Dan's Blogvent Calendar - December 2nd

Hey guys, dankempster here, proving that I haven't dropped out of this self-imposed blogging cycle quite as early as some people (myself included) probably expected. Day 2 of Blogvent is here, and with it comes another bite-sized block of bloggery from yours truly. Yeah, I realise I'm no Mento when it comes to strings of alliteration, but it's not downright terrible, right? Anyway, moving on...

In a comment on yesterday's entry, MajorMitch asked me how I thought Pokémon X and Y stacked up compared to the rest of the series. Being as 2013 has turned into something of a Poké-palooza for me gaming-wise, I figure I'm in a pretty good position to pass judgement. I'll probably do a much deeper breakdown of this stuff in an extended blog post in the New Year, after I've put paid to White and White 2 and can finally call time on my completionist affair with the franchise. That being said, my stance on X and Y (specifically Y, as that's the version I played) is something I've been wanting to get written down while it's all still fairly fresh in my mind. What follows is more likely to resemble a stream of consciousness than a constructed essay, so bear with me. Think of this as the brainstorming session - that essay is likely to come in the New Year.

• Going into Pokémon Y, the most immediately apparent improvement was the graphical leap. The full 3D visuals are gorgeous and charming, with the wider range of animation they afford allowing the personalities of many of the game's Pokémon to shine through. I'm not sure if the environments are larger, but the extra dimension, occasional use of dynamic camera angles and fuller range of movement made them feel larger. Trainer customisation is something that the series has needed for quite some time in my opinion, and its debut in this generation was a welcome one.
• I was very impressed by the game's online infrastructure, both in terms of its flexibility and its reliability. Having never delved into that side of the previous games due to the original DS's draconian internet settings, I was a bit taken aback by the wealth of options on offer. It was a joy being able to trade and battle with my good friend Duncan, who lives far away in Scotland. By far my favourite aspect of the online features is Wonder Trade, a brilliant concept that I've used a lot since beating the Elite Four. Never would I have believed functionality on a Nintendo handheld could impress me, but Pokémon Y has achieved just that.
• I know a lot of players had issues with the game's difficulty (or lack thereof), and I can see where they're coming from, but it didn't bother me too much. I took the Exp. Share as an invitation to train various different kinds of Pokémon throughout my journey through Kalos, only settling on a 'final team' just before the final gym. I was a touch over-levelled through the Elite Four and post-game content, but it didn't stop me from having a blast with the game, and if it had, I think I would have just turned it off.
• Stacked up against the rest of the series, Y felt a bit like 'Pokémon: Greatest Hits' to me. The roster is huge and represents every previous generation pretty well, and a lot of the series' staple features are beautifully streamlined and more accessible than ever. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does go to great lengths to perfect the circle and make sure the ride is as smooth as possible.
• One last thing - Super Training is incredible. I've never ventured into the dark, murky underworld of the Pokémon meta-game before, save for an attempt to EV train a Charizard in Pokémon SoulSilver that wound up just being very tedious. Super Training puts all that stuff out there in plain(-ish) sight, making it much easier to train a solid battling team. If none of the other new features survive into Gen VII and beyond, I really hope that Super Training at least makes the cut.

I think that's enough bullet points for now. I have darts shortly and need to finish getting ready, so I'll call it a day at this juncture. Hopefully it's shed a little more light on what I thought of Pokémon X and Y, as well as providing a useful future reference for me when it comes to writing that series-wide retrospective in early 2014. Thanks for reading guys, take it easy and I'll see you around.

Dan

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Currently playing - Pokémon White (DS)