Review: Pokemon X/Y

Pokemon X and Y

Completed: January 2014

Time Spent: ~30 Hours (Story), 8 Hours (Postgame+Multiplayer)

Game Played: Pokemon Y

Spoilers: None

Price: 39.99 MSRP

Gameplay

Pokemon has basically (like mario or zelda), been the same in concept over the time of its franchise, and it's a pretty old formula to keep using. In this new game, it does a good job of freshening the formula with its graphics and small fixes (move moves, the minigames on the touch screen etc.), while also staying core to its past games. Your main goal of course, is to grab all the badges in the region and defeat the Elite 4 & Champion to become the strongest pokemon trainer in the region. Other than that, you have obstacles such as Team Flare (Which will be mentioned later on) that will try to take over the world, so it does give you more than 1 thing to do in the game, although it's awfully linear (as all pokemon games are, which isn't a bad thing). The starter pokemons for this game are really nice and have decent evolutions (I chose Froakie, the water frog which evolves to a really awesome Greninja), and the balance is pretty well done in this game. I'd have to say that nothing at core has really changed, so just enjoy it like any other pokemon game. The only negative thing I can say is that the game got much easier, and whenever you win a fight, exp is shared to more than just 1 pokemon, and the fact that you get exp for catching pokemon is really new and simpler than it was before. This provides less grinding, but also games much easier to play - which I saw as a downside. The new minigames, again, are really entertaining and they really do help your pokemon gain exp or stats in some cases (although that just makes the game easier). Pokemon Amie is a good thing for kids or adults who like to play with their pokemon, and I see that as another pleasant feature that was added on.

Story

Every pokemon game has a story, and this one seems to do a decent job of portraying the problem this time, and I can say that the story for this generation is acceptable. It is a bit of a step down compared to other pokemon games (Gen V and Gen III were my favorites), but it still does its job of making you fight a bunch of grunts to get enough money and exp to survive in the world. The enemy this time is Team Flare, and they're just a bunch of people who crave a new, beautiful world. The story itself (with Team Flare included) drags on for a good 20-25 hours, so I'd say that you won't be taking them out of the shelves that quickly, but I honestly did expect a more entertaining and smarter group to battle in this game. On the other hand, going around the region to get pokemon is standard issue for all these games, so I had no problem - and it didn't really seem old or boring in any way...fortunately

Watch out! These baddies are here to take ya out!

Music/Art

The music in this game is composed by a lot of people, but there are only two main lead composers (which are Junichi Masuda & Shota Kageyama). They did a fantastic job with the soundtrack of the game, and the use of really electronic tracks for the fights with trainers and etc. struck me in a good way. The music in general is good, but it would have been nice if the composers could compose a second battle theme after you get through half the game, since it does start to get slightly repetitive (maybe the 7th generation will solve that?) over a long course of meeting wild pokemon and grinding through them. In terms of soundtracks, the game has a really good one, but in terms of Pokemon soundtracks, I'd have to say it lands at the average mark. The art in this game is spectacular, with the 3D effect and full 3D world being a first in the series. With the 3DS' new horsepower, this game can really rack up some serious graphics compared to prior games. I felt the animation for all the pokemon were done really well, and that the models were also really detailed, though a tiny bit pixelated (if you took a closer look). It's unfortunate that the world could not be turned on to 3D, but nevertheless, it did not subtract from the experience too much.

The world looks much better now! Though you won't get the 3D option now~

Presentation

The presentation is really nice, with all the layouts looking clean and good - font very easy to read and the menus well organized. I was impressed with how much more convenient they made everything. The difficulty is much lower in this game, which provides for a more entertaining time for newcomers, but also a more boring time for veterans. I'd say that it would have been nicer if they included a harder difficulty at the start of the game for people like me that would have enjoyed a more intense and difficult experience. A problem with the presentation I'd have to say though, is the fact that the game lags more than any pokemon game I've played. You get lag from the 3D effect (and without too!) whenever you're fighting or using very heavy particle-attacks (like say, hydro blast or psychic). I'd have to say in all though, that the game has presented itself pretty well, and I look forward to even more improvements in the next game.

Length/Postgame/Multiplayer

This seems to be something that reviewers don't review much about compared to how important it is (in my own eyes). This is not a short adventure by any means - and you'll be spending a good 25-35 hours trying to beat the main story/champion. The problem I have with this game (unlike the others) is that the postgame is really disappointing. After finishing the main story, catching the postgame legendaries and fighting at the Battle Chateau (just a training place to get money and exp when bored), things got extremely boring, and I haven't played the game in 5 months due to that fact. There isn't really anything that urges me to come back into the game other than the fact that there is multiplayer. The multiplayer in this game is as splendid as always, and I had a good time playing with other players. The fact that this is on the 3DS and not on the DS means that there are fewer cheaters, and you'll probably be having a better time, with the exception of DS users transferring their hacked-pokemon to the 3DS themselves and using them for battle. All pokemon are limited to lvl 50 and the fight usually plays out for a long time, depending on both player's skills. The tournaments that nintendo hosts are nice, though one slight mistake and you're basically taken out by the opponent. I have yet to play a ton of multiplayer, though I have spilled quite a few hours on it myself back in January/February.

Overall (+Final Impression)

I felt like this is one of the strongest first-party 3DS games to come out for people in general (as anticipated) in 2013. This, paired along with a couple of real life friends with copies of X or Y will prove to be one epic sight to experience (assuming you all have same lvl range pokemon ;)). I have enjoyed this game for a long time, and even though the battles lag and the postgame content is not that strong and was ultimately disappointing to me, I'll be attempting to pick up this game over the course of the next few years to play multiplayer and finish a few more things I need. For god's sake, pick up this 3DS game (X or Y, or both!) as soon as you can if you haven't already!

Pros

+ Conversion to 3D world successful

+ Pretty good music

+ Variety of new pokemon to catch

+ Great multiplayer, potential postgame

Cons

- Lag in most battles (2D & 3D)

- Story isn’t the best or deepest

- No difficulty selection at start; too easy

- Little actual postgame content

Gameplay: 8.5/10 

Story: 7/10 

Music/Art: 8.5/10 

Presentation: 8.5/10 

Length/PostGame/Multiplayer: 7.5/10 

Averaged (8.0) Overall: 8.0/10