is new for Pokemon X and Y?
Pokemon X and Y can be looked at as “just” another entry into the main Pokemon series, but that would be a shallow mistake and would undercut its mastery. Connectivity has drastically increased since 1997 and we now have wireless internet options and a world connected in ways never before seen to the world. As long as you are connected to the internet, you will always be connected with trainers around the world, and unlike prior games, you will not be able to take more control over your Pokemon trainer and show a full range of emotions and increase interactions to all new levels.
These additions are bonus content that improves upon the experience, but the core behind the games that have made them huge successes remain. Once again you will take control of a Pokemon trainer that gets swept up into adventure, with this one lasting over 30 hours, and upwards with bonus content, where badges must be earned to improve rank as a global trainer and champion, all while completing the national and regional Pokedex- the Pokemon encyclopedia.
While not directly part of the game, Nintendo has introduced a new 3DS app to go along with the release of Pokemon X and Y that will allow for previous generation Pokemon to be stored and transferred. No longer will gamers de facto be left to start from scratch on their Pokedex, recollecting the same ones over and over. Pokemon X and Y however, gives you a reason to seek out the previous Pokemon entries into the series.
Mega Evolutions, being induced by Mega Stones, with X and Y versions of each Pokemon, allow for a further stage of evolution to previously “fully evolved” Pokemon. Perhaps you had already used a certain Pokemon on your 6 man team in the past and was ready to move on to new species, but this new form of game play gives an incentive to seek out those older species to utilize them in brand new combat methods than eve before, plus introducing new evolution s for Pokemon that had never before evolved as well.
The new way to play may exist, but the root is the same and you must still “start from scratch” as a young trainer sent out into the vast world by a Pokemon professor. Pokemon X and Y has improved upon the slow starts that many of the previous games had introduced. It has often taken quite some time to get to a field or cave in the game where a Pokemon of value is actually available that one would ideally want on their team. Not to take anything away from Pidgey, but he just simply did not offer the same awe that many of the other original 150 Pokemon offered.
To also speed up and increase excitement for the process is the addition of roller skates. We have seen running shoes and even bikes before to help with the game’s speed, but this will be the first time we see skates as a form of transport to help the character’s pace along in their adventure. The menus have also been optimized to decrease time searching through them or running through options that slows down the flow of the game. Game Freak has put together a game that tries to keep the player as connected to the trainer as much as possible, without interfaces and menus interfering from the adventure at hand.
While streamlining some processes is vital in maintaining value to older fans who have been there and done that before, the developers have provided some functions that will slow down both new and old fans of the series. For the first time ever, a main Pokemon adventure will be in full 3D and bring to life new and old Pokemon. They will no longer be just stagnant pixels on the screen that jerk around for an attack command. They will interact and move based on attack and defense commands and utilize the environments appropriately. Charizard has already been revealed and shown as hovering over the battlefield. Already a fan favorite, it has been quite a journey for the fire breathing Pokemon who despite having wings could not even fly in the first game, and here he is now, fully hovering and interacting with graphical precision.
These movements also capture the emotion of Pokemon. We have had “friendship”levels for quite some time, but their emotion and movement has always been limited. In a style similar to Nintendogs, we can now even pet and groom our favorite Pokemon. You are not only getting a classic Pokemon adventure, but you are getting a fantasy based Nintendogs game that connects you to on an emotional level, to Pokemon in a way never before seen, but a way we have always wanted. On top of that, no longer will your trainer simply be boy or girl with a name, but you can customize your avatar and make it your own.
As touched on above, mega evolutions will play a big role in the new game. Having been introduced into the plot line, these evolutions offer new reasons to take a look back at some of the older and more familiar Pokemon in the franchise, while also introducing the new Pokemon species for X and Y itself. These mega evolutions will super charge the Pokemon and make them stronger and fiercer, as well as potentially changing their type to alter the way battles are fought, which has been the root of the series since its inception. New strategies will have to be invoked as opponents now have new tools in their arsenal to fight. Game Freak knew what potential these evolutions had on shifting the battles though, and wisely implemented some limitations to their power and the length of their power.
Pokemon X and Y will show off new Pokemon species for a new generation of fans to fall in love with, just like fans a decade ago fell in love with Pikachu, Mew and the original 151. While always bringing together the successful formulas that worked in the past, Game Freak offers new ways to explore the world of Pokemon that will make Pokemon X and Y a must buy for 2013 and will rank it as the best game since the originals.
Verdict: 10/10
Everything that has been critically acclaimed in the past is still there, but better. This game is “just another” Pokemon game, but this one makes “just another” even better and offers something to fans of all ages.