Pokémon X and Y Review

Refreshing, Spirited, Enticing and a Heck of a Lot of Fun. 

Pokémon Y From Nintendo

 

Pokémon X and Y are brilliant entries in the long running franchise, and they also mark the series debut on the Nintendo 3DS. Welcome to the world of Kalos-- beautiful sprays of warm, bright colors  are mixed with small and large graphical touches that spruce up the familiar and introduce a sense of joy that I have not garnered from a Pokémon entry in years. Yes, Black and White and their sequels, Black 2 and White 2, were great games in their own right, but it is the leap forward in polish afforded by the 3DS and the simultaneous streamlining of the experience that pushes X and Y just beyond the reach of their predecessors, once removed from nostalgic goggles, that is. 

You are a Pokémon trainer. You set off at a young age to challenge other trainers, capture Pokémon and become the champion of your regions Pokémon League. The game is expansive, sporting main city hubs and routes to explore--with Lumiose City being quite distinguished and familiar, not unlike the very grand and splayed Nimbasa City of Black and White. X and Y introduce Horde battles, which pit your Pokémon against a select group of congregated wild Pokémon of up-to five VS one. Then there is the fact that you are now given two starter Pokémon, yes, two. This sense of reward continues as these main entries are the first to introduce mega stones; These unique items offer in-battle evolutions that grant specific Pokémon, wielding specific stones, incredible new evolutions with new typing/new abilities  and boosted stats that set them way apart from their peers. Mega stones can feel overpowered to an extent, but they never felt too out of step with a felicity permeating the game. New Pokémon--over 60, Sky Battles, cafe battles, berry field breeding and more. The dazzling, unraveling thread of splendor is at a constant high-octane throughout the experience of the game. 


Speaking of the experience, it is clear that Game Freak, Inc.--developers of the main-entry Pokémon games (such as X and Y or Heart Gold and Soul Silver )-- and the long-time series director, Junichi Masuda, have taken the best of the series and refined it into a substance that is more palatable. How? you may ask. Well, from the very beginning the game gets you straight into the experience with little barriers. The player starts the game by picking their gender as usual, but, also, in a very welcome change to the formula--however slight--you can now select from up-to three character skin tones. This new wrinkle, if you will, to the customization formula is coupled with the ability to dress your avatar in a number of bite-sized fashion ensembles and articles of choice. The meat of the experience, the game that many fans have come to enjoy, is as it always has been--a rock-paper-scissors, turn-based, strategic collect-a-thon. What's more engaging, enjoyable, and inviting about the meat of the matter is the quicker pacing to the turn-based battles; the absolutely exquisitely rendered Pokémon character models (Yes, they are that good-- eye-candy that endures the entire journey and continuously brings a smile to my face whenever I revisit the game) and the additional immersive factor that is Pokémon-Amie. In Pokémon-Amie, the player is allowed to pet and play with their party of Pocket Monsters, raising their affection levels--which can lead to unexpected effects, among other things--and increasing the bond between Pokémon and trainer; this bond actually has in-game benefits, with enough care you can make your Pokémon fight more effectively in battle--they withstand blows that would normally knock them out, and they have an increased chance of making critical hits, just as a few examples.




The changes don't stop there and they aren't all superficial, if Pokémon-Amie is any example, as  EV training--a popular past-time and breeding strategy of the hardcore fans--is made very accessible to the laymen or fringe meta-game players.  The meta-game is ,essentially, derived from the nuances that are not made apparent to the average fan, it includes breeding Pokémon with tailored and perfected IV-values, which are essentially Pokémon genes--determining the full potential of the creatures in-battle attributes, such as speed, attack, defense, etc. The competitive scene is, thus, a bit more open; with EV training boiled down to varying mini-games that involve your selected Pokémon shooting soccer balls into nets and avoiding the Pokémon-Balloon goalies, which house the nets and fire back with soccer balls of their own. Also, basic player movement now adds 8-directional movement and roller blades, on top of those the player character no longer requires running shoes in order to move about quickly. This all makes for a quicker playing game that nonetheless remains deep and vast.   


