RPGs come in all different forms and Pokémon is one of those that will sweep you away on your own adventure across a continent to live the life as a Pokémon trainer. Pokémon is a very long living series that has spanned a total of six generations of Pokémon and has made many games based off of these creatures. What makes Pokémon so great?
Story 10/10
Pokémon is known to have great stories even though sometimes they may seem childish or cheesy, they are also fun to follow. As always you start the game choosing your gender and you are a new resident to a town where you will be sent off on a adventure to capture and collect data from creatures known as Pokémon for a professor. Unlike previous games where you have one rival, you leave town with four of your new friends who welcome you into town. Along the way you run into the Team Rocket of the Series, but this time they are known as Team Flare and while their goal is unknown, they are up to no good. The story starts out all happy and fun, but the story grows dark near the end when you finally work to undo the work of Flare.
Characters 9/10
Aside from the character you are given you will meet many different characters along the road who will be your friend or will challenge you to battle. The four friends you set out with each are out for different reasons and you will run into them multiple times along the way and each time is an interesting gathering. The enemies of the game are a little bit irritating to be around, but their motive is really dark. The gym leaders you face are also interesting due to their styles and the way their gyms even look.
Gameplay and Mechanics 10/10
As always Pokémon follows the usual battle system that it always had. It is one that has worked really well for it over they years and people still love it. There are lots of differences of you will see in the gameplay as well, the character customization has expanded a little bit by letting you choose three faces for each gender, but then along the way you can dress up your trainer with a variety of clothes and outfits. There are times where you will need to ride a Pokémon to travel around certain terrains. The new Super Training system will allow you to increase stats while playing soccer like mini games. Pokémon Amie will allow you to spend time with your Pokémon by petting them, feeding them, playing with them to increase their affection for you. Fairy is now a new element and Pokémon in the past and present will be assigned to this element. Over 70 new Pokémon to capture and learn about. Finally the newest mechanic is a new form of evolution called Mega Evolution. Mega Evolving is evolving a certain Pokémon past their highest evolution to a ultra powerful form that can be used for each battle. This evolution only really increases stats, but each Pokémon will look different some depending on the version you bought. Only certain Pokémon will be able to Mega Evolve such as Charizard or Lucario.
Graphics and Sound 9/10
I am not a huge graphics nut like other people who play video games, but the graphics of X and Y are a major improvement from the 2D games that we have been playing over the years. Everything is 3D including the Pokémon as they battle it out. The sound is also well done as there is a variety of sounds and music that you will be hearing through out the game.
Overall 9/10
Pokémon is a wonderful RPG and even people that are older can enjoy this game. Pokémon is one of the few games that has been around for a long time and is still pulling off their brilliant games and their fantastic stories. Being sent off on the journey to capture these Pokémon and to eventually become the most powerful trainer known to man has earned a 9/10