Pokemon X/Y Review

Evolution. It has been a major theme in Pokemon since the very first games, and now Nintendo is trying to push that theme on the continuity of the franchise itself rather than its core principles. So the real question, is this really an evolution of the seventeen year old franchise, and does it take the series in the right direction? Mostly.

If you have played any main Pokémon game before, a majority of the game will be instantly familiar to you. The same random encounters, battle mechanics, story mechanics, character progression, and game progression are still in place. You still pick a starter from three Pokémon, and then go through eight gyms, fighting rivals and an evil team based on wreaking havoc down upon the region. Nothing has evolved here, nor should it. The formula has proven time and time again that if given a new setting, story, and characters, it feels almost brand new. I would like to see some innovation as to how the game progresses, in more of an open setting where the world open rather than having to do one specific thing at one specific time. There is also the new camera system, and it works great everywhere else than the main city, where it is rather disorienting. The best part about this new game though, is how it does not try to shove the new Pokémon in your face. This is one of the smallest changes to the Pokémon roster through the generations, and unlike the previous generation, most of the Pokémon are great. Especially Hawlucha. Hawlucha is awesome. Mega Evolutions work in a way that balance each other out as you can only Mega Evolve one Pokémon per battle. This adds a whole new level of strategy to the game. My friend might have a team of fire Pokémon, but I could mega evolve my Blastoise to have a greater chance against him.

This is the main franchises debut on the 3DS, and ironically the games are held back by the very system that was supposed to propel them forward. If you start the game expecting a 3D experience, prepare to be disappointed. The majority of the game is 2D only, which includes the world and menus. Battles are in 3D, however that only includes one on one battles, and even those lag greatly with the 3D turned on. That aside, the game does look fantastic. Instead of going for the glossy cartoon look of its recent console counterparts, this version sticks for more of a drawn cartoon, using black lines around characters and some cell shading. This looks less like a realistic version of Pokémon, but more like if the older games were brought to life. There is also a more dynamic camera which besides some minor issues, looks fantastic and provides scenic views that show off the games beauty well.

There is no way around saying this, the story sucks.The good news out of this is that you don’t really need to care too much. The lackluster three plots contain the adventures of a group of friends who just pop in and out at random, a new enemy team for the region that you have no real motivation to dislike throughout almost all of your encounters, and a lackluster reason for tackling the elite four and wanting to be the very best. The game tries to deal with some mature themes that do not work for it well, such as dealing with loss, which was awkward to see in a happy game such as Pokémon. The good news about the story is that it is presented marvelously. There are comic like cutscenes, and great new animations with 3D models instead of overhead sprites like in previous Pokémon games. I feel this could have been a breakthrough when it comes to storytelling in Pokémon, but it just felt like an average Pokémon movie, rather than a compelling plot.

This is where the game truly starts to shine. The overall structure of the game, new mechanics added, and the ease of accessing local and online features have been improved from previous generations. Even though the 3DS does not have a party system, or even a true messaging or chat system, they built chat systems in to the game. Players can get boosts in order to give to their friends, and invite them to battles, trades, or chats, straight from the game. A majority of the time (unlike with other Nintendo games) I didn’t have to use Skype as my primary source of communication while battling or wanting to communicate with friends. The best part of this new system is that it is invitation based, so both players don’t need to call each other up and plan ahead, unlike other 3DS games (Animal Crossing, Mario Kart). Also all the online and local features can be accessed from the touch screen, instead of having to jump through loops to fly to a town or city to trade, or go to a Pokémon Center to have a battle. It’s super convenient. My one complaint, is that Streetpass is woefully misused, as it only tags trainers that you pass by on the street, but provides no player interaction.

Pokémon has never been about the graphics or the story telling, it has always been about the adventure and the gameplay. If you are expecting not much more than another new Pokémon generation, you will love Pokémon X and Y, and as a long time Pokémon fan, I was hooked from the start. The problem with the game was not that it was below the standards of the franchise, but that it only met them. This will sit on top with the rest of them, but it’s not the best of them.