Pok?mon X and Y review

[Silvergun X]

Well this is pretty special isn't it!

I haven't played a Pokemon game since Red, many years ago, and even that was more of a passing interest than anything I seriously got into. I've effectively come into this with a completely fresh outlook.

I'm completely in awe at the sheer amount of Pokemon there are to capture. It's completely overwhelming and there's absolutely tons of different stuff I'm trying to soak in at once.

I pretty much just jumped in with absolutely no idea about IVs, EVs, what gaining your Pokemon's affection does, why my stats have stopped going up with super training, how in hell I'm supposed to be breeding them at the day centre, making the most of my Pokemon's stats and the right attacks, etc.

Slowly but surely, I'm picking things up and learning more. I know that my Sp. Atk will only affect Special type attacks (duh!), and that certain behaviour will raise some stats quicker than others, that Speed is probably the most important stat you can go for when playing online with other people, which types are weak to others, etc.

I'm trying to train up a Skitty simply because of the potential control there, getting her up for speed, using sleep, then bringing in my Combusken with a stupidly high EV trained attack stat or my Snorlax and beating the **** out of them while they can't move. Seems to be working so far, with a fair few wins under my belt, but I'm putting that down to everyone else being as new as I am... I wouldn't stand a chance against someone with better experience in previous generations.

I'm a fan of Minun and Combusken in double battles as well, with the whole helping hand thing and team buffing. It's awesome!

I'm up for adding anyone here to friends etc. Still learning an absolute ton and loving it.

[speedlolita]

There are reasons not to bulk up your speed. For example if you're already a slow Pok?mon chances are you're going to want to bulk up your defense or special defense.

As for combining two Pok?mon together there are moves such as Baton Pass that allow you to pass all of your increased stats onto the Pok?mon being traded in via means of Calm Mind, Dragon Dance or Swords Dance for example.

I wouldn't worry so much about IVs right now but the ease of EVs via Super Training and the method of getting Natures easily (breed with a DItto of your desired nature holding an Everstone for 100% success) it is something I'm going to be thinking about this time around. As for eggs you might want to keep in mind that a Pok?mon with the Flame Body ability will half the amount of steps required to hatch an egg. This is useful as some of the Pok?mon such as the Axew I'm working on right now requires 10,500 steps to hatch normally!

In regards to you not obtaining EVs anymore - that is because you're limited to 510. Per stat this is limited to 255. You effectively gain from having 252 EVs if you want to max out your stat - combining this with a beneficial Nature in that stat for example can yield 400+ attack with some Pok?mon which is crazy. What is nice about this game though is that you can simply get a "Reset Bag" in the Super Training menu and completely retrain your Pok?mon from there. Have to be careful with battling between using that though as Exp Share distributes EVs too.

I've got the week off work so hopefully I can make some nice progress on my team! Having a blast at the moment though, my Delphox is level 96 and I've started retraining his EVs, although Modest (+Sp. Atk -Atk) would be preferable for him I have Rash (+Sp. Atk -Sp. Def) so he won't be in my final team.

[fishbowlhead]

Picked this up along with a 2ds at the weekend and clocked up 15 hours already. Still addictive as ever and coming from ruby & saffire being the last games i played its a good jump up for the series, in every way. Nice to see more depth being added in the stat farming with the mini games, a good diversion that benefits the pokemon, much better than farming gold to by protein, calcuim etc.

Will have to get some nintendo ID's off you guys for some trading

[Briareos]

Managed to play quite a lot of this on the weekend and just received the Coastal Pokedex. Found myself in a bit of a pickle, I?ve spent so long collecting the various pokemon that their levels have gone above 30, above the limit where i should be able to control them with my bug badge. Not actually had a problem as yet but now I?m racing ahead to the next gym in the fear that I will have an over levelled yet uncontrollable team!

I?m a bit miffed that I had forgotten that the field moves like Cut cannot be replaced with moves learned from levelling up, really regretting giving one to my Bulbasaur Hopefully not to long till I get to a place where I can forget moves to get rid of the blighter!

I received my first streetpass hit this morning, but since playing the game I?ve not seen what I get for a streetpass, the green ball is still there on the icon on the game in the home menu, if MK7 gives you ghosts, AC gives you houses what does a Pokemon streetpass get you and where do you access it from?

