Y wouldn’t you buy these amazing games? Its Pokémon, just X 2!

In the 17 years since the first Pokémon games were released, Game Freak have been churning out generations of iterative games, each improving upon their predecessors gradually. Now in its sixth generation of the games, Pokémon X & Y delivers another more-of-the-same but greatly improved game from its predecessor Pokémon Black 2 and White 2. I played Pokémon Y, but the differences between the versions are slight, and do not involve any gameplay mechanics. This review will contain spoilers, although not story related ones.

Aesthetics and Presentation

The new 3D graphics (when I say 3D, I mean the 3D models you see in games, not the stereoscopic 3D you get in a 3DS) would be the first thing that someone would notice when they pick up the game. For the first time in the game’s history (only considering the main series of games and not their spin-offs), Pokémon are no longer just 2D sprites with some extra frames for rudimentary animations ­— they are now living, breathing creatures who move around during battle scenes when you are idle. They squirm in pain when they get hit, and they dance when they are happy. The overworld is also now in glorious and beautiful 3D. Cities and towns actually feel alive with people who move around and you can eavesdrop on their conversations if you so wish. The camera swoops arounds with different camera angles as you move around the cities and routes, highlighting the amazing aesthetics that Game Freak has added to the cities. One of the caves only allows traversing with an over-the-shoulder look, giving it more of a mysterious nature without the usual top-down approach. This was first featured in Pokémon Black and White, but with the game now moving onto better graphics with the 3DS, it looks way better. With the game set in the Kalos region modelled after France, it is not surprising to find some French knockoffs in the game. There is a tower in the middle of the largest city that is obviously a copy of the Eiffel Tower, and there is also a clone of the Versaille Palace in the game. Random encounters with Pokémon in the game are also more varied. You can now walk across grass fields, shallow water, and even have Pokémon leap out of bushes or the sand to ambush you. In caves, Pokémon can even swoop down from the ceiling to attack you. Some people may really hate such random encounters prevalent in typical Japanese games; the variety of such encounters seem to have alleviated the frustration, and I actually look forward to having some encounters. The music in the game sounds really amazing. I really liked the various battle themes. The cities and towns have music that seems to emphasise the beauty aspects of them, and is just really pleasing to listen to. I usually have the volume slider on my 3DS turned all the way up when I am playing at home. I should also note that the music sounds different from previous games, with a change in the style of the music. For the first time in the series, the player is able to customise his or her appearance. You can buy clothes, and change your hairstyle and your accessories like your bag and hat. This is all done in the name of being stylish, which is also a gameplay mechanic that allows you access to some of the locations in the game. In ages past, battles mostly looked like two Pokémon sprites moving laterally on a screen, and blinking when they get hit. Well, not any more. Battles feel very much alive in Pokémon X and Y. While the player decides on his next move, the Pokémon on the field will breathe, idle around, and even turn around to look at the player for directions. When the attacks are exchanged, they will actually move in a way that is consistent with what the attack is. For example, if it wants to shoot a Hyper Beam, it might actually open its mouth and shoot a beam. When Pokémon get hit, they will squirm and grimace. Just like in Pokémon Black and White, the game camera will also pan around the battlefield, giving you an immersive experience while you battle. Unfortunately, it also seems that Game Freak might have gone a bit too far in terms of maximising and utilising the 3DS graphics capabilities in this game. Stereoscopic 3D is not always used consistently in the game. It only manifests in cut scenes, and only in single one on one battles. In battles, you could literally see the framerate of the game drop and lag when you have stereoscopic 3D turned on. Even with stereoscopic 3D turned off, battles sometimes lag as well. This gets worse in a triple battle.

Story

The stories of the Pokémon games have really never been a draw. They are the same. Pokémon Black and White and their sequels actually made a stark improvement in terms of the storyline being slightly more interesting and different. The story is typical. When you start the game, the game asks if you are a boy, or a girl. You make your choice, enter your name and then you are a thrown into your bedroom. You are a newbie in town who is given a Pokédex by some professor who then sends you off on a journey to complete it. You are called to investigate some mystery about mega-evolution (mechanics described below). At the same time, you collect eight gym badges to complete in the Pokémon league, and become the champion after challenging the elite four. You also encounter some evil organisation. They are just called Team Flare in this game. It is all the same. If you’ve played any of the games, you’ve heard of the story. It is actually a regression compared to Pokémon Black and White. It raises some interesting adult themes of overpopulation and resource scarcity, but they never really get developed. In games past, you would usually have one (and then two) rivals in the game who aid you on your quest. This time, you get four, three of whom are really annoying. They get in the way, say silly things, and just babble on and on. I think Game Freak intended to make the whole journey seem less of a solo experience, but I don’t think it worked for me. Perhaps that’s because I am old and cynical. The only one who is bearable and even slightly likeable is your actual rival who is the gender that you did not choose when making your character, but they suffer from really low self esteem and say extremely self-deprecating things when you defeat them. What am I supposed to do? I can’t progress if I don’t defeat you, and yet you say such depressing things that really make your character rather unlikeable, and difficult to empathise with. The game does have its own quirky moments. There are derpy characters that think out loud, and literally give away their passwords after you defeat them. One of your friends can mention that she has never seen fireworks alone with a boy before, and then someone comes up to give the both of you the Protect TM right after. Some of the characters want to thank you by battling you. Game Freak also seems to have a weird interpretation of the French culture — there seems to be an overabundance of cafés. There is no end of positive reinforcement in the game. You are constantly rewarded for talking to NPCs by getting items. You are constantly told that you are on your way to greatness.

