Why I (Eventually) Decided to Buy X and Y

After a lot of thought, I decided to advance to the 6th generation and buy X and Y. This decision definitely took a long time, but why? In case you couldn't tell, I'm kind of obsessed with Pokémon. Then why would this be a hard decision to make?

From the beginning of this year, Pokémon revealed quite a bit of information leading up to the release. Most of X and Y's content was either a hit or miss for me. While I wasn't initially a fan of the legendary mascots, that didn't bother me. Besides, there are plenty of other Pokémon to catch. As more Pokémon were revealed, I started to get worried.

As the first Steel/Ghost type, Honedge was a huge disappointment for me. Its design lacked creativity. It's a floating sword that can unsheathe itself. Really? That's what qualifies as a Pokémon!? The worst part was that Game Freak thought the design was so good, Honedge deserved to be revealed before the game's launch. That's like using Muk to promote Red and Blue. You think anyone would have bought Red and Blue if their first impression was Muk? Many of the designs like Clauncher and Skrelp fell flat for me. I wasn't inspired by a good portion of the revealed Pokémon, which hasn't happened for me before.

From the people that brought you living sludge and floating ice cream cones...

They're changes in the battle system that I at first viewed as unwelcome. Horde battle is just outright stupid! Why would Game Freak even care about trainers who catch strong Pokémon to quickly advance through the game? So yeah, fighting five weak Pokémon instead of one strong one will force you to grind more. Talk about frustrating. Black and White reduced the amount of grind time you needed. Way to go backwards! I pretty much ran from any horde battle I encountered. And then there's Sky Battles where only Flying Pokémon can participate. What's the big deal? Is this mode so ground-breaking that you had to reveal it during E3? Granted, I haven't gotten this far in game, but the concept seems frivolous.

Great Psyduck, now you're giving ME a headache!

What have they done to you!?

Probably the would-be final straw was Mega Evolution. If you thought I was angry when I made my Mega Evolution post back in August, then you best prepare yourself for Primeape rage! Seriously, a part of me dies every time I find out about a new Mega Evolution. Half of them look like they went through the same horrific genetic splicing as Mewtwo. Apparently, Alakazam can heighten his skills with 5 spoons and Santa Claus' beard. Gardevoir can stand to lose a few pounds. And 10 points to anyone who can explain what the heck is going on with Heracross. The recent announcement that only one Mega Evolution is allowed on a team is a relief, but I still stand by that it's still as a gimmicky mechanic that makes the game needlessly complicated.

Obviously, I had a fair share of good reasons to buy these games. For one thing, while there are only 70 new Pokémon, some of the designs were spot on. I don't know why, but something about a cotton candy Pokémon seems so cool. Maybe it's the way Swirlix sticks his tongue out that makes it cute. I honestly can't wait to evolve it to Slurpuff. Maybe when they give it a Mega Evolution, it'll turn into the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Trevenant, Goomy and Pyroar are pretty cool to name a few. While I wish there were more, there were definitely some well designed Pokémon in the bunch. Just like any generation, it takes time to get used to the new Pokémon. 

It's so fluffy!...and quite possibly sticky.

When I first watched the opening cutscene, I knew that no previous Pokémon game could compare in respect to presentation. The 3D battles and animations puts X and Y ahead of even Colosseum and XD. My heart melted when I first encountered a 3D Pidgey in the wild. The towns are bustling with life and traveling from route to route is a seamless transition. X and Y overhauled the Pokémon battle cries. Pikachu literally says its name when it jumps out of the Pokéball! And of course, the music is amazing. Within the first few minutes, I was humming to Santalune City's tune! But I wouldn't expect anything less from Mr. Masuda, his work is phenomenal. Take a listen: 

The biggest push for me was that a good number of my friends planned on playing.  I apologize to those who had to listen to my endless complaints these past couple of months. It's been a humbling experience to listen to reasons why other trainers decided to buy the next installments, and I thank you for dealing with my stubbornness. I got caught up in all the battle mechanics and game changes that I lost sight of what Pokémon truly is. Pokémon is a shared experience with friends. No matter how competitive or casual you are, Pokémon is about connecting with people and having fun. So far, X and Y continues that shared experience the franchise is known for, and as long as it stays that way, it's worth the investment. Well done Game Freak. You got me in for another generation. 

Welcome back to the world of Pokémon!

Bringing New Variables in Battles with X and Y

With the introduction of Fairy-type Pokémon, the type-chart saw its first overhaul since Gold and Silver. But how will this affect Pokémon battles in the futures? Not much about this new type was known until the type-chart's official confirmation through Coro Coro Magazine.

