P.G. Brody's Reviews: Pokemon X and Y

   Here we go guys, the review I've been waiting incredibly impatiently to do and the review that some of you really want to see!    Pokemon X and Y!

                       P.G. Brody's Reviews




Graphics



First off, I HAVE to cover the graphics.  For going straight to 3D models from pixels, they weren't lazying about.  This photo was taken with a camera, meaning that the graphics are actually better than in this photo.



Everything about the graphics was done wonderfully.  The battle animations are awesome, the 3D models look as they should, and everything it just grand.  You know how boring the Pokemon Center generally is?  Well, when you talk to the lady who heals your Pokemon, you'll see the scene from one of about 4 or 5 different positions!  That may sound like minor positives, but they're everywhere here, and they just add up and add up and add up.

Music

This might be, in my opinion, the best Pokemon music done yet (bar Youtube).  It's now mostly orchestration with a nice mix of natural game music, and it blends very well.  There's even some metal guitar in certain parts, which is pretty neat if you ask me.

Also, THEMES.  Certain characters have special themes in this game that only play when they are around. There are four I can specifically think of, and there might be more I'm either missing or forgetting.  And not only that, each one is awesome!

Characters

In my opinion, this game has the most well-developed characters yet.  The gym leaders and elite four are still on the low side with a few cool ones, but all the main characters are awesome.



Professor Sycamore is by far the most interesting out of all the Professors.  Granted, in the TV series, I like Oak better, but game-wise, Oak really didn't have much personality.  Sycamore does, and it shows.

In most Pokemon games, the Professor wasn't really that important over all.  He or she was the person you met at the beginning and end of the game, and beyond that they served next to no purpose.  Diamond and Pearl changed that, with having Rowan show up every now and then, but then they went back to boring for Black and White.

Guess what happened this gen?  Professor Sycamore is one of the person you will see the most throughout the entire game.  He shows up to check on you occasionally, gives you helpful items, and even has some important and deep things to say occasionally.   Not to mention that his theme is SO awesome.  This was the first time that I was actually excited when I saw the professor.  Well done, Game Freak.



The rivals are also something they changed in this game.  You technically have four rivals in this game.  From left to right is Shauna, the small, energetic and childish female, Tierno, the fat kid that loves to dance, and Trevor, the short, highly intelligent boy who is focused on filling the Pokedex.



The fourth character is your actual rival, or in other words, the base trainer opposite of the gender you chose.  Hilariously enough, I didn't figure that out until AFTER I beat the game.  She had enough personality that I actually thought she was her own character design.

The main change in this game is that they aren't exactly your rivals.  Bar the fourth member, the others almost never battle you.  They're more "companions", fellow trainers you hang out and meet up with you throughout the story.  They really add a lot to the story, and is in my opinion, the best rival setup ever done in Pokemon.



I would talk about team Flare, but I don't want to give any spoilers, as some of you are probably going to buy the game eventually.  All I will say is that keep your opinions about the team to yourself until AFTER you've beat the main story line.  This may not have been the best team ever, but it's certainly my second or third favorite.




The new Pokemon designs are pretty cool, in my opinion.  These are just a picture of a couple random new Pokemon I chose because I needed a visual, and even these, while not amazing, are pretty good.  They only go up from here.  They're creative, unique, and more fitting to the environment.   Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Kalos



Now for the region itself.  This is, by far, my favorite Pokemon region of all.

This was another minor gripe I had with a few of the other regions.  Most of them, while having minor differences, looked exactly like other regions.  They had their differences, but the land themes were the same, always having a perfect balance between nature and technology, and it really didn't ever seem unique. Black and White actually got a little bit more interesting, as it seemed to have more big cities and buildings, like a more industrial region.

Kalos is exactly what you'd imagine it to be in the Pokemon world: France in the Pokemon World.  The buildings are more elegant, there's a lot more nature, and overall it's much more mystical and beautiful than most of the other regions.

They still kept with the same variations.  Water land, freaky land, ice land, that sort of thing.  But unlike other games, they seem different from their usual selves.  They are nicely blended with the French atmosphere, and while the cities are quite different, they are unified nicely by the elegant and beautiful landscape.  The whole ride through, it feels like you are in the Pokemon version of the country it's based off of, and that is exactly how you should be feeling while playing a Pokemon game.

Fairy Type



Now that I'm done reviewing the basic aspects of the game, it's time to review the special new features the game has, and we'll start with the new type.

As I mentioned before, I believed this game was going to fix the Metagame a little bit.  It actually did better than I thought.  Weather was nerfed, so Sandstorm isn't as effective as it used to be, Ghost types got a nice boost, and other things that I mentioned earlier.  Now what about the fairy type?

One of the original thoughts many people had was "is fairy type going to change anything?"  It was a little shaky, as not very powerful Pokemon seemed to be getting it, and people were beginning to wonder if it would become another weak type...they were more wrong about that than anything else.

