Pokemon Y (Nintendo 3DS)

Wow, what can I say. I love this game. I've played every Pokemon game that has ever come out and this one really is amazing. Lets start with why it's a surprise. After Black and White and Black and White 2 I had very little expectations for this game (I have bought both) but I can honestly say it's fantastic. The graphics are amazing, the 3D effect is very good and the story line is good as well. it's comfortable to play for hours and have already put in 12 hours myself. The Pokemon: Again after the black and white games i was dubious about these Pokemon to say the least, however i was pleased to find that the new Pokemon are actually really really good, and the fact that you are able to get all previous gen Pokemon as well is an added bonus and gives you almost unlimited flexibility with your team. Getting one Kalos region started and one original Kanto starter as well is fantastic. and between the two games i can see that it won't be too difficult to get every single Pokemon in the games without having to cross platform, although i think they added this feature due to not being able to trade with any of the previous gens. I also like the new fairy type and it is really easy to get one right at the beginning of the game so look out for those! The Story: As i said, i am only 12 hours into the game so i have a lot to learn about the story and think it also best not to reveal anything about it so that i don't spoil it for everyone else. But i will say that it is really fun and worth putting in the time! The Special Torchic Event: You probably know about this but i feel i should tell you about it as well. If you get the mystery gift pokemon torchic you will find it invaluable to you're game, especially when combined with the two starters you get. Meaning if you pick Chespin (Grass Type) and the Squirtle (Water) and you get you're fire type Torchic then you have you're three basic elements straight off the bat. due to Torchic also evolving into a fighting/fire type you have another advantage over normal types. So don't miss your opportunity to get it! it's special ability alone is worth it. Overal Rating - 19/20 (so far) Graphics - 5/5 Gameplay - 5/5 Story - 4/5 (Because i have yet to complete it) Pokemon - 5/5

As an avid fan of this game series for a few years now, I've played Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, Heart Gold/Soul Silver, Black/White, and the imaginatively named Black 2/White 2... And I'd been looking forward to playing X and Y from the minute I heard about them. Especially due to the first worldwide release meaning not much was known about the games before the release date. So far, this game hasn't disappointed. I'm near the end of my first playthrough now, and it's just been unputdownable! All the new features, mini-games, etc that they've come up with to spice up the old formula have certainly hit the mark with me. And the transition in graphics onto the 3D system certainly look the part. Both in-battle and in the rest of the game, it looks something special. It still feels like a Pokemon game, but thanks to the new features/graphics, it feels so much fresher. I also love how they've made your progress/time spent in the mini-games count towards the main game in such a big way. Nothing I've done so far has felt wasted in any way. The battle scenes in past Pokemon games have gotten a little stale. Gen 5's games were an improvement of course, but this takes it to a whole new level. It feels much more like your Pokemon are actually battling, which makes the game feel much more involving than before. Just expect a lot of cheering when you're winning, and wincing when they're taking hits! And anyone who's in doubt of the spectacle of the new battles - wait until the first time you call the move "fly" against an opponent from your Mega Charizard.. Ouch! The game feels a lot more involving when it comes to your Pokemon, but also with fellow gamers. One post-game section I've heard gives benefits to those who have a lot of friends registered on their friend list, which has obviously made people keen to add one another. Normally that would be a negative in my opinion. I've always played Pokemon solo in the past, never even had so much as one online competitive battle.. but this new feature will be encouraging me to hand out my friend code, and link up with other Pokemon players, and I am really looking forward to sampling my first battle with one (or all) of them! So again, another huge bonus with this game, and I think this will be where most of the post-game fun will come from. Really can't recommend this game enough to fellow Pokemon fans. And I'm sure that any 3DS gamer would get a kick out of playing it. Sure, as with all Pokemon games, there's a few things missing (advanced move tutors anyone?!) but overall, the new content more than makes up for it, and I'm sure there's already a further 3rd title, or perhaps another set of sequels in the making. I personally can't wait for them, Nintendo have really shown us what they can do with both the 3DS system, and the Pokemon title. As long as they remember to keep the next game just as involving, it's going to be a stunner!

Overall Pokémon Y is a very good game so lets start with the positives * The graphics have had a major leap with series transition to 3D the art in the game is simply beautiful. * You can choose your skin tone change your clothes and even going as far to having your hair cut. * The Pokémon's movement when battling has improved drastically they react differently when performing moves and even when they faint. * The Super Training mode is fabulous this allows you to improve your Pokémon's base stats without levelling up * The online features such as the player search system have received noticeable upgrades which allow you to search for players to battle or to trade Pokémon with ease. Now for the negatives (which are very few) * Team Flare in my opinion are by far the weakest villains of all the Pokémon games. * The Story is so weak you could argue there isn't a story. ok I know we don't play Pokémon games for the story, but it would have been nice to have a more elaborate plot even previous games have a better story than X and Y. * The trainer A.I. you can literally play your way through game defeating every trainer, gym leader, team flare, elite four with ease even with the Exp share turned off.

