I'd like to go ahead and state, for the record, that a lot of things contained in this post are PURELY my opinion. You have the right to agree or disagree as you see fit.
As we go into the sixth generation of Pokemon games, we are seeing loads of new changes made between generations five and six. I'll be highlighting some of those changes here, with my opinion on each, and my prediction on how this game will be rated. Information gathered from
this page will be listed in bold-faced font, while my personal feelings regarding that feature will be in italics.
I'd like to reiterate that all text in bold-faced font has been copied from BULBAPEDIA. I credit their website for all of the information I am listing below.
3D COMPATIBLE GAMEPLAY
Unlike previous games in the main series, Pokémon X and Y feature a three dimensional style of gameplay, and 3D modeled characters and creatures are used, rather than sprites like has always been done in the main series. In addition, the games still feature 2D elements of gameplay. The battle system is aesthetically overhauled, featuring more lively reactions to the attacks, such as when a Pokémon is being hit.
This is a huge plus as far as I'm concerned. The main issue I've always have with Pokemon games is that there has always been such a lack of realism. The 3D features (NO MORE SPRITES!) sound like they will be just the thing that I've been waiting for as far as making the battles less boring and more fun to watch.
TRANSPORTATION
Players can now walk on an 8 directional grid, allowing diagonal movement, as opposed to the four way grid in previous games.
The player now has the ability to rollerskate, at least under certain conditions, and have been shown to allow the player to grind and overcome obstacles. Gogoat and Rhyhorn can be ridden in certain locations and allow the player to interact with the environment, by destroying rocks and crossing broken paths.
Being able to move in any direction that I want is going to make the game so much more fun and realistic. I remember getting very frustrated when I basically had to "box around" every time I needed to backtrack. The riding of Pokemon to overcome obstacles sounds like it will be a great feature. It makes a ton of sense, and they should've implemented this years ago!
PLAYER SEARCH SYSTEM
The Player Search System (PSS) is a multiplayer feature that allows people to connect, battle, and trade with other players through the internet. It uses the bottom screen and allows the player to search for other people playing both globally and locally.
This feature is going to make trading and battling a thousand times easier. Now, it'll be easier to complete your Pokedex because you can trade GLOBALLY. No more worrying over where you'll get those version exclusive Pokemon. This is going to change the way people collect Pokemon.
POKEMON AMIE
Pokémon-Amie is a new feature that allows the player to develop stronger bonds with their Pokémon. It uses the touch screen to allow players to pet, feed, and play with Pokémon currently on their team. Players may interact with their Pokémon by petting or feeding them via the touchscreen or mimicking their movements using the camera.
This is the game changer for me. I have always talked to my Pokemon as if they could hear me, because I have no life. This really adds to the roleplaying value of the game. Having fun with your Pokemon is something that I believe should've been added long ago.
SKY BATTLES
Sky Battles are battles which are restricted to Flying Pokémon, although some Pokémon with Levitate can enter. These airborne battles take place against Trainers standing far away, such as on cliffs.
Sky battles sound like they'll be super great fun! It makes the world seem so much bigger and real when you can have your flying Pokemon have a battle mid-air. This is one of those features that I think should've been added long ago.
HORDE ENCOUNTERS
It is now possible to encounter several wild Pokémon at once. Up to five wild Pokémon will battle against one of the player's Pokémon. These battles offer a lot of experience. Some attacks, such as Rock Slide, are shown to hit all five of the opposing Pokémon. However, after the player's turn, their Pokémon must withstand attacks from all five of the opposing Pokémon.
When watching the show, we'd sometimes see huge groups of little Pokemon hanging out together, and I was thought to myself, "I wonder what it would be like if someone had to battle all of those at once." It may be a bit tricky to take attacks from five Pokemon, but if your Pokemon has an attack that uses an area-of-effect range, it'll be a fun time.
SUPER TRAINING
Super Training is a new method of quickly and easily increasing a Pokémon's EVs.
I've always been super bored with the conventional method of EV training. It has gotten so bad that I've refrained from even training them at all sometimes. This new method of training will help keep the series fresh and bring back some players who were too burnt out with training to even continue playing the game.
NEW TYPE
One new type has been introduced, the Fairy type. This type was added to balance the Dragon type, which was previously only weak to itself and Ice. Fairy-type attacks are strong against Dragon, Fighting, and Dark types and resisted by Fire, Poison, and Steel types; Fairy-type Pokémon are weak to Poison- and Steel-type attacks, resist Fighting-, Bug-, and Dark-type attacks, and are immune to Dragon-type attacks.
I don't really have any personal thoughts about having a new type. Of course, it's good to have a counter to Dragon types, but it seems that this is the only purpose of a new type.
TRAINER CUSTOMIZATION
The player will now be able to change their appearance in-game, allowing them to customize their characters by changing the hair color and the clothes worn.
YES!!!! THANK YOU NINTENDO GODS!!!! This is what I've been waiting for since Red + Blue. Back then, you couldn't even play as a female character, and that was my largest issue with the game. Then, in sapphire and ruby, the option to play as a female character came in and I was happy, but the character wasn't really my style. Now, there's nothing keeping me from my perfect character to play. This is possibly my favorite improvement.
GYMS
X and Y will feature Gyms like every other main series title. A Gym seen in the Nintendo Direct trailer features the female protagonist standing on a floating platform that transforms into a room. The first Gym Leader is Viola, who specializes in the Bug type. Along with her, three other Gym Leaders have been revealed.
Welp, gyms are gyms. They are the bread and butter of becoming a Pokemon trainer. There doesn't seem to be many changes to the way that works.
NEW POKEMON
Currently, 42 new Pokémon are confirmed for X and Y. The total number of new Pokémon that will be released is unknown at this point.
It's always interesting to see what kind of Pokemon NIntendo has come up with, but it can be confusing to memorize them and their types. I've never been a fan of "new" Pokemon, the original 150 were it for me.
MEGA EVOLUTION
Different from forms, Mega Evolutions are available exclusively in battle and allow for a temporary boost in stats, in some cases changing their Abilities and types. This ability will not be available to all Pokémon. The Pokémon can transform if it is holding a Mega Stone in battle and meets another currently unannounced condition.
This feature seems pointless to me at the moment. Yes, it allows for more powerful Pokemon, but only certain Pokemon have a mega evolution. Also, the fact that they deevolve after battle makes it all seem useless to me. This is my least favorite/anticipated new feature.
Well, in conclusion, I think that the game will be the greatest release yet, and I'm extremely excited for it. My estimated rating (KEY WORD ESTIMATED) is that it will score about an 8 or 8.5 If there are other players like me, they will find the mega evolution feature useless and it'll take away from some of the fun of the game if you're forced to mega evolve to defeat tougher opponents.
Thanks for reading, I really put forth a lot of effort into this article. Thank you to the wonderful people at
Bulbapedia for the wealth of knowledge that you have provided for years!
