On-The-Go Online Features
Pokemon X and Pokemon Y have made vast improvements to the setup of online trading and battling. In the past, you always had to go to a Pokemon Center to do anything related to online, whether it was trading or battling. Instead, they have now integrated something known as the Player Search System right into your bottom screen of the 3DS. This allows you to see which of your friends are on at any given time. The Player Search System also hosts the Pokemon GTS that was introduced last generation that allows you to search for a specific Pokemon you want for trade. You pretty much have the ability to battle or trade at your fingertips at any point after the initial intros to the game, which is an awesome feeling.
NOTs
No Revolutionary Gameplay Changes
The Pokemon franchise has always featured just about the same gameplay throughout all its games, with very little changes. We’ve had the additions of things like double and triple battles in the past, but for the most part it has been the same since day one. Not that this is really a bad thing, but Pokemon X and Pokemon Y really do not bring anything new to the table with the actual gameplay. There is the new Fairy type and Mega Evolutions, but I’m not talking about matchups, I’m talking strictly about the gameplay. You will start a battle and choose your moves and attack back and forth until one Pokemon is knocked out, or in the case of wild Pokemon, caught or knocked out.
3D Usage
While it doesn’t appear that the 3D aspect of the Nintendo 3DS is the most important feature anymore with the release of something like the 2DS, it was still kind of disappointing that Pokemon X and Pokemon Y did not make better usage of 3D in the game, especially with the new designs in this game. It is nice to use sometimes in the Pokemon battles and the few cutscenes in the game that utilized it, but it was really a missed opportunity to not include it in the overworld. One specific area I can think of that it would have looked great is the cliffs about Ambrette City. I really don’t use the 3D on the system all the time, but that specific area just screamed 3D to me.
EXP Share
While I said the EXP Share was a great thing under the HOTs, it is also kind of a bad thing in the game, as it tends to make the game too easy at times. Of course you can just turn it off, but by doing that you will run into the problems from old games. For the most part, the trainers and gym leader’s levels are scaled fairly well to adjust for the use of the EXP share. However, there are some points where the game just becomes too easy. Going into the final gym, I had a Blaziken that was over Level 75, with little to no grinding at all during the game. This was against mid-50 level Pokemon, which is a completely mismatch, before even taking into account types. The Elite Four was also one of the easiest runs through an Elite Four I’ve made in any Pokemon game before.
VERDICT
As no big surprise to anyone, Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are an absolute blast to play. The mainline Pokemon games have always been nothing but quality, and the latest two entries in the franchise continue that tradition. The transition to 3D models is one that longtime fans have been dreaming of for years and it did not disappoint. The new Pokemon are very memorable along with the Mega Evolutions of some classic Pokemon. The gameplay may not have really added anything new, but that isn’t exactly a bad thing as that is what truly makes it Pokemon. This game likely isn’t going to turn any anti-Pokemon people to fans, but fans of the series will absolutely love it and it is an excellent game to introduce a new generation of kids to the magic that is Pokemon.
[Editor’s Note: Pokemon X and Pokemon Y were reviewed on the Nintendo 3DS platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