New type-chart for X and Y. Props to Pokémon XY News for the chart.

Here's a summary of the changes. Fairy is super effective against Fighting, Dark and Dragon Pokémon. Fairy is not very effective against Fire, Poison and Steel Pokémon. Fairy is weak to Poison and Steel-type moves. Fairy is resistant against Fighting, Bug and Dark-type moves. And Fairy is IMMUNE to Dragon-type moves. Talk about a hard counter! Game Freak also sneaked in a slight nerf for Steel-types. Steel Pokémon no longer resist Dark and Ghost-type attacks.

It's obvious that Fairy-type Pokémon will play a key role in shaping the metagame. Sylveon's ribbons slaps Dragonite right in the face. And to think, I made that prediction about Xerneas being one of the best competitive Pokémon in jest. Fairy-type's lucky immunity to Dragon-type moves prevent Draco Meteor and Outrage spam.

I'd hate to see Iris encounter a Flabébé

Imagine Gardevoir switching in on Salamence's Outrage. Your Trace activates, throwing his Intimidate right back at him. Salamence will probably switch out, giving you ample time to set up a Calm Mind and possibly sweep.

Besides their ruthless thirst for dragon blood, Fairy-types also have it in for Dark and Fighting-types. Their resistance allows them to switch in on powerful moves and immediately threaten tough Pokémon out. Hydreigon and Scrafty now sport a nasty 4x weakness after a generation of favorable typing. STAB options for strong Pokémon like Scrafty and Heracross are severely limited.

It's hard out here for a pimp

Fairy's only weakness to Poison and Steel-type moves makes it a strong defensive type, especially since Poison and Steel moves are quite uncommon. While people might predict that Poison-type moves would be on the rise, I will have to disagree on this. Besides Fairy, Poison only hits Grass-types for super effective coverage. But why would you use a Poison move to knock out a Grass-type? You have Ice, Fire, Flying, Bug...you get the point! There are better options. Furthermore, many types resist Poison, including Steel which is actually immune to it. Defensively, Poison gets a boost which is great for Pokémon like Weezing.

Now only if it could do something about that horrendous cough...

Steel's loss of resistance might not seem like much, but it does cause problems for some Pokémon. The haunted sword Honedge now has to contend with two weaknesses in Ghost and Dark-type moves. Being as smart as a supercomputer gives Metagross a hard time. Everyone's coming up to it asking for help with taxes, quantum physics and damage calculations. Now it has to worry about things that go bump in the night. Metagross's Steel/Psychic type now becomes a hinderence. Tyranitar, Absol and Pangoro now can rely on their STAB moves to take on the four-brained behemoth.

It's not all bad for Steel-types though. The resistance to Fairy-type attacks and their super effective coverage against them will be what shapes the metagame. In 4th gen, a concept called "4 Drag, 2 Mag" was introduced. Basically, the only thing that stood in a Dragon's way were Steel-types. So Magneton and Magnezone were used to trap and knock them out. This concept can easily make a comeback to counter Fairy-types as well, but with a few modifications. Heatran's Steel/Fire type gives him a 4x resistance to Fairy. Plus, he can finally find a use for Flash Cannon to immediately threaten any Fairy-types out. Heatran's Fire-type moves can burn up most Steels and either Hidden Power Ice or Dragon Pulse can take on opposing Dragons. I wouldn't be surprised if Heatran's usage skyrocketed. Scizor also finds itself in a similar situation. Bullet Punch from Scizor is already a strong move, but the additional super effective coverage is icing on the cake. If you feel the opponent will switch out, simply use U-turn to maintain momentum.

The updated type chart for X and Y creates an interesting shift in the game. This post barely scratches the surface of what to expect in future battles, and rightfully so. What happens if Fairy moves have wide distribution like Flamethrower and Thunderbolt? What new tools can Dragons use to help outmaneuver these pixies of doom? Will the recent setback for Dark and Fighting-types lead to a reemergence of Psychic and Normal-types? Will Dunsparce get an evolution (or God forbid mega evolution) so grand that not even Arceus can stand up to it? Only the future will tell...or you can have Xatu use Future Sight. Whatever.

These trainers are way ahead of their time

This is No Fairy Tale, it's a New Type of Pokémon!

