It has been a few years since Pokemon X and Pokemon Y have come out, and, although I have never played them, look like a great new addition to the series. I have been observing aspects of the games for a few days now and I would like to talk about my ten favorite. Please note that these are in no specific order of how much I like them.
- Character customization: Something that was lacking in the series for a while now is the ability to customize your character. No, I’m not talking about your gender, but your look. X and Y introduces character customization, which allows you to pick the outfit that you want to wear. You will have to buy new clothes and pay for your haircuts, but it makes you feel like you are actually playing. You can also choose your skin color at the beginning of the game, so you do not always have to have the same skin tone, hair color, or eye color as everyone else.
- Mega Evolution: While I’m not complete happy for it, I’m glad these games were given a new mechanic. In the games, if you give certain Pokemon its respective Mega Stone, you can mega evolve them. Mega evolving a Pokemon just means you make it look different, give it a different ability (most of the time), add or take away a type (sometimes) and give them a different stat distribution. It only lasts for the match, and only one Pokemon in your party can mega evolve per battle. Here is a list of all of them (including the ones in ORAS):
- Absol
- Abomasnow
- Aerodactyl
- Aggron
- Alakazam
- Ampharos
- Blastoise
- Blaziken
- Banette
- Charizard (has two)
- Garchomp
- Gardevoir
- Gengar
- Gyarados
- Heracross
- Houndoom
- Kangaskhan
- Lucario
- Manetric
- Mawile
- Medicham
- Mewtwo (also has two)
- Pinsir
- Scizor
- Tyranitar
- Venusaur
- Altaria
- Audino
- Beedrill
- Camerupt
- Diancie
- Gallade
- Glalie
- Latias
- Latios
- Lopunny
- Metagross
- Pidgeot
- Rayquaza (does not have a mega stone; needs to know Dragon Ascent instead)
- Sableye
- Salamence
- Sceptile
- Sharpedo
- Slowbro
- Steelix
- Swampert
- Fairy type: I covered this a long time ago, but Fairy is a new type. We have not gotten a new type since Generation 2, where we got Steel and Dark. My favorite thing about it is that it makes most dragons less overpowered. Since Fairy is not good against Fire, Steel, or Poison and weak to Steel and Poison, some dragons do not care about fairies. Dragalge and Dialga are some good dragons now since they have Poison and Steel types, respectively.
- Sitting: I always found it bothersome when I was right in front of a chair in Pokemon and I was not able to sit. It did not make a lot of sense to me. In this game, however, you can finally sit! I know it seems trivial, but being able to sit in a chair in a Pokemon game sounds like the most relieving of things. Plus, there are plenty of benches around Kalos, so have fun sitting!
- PokeRadar: I’m glad they brought this back. In Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, there was an item called a PokeRadar that would make finding a Shiny Pokemon easier. In those games, you would be lucky to find a Shiny, since you only had a 1 in 8192 chance of finding one. Even at your best with the PokeRadar, your chances were 1 in 200. This is a significant increase, but still pretty low. In these games, however, the odds are supposedly higher. I always found PokeRadaring to be a bother in Generation 4, and I only ever found one Pokemon from it a few years ago: a Staravia. It was at a 20 chain, and I got it at the Trophy Garden. That was my first Shiny Pokemon ever (not counting Red Gyarados) and I evolved it to a Staraptor, transferred it to my Black version, then gave it to my cousin. There are so many requirements involved in it, it’s not even funny. If you don’t find the same Pokemon, don’t get any chained Pokemon, or run into a non-chained Pokemon, your chain breaks. You need repels (which means you need money), patience, and luck. You need to know about PokeRadaring before you can get a Shiny (or you can just have dumb luck). In X and Y, it is arguably easier because of the higher chances, so they added decoy patches. If you run into one of these, your chain breaks. The problem is, they still shake like a Pokemon is there.
- Consecutive fishing: In X and Y, you have the ability to consecutively fish. This is when you fish and fish until you hopefully get a Shiny Pokemon. This may seem pointless, but consecutively fishing increases your odds of finding a Shiny. There are easier requirements than PokeRadaring. You will need a Pokemon with Suction Cups or Sticky Hold (I suggest Lileep, since it always has Suction Cups) at the front of your party. It can be fainted or not. You have little to no control over what Pokemon you get, but all you really need is the correct Pokemon and a good reaction time. In fact, it may even help you if you have a rather slow one.
- Hordes: Hordes are a new mechanic where you encounter five Pokemon at the same time. Most of the time, the Pokemon are the same, but you have some related Pokemon that can show up in the horde. Also, there is a chance that ONE of those Pokemon will have its hidden ability. There are ways to test if there is one, and if so which one it is. Some of these methods are easier than others.
- Super Training: don’t you wish your Pokemon can become stronger? Well, if you use Super Training, you can. You can throw your Pokemon out to play some soccer and get even stronger than before.
- Pokemon Amie: don’t you wish your Pokemon admired you more? Well, if you use Pokemon Amie, you can. You can feed your Pokemon, play games with them, and pet them. Some have certain areas where you cannot pet them. Watch your hands!
- Friend Safari: if you have a friend, go to their Friend Safari. Each player has a safari associated with them, where unique Pokemon can be found. Some of them can only be found here, so be sure to interact with plenty of people if you want to “catch ’em all”. These people also have two perfect IVs in any two stats, can have their hidden abilities (if they have one) and have a higher chance of being Shiny.
What’s your favorite aspect of X and Y?
Gamer Fan Spot 