Game Freak - 2013 - 3DS
This was the first Pokemon game I had really gotten into since Gold/Silver, so a lot of the gameplay mechanics were new to me. I actually played a bit of Black/White earlier in the year, and it didn't click with me, so I was a bit nervous about playing X/Y. I was also a bit nervous to play this because I just don’t like playing on a handheld system. I don’t like being hunched over staring at a tiny little screen when I could just as easily lay back on my couch and watch a giant TV. I don’t have a need or desire to carry around a 3DS with me and play games on the go, so the entire concept of handheld gaming is a bit off putting to me, so I really had to make a focused effort to play this game despite its hardware. It was actually the first handheld game I had completed probably since I was a kid, and I actually found it kind of nice to play this while watching a football game on TV and battle between commercials and what not. Anyway, back to talking about the actual game.
If you've ever played a Pokemon game before, it’s really the same basic cake, only with a lot more icing on top. If you didn't like the cake to begin with, you probably aren't going to like it now. But for people who do like the original Red/Blue cake, the X/Y icing tastes pretty good. And if you've never played a Pokemon game before, X/Y probably isn't a bad place to start. They've streamlined the battling and made it way less grindy. In terms of gaining experience, it no longer really matters who the lead Pokemon is in a battle since all Pokemon in your active party will gain experience. I found this to be a really nice change that makes the game more about strategy and less about grinding. They've also added a lot of extra layers on top of the basic rock-paper-scissors battle system. There are passive abilities, equippable items, mega evolutions and more. I know some of that stuff was added in previous generations, but it was all new to me.
They've also finally successfully integrated the internet into a Pokemon game in the year 2013, which is really nice. You can trade/battle with friends or strangers pretty easily now. They've even added a kind of Pokemon auction house, where you can ask for certain pokemon of a specific level or with specific properties or you can post your own Pokemon up for trade. I think my favorite new system was “wonder trade” where you trade pokemon with a complete stranger without knowing what you’ll get in return. It could be a pidgey or it could be a gyarados. It’s probably going to be a pidgey though.
My main gripe against this game would have to be the difficulty. I know this game is marketed for kids, but man this game was easy. I breezed through most of it without really having to think too much. I don’t remember Red/Blue being quite this easy, so I think they could have easily dialed up the difficulty a few notches. I think what could really make an amazing Pokemon game is if they actually spent a few seconds constructing a decent narrative. It’s still pretty much just go out and battle Pokemon because… because Pokemon.
Summary:
Still a pretty solid game though, and battling with 3d Pokemon models rather than 2d sprites was pretty nice.
If you've ever played a Pokemon game before, it’s really the same basic cake, only with a lot more icing on top. If you didn't like the cake to begin with, you probably aren't going to like it now. But for people who do like the original Red/Blue cake, the X/Y icing tastes pretty good. And if you've never played a Pokemon game before, X/Y probably isn't a bad place to start. They've streamlined the battling and made it way less grindy. In terms of gaining experience, it no longer really matters who the lead Pokemon is in a battle since all Pokemon in your active party will gain experience. I found this to be a really nice change that makes the game more about strategy and less about grinding. They've also added a lot of extra layers on top of the basic rock-paper-scissors battle system. There are passive abilities, equippable items, mega evolutions and more. I know some of that stuff was added in previous generations, but it was all new to me.
They've also finally successfully integrated the internet into a Pokemon game in the year 2013, which is really nice. You can trade/battle with friends or strangers pretty easily now. They've even added a kind of Pokemon auction house, where you can ask for certain pokemon of a specific level or with specific properties or you can post your own Pokemon up for trade. I think my favorite new system was “wonder trade” where you trade pokemon with a complete stranger without knowing what you’ll get in return. It could be a pidgey or it could be a gyarados. It’s probably going to be a pidgey though.
My main gripe against this game would have to be the difficulty. I know this game is marketed for kids, but man this game was easy. I breezed through most of it without really having to think too much. I don’t remember Red/Blue being quite this easy, so I think they could have easily dialed up the difficulty a few notches. I think what could really make an amazing Pokemon game is if they actually spent a few seconds constructing a decent narrative. It’s still pretty much just go out and battle Pokemon because… because Pokemon.
Summary:
Still a pretty solid game though, and battling with 3d Pokemon models rather than 2d sprites was pretty nice.
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