Pokémon X and Y (and Another Pokémon Poll)

I just had to come by and celebrate, I just hatched a perfect Tyrunt! I've hatched a few 5 IV babies so far, but this ne ended up maxed IVs across the board without me even trying! Pure fluke. And the best part is it's Jolly and male, this'll be able to cut down a lot of time breeding every other dragon and monster egg group Pokemon I breed in the future.

Oh and I should mention the Tyrunt in question has the egg moves Dragon Dance and the elemental fangs. But really this is just great, and I had barely hatched any eggs to boot. And on the note of those legendary Pokemon I can't stand any of them. Honestly I'm surprised since the three legendary Pokemon in the game look really good.

I haven't mentioned how much I like some of the music yet - I think the champion theme is phenomenal, so so good. As is the Kanto legendary music. Standard fare until you get about a minute in. Made me grin when battling Mewtwo.

You got a minute in when battling Mewtwo? So you didn't just lob the Master Ball?

I liked the town music the best in this game.  The town with the Mega Evolution tower in particular, and the one with that giant crystal monument.

Oh and I'm going Mewtwo hunting later. I'll be using the usual fainted Timid Ralts lead and a level 100 Haxorus with False Swipe to catch it, I figure with catching power level 3 and a stunned Mewtwo with 1 HP it should get in a Dusk ball really fast. If it doesn't I'll just resort to the Master ball, but I really like the effect of the dusk ball and think it'll suit Mewtwo, and since I hear any pokemon that can't breed is assured at least three perfect IVs I figure a few soft resets won't go amiss to get a nice Mewtwo.

Once again the Pokemon Center does it for me


Watch

A few weeks have passed now, so would anyone care to sell this game to me? I never thought I'd be sat on a forum in 2013 asking folk to extol the virtues of a main-series Pokémon game, yet here I am.

It doesn't reinvent the franchise, so if you're not feeling Pokemon it may not sell you.  But X and Y are easily the most polished games in the main franchise to date, both from an in-game standpoint and from how easy they've made training Pokemon for the higher level of play.  They also feature the largest roster of Pokemon in a game to date, while the amount of actual new Pokemon is slim every area in the game is crammed with a different roster, so there's always something new to catch.  In fact there are so many Pokemon available they needed three entire Pokedexes to register them all, and each dex goes up to 150.  

There are cons however, the large selection can be a problem in that they offer you so many Pokemon you might want to add to the team that it's hard to pick any.  Then there's the story, without going in to details I would call it weak and not really there.  Compared to the first Black and White games and even Platinum the story lacks a feeling of presence.  

Overall I'd say the feeling of freshness having the Pokemon world brought to vivid graphics might be enough to interest you, or it might not, but either way I say it's worth a look.  After Black and White 2 I was feeling tired of pokemon as well, but right now I can't get enough of Y.

GNamer sales pitch mark 2!  (Typed up before I saw Athrun's, so he may have covered most/all of my points.)

To be honest, Stu, you've probably seen the main reasons yourself.  It's gorgeous in comparison to previous games.  I think that the main reason for the small amount of new Pokémon this time around is how much effort had to go into converting all the existing ones into 3D.  I know some may have been part-done in the Stadia, Colosseum and its ilk, but they feel fresher, sharper, and more interactive in this game.  The Amie animations alone are things of glory: I genuinely laughed out loud when Honedge shook its clothy fist at me.  And that's without mentioning the moves: Retaliate, anyone?

There are other vague improvements: training's easier (possibly too much so), there are more Pokémon to catch during the main game than in any game before it, there's the character customisation, the Mega Evolutions, and the music's pretty great.  Apparently the online is much better too, although I haven't tried it.  

On the other hand, the pacing's off near the start, your "friends" are awful, there aren't many new Pokémon, the champion's rubbish, and the jury's still out on the story (I think it's pretty good).  Swings and roundabouts.  You'll enjoy it if you like Pokémon looking pretty.  Or Goomy.

shanks wrote:

Once again the Pokemon Center does it for me

Watch

 Wonderful.  That's the sort of page I'd love to "like", but the title puts me off.

Thanks, guys! I might march straight out and buy this next week, but then again I might wait until it's eaten away at my soul enough that I feel an urge to start it as soon as I bring it home. Animal Crossing still dominates my 3DS time after all, and Dream Team Bros. is still nestled safely in it cellophane overcoat.

Are the 3D Pokémon models featured in Colosseum/Stadium/Pokédex 3D lifted from those games and polished up, then?

[/indecision]

I can't quite tell. Some of them definitely seem like they are, but Hitmontop (as featured in Shanks' link above) was on his head in Stadium 2, so it may be a "some and not others" scenario.

One thing I will say: I've enjoyed this much more than DTB. And I used to be a massive M&L fan, right up to... well, DTB.

Yeah, Hitmontop looks different to his Stadium 2 counterpart, though they could've still easily used the same character model.

Dream Team Bros. can't be that bad, surely.

Balladeer wrote:

You got a minute in when battling Mewtwo?  So you didn't just lob the Master Ball?

Nah, ever since GSC I've been in the habit of only using a Master Ball for a legendary that flees. I'm not sure if any of them actually do in XY, though (apart from the birds, but obviously, you know... doesn't apply...).

Stu: X and Y are very good. Only about 70 new Pokemon, sure, but considering there are now over 700 Pokemon in total, I'm pretty sure you won't mind too much. I met a guy when I was on holiday the other week who was one of those "THE ORIGINALS ARE THE BEST" bores, and had a team of Charizard, Raichu, Gengar, Alakazam, and a couple of other Kanto monsters (think maybe Lapras and something else) because he didn't like the new Pokemon. I don't really like using the same Pokemon in a playthrough that I've used before so my team was made up of 6 newcomers. The fact that it might be hard to choose which Pokemon to use is, to my ears, a bizarre complaint (if it even stands as a complaint at all).