Getting the hang of using O powers now too, it?s good that they level up and it?s even better that they are cheaper to use on others than yourself, so I have been spamming them on strangers today to level them up, I even gave a stranger on the tube an attack boost!

[speedlolita]

The Move Deleter is in Dendemille Town.

No idea what O powers are but I don't think it would be all that relevant to me anyway.

Just trying to catch Modest and Timid Dittos now and I'll get EV training! My Axew has nice IVs so I'll probably do Ralts next. My team is going to have one Pok?mon from each generation.

[Briareos]

The Move Deleter is in Dendemille Town.

No idea what O powers are but I don't think it would be all that relevant to me anyway.

Just trying to catch Modest and Timid Dittos now and I'll get EV training! My Axew has nice IVs so I'll probably do Ralts next. My team is going to have one Pok?mon from each generation.

I take it dittos are post Elite Four available only right?

I?ve never put a competitive team together in Pokemon but this generation might be my first foray! I?ve previously chain bred a Scizor to have swords dance then EV trained a him up to be a killer sword dance/bullet punch physical sweeper but he only works against computer opponents who I?ve locked into a struggle with PP reducing moves! It would save me time if I can build a team around him this gen but not sure where to start. I?m quite keen on making a team around snorlax as he is my favourite pokemon but have also read good write ups on sandstorm/spike teams. What is the strategy for yours?

[fishbowlhead]

The Move Deleter is in Dendemille Town.

No idea what O powers are but I don't think it would be all that relevant to me anyway.

Just trying to catch Modest and Timid Dittos now and I'll get EV training! My Axew has nice IVs so I'll probably do Ralts next. My team is going to have one Pok?mon from each generation.

I overwrit strength with a leaned move, crunch I think it was, on my pyroar. Might if been a glitch but you can get rid of them anyway so not a biggie.

Also is axew any good, he looks a bit like larvitar which was always my favorite but axew doesn't look like he evolves any further?
Edit. Seems he does, as I typed that 2 mins later I encountered a com trainer with his next evolution. Off I go to catch one

[speedlolita]

Team strategy is not my forte I'm afraid.

To get some ideas on things though I'd recommend checking out Smogon. They're really good for individual Pok?mon at least.

And yes Ditto is post game I think, they're in the Pok?mon Village near the last gym.

Also is axew any good, he looks a bit like larvitar which was always my favorite but axew doesn't look like he evolves any further?

http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Haxorus_%28Pok%C3%A9mon%29

[fishbowlhead]

Cheers speedy, caught one now, he'll make a suitably mean addition.

[boxhead]

I have had a complete U-turn on this game.

I know I was pretty negetive initially but now I am completely obsessed with it. I have been playing pokemon since the original on gameboy and this is by far the greatest game in the franchise. In fact, this game has rekindled my love of videogames. I have been in a slump in regards to gaming for about a year and this game has finally dragged me out of it. If it weren't for my job I would be playing this throughout the night and there have only ever been about 5 games in my life to do this.

I still only have the first badge but i've been playing for about 24 hours and have a hundred or so pokemon in my pokedex. the wonder trade thing is brilliant and its a great advertisement for why nintendo are a brilliant company. people seem to happily put really great pokemon out there just out of pure generosity. so far, I have received a starter (the fox one), an eevee and even a shiny. I do my best to put some good pokemon back out in to the wild too. I have been breeding pikachus and hatching the eggs so regularly putting out Pikas.
compare this to games like cod or gta online where people only ever want to **** each other over and you can see where i'm coming from. nintendo games just seem to create a more friendly play space and they are better gaming experiences because of that.

Yeah, this is my game of the year so far. this for me is what gaming should be about. this game is the whole package and some and the online is amazing.

[Briareos]

Has anyone had much luck with registering their game on Pokemon global link? It was down last week and now the site is down until Thursday.

Also any chance you can trade me a spare ditto Speedlolita?

[speedlolita]

Could do yes.

As for the global link website I did that day one. However, there are no features available yet.

[shaffy_oppa]

It's taken over my life :/ I've been breeding the 6 starters for god knows how many hours and just offering the eggs for trades for nothing in particular... 20 hours in and still on my first badge also hitting 30+ with most of my main team so I traded them and retrained newly hatched ones...

[fishbowlhead]

What's a wonder trade? I haven't even touched the online side so no idea how it works?

I'd like some starters pretty please

[speedlolita]

Wonder Trade is trading anything for anything blindly.