Between E3 and the latest issue of Corocoro, an explosion of new information about X and Y reached fans across the world. And alas, the biggest bombshell the Pokémon crew dropped has me eating my own words...again. It's been 14 years since Gold and Silver introduced two new types which we now consider staples. Without further ado, here is the new type of Pokémon, Fairy!

Sylveon challenges Hydreigon. Watch out for its Moonblast!

Before this announcement, we already met the first Fairy-type Pokémon, Sylveon. I personally thought it was Normal. Older Pokémon like Jigglypuff, Marill and Gardevoir also gain a secondary Fairy-type. This is similar to how Magnemite and Magneton became both Electric and Steel-types.

Looking at the initial Fairy Pokémon, it's obvious that they fit the "cute" motif. I highly doubt Muk is going to be Poison/Fairy anytime soon. I found it peculiar that Jigglypuff became Normal/Fairy over Clefairy. I mean, it's literally in Clefairy's name! Granted, Jigglypuff was the second-most popular Pokémon in Japan (with the first being Pikachu of course), so it might have been a smart way to promote the new type. Still, this doesn't mean that Clefairy can't be a Fairy-type. We just have to wait and see what Game Freak has in store for us.

While I didn't think a new type would come about, I did say that a new type would probably counter Dragon-types. At least I got that right! But what would make Dragon Pokémon so good that they needed a new type to counter it? The first family of dragons was the Dragonite line back in Red and Blue. Back then, he was benign, playful, cuddly...but now Dragonite's an unstoppable juggernaut bent on sheer destruction!

That's not cute and cuddly...

Many Dragon-types are pseudo-legendaries with a base stat of 600. Besides raw power, Dragon-types have impressive offensive and defensive capabilities. Dragon hits every type for at least neutral damage except for Steel (not very effective) and Dragon (super effective). Furthermore, Dragon is only weak to Dragon and Ice-types while sporting resistances to Electric, Grass, Fire and Water. This allows them to switch in on a number of moves and immediately threaten any unfortunate Pokémon standing in the way.

Dragon types also have powerful moves to abuse. Draco Meteor, Outrage, Dragon Pulse and even Dual Chop are quite effective. I wouldn't say that Dragons enjoy the privileges of Psychic-types back in Gen 1, but they're pretty powerful. I'm glad that the strength of Dragon-types was addressed.

Take that you jerk! It's Super Effective!

So what about my opinions about these new Fairies? For one thing, I wish they weren't called Fairy-type! To me, it's too gender specific. Look at Grass, Fighting and Dark. They don't inherently sound male or female. While certain Pokémon like Machamp and Gothitelle look masculine and feminine, the type as a
whole is not all one gender. Fairy sounds too feminine; I wouldn't want Fighting to be called "Macho". Light-type could be an alternative. There are moves like Moonblast and the released Fairy Pokémon have a sort of "light" or good persona to them.

Flabébé is a new Fairy-type in 6th gen

It's great that the strength of Dragons were addressed, but I don't think a new type was the best answer. While it might benefit the main series games, how will this new type affect the Pokémon franchise as a whole? Will the trading card game create a new energy type? How will the anime "magically" explain that  Jigglypuff had a secondary typing? Only time will tell. At the moment however, I don't believe that Fairy-type was necessary to keep things fresh for X and Y.

The Wildlife of the Kalos Region (X and Y update)

Recently, four new Pokémon, among other things, were revealed for X and Y. 

A normal day in Kalos, the region of Pokémon X and Y.

The first of these is Helioptile, the Normal/Electric type lizard. I'm not really sure how it's a normal-type. Granted, Altaria is a Dragon-type despite not having any remotely draconic features.

My opinion on Helioptile is ambivalent. I don't love or hate it, Helioptile is just ok. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to catch it. One thing that's interesting about Helioptile is its move Parabolic Charge. Parabolic Charge attacks the opponent and heals the user half the damage they dealt out. Essentially, it's an electric Giga Drain. Hopefully, more Electric-types can learn this move. I can see this being beneficial with bulky Electric-types like Lanturn and the Rotom appliances.

"Parabolic Charge" functions as an electric Giga Drain

Next is Fletching, your Pidgey/Hoothoot/Taillow/Starly/Pidove of this generation. I'm biased when it comes to the standard Normal/Flying birds. Pidgey and Starly will always have a place in my heart, so there's no love for Fletching from me. It's not all bad though, in fact I would recommend catching this bird if you so choose. Fletching can learn Flame Charge, which is handy to get past Steel-types. I just won't be going out of my way to catch it. What am I saying? I probably wouldn't have to! These things will be swarming the first route!

