Review: Pokemon X & Y

Pokémon X & Y are the franchise’s first foray into the third dimension, released on Nintendo 3DS. You are greeted by Professor Sycamore (who still can’t tell if you’re a boy or a girl) and he introduces you to the Kalos region, and the world of Pokémon.

I was worried that 6 generations in, the Pokémon team would be running out of ideas. I needn’t have worried

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As ever, you have moved to a new town and are just about to begin your Pokémon adventure. You have a motley crew of four new friends to join you on your journey, and with the choosing of your starter, your story begins. It feels very much like the same Pokémon formula that we all know and love, but it brings a few changes to the table to keep the franchise fresh. The whole game in general has been given a massive graphics update, and I’d even dare to say that it’s the biggest visual change in the main-series Pokémon games so far.

From the flashy introduction, to the changing camera angles in battles, the game just looks more advanced. The biggest shock for me was the fact that your in-game mother finally has a bedroom – a real break from tradition! My one complaint on the graphics front is that the 3D function is, so far, underutilised. Barring a few battle scenes and evolutions, most of the game is still in 2D. Though many Nintendo aficionados are sceptical of the 3D feature, I personally love it and I think that much more could have been done. Perhaps it will begin to shine later in the game.

Something that Pokémon fans have been clamouring for is character customisation and X & Y have brought it to the table. Although it’s no sims-style character builder, you get to choose between three basic looks at the start. There’s also the opportunity to buy different outfits throughout the game, giving you a little bit more control over your sprite. In the first town, you even have the opportunity to grab roller skates, allowing your character to move even faster than before – certainly useful when sprinting across town to the Pokémon centre.

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Fans of the bait-and-switch training routine will be overjoyed, as the experience system has been given an overhaul. Before, all Pokémon involved in a battle shared the experience between then, but now they all get the full amount. This is especially handy early on in the game, as you can level up all your new catches easily, whilst still raking in a decent amount of experience for your all-important starter. Not only that, but you can now gather experience when you catch Pokémon as well – even more of an incentive to catch ‘em all!

Something that has really surprised me at the beginning of the game is the vast array of types available straight off the bat. The three elemental monkeys from Black & White are easy to find in the first forest, Pikachu is lurking in the grass, and there’s even an Azurill for quick access to water gun. The three new starters begin with a move of their type as well, which comes in handy, as your very first battle is against the starter weak to yours. I chose Fennekin, and took down Shauna’s Chespin in just two hits.  No more waiting until level 10 for ember.

I was excited that my copy of Pokémon X landed on my doorstep a day early, and now that I’ve had a chance to get acquainted with it, I can’t wait to get stuck in. As a Pokémon enthusiast, I was worried that 6 generations in, the Pokémon team would be running out of ideas. I needn’t have worried. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Pokémon has a formula that works, so why change it? Just throw in a new type every decade and some new creatures for us to catch. That will keep the fans happy for generations to come.

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