The game is long and filled to the brim with opportunities for exploration. Journeying from town to town, with very little in the way of backtracking, you will experience countless battles with trainers and random Pokémon a like. But it is the Gym battles and the eventual chance to challenge the Elite Four for which you will ultimately strive. The Gym's in the game--where you take on elite trainers who, with their supposed high level of skill, test you and award gym badges that will grant you access to the Pokémon League and the Elite Four--are well crafted, sporting 3D designs that really give a sense of shape and place. Though, when I refer to 3D I don't really mean the unique use of the no-glasses 3D of the 3DS, as Pokémon X and Y don't take great priority in such visual affinity. Yes, X and Y do sport some scant levels of 3D eye-popping action, but it is mostly relegated to the visually delectable 3D Pokémon battles and specific cut-scenes.  Plus, having the 3D on during Pokémon battles makes the game chug and stutter, though I wouldn't say it becomes unplayable, but just that it is very noticeable and somewhat mars a very delightful feast visual flair. The battles themselves, aside from sporting spectacularly crafted 3D Pokémon models, are tantamount choreography; they are dances of beams, blades, fists, tentacles and claws; They are painted backdrops, full-sounds, the slightest movements: animated glares and actions of ever-so-detailed creatures you thought you knew. The shift from 2D sprites cannot be understated, there is a sense of wonder and discovery every time you engage with a new foe or wild Pokémon, for the sole reason that you can't wait to behold their contemporary form; how do they materialize in such detail, a source of humble grandeur for long-time fans who, faced with their beloved, and even their disliked Pokémon of past eras, will drink of the ambrosia that is Pokémon X and Y's endearing and lovingly crafted monsters.


To be clear, it is not the raw graphical fidelity that captured my eye, but, rather, it is the slight nuances of the package; the animations of the 3D models, the small touches, such as swaying blades of grass, shimmering water  and the lighting (from cool, crisp mornings to warm, sun ripened afternoons), all come together to make for a detailed package. The Pokémon Amie system seemed gimmicky, but ,with further investigation, it is quite endearing, though it will not completely change how we play as of yet, it is the start of a more connected and immersive Pokémon trainer  experience. Super training, in which you level up your Pokémon's EV's (Effort Values)--amount to influencing the increase in ability that your Pokémon will gain each new level with the auto-level of the Pokémon series--, is very easy to do and can even be accomplished without you--the trainer--lifting a finger, that, of course, is if you have a training bag. IV's (Individual Values) can--supposedly--be more easily bread and checked upon by an in-game NPC--IV's are, again, similar to genetic data, they influence the base stat levels of your Pokémon's abilities, for instance, the higher the Speed IV the higher the ceiling/potential of your Pokémon's  Speed attribute, these are set in stone and can only be influenced through breading or trying to catch another Pokémon with naturally higher IV levels--as far as I know. The new experience share affords a streamlined leveling that evenly distributes EXP (experience points) to all active party members on your team of up-to six.. This easily adds to the feeling of freshness, even in the face of tedium--as the game can get a tad (really small) repetitive, of the overall RPG experience. 

*Heck, Catching Pokémon even rewards EXP*   

The only downside of some of this streamlining might be the draw to micro-manage your Pokémon and their abilities, instead of moving on and exploring/adventuring more within this wonderful 3D world. The Online interactions are Phenomenal and incredibly efficient. Gone are the days of waiting until you could reach a Pokémon center, nay, you may trade amongst friends or strangers (referred to as acquaintances in the Pokémon Search system), battle or access the social rating features, PR video system, or Global Trade Network from almost anywhere in  the game. Simply tap the Online tab on the bottom screen of the 3DS and, exclamation, you have access to your friend-code associates and randomized strangers (passersby) who can even become acquaintances, etc. the more you interact--either through one-off trading or battling. The Online features are quite robust for a Pokémon game, that is. One can only hope that should Game Freak continue to evolve these features and the network that house them, they remain true to the single-player experience and continue to make such features unobtrusive, at least for those who want it so. 

Overall, Pokémon X and Y are magical and addictive new entries. With new energy in their veins and vigor in their hearts the Pokémon series is refreshed for a new generation and has entrenched foundations for the foreseeable future. I spent countless hours mining away at the main quest line, of which I have said very little, but just know that it involves a new criminal group bent on selfishly harnessing the power of Pokémon to their philosophical fulfillment; I will say, however, that the motives of this Pokémon's Criminal group, Team Flare game, do leaves some food for thought, albeit not for long. I also spent some time at the battle chateau, training and raising Pokémon and taking on some of the Post-game quests--including hunting for more mega stones. I could not put the game down...seriously; If you are a fan of Pokémon, If you own a 3DS, If you believe that you will, eventually, own a 3DS, if you crave to collect--and boy there is a lot to collect with the added Pokémon pushing the total over 700, if you have any interest in trying out a new RPG, or the faintest interest in Pokémon at all, then you owe it to yourself to give X and/or Y a shot. Though, I did eventually get fatigued, but, let me be clear, it took a great deal of time--weeks--to reach such a threshold.        

I give Pokémon X and Y a splendid:                                                 

9.6/10

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