Gameplay Mechanics

This is the part of the games that I am most passionate about, especially when trying to explain to people why I still play Pokémon games. For the avoidance of doubt, I would like to iterate that Pokémon games are not just for kids — they have great gameplay mechanics which make competitive battling really fun. If you are not familiar with the mechanics, this section might not make much sense to you. Pokémon X and Y introduce many welcome changes to the gameplay mechanics, the effects of which remain to be seen once the community gets more familiar with the games and starts competing. For the first time in the 14 years since the original release of Pokémon Gold and Silver, a new type has been introduced: Fairy. Fairy is introduced in order to bring balance to the game by being super-effective against and immune to the Dragon type. It is also weak to Poison type, which has been really underused so far. This is probably the most exciting change in this generation, and I am eager to see how this changes competitive battling. Mega-evolution is the next biggest change in mechanics. Some Pokémon are now able to temporarily mega-evolve into an ever stronger stage during a battle. They might get new abilities, or even change their types. This comes at the cost of having to hold a certain item in order to mega-evolve. At the time of writing, not all of the mega-evolutions have been discovered. It also remains to be seen how this would change the competitive landscape. Game Freak has also tried to reduce the level of grind in the game, one of the greatest complaints. With the new Exp Share item that grants 50% of the experience to all the Pokémon who did not take part in battles, it is now extremely easy to level up, although this could make the game feel too easy. In fact, by the eighth gym, my team was 15 levels ahead of the gym leader. Capturing wild Pokémon now also gives experience. Training of effort values (EV) has also been made easier. There is a new “Super Training” mini-game that allows you to boost the desired EV. Breeding has also seen its fair share of changes by making it easier to pass on abilities (including hidden ones), moves, and even Individual Values from parents. All of these changes will serve to make competitive battling more accessible to newcomers, and will hopefully encourage more players to take part. In addition to the “Super Training” mini-game, there is also the Pokémon-Amie mini game that allows you to literally play with your Pokémon by stroking them and feeding them. This raises their “affection” level which can lead to boosted experience games, and increased accuracy, critical hit ratio, and evasion rates during battles. Pokémon X and Y introduces a known total of 69 new Pokémon, bringing the entire tally to a whopping 718. While the number of new Pokémon may pale in comparison with the previous generation, it should not detract from the gameplay experience. The variety of wild Pokémon you can encounter is simply astounding. By the second badge, I had already captured at least 60 unique species, and I was constantly running out of money to buy more Pokéballs with. Who knows, it might be possible to catch’em all! There are also some additional new minor features. For example, it is now possible to ride some Pokémon to traverse harsh terrains. You could also have a “sky battle” with certain “sky trainers” that only Pokémon who have some semblance of flight abilities can participate in. You can also encounter up to five Pokémon at once in Horde Encounters. Personally, I find these encounters to be extremely annoying, although they come with the perk that the hordes have a high chance of having their hidden abilities.

Multiplayer Connectivity

The Pokémon series of games has always been about connectivity. Starting in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Nintendo has gradually embraced the internet to allow for remote connectivity. Pokémon X and Y brings about the fruition of all the work in the interleaving games in the form of the “Player Search System” (PSS). The PSS makes it really easy to interact with other players on the internet. When connected to the internet, the PSS will constantly show you “passerbys”, essentially other players who are connected to the PSS, although they are not really passing by when they are in places like Tokyo! In this way, random strangers can challenge you to a battle, or even perform a trade. The same goes for friends whom you’ve added to your friend list. The only complaint about this system is the lack of text chat. You could only do voice chat, or nothing. Wonder Trade is one of the nicest feature of the PSS. Essentially, it’s a gambling game where you trade something in return for something random decided by the system. Although rife with trashy Pokémon, online communities have taken to “cleansing” the wonder trade system by putting in really rare Pokémon, including shiny Pokémon, Pokémon that are highly sought for, and even Pokémon infected with the elusive Pokérus. Finally, there is a “Friend Safari” which allows you to capture really rare Pokémon that cannot be encountered normally with the hidden abilities. The type of Pokémon present is calculated from the friends you’ve added.

For people of our generation, it is likely that we grew up with Pokémon in one way or another. You could have played Pokémon when you were young, and then stopped. Or, you could have been playing Pokémon while growing up. Game Freak intends to capitalise on that aspect of nostalgia one way or another, and this game has plenty of nostalgic elements. Pokémon Black and White tried to invoke nostalgia by making everything new, so that you could relive the moments when you picked up the first Pokémon Red and Blue games for the first time. The locations in that game were entirely new, and none of the familiar Pokémon appeared until you’ve beaten the game. Pokémon X and Y intends to do so in the opposite manner by giving you everything that was familiar. Pokémon introduced in the older generations are a constant fixture in the game, and are absolutely abundant. You could literally catch a Pikachu an hour into the game. The first forest you encounter has the exact same layout as the Viridian Forest in the original Pokémon Red and Blue games. It works. There have been numerous reports of people on the internet getting back into the game after not having played Pokémon for years in the interleaving period, so much so that Nintendo announced 4 million copies of the games being sold over the release weekend. Pokémon is huge, and I really hope this helps to boost the fledgling 3DS ecosystem.

Final Words

Pokémon Black and White and their sequels were one of my favourite games from the series. They broke new grounds in terms of mechanics changes, and really brought me into like the games again. Pokémon X and Y seems to want to do the same for an even wider audience, newcomers, veterans and even people who have stopped playing the games. It is an extremely well-refined experience, aside from some minor complaints.. It feels fresh, and is a very modern Pokémon game, complete with the multiplayer connectivity. If you have ever been remotely interested in Pokémon before, you should give it a try. Maybe you’ll like it and find yourself reminiscing about your younger self playing your first Pokémon game.