So this is my first proper blog I guess. but it's not the game I thought I'd be reviewing. I teased a few weeks ago that I would be playing and reviewing the most recent game to be added to my collection; Batman Arkham Origins (the collectors edition),
but in the couple of weeks since I posted a blog saying I'd review it I haven't gotten round to playing it for a couple of reasons. The greatest of these is a distraction that I have divulged in these few weeks... Pokémon Y. So seeing as I've poured 85 hours into it already, I think I've played enough to review it.
I warn you know there may be one or two spoilers in this blog.
So Pokémon X and Y sees the greatest re-imagining of the Pokémon series since Pokémon Gold and Silver bathed the Pokémon world in glorious colour.
Pokémon Y sees you journey as boy or girl through the Kalos region of the world. You start your adventure at in your bedroom at home in the small town of Vaniville. As with all Pokemon incarnations you head downstairs where your mother (where is your father through all of this!) tells you that Professor sycamore wishes to speak with you and with that your adventure begins.
With a band of 4 others Professor Sycamore sends you into the wide world to discover the secrets of Mega evolution (a new spin added to battles that allows the Pokémon who have already evolved fully to evolve again during combat). With 8 gym leaders to put your skills and training techniques to the test, and give your starting 6 Pokémon, you choose to have on your person, many trials of strength and type followed by the inevitable Pokémon League encounters.
As with every new generation there comes a new starting three Pokémon to choose from...
Chespin...
Fennekin...
and
Froakie...
As is my preference when playing Pokémon games I ALWAYS select a Fire type started as I like to think of myself as a bit of a Pyromaniac so I opted for Fennekin to kick start my adventure.
Now to be honest, I think the Pokémon designers have somewhat lost their way with their starter selections and nothing truly compares to the original 3 starter Pokémon of Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charizard...
...as a result I was delighted when eventually meeting Professor Sycamore in person you are given the option to select one of the original Pokemon to join your collection. Despite having already selected one fire type starter, I selected Charmander to join my band of Pokémon and soon found myself relying on Charmander and Pikachu's moveset above any of the 100 or so Pokémon I was able to catch before the 3rd gym.
With the ability to now try and catch 718 Pokémon, the original motto of "Gotta Catch 'em all!" seem's like an even more daunting task than ever before. But unlike the previous generations the usage of online play has been taken to another level with a new function known as wonder trading. This allows any trainer to put up any Pokémon for trading and it will be instantly traded for another Pokémon offered by someone else around the world. The thrill of Wonder Trade is that you won't have any idea which Pokémon you'll get until it appears. This means that you may end up with a rare Pokémon that you'd been hunting for a long time, or even better another starter type that you hadn't selected. Once I have completed the game to my satisfaction I will use wonder trading and breeding to release hundreds of Kangaskhan on unsuspecting trainers across the world, while praying that I don't receive hundreds of Weedles in return.
It's hard to believe when you pick up this game that it has been just over 17 years since the original Pokémon Blue and Red cartridges were unleashed on novice Pokémon trainers worldwide where there was one region, 151 Pokémon and trading and battles were done using link cables in Playgrounds everywhere. Yet even though so much time has past, the wide appeal of starting afresh with a new starter and training it to be an unbeatable bastard of a Pokémon still has the same appeal it always did.
