Pokémon Y

Ive been a fan of Pokémon since Red and Blue appeared here in the US. From that point on, Ive been getting my hands on at least one game from each series as they released. After Ruby and Sapphire came out on the GBA, nothing quite pulled me into the world of Pokémon like they had. That isnt to say I disliked the DS games. I still enjoyed them, but I wasnt enraptured like I had been before... this is, until X and Y appeared. I bought Y first, but it wasnt too long after that I bought X. Pokémon X and Y have so much to offer anyone who tries them out. I felt nostalic on occasion, as well as a brand new sense of adventure. For the very first time, you get to see the world in 3d. You also get to play with, feed, and pet your Pokémon! Plus, the new region, new villains, and new legendaries are absolutely fun and awesome. Whether youre new to the series or youre a Pokémon Veteran (like me), the odds are that you will enjoy this game.

The Pokemon X and Y were ordered on October 18th and were to be delivered on the 21st. However they never made it to the destination. Spoke with Mohan, Amazon Rep last evening, November 7th and informed him how distraught I was that the grand kids did not receive the package. He told me that I could replace the items or have a refund...of course I asked for the replacement as the kids were excited and waiting for the games. Mohan informed me that they would receive it today, November 8th. You sure bet it got to them. Were they excited or what? Thank you Amazon you saved the day and helped a grandfather keep his status of being the best grandfather ever. :)

For longtime Pokémon players the series’ debut on the 3DS is like a dream come true. This is in almost every way the Pokémon game my 12 year old self was waiting for. The most important change is that Pokémon are rendered in full 3D models, finally moving away from the series’ traditional sprites. Battles immediately remind me of Pokémon Stadium on the N64 only shrunk to the palm of your hand (not to mention the superior graphics). I had the pleasure of visiting France the Summer before Pokémon X/Y came out so immediately I was able to appreciate the Kalos Region’s design. This new cultural aesthetic really feels like a breath of fresh air. A small, but appealing feature is the ability to customize your character’s in-game appearance through skin color, hair, and clothes. This may seem like no big deal, but ever since I first played Pokémon Blue I’ve wished I could edit the appearance of my sprite. Game Freak has finally brought that feature and we can only hope they give us more choices in future titles. If Pokémon X/Y has one weakness it has to be the story. I know, I know, no one really plays these games for the story, but this game’s antagonists, Team Flair, really are a step down in quality. While the teams have always been Saturday morning cartoon villains at least they threatened the protagonists. Team Flair comes across as a group of incompetents rather than a group dead-set on changing the course of history. The game’s single-player campaign is also ridiculously easy. A beefed up Exp. Share makes level grinding a thing of the past and more often than not you walk into every gym and Team Flair battle with a team that towers over the competition. In short, I understand Game Freak wanting to cut back the hours typically spent on grinding, but if this device is going to become a mainstay in the series they’re going to have to level up the boss battles. Another thing that will bother veteran players is the lack of post-game content. Once you’ve beaten the Kalos Region Pokémon League there really isn’t much to do other than continue filling your Pokédex. Those small problems aside, Pokémon’s leap into the 3DS is a spectacular success sure to entertain old and new fans alike with its 3D recreation of the creatures we know and love. For that it receives my highest recommendation.

The item came in as new. I still cant believe this game has been out for nearly 10 years. Feeling old right now.

The game works fine, but it would have been very nice if the vendor had stated that the box and instruction manual were not included. I would have still purchased it if they had, and rated it as 5 stars. Being upfront about a simple thing like this goes a long way towards customer satisfaction.

The product arrived as described in a timely manner. The seller was very attentive to my request.

After Pokemon Black and White 2 launched last year, I was concerned for the future of Pokemon games. I knew theyd eventually return their former glory, but it was a question of when. The time has come. Pokemon X/Y reinvents the franchise by removing tedious grinding(game progression being tied to spending excess hours doing similar battles) and adding in new game mechanics, such as mega evolution. The game also features a much improved 3D world. The game feels similar to Pokemon Colosseum, which I absolutely loved. If you have been waiting for a point to jump back into Pokemon or want to give it a go for the first time, this is a great entry point.