The fairy type DESTROYED the dragons.  I have fought against many fairy types, and they NEVER were easy.  Pokemon that use to be amazing were single-handedly slaughtered by this new type.  Supereffective against Dark, Fighting and Dragon, and weak to only Steel and Poison, they are something to be feared.

I am very excited to see results of this.  While fairy-type seems to be quite a lot like the original dragon type, they really aren't.  They have few weaknesses and powerful advantages, but the Pokemon themselves are not overpowered in the first place, like many dragons were.  They brought down the dragons while still having average stats, meaning that they took down the almighty dragons without replacing it with a new overpowered type.  YES.

Super Training



I'm sure most of you have heard about EV training by now.  A hidden mechanic that allows you, through a little more effort, to make your Pokemon surpass its normal limits.  Over the years it has become well-known as is considered more than necessary for any Pokemon team.

However, EV training has always been a boring process.  The only way to obtain them was through killing certain Pokemon over and over and over and over AND OVER AND OVER until you couldn't get that Pokemon out of your head for the next ten minutes.  Black/White tried to fix this with simply finding feathers, but it took even LONGER to do that than the original process.

Then, for Pokemon X and Y, Game Freak created Super Training.  Super Training is basically obtaining EVs in the form of a minigame.  Not only is it fun (and sometimes addicting), but you can do it pretty much right from the start of the game, play it ANYWHERE AT ALL, and it's absolutely FREE.  You can eventually be able to earn +12 evs in a stat per minigame (generally taking less than a minute), which would generally take about 5 Pokemon battles or about 2000 Pokedollars.

In short, THIS IS AMAZING.  For the first time ever, it's actually FUN to ev train Pokemon!   I was actually looking for a Pokemon that I didn't even use to ev train it because I wanted to play the games again! Just another new positive to add to everything I've said already.

Pokemon Amie



To the left of the Super Training option on the bottom screen is Pokemon Amie.  Pokemon Amie is essentially another step in the direction of making you feel like you actually own Pokemon.   You can pet your Pokemon, play minigames with your Pokemon, and feed your Pokemon treats (obtained from the minigames).  Not only is this fun for those who want to feel like they own a pet, but there's one more cool effect.

It actually affects battle.  If you've treated your Pokemon well enough, special things can happen.  They might simply take a hit without taking damage, or deal extra damage, or who knows what.  It not only gives those who want the best teams another way to make them stronger, but it gives a reward to those who enjoy using Pokemon Amie.  Another successful feature to add to the list.

Mega Evolutions



Mega Evolutions, another thing I covered in my pre-game review.  I was excited to see what potential it had, and to see what Pokemon got it.  I was already excited about Venasaur, but who knew what else was coming?  There probably were a few more...

I woke up on the day it came up and checked Serebii...and found about 20 MORE MEGA EVOLUTIONS.  Not only wasn't I expecting them, but THEY WERE FREAKING AWESOME.  Certain weaker Pokemon becoming usable, other stronger Pokemon getting cooler (and becoming broken XD), exactly what I was hoping for.

Allow me to explain them a little further.  Mega Evolutions are not permanent evolutions.  First, you need a stone that corresponds to the specific Pokemon in question (a Venasaurite for a Venasaur, etc).  Once you equip it to your Pokemon, anytime you start a battle, an option is added to the battle screen.  If you click on it, you will be brought to the attack screen.  When both of you select your attack, before anything else happens, that Pokemon will evolve into it's Mega Form (with a cool animation to boot), and then battle proceeds as normal.  You can also only use one Mega per fight, which some might consider annoying, but I think it's a good way of balancing things out.   As for the Megas themselves, they return to their original forms once the battle is done.  

So what exactly does becoming a Mega change?  It changes the Pokemon's appearance, stats, and abilities while it is a Mega.  This is what has fixed certain Pokemon.  As I mentioned before, Venasaur obtains Thick Fat, meaning he's somewhat usable.  Mawille went from being unusable to possibly being banned for being over-powered with the addition of it's Mega.  It's really a genius concept, and I'm so happy they created it.

PR Videos

This is what I assume is one of the special places like the Pokemon Contests from the 3rd and 4th gen.  However, I actually know nothing about this XD.  I've been so obsessed on going through the game and enjoying myself that I completely bypassed it.  If you wanna know what it is, look on Serebii.

Final Score: 10/10


Yup, you're seeing it right.  I'm giving this game a straight 10/10.  This game is quite good among Pokemon standards, incredible among normal game standards.  There are next to no faults with it, and those that are there are minor gripes that I don't really care about whatsoever.  I bought my 3DS because I heard this game was going to be on it, and I don't regret it one bit.  This might become my favorite Pokemon game of all time.