Did some Wonder Trading earlier, and was the recipient of a Zoroark. Thanks, guy! Also received a few Eevees and Torchics. Also a Mawile with a good nature (Adamant) so I can give it my Mawilite. I've fully EV trained an Absol so far - using Mega Absol is pretty jazzy.

shanks wrote:

Once again the Pokemon Center does it for me


Watch

    

And therefore, this.

I both love and hate the wonder trade, I like it when I give out something good and get something good in return but hate it when I get the 17th bunnleby.

Best stuff I had was a Lv1 Zoura, Tyrunt, Froakie. And a few others that were good

I wonder traded my Y lucario last night got the sword for it, which has gone straight in to the box.

The old Mon are the best Rummy.

Also Stu buy X or Y it's great.

masofdas wrote:

The old Mon are the best Rummy.

Nostalgia's a powerful thing, but gen. 1 had its awfulmons just like the rest of them.  It's just been so long that we're inured to how awful they are.

Let's say half of GEN I is good and rest are rubbish, it's still better then most of the gens. I also like GEN II though.

Streetpass Somerset are holding a pokemon X&Y tournament using the championship rules. Been practicing online and doing okay with my team of Sylveon, Charlizard, Lucario and Raichu. Do you think that's a good team or should I bring someone else in. And does anyone want to battle.

This is a ruddy good game. Just crushed the first gym with Old Hat (My pidgey) and ribbit (froakie).
I'm still trying to find that fire puppy 'mon but once I get it my life will be complete. Marvellous game!

I've got a glaceon, going to drop absol sorry balla.

Can you guys help me pick best 6 (4 really) for the tournament. I will put up stats etc asap.

As of now both online simulators have updated to generation six, and after testing Mega Kangaskhan I have to wonder how long this thing will last before being banned. Its bulk is huge, and its ability combined with its whopping 125 base attack is just overpowered, and that's before you remember the thing can spam Return and doesn't give two dumps about Ghost types thanks to Shadow Claw. Throw in Power-Up Punch (which I didn't need to sweep an entire team just now) and you've got an unstoppable train that's going to take out at least two Pokemon unless the user decides to leave it in on a fighting type that's faster than it.

Is anyone else a bit disappointed that Game Freak have kept on with the 'new' style of map design introduced in Black/White? What I mean is we're faced with more linear route paths, which rarely intertwine, alongside more straightforward dungeon design and less puzzles (strength is only used to 'unlock' new paths, for example)? Nothing wrong with X/Y's approach, especially given how it streamlines travel, but I really miss when Pokémon maps were intricate game worlds filled with plenty of goodies to come back and find, Metroid-style. Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald represented that at its peak with its half land, half water game world.

Balladeer wrote:

masofdas wrote:

The old Mon are the best Rummy.

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Nostalgia's a powerful thing, but gen. 1 had its awfulmons just like the rest of them.  It's just been so long that we're inured to how awful they are.

Can't fault them for not being memorable though. And they had the best names for that sort of thing, too. They also had a unique blend of being cute and 'Pocket Monsters' at the same time as well, though that may be down to be remembering the Red/Blue sprites (my goodness some of those are nightmare-inducing) than the actual original Ken Sugimori artwork.

Apart from the surfing being far too slow in RSE, I agree. Still the pinnacle of the series.

I've got a fully EV trained Mawile now. I'm really happy that the Mega Evolution has made him worth using (Huge Power!) and he only has two weaknesses now. What a little champ.

Fronk: haven't most of the games had the pretty linear setup, though? XY is a lot like RBY in its "one big central city" layout (Lumiose and Saffron), and I don't remember ever really traversing the same routes that often in any of the games. If anything I found RSE a bit of a pain in the arse because Lavaridge and that ashy one at the top of the map near all the Spinda were markedly difficult to get to.

Athrun888 wrote:

As of now both online simulators have updated to generation six, and after testing Mega Kangaskhan I have to wonder how long this thing will last before being banned.  Its bulk is huge, and its ability combined with its whopping 125 base attack is just overpowered, and that's before you remember the thing can spam Return and doesn't give two dumps about Ghost types thanks to Shadow Claw.  Throw in Power-Up Punch (which I didn't need to sweep an entire team just now) and you've got an unstoppable train that's going to take out at least two Pokemon unless the user decides to leave it in on a fighting type that's faster than it.  

Yeah that's what Mega Lucario is for, hell even Glaceon or any other ice type would do well (same with fighting)

And wasn't the surfing slow in DP? If it was slow in RSE I honestly did not notice

Rum Rapture wrote:

Stu: X and Y are very good. Only about 70 new Pokemon, sure, but considering there are now over 700 Pokemon in total, I'm pretty sure you won't mind too much. I met a guy when I was on holiday the other week who was one of those "THE ORIGINALS ARE THE BEST" bores, and had a team of Charizard, Raichu, Gengar, Alakazam, and a couple of other Kanto monsters (think maybe Lapras and something else) because he didn't like the new Pokemon. I don't really like using the same Pokemon in a playthrough that I've used before so my team was made up of 6 newcomers. The fact that it might be hard to choose which Pokemon to use is, to my ears, a bizarre complaint (if it even stands as a complaint at all).

In my opinion, you can never have too much choice. That's a real box ticker. I'm a definite backer of 'the original 'Mon were the best', though. I do find a handful of Pokémon in each new generation that I love to bits, but I'd certainly argue that, say, there's never been a better set of starters than the Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander trio.

For me (excluding this generation which I haven't seen), I find gen. IV to have the lamest Pokémon. Bronzong? Bastiodon? Arse. Floatzel is automatically shite before you even see the character design. What's in a name? Quite a lot, really.