It was back in 1999 that I first learned of the Pokémon series; obtaining my first card, watching the first few episodes, and even convincing my mother and father to buy me a GameBoy with Pokémon Red. I was addicted. I bought booster packs like a chain smoker buys cigarets, and I woke up early just to catch the 4Kids showing of Pokémon while woofing down boxes of Captain Crunch. I joined a local comics store with its semi-weekly Pokémon league, and by that time I had dove so far down into the debts of Pokémon, there was never a time I didnt have something Pokémon related on me. Pokémon Yellow, Hey You, Pikachu!, Pokémon Stadium, Pokemon Gold, and Pokémon Crystal were all in my repertoire. However I lost interest in Pokémon by 2001 having discovered Yu-Gi-Oh!, selling all my Pokémon possessions to purchase cards for that game. In 2008 I was living with my aunt and cousins, starting my first semester in college. For that years birthday, my cousin Bethany and her boyfriend at the time bought me a DS Lite and a copy of Pokémon Platinum. I got into it, but not nearly to the degree I once was; being more interested in Ragnarok Online at the time. Finally, in February of this year I got the Pokémon itch from watching the Game Grumps play Pokémon Fire Red. So I bought a brand new 3DS and a copy of Pokémon Y, since I was pretty excited for a Pokémon game with 3D graphics instead of the standard sprites. And to be honest, my excitement, was warranted. If youve ever played a Pokémon game, then you know how they all start up. You dont have any Pokémon, then you are given a selection of three Pokémon, and you begin your journey across the land to level up your Pokémon and battle trainers and gym leaders. Pretty much what happens in this one too, except instead of meeting with the Pokémon Professor of this region, you are given your first Pokémon by a group of friends. I went with Fennekin, and kept reloading until I got a female. I also noticed that the typical rival who challenges you right after obtaining your first Pokémon, was replaced by a much closer friend who never comes off as a rival. In my case it was Serena, who felt more like a good friend then anything else. Once I was on my own I got help from some friends online getting the team I wanted, via eggs, because as I learned, the Pokémon I wanted to form a team with didnt exist in this game or were hard to come by. Specifically my first team, which I used throughout the entire game, consisted of all females. Yes I know, Im weird. To be even more specific, this team held a Fennekin (because Delphox), a Petilil (because Lilligant), a Ralts (because Gardevoir), a Snorunt (because Froslass), a Feebas (because Milotic), and a Buneary (because Lopunny). Yes, I know, Im weird. The very friends who were giving me the eggs told me this, but if I was going to be feeding and petting 3D Pokémon, they were going to be attractive dammit! *ahem* In any case, as I played the game I noticed that the story seems much darker then any previous title. A war using Pokémon where they and people died, a king so obsessed with his Pokémon he sacrificed the lives of many Pokémon to resurrect her, the story about the Hex Ghost Girl, and some of the things trainers would say to you as you defeated them. Everything seemed so much darker. In fact, even after I beat the game it continued to go this route, when you meet the homeless girl named Emma. While I was partially shocked by some of the darkness, I was also very intrigued! I wanted a more mature gaming experience, but I did not expect it to come from a Pokémon game. I have heard some people say this is one of the worst stories in the Pokémon series, but I disagree, its one of the best! Heck, one of those friends you first meet up with is almost akin to a romantic partner. I of course am speaking of Shauna, who shares a very romantic scene where both your character and her enjoy a fireworks show. She says how shell never forget that moment, and soon after you receive the TM 17 which contains Protect. Coincidence? I think not. Game play wise not much has changed. You still battle it out in turn based fashion, however the number of Pokémon that can be out on the field at once has increased; with some random encounters facing you off against hordes of Pokémon. The game does feel a bit easier then any of the previous titles Ive played, as I was able to breeze through most battles, including the elite four and their champion. However, the Battle Mansion super battles can go to hell. There is the new Mega Evolution, which allows your Pokémon to level up to a new evolved form during battle. I never really saw a difference in strength during Mega Evolutions, but I still used the mechanic because a Mega Evolved Gardevoir is pretty. There is also the Super Training and Pokémon-Amie. With Super Training, you can level up a Pokémons certain stat. This is done by playing a game like soccer, using the soccer balls to attack a balloon of a Pokémon that is firing soccer balls back at you. Pokémon-Amie is where you can increase the friendliness of your Pokémon, by feeding them Poké Puffs, petting them, playing mini games with them, and imitating them via your DSs camera. A very friendly Pokémon can have bonuses in the campaign portion of the game, like avoiding fainting, dodging attacks, or even scoring critical hits. I will say that the places some of my Pokémon liked to be touched were a tad bit questionable, like my Lopunny with her lower, lower, lower spot. In the end I beat the game and sedated my craving, I even suspect that I will not be buying the next title, at least until I get that itch again. The 3D graphics seriously brought the Pokémon series out of the past and into the present, 2D and sprites are so last year. The more mature feel really did it for me, and the way they play everything off wouldnt really click with a child, so its still family friendly. The choices in Pokémon are decent, although Im not in love with them dropping so many of the past generations. All in all its an improvement upon the Pokémon franchise, and I can only hope to see even more attractive evolutions in the later games. Oh, and just a quick question to all the fellow Pokémon gamers out there. Is it just me, or did the female gym leaders and elite four all seem to have a thing for our character? I swear, Malva, Korrina, Valerie, and Olympia all seemed to say things that made it seem like they wanted to take my Calem and battle it out in the bedroom. If you get my drift. Pokémon Y gets an 8.2 out of 10

I dont consider myself a huge fan of the Pokemon series. Ive played Ruby, Black 2, and Y, and liked them all but just cant get into them as much as other people. With Y, I was hoping that would all change. I wanted to get an Iv/Ev trained team with good Pokemon and learn the strategies, because why not? But thats currently out of reach. You cant transfer Pokemon from older games. You have to wait for the $5 a year Pokemon bank coming out December 27th, 2013 in US, assuming it isnt delayed. Sure, you get a month free, but thats only good for people who bought it beforehand. Maybe this wouldnt be so bad if I didnt have to wait two months to use it? Does this detract from the game itself? No, the game is pretty good with excellent graphics, good music and fun gameplay, and of course creative Pokemon. Does it detract from my enjoyment? Yes, it does. I dont want to recatch a ton of Pokemon I planned on training, and I dont want to have to miss out on the extras in Y just because Im stuck with Black 2. For now, this goes back on my shelf, and I probably wont be picking it up again (I did beat the game). If youve never played Pokemon before, or you dont care about transferring Pokemon from older games, then this is a 5 star game. I admit, I should have been more informed but despite following many news sites, I apparently didnt pay attention enough to know this major drawback. If I had known, I wouldnt have bought the game, and I wouldnt be making this review. I honestly never thought I would be REQUIRED to use the Pokemon Bank to transfer Pokemon to Y, that baffles me.

Miss leading pictures of the product, this is the world edition (even though the cartridge is the same as US version)