 Yes, your prayers have been answered. You can catch a panda in Pokémon! Actually, you could catch a Spinda since Ruby and Sapphire...you can now catch a panda that you'll actually like! Pancham is a fighting type who means business. While Teddiursa stands there and licks its palms, Pancham has no problem picking a fight with anyone who makes fun of its small stature. Bear Pokémon for the most part are always cool (sorry Spinda). Snorlax, Ursaring and Beartic are among my favorites and have that cool factor that I know Pancham's final evolution will have. Pancham alone is legit; it's a good mix of cute, tough and playful.

What you say about my leaf?! I'll knock you into next Tuesday!

Finally, there's this big guy. At first, it looks like a standard grass goat. The details about Gogoat though are interesting to say the least. Let's start with his name. REAL creative there. I can just imagine what that meeting sounded like. "Alright, so this goat allows you to go places when you ride on it. Let's call it Gogoat!" That's like naming Pikachu "Shockmouse" because it's a mouse and it can shock you.

That brings me to my next point. Earlier I said you could ride on this and the picture at the beginning of this post shows the trainer riding a Gogoat. So yes, you can ride it. Forget bikes, I'm on a goat! Just imagine strolling down the city, all the ladies checking out your swag as you ride on a Gogoat. That alone is pretty cool, and I hope more Pokémon have this "ride" feature. Can you imagine riding into town on a Zapdos? That would be pretty beast!

They see me rollin', they hatin'. Patrollin' tryna catch me ridin' dirty.

A major part of what makes Pokémon great are the actual Pokémon. When X and Y were first announced, the starters and legendary mascots didn't pique my interest. I originally couldn't commit to X and Y, but these newly revealed Pokémon made me reevaluate my initial impression. It's the Pokémon that make these games worth playing, and X and Y seem to be on the right track. I mean, you can catch pandas and ride goats! What's not to love?

Majin Mew

Earlier today, Nintendo announced a new Pokémon...or rather a new form of an old Pokémon.

If the first thing you thought of was this, you're not alone.

What took me by surprise was the original leaked scans a few days back. This past Wednesday, supposed magazine scans showed the new Mewtwo form (which I affectionately call Majin Mew) alongside Ash and Co. in a poster for the new Pokémon movie. I admit, I was skeptical. Nintendo already announced they planned on revealing a new Pokémon on Saturday, so it was quite possible that this was a fake to trick people. My conviction was further backed up by another movie poster which featured the same characters, poses and backgrounds. The only difference was that Mewtwo was in his normal form. Even after the leaked images were posted to Serebii, I was still a skeptic. Yes, I am currently eating my own words and it burns more than the wasabi Lickitung ate in Pokémon Stadium.

Before this, Unown and Pichu were the only Pokémon to have forms introduced in a future generation after their debut. And even then, those are purely aesthetic. Pokémon that actually change shape and abilities like Deoxys and Landorus all have new forms introduced in their respective generations. Sure, evolutions and pre-evolutions are created after a Pokémon's initial debut, but these are entirely new Pokémon altogether.

For an exclamation mark, Unown isn't very excited

Didn't see this coming did you?

I should know by now that relying on past precedents to predict the future of Pokémon is just as effective as using Splash in battle. When Ruby and Sapphire were first released, we were primed to think that it would be immediately followed by Emerald. After all, Yellow immediately followed Red and Blue and Crystal immediately followed Gold and Silver. Instead, Nintendo threw a curve ball and gave us Firered and Leafgreen.  

Fast forward to fourth gen. Ok, so we think we know the system now. The first two versions are released followed by the past gen remakes and then the third version. Wrong! Platinum shortly followed Diamond and Pearl and fourth gen wraps up with Heartgold and Soulsilver.

Don't hold your breath

And now we go to fifth gen. Pokémon fans are still just as oblivious as Slowpokes. Not only do we get a two-version direct sequel instead of a third version, we completely skip over the heavily hyped Ruby and
Sapphire remakes and go straight to Gen VI. I said it once and I'll say it again, you can't predict Pokémon's future by its past! Sure, while the basic premise, core gameplay and starter types haven't changed, it's clear that Pokémon doesn't fall into a set pattern.



