Pokemon X and Pokemon Y offer a unique feel to the Pokemon series that any gamer will enjoy. Whether you’re new to the series or a long time customer seeking your next hit of Pokemon to satisfy an addiction, Pokemon X & Y are great games for anyone.
The latest installment in the Pokemon Series was released on the 3DS platform on Saturday, October 12, 2013. Some of the more recent Pokemon games such as Pokemon Black and White, felt bland in my opinion. While I wasn’t excited for X & Y, my friend Mitchell talked me into it.
I was very nervous when I put the game in my borrowed 3DS because I had just spent $40 buying a game I was having second thoughts about. I bit my lip, steeled my nerves, and turned it on. Already showing the 3DS’ abilities, the game began with the hero waking up from his/her bed by a nosey Fletchling (a new bird type Pokemon). For the first time I’ve ever played a 3DS, I was amazed by the cutscene.
As I wandered through some tall grass looking for Pokemon to catch, I was surprised when I stumbled across not one, not two, but five wild Pokemon at the same time. Seeing five level-five Scraggys (a Pokemon from Black and White) all in full color with realistic animations is a bit intimidating. Pokemon hordes are very dangerous; Five Leers and five sand-attack moves all in only two turns, and my poor Fennekin didn’t have the accuracy or the defense to survive even two of their low-kick attacks. Needless to say, everytime I found a Pokemon horde, I ran away.
As a revolutionary change to the game, Mega Stones allow Pokemon to evolve past their final evolution. Mega evolution is a once-per-battle action where Pokemon can evolve into a much stronger form. Sometimes even a Pokemon’s traits will change, making some of their moves stronger than they were before. The downside to this is the pokemon you want to mega-evolve has to be holding a stone unique to that Pokemon. Because of this, only a select few Pokemon have a mega evolution.
My favorite part about X & Y would easily be the fact that they establish a base, solidifying what the series has had, upon which it can be expanded. The game is more of a springboard toward something greater. It takes us back to when we started playing by bringing back fan favorites such as pokemon from the Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald series. It establishes a revised creativity separating X & Y from their most recent predecessor, Black and White.