Stuck In Its Ways
Stuck In Its Ways: Pokémon: X and Y
Pokemon is a weird series: the plot is strange, the dialogue feels cybernetic, and the mechanics are outdated. And yet, its latest iterations, Pokémon X and Y prove that the core gameplay still works in 2013. The same skeleton remains in its latest iterations: a young boy or girl is ushered out into the obscure world of Pokémon to be “the best” by filling out a vast database (called a Pokédex) of monsters for a keen professor. You traipse across the region, collecting gym leader badges and ultimately end up fighting the Elite Four to prove your worth as the best.
It’s a hard game to describe if you’ve never played it, but if you grew up with Pokémon, you know immediately what you’re in for. X and Y prove that fans don’t want change, and these iterations sell units of Nintendo handhelds (from Gameboy to 3DS).
The new features feel tacked on, but the online works (in an unfriendly way). Basically, the touch screen acts as a friends list, a training mini game, and a Tamogotchi. You can encounter others who are either also online, or who have passed by the spot you’re currently in (I’m still unsure about this – which is an indicative haze representative of all of the new features). A stream of players from many countries scroll across the touch screen in an overwhelming fashion. If you want to fight or trade your friend, the menus are confusing and take too long, but it works. It feels like everything Nintendo tries to do with online connectivity; janky and super protective about privacy.
For someone who is trying to breach this maladaptive world, they may be baffled by some of its features. Why can’t I just swap Pokémon in and out of boxes? What is the need for depositing and withdrawing Pokémon like some sort of currency? Some of the controls feel vastly outdated: For example, the first major city has you rollerblading in some tacked-on behind-the-character perspective that left me disorientated and a little nauseated These are just some of the caveats newcomers must face to get to its charms.
X and Y can be pretty, and I like the art style it has taken, but the 3D features are limited and completely debilitate the frame rate. Each battle has optional 3D but I never end up using it because the game slows down to an unbearable rate. The music still sounds compressed to nostalgic-Gameboy sounding Pokémon roars. However, Pikachu’s sounds are oddly crystal clear (probably because he’s the world’s favorite Pokémon).
Ultimately, X and Y deliver what fans want – minor updates and features to get them excited, while retaining the same basic formula they have come to expect. It offers no surprises, and that’s okay if you have a specific itch you need to scratch.