Saturday 26 October 2013

Pokémon X & Y

Pokémon is back, better than ever. I was lucky enough to preorder it, since it had sold out the day following its release. Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to share my opinion of the game before, but here it comes!


Introduction/ What's new

Pokémon X and Y are the 6th generation in the Pokémon series, and the first one to be exclusively for Nintendo 3DS. The previous games haven't had a 3D mode. 3D isn't the only new thing in the series, actually, a lot has changed. First of all a new type of Pokémon was introduced, the fairy type. Some Pokémons from the earlier games have also been reclassified into this new type. Mega Evolution is a new type of evolution that can be activated once per battle, and is limited to only certain Pokèmons. The graphics have been improved a lot. As someone who has played all of the previous games in the main series (and many spin-offs, too) I was amazed. The game also had new and unique ways to customise one's character by, for example, changing outfit and getting a hair cut. I still remember the first ever Pokèmon game I played, it was black and white, and only character option was a male wearing a cap. X & Y give you a chance to customise your character since the character creation, where you can already decide between a few choices. The game includes several mini games and multiplayer options, which I am personally yet to get familiar with. 
The main idea and goal of the game remains the very same as it has always been: collect Pokémons, get all the gym badges, and walk down the Victory Road to defeat the final battles. Both version include their specific legendary Pokémons, either Xerneas or Yveltal. The game also has it's new 'bad gang', Team Flare. Besides the basic concept being the same as always, X & Y offers so much more than Pokémon games ever have in story and overall gameplay. 




Fairy-type?

Can you not love this?
As someone else precisely said it, Pokémon is like rock, paper, scissors - which simply got out of hands with the options. There are currently 18 different types of Pokémon, each is weak against some, and strong against some other type. A trainer may carry 6 Pokémons at a time,   some of which may have more than one type. Hence, it is important to know which type is strong/ weak against the other, and have a good variety of different types to keep up with your opponent.
The new Fairy-type isn't too common in the game, but can be a strong addition to one's team. It's one of the only types to do x2 damage to Dragon-type.  Additionally it's strong against Fight- and Dark-types. Poison and Steel are its worst counters.
As a side note, Eevee, the Pokémon with the most possible evolutions has, yet again, a new one - of course a fairy type. In order to get the latest eeveelution, Sylveon, you need to go to Pokémon Amie and max. some of Eevee's stats (Affection, Fullness and Enjoyment). Some argue you only need to max fullness and have a few points in the other, but if you max all you should at least have enough... Additionally you need to teach your Eevee a fairy-type move, either with a TM or by leveling it enough to learn one. Once Eevee meets these requirements and levels up, it will evolve into a Sylveon. 






Mega Evolution


Mega Evolution is one of the major new gameplay mechanisms in Pokémon X and Y. Mega Evolution is temporary, and can be used only once in a battle. Your Pokémon needs to be holding appropriate stone in order to make it evolve, additionally you need to have completed certain parts of the story before Mega Evolution becomes available. So, if I have a Blastoise, equipping Blastoisenite and a Lucario equipping its corresponding stone, I can decide in a battle to use, for example, Bastoise's Mega Evolution. Should I do this, Blastoise will turn back into Blastoise after the fight, and I won't be able to use Lucario's Mega Evolution in the same fight where Blastoise used its one. The stones needed for the evolution are scattered around the game universe, and you will need to find each one to use them. If you aren't motivated enough to search for the appropriate ones, there are plenty of guides showing the exact locations. Some stones only appear in their location at certain time of the day. 


The Story


The story, though increasingly complicated from the previous games, still follows the usual order. You start out from Vaniville Town, and obtain your first Pokèmon and Pokédex. As always, the player chooses between a fire (Fennekin), grass (Chespin) and water (Froakie) - type Pokémon. All the final forms of the three have an additional type (psychic, fighting and dark). The player is later also able to choose one form the 1st generation Pokémons. Those getting the game early will also receive Torchic via 'Mystery Gift' option. After this, the player starts following the linear story line while catching new Pokémons to complete their Pokédex and battling through the gyms in different cities. In a wider perspective, the player tries to stop the Team Flare from wiping out humanity. 


Conclusion

Highly recommended for all Pokémon fans and even those who have given up on the series a couple of generations before. Pokémon has changed very little over the years, but this time, something truly new and refreshing got created. Pokémon X & Y is visually stunning 3DS game, has lots of new features and good gameplay. There is definitely a lot to do and discover, and though the game may be aimed at younger a audience, at least personally at the age of 21 I have already been entertained for hours and craving for more!