For me this game has been the most enjoyable since D/P/PL. It's very engaging and is extremely easy to spend half a day playing solidly, especially once you begin trading with and battling other people online. There are minigames you can play with your Pokemon to permanently raise their stats and increase (or decrease) their affection towards you, which in turn affects their capabilities in battle (a couple of examples are them fighting through and curing themselves of status conditions and surviving attacks which would otherwise be knockouts). You can customise your appearance and the appearance of certain Pokemon with clothing and hair boutiques in some cities. There are so many different habitats to explore that it's possible to spend hours ignoring the storyline while looking around, and you can find battle encounters in some surprising places. Pokedex-wise there are quite a large number of early-gen Pokemon around which weren't present in the last couple of games, and there is a new Pokemon type (Fairy) which might not sound like much but is surprisingly resilient against some other types. One thing I've really appreciated is the fact that quite often your rivals will allow you to turn down their inevitable and frequent requests to battle, so you can heal your team before going back for the fight. The only slightly negative thing (if it can be seen that way) is that not too far into the game you begin to receive items which could potentially make the game a little too "easy" to beat, such as the modified EXP. Share which gives experience to your entire team even if only one member was involved in fighting which leads to extremely rapid levelling. I spent most of the game at least 10 levels above everyone else which didn't make for much of a challenge. This particular item can be turned off via selecting the option in your bag so it's not exactly game-breaking, but there are other items which may not be so easily circumvented. Another mild annoyance is that you still can't sell TMs and they are never used up (essentially making every TM a HM), which seems to be a permanent thing in the series now. Despite a couple of minor complaints, overall this is a brilliant game with much to recommend it even if you haven't been that impressed by other Pokemon titles.

Back

The best part of this review is that I don't even have to make it long. The game is amazing and deserves a clear 5 stars with the only bad thing I could point a finger at was the absence of online multibattles, meaning 2/3 players each play on the same team with 3/2 pokémon each vs 2/3 other players under the same conditions. This can be done only vs npcs while you are PHYSICALLY within a few centimetres of each other. Now, for the game. The graphics are amazing in this new Pokémon game from Game Freak. Essentially, Pokémon X and Y takes pretty much everything from the previous generations and enhance it as close to perfection as it gets. The story is, as is the custom in these games, a story that lets you experience everything from starting out as a rookie, filling your pokédex, making friends and going on a journey, to becoming the pokémon champion, both offline, and online in rated battles. With a wide roster of obtainable pokémon from generations 1 through 6, and countless ways to spend time on the game after beating it, this game is one of the big guys: A system seller. If you play through it as it is meant to be, you might be slightly overleveled with the new EXP Share, but don't worry, you can turn it on and off at will. Personally I have played through Pokémon Y twice and Pokémon X once now, and on my current Pokémon Y playthrough I sit on 304 hours. And believe me, I am far from done even making a competitive team, getting all TMs and different pieces of clothing, and I still miss a few mega stones for the all-new mega evolution introduced in gen 6. The game is huge, and while the story can be finished within a few days if you play a lot (My first Hall of Fame registered at 29 hours played, though as a seasoned Pokémon player that ran through the story instead of exploring too much), it'll keep you hooked for days, weeks and months. All I can say is: Buy it. You'll miss out on a lot otherwise.

For someone who is a fan of Pokémon, even a bad Pokémon game becomes by default good. However, that is not the case with Pokémon Y. I will just pinpoint the good points and the bad points about the game. The obvious selling points are all the Pokémon created so far will be available in 3D and there is a new pokémon type - Fairy. However, this game gives you so much more than it advertises: Pros: - When you start, besides the Kalos starter Pokémon, you are offered Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle and a Mega stone to see how it works! - Grinding for gym challenges reduced a LOT. - Easy to understand Effort Value training - for those interested in training their pokémon. - Basically a nintendogs for Pokémon, with Pokémon Amie. - Stay in touch with other pokéfans from all over the world with an easy to access to all of them! the PSS is amazing and you'll find yourself using O-powers all the time when online. - 1 second saving time, it doesn't matter what you have done before, saving has never been faster. - Changes to breeding Pokémon makes it easier to have your perfect Pokémon. - More aftergame challenges, including the comeback of "Looker", the detective. Cons: - No Move tutors :( (except the normal ones, dragon, special pokémon and starters) - In order to transfer Pokémon from previous generations you will need Pokébank. It is free for 30 days after activation, after which you will have to pay something like 5 dollars a year to transfer your pokémon. However, this service does give you a free Celebi (previously unnatainable outside of events) and 100 boxes with 30 spaces for Pokémon each. I consider this a con because of payment, but I suppose they have to keep the servers online! If you enjoy pokémon, you will love this game. If you're new to it, as long as you keep yourself connected to the community and enjoy putting your cute little pets against your enemies, Pokémon is the game for you!

In my opinion this is the best pokemon game in the series so far. The series has finally shed its retro look in favour of a fully 3D world and battles, and it looks gorgeous. The cartoonish graphical style oozes with charm, as well as being technically very impressive and all of the pokemon both old and new look great. The music has seen a similar upgrade, with high quality tunes that excellently complement the game. In terms of structure, the game follows the same formula that pokemon always has; don't expect to find anything radically new past the graphical update, but that doesn't mean it's any less fun. All of the new pokemon are a lot of fun to use, and you're bound to find ones you like. In addition, the new mega-evolution mechanic puts a cool new twist on many classic pokemon such as charizard, gengar and mewtwo, allowing them to further evolve temporarily and wreak havoc. A new pokemon type has also been introduced; fairy type, designed to counter the arguably overpowered dragon and fighting types. This game also features trainer customisation, which is fantastic as it allows you to make your character feel more personalised and unique as you unlock new outfits etc. throughout the course of the game. Multiplayer features have also been greatly expanded upon; it's now really easy to get a match going against one of your friends, whether it's locally or online. The only real downside I'd say is that the game is too easy for long-time fans, and is definitely the easiest pokemon game to date. If you're looking for a good 3DS game that will keep you going for a while, or if you're a fan of the series and are wondering whether to jump back in, now's as good a time as any, and I'd highly recommend picking this game up.