So what do I think about Majin Mew? While I'm not the biggest fan, I'm excited that X and Y are taking risks. Pokémon X and Y defy how we think Pokémon should be. For the first time, we are treated to a fully 3D Pokémon game that plays like the main series handhelds, the starters and mascot legendaries were known day one, and Eevee gets a new evolution whose type is ambiguous. Majin Mew will be controversial to older fans who love Mewtwo. But despite the risk, changes are necessary to keep a series like Pokémon fresh and thriving after all these years. If you haven't already, watch Majin Mew in action. If it's any consolation, at least it shows how awesome battles will be in X and Y.

Time for a New Generation Already?

Pokémon started off the new year with a big bang. Merely eight days after the new year, this happened.

Meowth that's right! You're looking at the logos for the newest main series Pokémon games, X and Y. X and Y will launch for the 3DS WORLDWIDE this October! No longer must we wait months after Japan gets it.

So, what do I think about all this? It's kind of weird. Yes, saying I'm a huge Pokémon fan is a gross understatement. It's rare to find a time when I'm not playing Pokémon. But, I just don't see myself 100% getting behind these new versions. Don't get me wrong, these games seem great, but there a few things that bother me. 

In my opinion, these games came out way too fast. I felt like I just started playing 5th gen and now we're moving on. Usually, it takes four years for a new generation to be released. Ruby and Sapphire were released in 2003 (2002 in Japan). In 2007 (2006 in Japan), we got Diamond and Pearl. Likewise, Black and White came out in 2011 (2010 in Japan), four years after Diamond and Pearl. With X and Y coming out two years later, I felt I didn't get to spend enough time with Black and White.
 
With a new generation comes new Pokémon. Nintendo revealed the three starters of this generation right off the bat. This is definitely a rare move, especially since they like to keep starter information hidden until closer to the release date. The one benefit about a simultaneous international release is that the English names are already revealed. The new starters look pretty cool. Some people say that this is the first generation that all the starters are unanimously cool. Doesn't happen; the only time it did happen was 1st gen. Sorry Froakie fans, I'm just not digging the water frog all that much. My choice will probably be between Chespin, the grass-type Oshawott, and Fennekin, the Vulpix-Zorua hybrid. Pretty much, it boils down to their final evolutions. Hopefully I can make my decision soon. If the starters were revealed this quickly, we might get information about their evolutions sooner than later.

Which one will you choose?

The mascot legendaries were also revealed in the first trailer. I wasn't kidding when I said Pokémon started the new year with a big bang. My opinion on the new legendaries? They're stupid. Go ahead, hate me, it's all good. To me, they're missing that "cool-factor" past mascot legendaries had. Look at Zekrom, Kyogre and Lugia. They look like they could destroy cities with a cough. A light flutter of Lugia's wings can destroy houses! Zekrom scorches the world with lightening with the electricity generated from its tail! Kyogre summons torrential downpours that can literally flood continents! So what does 6th gen get? A wyvern and a deer. The dragons and behemoths of previous generations will now have to face the wrath of a deer. Sure, the wyvern looks pretty cool, but he doesn't seem like a version mascot. He'd fit more with the likes of Zapdos and Entei, still a legendary but not as big as Mewtwo and company. The deer...don't get me started. It looks like a wimpier version of the Muskedeer trio. Even Sawsbuck looks tougher than this. So many of these things will be named Bambi, it's not even funny. What's it going to do, use flash with its brightly colored antler!? I wanted to pick Y so I could avoid catching it, but my brother already claimed it. Guess I'm stuck with X...stupid deer. I will laugh if it turns out to be the best Pokémon competitively. Oh, the irony.

Meet Xerneas and Yveltal, the legendary deer and wyvern Pokémon

For a while, we've been clamoring for a full 3D Pokémon game. Sure, we've beaten the 8 gym leaders, defeated the evil organization, and challenged the Elite Four to become the champion. But we want to do it in 3D! So, ideally enough on the 3DS, we get just that with X and Y. And no, it's not a lazy attempt at 3D where the backgrounds are 3D and the Pokémon  are flat. Everything is in the third dimension! We're talking better than Stadium or Battle Revolution quality fights! Froakie literally goes up to a Patrat and scratches him. Yeah, I'm going to miss the sprites from past games, but this is freaking sweet! If nothing else, this is probably the main reason I'm buying Pokémon X and Y.

You are so going to get it when he evolves

Nintendo believes its time for a new generation of Pokémon, so here we are. While I'm for sure getting these games, I'm not as stoked as I was for other game releases. Maybe over time, more information will be revealed that will rekindle my excitement for Pokémon. For now, I wait with lukewarm anticipation. What do you think about the new generation so far? Watch the reveal trailer below and leave your comments. I'd love to hear from you.