Pokémon Y

This is the game I have been waiting for as a fan of pokemon since 1999. This is the 3d, all encompassing version of pokemon we had been waiting so long for and the game delivers. Some pokemon designs leave a bit to be desired and there was not a TON of new pokemon, but I feel the changes overall make this game an awesome one. The new pokemon are amazingly designed, the new type, fairy gave us new life to older monsters and the mega evolutions changed the metagame that was quite stale in generation 5.

This game is shown to be the NA release in photos, but is not as advertised. I received the World Edition from the UAE instead. Presumably still plays and works, but not what I was expecting to get.

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.

Ive been a fan of the franchise since Sapphire. The latest installment does not disappoint. Ill give this to Game Freak, they keep tweaking the game just enough to keep it interesting. In the latest flavors you can buy new clothes for your trainer, and interact with your Pokemon by giving them a scratch on the head. The one feature that has me addicted at the moment, is the Wonder Trade. Even moreso than rushing from gym to gym in search of badges, I keep snatching up Pokemon and thrusting them into the cosmic slot machine. You put a Pokemon out there and randomly receive one back. Ive landed everything from the most generic fodder to shiny rares beamed to me from other versions and countries. It really is pretty addictive. And as far as the game goes, its pretty engaging, as well. The graphics are oh-so-pretty and the battle/puzzle/repeat methodology never seems to get old. With old favorites like Pikachu and Charmander, and a whole new class of Pokemon in the Fairy type, theres all kinds of critters to catch. At the end of the day, if youre a fan of the franchise... theres a lot to like about the newest Pokemon adventures.

Im a big fan of the gen I and gen II games but went on a hiatus since then. Bought a 3ds and loved replaying the Yellow Version via virtual console. Again sparking my curiosity in the franchise... Wow have things changed.. First thing I noticed is how much easier the games have gotten. Literally no challenges,the gym leaders are a joke, even went through the elite 4 in one shot. I remember you used to have to work your ass off for that. Catching Pokémon is hardly ever a challenge in my experiences, lower hp and your good to go. The entire story is dull and is the same old thing, Use your Pokémon youve treated with love to defeat your opponents who use them for evil. Corny as hell ending by the way. Should I mention they are definetly running out of ideas for new Pokémon. Seriously ridiculous and boring designs. The WiFi functions such as GTS are a nice feature and graphics look nice. Other than that, I dont have much good to say. The Pokémon company is really just cashing out on a winning formula. Dont get me wrong, the idea of catching Pokémon and training them is always fun, just not as satisfying as it used to be.

love the new pokemon and it have really good mechanics. i was worried about the 3d pokemon design but they work great. the story like is the same than every pokemon game just with slightly differences. the cities are nice to look at and you can feel different feeling for each new city. the character are a little nicer than the other pokemon version but i find them really dorky. i am referring to the rapper in the game. he is totally out of place here, meaning he have nothing to do as a a second main character here and feel like he is an extract in the game.

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 love pokemon games, but this is one of the weakest Ive played. Its still very fun! But the new graphics do not make up for the lackluster length and depth. The game feels short and the new EXP share is really a cheap way of playing, and its availability really does make the game feel much shorter. Overall, the amount of monsters is good, graphics great, gameplay standard but shorter and overall a B grade pokemon game. Also the paris map really, really, really, really sucks.

It arrived in a Timely Fashion and was as requested!

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. :)