“While this may not be the dramatic mass-multiplayer open world adventure every single Pokemon fan is dreaming of, Pokemon X & Y are certainly a huge step in the right direction. Incredible animation, detailed gameplay and a whole host of streamlined player functionality features makes these instalments in the Pokemon franchise the most comprehensive yet.“
The Gameplay:
The beauty of Pokemon is its layered gameplay features. Scraping the top is a very basic turn-based rock-paper-scissors style of gameplay that has fictional creatures battle for supremacy. Scrape away a little bit more and you find that these Pokemon have stats, natures that affect their stat progress and move types that can be effective or non-effective depending on what type of Pokemon they use them against. Dig a little deeper and you find offensive and defensive move combinations – sometimes the most powerful Pokemon aren’t those that can hit the hardest but rather set up traps and nullify your opponent’s strongest monsters with paralysis, sleep or stat drops. Smash away even further at the complex puzzle that is a Pokemon game and you find intricate super-training that allows you to enhance your Pokemon’s ability to gain further stats to make them the most powerful version of that particular Pokemon.
Experiencing a Pokemon game has never been this enjoyable and comprehensive – Pokemon X & Y offer entertainment for the basic gamer all the way through to the most hardcore Pokemon collector. There’s fun to be had here no matter where you are on the gamer spectrum.
The Presentation:
The world of Pokemon X & Y has moved the franchise to a whole new level of visual presentation. A beautiful 3D world is set before you, full to the brim with Pokemon that all have their own individual 3D sprites made especially for this game. There simply hasn’t been a Pokemon game that looks this incredible ever – and games will be hard pressed to look better on the 3DS. Those of you fortunate enough to own a Nintendo 3DS XL will really get the most bang for your buck here.
The Verdict:
I’ve never hidden my undying loyalty and love for Pokemon games so naturally for me it’s an absolute winner. Speaking from a neutral point of view however, it is fair to say that while the game has been overhauled visually, fine-tuned on a technical level and designed for player-interactivity; looking past these additions it is still a very similar if not almost identical formula that has been used since Pokemon Red & Blue. If you’re willing to go on another Pokemon adventure and feel it in your stomach that you belong on the virtual road with these wonderful creatures, then don’t hesitate because there’s enough new content and change to make it worth experiencing. Those of you who have outgrown Pokemon I still urge you to give it a go because you never know, this could be the series that sucks you straight back in.
Gameplay – 9/10
Presentation – 9/10
Replay Value – 9/10
Verdict – 9/10
Igor Kharin.
Pokemon X & Y at CeX
