Pokemon X/Y is the hotly anticipated brand new Pokemon game from Nintendo and GameFreaks. It is the first proper 3D Pokemon game for Nintendo 3DS. So seeing this, you might be curious on how it fares with critics. We have compiled a list of all the reviews so far.
Review embargo for Pokemon X/Y has been lifted and reviews have slowly started to pour in. We have collected review scores here along with excerpts from them so that you can have an idea on how it fared with critics.
Pokemon X and Y made me feel like I was back on the middle school playground, vying for real-life superiority in battle and communing in trade. I didn’t think games could still make me feel that way — but I’m so glad to be proven wrong.
Whether you’ve wrangled dozens of Charmanders or couldn’t pick a Pikachu out of a Safari Zone lineup, Pokémon X/Y is hands-down the best in the series.
Computer and Videogames 9/10
Ardent fans have been professing for years that Pokémon actually changes. For once, you don’t have to be an ardent fan yourself to see it. X & Y’s general structure remains almost identical to its forbears, but the rest of it – the detailed 3D visuals, touchscreen minigames, Mega Evolutions, new elemental type and, of course, the new Pokémon themselves – has resulted in more innovation than the last three games combined. It’s bigger, more complex, and truly makes its hardware work.
It pretty much ticks (Joltiks?) every box for existing fans and creates a great entry point for newcomers and returning trainers alike, making it an easy recommendation and one of the best games on 3DS.
Game Freak has really outdone itself this time, and Pokemon X and Y will be remembered as great transition point for the series’ transformation into an even more social, beautiful, and strategic game. Building on five generations of games, a digital menagerie of captivating creatures, and a wide range of diverse regions to explore, Pokemon X and Y proves this formulaic portable role-playing series can still deliver an innovative experience.
A wonderful blend of excitement and nostalgia, Pokémon X and Y evolves the core series with its impressive polygonal 3D environments and magical camera angle mastery, adding a few technical adjustments along with a brand new Pokémon type to the original formula that we all know and love. It’s not quite a revolution — and is hindered slightly by the meagre use of its host platform’s glasses-free 3D capabilities — Pokémon X and Y is sure to steal the hearts of Pokémon fans new and old alike.
Nevertheless, Pokémon X & Y is the finest expression of Satoshi Tajiri’s obsessive vision yet. The transition to 3D is smooth and natural and the multitudinous additions to the proven formula will excite even the most jaded Pokémon fanatic. Meanwhile, the kernel of Pokémon’s appeal – filling every blank in that collection, catching ’em all – remains resolutely undiminished after all this time.
Pokémon X & Y does not break the mold of what we expect when we play a Pokémon game. It goes down the check list of important Pokémon features, neatly ticking them off one by one. It still feels like a Pokémon game, but the ease of player control, the updated art direction, 3D graphics, and the scaling of the world make everything more inviting, attractive, and fun.
Pokémon X and Y is an odd pair of games to quantify because, on one hand, they are still solid entries in an incredible JRPG series and they offer some select new features that go above and beyond to make this feel like a brand new generation. On the other hand, inconsistent presentation, insubstantial core innovation, a low Pokémon count, and a minimal post-game keep them from achieving the total nirvana that this series has always been capable of.
Even with all of these renovations, innovations, and–yes, we’re going to just go ahead and say it–evolutions, Pokémon X and Y still feel like a Pokémon game in the end. Sure, you’re going to spend some of the time petting your Pikachu and you get to choose multiple starters, but X and Y eventually land in the comfort zone fans have found themselves in for six generations. Though they don’t reinvent the core concept of the franchise, they do a fantastic job of cleaning up the aging mechanics and creating a Pokémon world you’d be crazy not to explore.
Those qualities never really went away, of course, although some of the series’ original magic had been lost across so many iterative updates. And while the disappointment of the lacklustre 3D implementation here never entirely fades, the thrill of the new is undeniably back.
I feel like there must be some secret undercurrent of reinvention lurking beneath the surface of this game, something only the truly dedicated (i.e., people like Dustin) can appreciate. I’m sure they’ll be picking over the new mechanics and rebalanced monsters for months to come. For a less invested player, though, X and Y once again feel like more of the same.
Most of the reviews are extremely positive. This seems to be the definite Pokemon game now.
Stay tuned to GearNuke for latest news and info on Pokemon X/Y.
