Pokemon X/Y – Trailer Impressions

Hello all! I am here for some late-night (late-night here in the midwest, at least) posting!

Tonight I’m going to be giving my impressions on the bombshell that was announced yesterday: Pokemon X/Y, the new, 6th Generation Pokemon game coming out soon on the 3DS. I wanted to watch the trailer of the game a few times, and let things settle down, before I gave my thoughts on it. The video is below, for reference:

So, here we go! Remember, these are just impressions of a trailer, for a game that will be released in October: As such, a lot of my thoughts may not apply by the time it rolls out!

To begin, right before anything is shown off, take a look at where Pikachu starts his world-wide announcement zap:

Definitely the Eifil tower. Does this mean Gen 6 takes place in the Poke-Universe’s version of France? I think so-and my thoughts are compounded by something later in the trailer.

Two things here: First, gasp! A full 3D Pokemon game! For the first time ever. And it looks great! That cel-shaded style seems smooth, and will probably look better at a native, 3DS resolution. Secondly, there’s the Male Protagonist! He seems older than previous male leads. Or that might be because the 3D models make it look like so! We’ll have to have that confirmed.

Here’s an outdoor area, what looks to be Route 3. Not going to lie, those static trainers, just standing there waiting for our male lead, is a little weird.

Here we get only a quick glimpse of the female lead. That red hat and overall clothing style reminds me of French fashion as well. Hmm…

Well, that basically confirms the France location for me. What I thought was lag, ended up being our Male Lead on rollerblades. I’m betting this replaces the usual bicycle for faster travel. Makes sense, to be honest. It’s easy to slap on some blades to a 3D model’s shoes, then change the animation of the model, while speeding it up. This does away with having to create a bunch of different bicycles. I’m going to miss them though!

Then, we have what is obviously a rendition of the Eiffel tower. Confirmation enough for me!

And here we have our three new starters: Chespin, Fennick, and Froakie! Grass, Fire, and Water, respectively. This strengthens the France theory even more: Chestnuts? Fennec Foxes? Frogs? Seems likely to me! Regardless, I’m definitely picking Fennick-and naming it Mozilla. You know, because I’m creative like that.

Woah! 3D Pokemon battles! The attacks also look much more dynamic and exciting: Something which I can get behind! Grinding for levels will be a lot more exciting this time around.

And here, we have what look to be the two legendaries. The top is probably Y’s Legendary, while the deer looks to be X’s. Can I just say, X’s Legendary looks so awesome. If I can catch it, I will totally be calling it Mononoke. For obvious reasons, to anyone who has watched the movie of the same name.

Thus far, the game seems to be shaping up quite nicely. The new 3D style looks great, as do the battles, starters, and legendaries. It also seems to retain the same great Poke-style that we all know and love. I’m interested to see what new features get revealed as time progress-and there definitely will be. This looks like the biggest jump in Pokemon changes in a very long time.

Overall, I’m excited for this Generation, and I’ll definitely be getting one of the two games-Most likely X. This is a big deal for me, too: I haven’t bought a Pokemon game since Gold-and that was 12 years ago!

So there you have it, folks! Look for Pokemon X/Y‘s worldwide release in October. You read that correctly: Worldwide! Which means that America doesn’t have to sit in the sidelines, glaring daggers at the Japanese diving into the game months ahead of them!

Till next time!