The newly released “Pokémon X” and “Pokémon Y” game series for the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS, with its polygonal 3-D environment, are the most revolutionary games in the franchise and offer the most updates in a Pokémon game.
The series present its fans with a new generation of Pokémon and the most diverse game of the franchise to date. It has many more features than its predecessors and is the first 3-D mainline game of the franchise.
Inspired by France and parts of Europe, “Pokémon X & Y” take place in the Kalos region, where players can explore an all-new setting.
The games reward players by giving them a great variety of Pokémon to choose from in the beginning, opposed to the only two or three offered in previous versions.
The games 3-D graphics are a sight to behold; the cities, forests and especially battles, which show just how old-school Pokémon players imagined their adventures in 1996 when “Pokémon Red” and “Pokémon Blue” were released.
“Pokémon X & Y” appeal to both new and old followers of the franchise. They inspire them to play by adding Pokémon from all of the six generations.
The games still have the classic formula of rock, paper, scissors starter Pokémon for each generation, which allows the player to choose one of three Pokémon at the beginning of their journey, along with generation-six Pokémon. Furthermore, these versions try to bring back players who left the franchise by giving them the opportunity to pick a generation-one starter.
The games also introduce some new features to the classic and almost unaltered formula, such as the Mega Evolution, which allow certain Pokémon to evolve even further and become stronger.
One of the most important aspects of the games is super training, which allows the training of Pokémon to be much easier than before. The super training aspects are a series of mini-games, which help to boost Pokémon to get the best statistics out of them.
In past versions, this kind of training was called effort-value training, or EV training, and it was the most tedious part of playing a Pokémon game. EV training required the player to defeat at least 15 Pokémon per statistic, which was necessary in order to stand a chance in competitive play or in online battles.
This new feature gives players around the globe an easier way to compete in battles for those who don’t want to go through the suffering of EV training.
“Pokémon X & Y” have also included several small updates that make the journey through Kalos much more enjoyable, such as running in eight directions, being able to gain experience by catching Pokémon opposed to defeating them and several mini-games that enhance the experience of Pokémon.
The games encourage the connectivity between players and makes it much easier than previous Pokémon titles by allowing them to meet instantly with friends or with people all over the world. When in the presence of other trainers, a player can battle, play or trade with them instantaneously.
As of today, “Pokémon X & Y” is the most complete and robust series of the franchise, giving them a much-needed freshness. With its many Pokémon, new features, map, accessibility and the 3-D environment, they are worthy games for anyone who is and was interested in Pokémon. Be warned, it is highly addictive, especially for a student. But think about it, the player can finally run diagonally.
Leonardo Montañez may be reached at [email protected].
