Hey everyone! I don't know about you guys, but I spent most of my weekend playing Pokemon Y, and I just can't stop. In my opinion, this is the best generation of Pokemon games in years, and with the fully 3D world it almost feels like I'm experiencing the series for the first time. The core gameplay is the same as always, but that's hardly a bad thing when it's been so great from the beginning. With that being said, Game Freak has added both major and minor things this time around that really got my attention and I thought they were worth noting. In no particular order, here's my list.
1) Roller Skates
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| Maybe not the BEST thing ever, but pretty great. |
Running shoes have been part of the Pokemon series for years, so it's great to start out with those and be able to run right away (especially indoors). The bicycle is still here too, and it's both easy to get and extremely useful. However, it's the roller skates that are the biggest addition here. Skating is surprisingly fast too, almost as fast as riding the bike. The skates may not be good for subtle, delicate movements, but they're a great fit for the series. Really anything that lets us move faster is welcome.
2) Gaining EXP
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| Leveling up your Pokemon is easier in these games than any others. |
Ahh, training your Pokemon, both enjoyable and extremely tedious at the same time. Now Game Freak has made some very smart changes when it comes to gaining EXP, the most significant being now after capturing a Pokemon, any of your Pokemon that were involved in that battle gain experience. Also worth noting is the EXP Share. It's hardly a new item, but now instead of giving one of your Pokemon experience in every battle, it gives ALL of your Pokemon experience. I love this as well and it has really helped me keep my team balanced level-wise. These changes make total sense for the series and now I can't imagine any future games without them.
3) New evolution mechanics
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| Not my image, but it's pretty damn cool. |
Okay, technically I only have one example of these new mechanics, but it really amused me and thought it deserved a spot here. I heard rumors that the Dark/Psychic type Inkay evolved into Malamar at level 30 but only if the 3DS is upside down. I tried it myself when my Inkay went from level 31 to 32, and sure enough it worked! Considering Inkay is upside down when it attacks, this actually makes complete sense and is a great use of the 3DS's accelerometer. I don't know if there are any other examples of evolutions like this one, but I really hope so, and let me know in the comments if you know of any others!
4) Mega Evolutions
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| The first mega evolution you get to use. |
I decided not to include these with regular evolutions since they're technically not true evolutions; like characters state in the games, "transformation" is a more accurate term since the changes are temporary and wear off after a battle. Either way powering up a capable Pokemon with a Mega Evolution is badass, and using the Lucario given to you to demonstrate the concept is such a cool introduction to it. The concept also adds some variety to the games, with Pokemon like Mewtwo and Charizard possessing different forms depending on the version you're playing. Here's another concept I hope survives and is expanded in future games.
5) Super Training/Pokemon Amie
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| Nifty new features, if you're into them. |
I said that these were in particular order, but this one is at the bottom of my list. Why include it then? Because I think these are very cool ideas and are quite useful for people who are into using minigames to raise the stats of their Pokemon or spending time with them in a manner similar to Nintendogs. I'm not really one of those people, but I recognize a smart use of 3DS technology when I see it, and if these things appeal to you, there you go!
So that's my list. I considered including hordes on this list, but while I think it is a good idea, more often than not it's just an annoyance to me. So I'll settle for giving it a bit of an honorable mention here. Now what do you all think? What do you like about the games? What do you dislike? Sound off in the comments and if anyone would like to join me in the Kalos region, let's exchange friend codes!
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