This game i bought on Nov. 22 at 14:15 after a SAT simulation from a store i have never bought from before.
Every Pokemon game brings something new to the "Poke-journey". This time, however, the game feels different and can be considered as revolutionary due to the new capabilities of the 3DS.
The core is, of course, the same. A new pokemon trainer want to begin his journey, start with one of the 3 pokemon starters and continue from city to city, gym to gym until the league while defeating the bad guys (in this case, Team Flare) who want to use the powers of the legendary pokemon for their own interests.
However, Pokemon X is not just a copy of what has come before. It foundations are surrounded by a scaffolding of new features that build upon its gameplay fundamentalsFor example, the ability to tinker with each pokemon's base stats is a great addition since it affords you an opportunity to optimize individual combatants for your play style. Perhaps you value speed above all else for the pokemon that you send out first but prefer others in your party to focus on damage output or survivability; these traits are malleable, and can really make a difference when you're well-trained team has its back to the wall.
A lot of what makes it immediately enticing is its upgraded visuals. The move to full 3D environments and characters--a first for the main series--makes Pokemon X not only the most gorgeous-looking Pokemon game ever, but also one of the better-looking games released on 3DS to date. It's impressive to finally see your pokemon battle it out as more than low definition 2D images, and the nicely detailed character models truly add to the connection you feel with your little critters. You'll wince as your expressive pokemon grimaces in pain after being struck, bite your lip in anticipation as a pokeball struggles to contain a freshly caught creature, and marvel at some of the sights you see in your travels.
Kalos, the region in which this particular adventure is set, is lush and green for the most part, with fields of colorful wildflowers adding vibrancy to the countryside. Some of the buildings you find yourself in are impressive as well. The bug pokemon gym, for example, sits atop a delicate spiderweb with dew hanging off its threads, while the electric gym puts you in a series of gaudily lit game-show-like sets. The camera does a good job of keeping things visually interesting, shifting angles as you move from location to location to give you dynamic views of the environment.
But the highlights of the game are the pokemon themselves. One of the hallmark features of the Pokemon series has always been the charming designs of its creatures, and they're shown off to great effect here. There are, unfortunately, quite a lot of shared animations in battle (such as the butt-facing shake of Tail Whip or the forward hop of a Charge), but the hundreds of pokemon feature enough unique moves and twitches that their personalities shine through regardless. Pokemon attacks have some serious visual impact, too. Water pokemon lift high into the air on a column of blue water when initiating the surf attack, while the devastating laser-like beam of an Oblivion Wing looks like it could hurt. Pikachu and his pals have never looked so good.
There's more pokemon to catch than ever before, too, with this game's Pokedex spanning all of the previous games in the series. This means you'll see plenty of new and familiar faces.You'll find yourself relentlessly scouring patches of wild grass to try to capture that one elusive pokemon you know is hiding there, and you'll curse your bad luck when a random battle begins with a type mismatch against you. You'll become obsessed with your pokemon's stats, analyzing and comparing one creature against the other to see which is superior. And while the game's returning mechanics remain invigorating, other core aspects of the series remain frustrating. For example, the random encounter nature of dungeons and grasslands can still get annoying when all you want to do is make it to the next gym, and the storage system that you're forced to keep all but six of your pokemon in at all times is unwieldy enough that individuals can be difficult to find unless you devise your own system for organizing them.
The other new additions Pokemon X brings are somewhat less impactful. Mega evolutions let certain pokemon temporarily evolve past their final stage during a battle. A mega evolved Pokemon's stats get significantly boosted, so for the most part, you always want to trigger these as soon as you get into a scrap. Mega evolutions play into your battle strategy only when you have more than one pokemon on your team with the ability, since you can mega evolve only one creature on your team per match. Another addition is Pokemon Amie, a Nintendogs-like mode where you can pat and feed your pokemon and play minigames with them to boost their affinity with you. It's admittedly charming to try to find where your fiercest-looking pokemon likes to be tickled, but while there are tangible benefits to having your pokemon like you, Pokemon Amie feels like a distraction at best.
In fact, Pokemon X is a less-challenging game than previous entries in the franchise. You're given some pretty solid pokemon by characters within the game, so it's likely that the team you have within a few hours in the Kalos region may be good enough to take you through the lengthy single-player campaign. The game, however, does an admirable job of tempting you with new creatures. Each different area you come across features a good mix of new pokemon to capture, and as always, they're levelled up sufficiently to match any challenges you'll find in the location you're in, making swapping to newly caught creatures a viable and attractive option.
Game Freak has really outdone itself this time, and Pokemon X (and Y) will be remembered as great transition point for the series’ transformation into an even more social, beautiful, and strategic game. Building on five generations of games, a digital menagerie of captivating creatures, and a wide range of diverse regions to explore, Pokemon X and Y proves this formulaic portable role-playing series can still deliver an innovative experience.