Pokemon X and Y Versus Black and White

I have returned. Huzzah! And I've played Pokemon X and Y. It's been out for over a month, but I beat it in a few days. Thoughts?

SPOILER SECTION, EVEN THOUGH IT'S BEEN A MONTH:

Well, they ranged from "Ehhhhhh..." to "OH MY GOD, THAT WAS AMAZING." I say Pokemon Y got me best on the emotional level. Something about actually being appreciated by the people of Kalos really makes it a great journey. And, of course, there's AZ.

But I feel that this game is a bit... anticlimactic. Yeah, there's the great payoff and all that, but so what? I had no trouble with the Elite Four. Every member of Flare? BOOM. Defeated. Gym Leaders? Well... okay, Clemont got me. That dang Emolga. But after that? BOOM. In fact, the most trouble I had at all in the game was the Inverse Battle trainer. Muscle memory, you know. Normal types are completely broken.

Let's look at Black and White. N, right? He had a full team. He had a nice, balanced team. Same thing with Ghetsis. Balanced, intimidating. Lysandre has too many Pokemon weak to Fairy types. And how many are those? Three. OUT OF FOUR. And I know that it's different because N and Ghetsis were the replacements of the Elite Four, but that's no excuse. They had balanced teams, even if three of Ghetsis's Pokemon are weak to Fighting. HE STILL HAS THREE TO FALL BACK ON.

Obviously, the graphics are better. But I never think graphics should overrule gameplay or story. I think that X and Y can be... laggy. Especially during a horde battle. Heck, even in Triples, it lags. I know that there's a lot to process, and I personally could never do it, but it feels unfinished.

POKEMON! Yes, let's talk about them. My new favorite is my Gogoat, Skillet. Not all of them are great, especially since there's a limited supply. To be honest, I actually prefer the designs of Unova to Kalos, and that includes Pokemon, humans, and the overall regional appearance. And imagine that beautiful Village Bridge music... brings a tear each time. OO EHH AHH...

I think the selection is better, sure. Having not only new starters, but Kanto starters too? That really brings in the old players, which the Unova games sort of... blocked off. I'll admit, it did seem a bit like an attempt to shy away older players. Yes, I know, a new region shouldn't exist solely on older Pokemon. But saving the fan-favorites for the end, or never? I don't know. The sequels fixed it, but it still felt limiting to me. X and Y don't have this problem at all. There are far more Pokemon available than any other region.

Whereas Black and White focused on changing the monotony of the games, like a female professor, improved storyline, and more connection to the characters, X and Y don't. They don't. Sycamore's a pleasant enough professor, and he actually battles you. The storyline is weaker because it isn't followed up on. And I can't feel too connected to many of the characters, especially since the rivals are so low-key and unimportant, the gym leaders don't get involved, the champion meets you only once, and AZ disappears. And what, may I ask, was the point of building up Alexa? She does nearly nothing.

But what X and Y lack in story, they make up for in actual battles. A new type, moves that have different typings or super-effectiveness, three new battle schemes (compared to Unova, which has a few times you can Triple or Rotation battle, and Double Wild Pokemon = Double Battle), more emotion between you and your Pokemon, experience changes, and a whole bevvy of game-changers? This is what Pokemon is about, keeping the player on their toes. Unlike games prior, it never felt like a chore to battle. Even in the Battle Maison or Chateau, there are rewards for battling, including immediate Battle Points, a lot of money, or a rise in rank. I got immersed in battle. That's what really matters in the end. Immersion. Black and White lack that. Even with Audino and EXP changes, it still felt like a chore to battle and grind. X and Y change the game, so there's all new strategy for old and new players.

Plus, Pokemon Amie is adorable. Really well-constructed and functionally brilliant. Unova titles don't connect you to your Pokemon, which the Johto sequels did. Give a reason to love your Pokemon, that's the key.

The winner in my opinion is X and Y. I like the aesthetics of Black and White, but the actual gameplay mechanics keep me coming back each time.

Five On One... In The Sky?

There was more news than I thought. A bunch of new Pokemon, and some styles of battle. First, the Pokemon.

As I expected (and many of you have too), Fletchling evolves into a Fire/Flying type. Now, this is pretty good news. The last Fire/Flying introduced was back in Gen II, so it's a welcome return for me. I know, it's terrible against Stealth Rock, but you gotta admit, they Charizard, Moltres, and Ho-Oh look pretty cool.

I have one problem, though. The name. People seem to like it, but I think it's as uncreative as Seel. Ready? "Talonflame". Literally two words to make one name. Not even a conjoined name like "Skuntank". That at least has something.

Another new Pokemon with an old typing not seen since Johto: Skrelp, which is Poison/Water. It looks like shriveled seaweed mixed with a seahorse. Points for creativity.

Less exciting is Clauncher, a Water crustacean. It's like a cross between Corphish and Kingler painted blue. Hope it becomes something less generic.

Vivillon's pre-evolutions were also introduced, the middle stage being Spewpa, and the basic stage something no man can pronounce in English. They are less fascinating than Vivillon.

Two more Pokemon with no current English names: A Fire/Normal lion, and a Fairy. Both are cute, but the fairy is disgustingly so. It's actually the lightest Pokemon in existence. No chance it'll evolve into a DEATH FAIRY? Fun fact: Not a real thing.

But let's get to the most interesting aspect: Two new modes of battle. Well, okay, one is for wild battles. Still, it's something. The first is sky battle. It seems a trainer can ask you if you want to have a sky battle, and if you say yes, any Flying type or Levitating Pokemon can battle each other in the sky.

Yeah, okay. I have a problem with this. I don't know the details fully, but isn't this a bit limiting? Furthermore, how is this type of battle actually different? Double, Triple, and Rotation battles have different strategies. From what I can tell, all Sky Battles do is whittle your team down.

However, it's too soon to tell, so let's go on with Horde Battles. I approve of the idea. Five wild Pokemon battling one of your Pokemon. I'm disappointed that this doesn't seem to be for trainer battle use, but it will certainly help with stuff like raising EXP.

But I'm sure you already knew all of that.

Fairy Type Pokemon Outed

Game Freak clapped its hands and brought Fairy type to life, folks! Yes, Sylveon is a Fairy type. But not only that! Other Pokemon have been in the proverbial closet about their real type for years! This includes Gardevoir (no big shock), Marill (a little surprised), and... Jigglypuff? I mean, I always thought Clefairy fit the bit. IT HAS FAIRY IN ITS NAME! But it probably will be later.

So they are now dual-typed Fairy Pokemon. Glad they're finally comfortable with themselves to admit it. It seems Game Freak forgot about history and said, "Ehhhhh... Jigglypuff is a dual-type, Mewtwo can change form! What else can we change?" But I'm actually excited to see what other new changes there are.

Speaking of changes, there's a new mechanic! Tired of using your Pokemon as objects? Why not play with them? Yes, it seems all Pokemon can be played with now face to face. THAT IS AMAZING. This also seems to support my theory that Spinda's dots will be no more. What, billions of different designs on a 3D model with tons of different facial features? Give those guys a break.

Oh, there's two new Pokemon. Ready for this? The left is Noivern. It's a Flying/Dragon. Um... yay? Flying is going up in the world, I guess? It's a scary looking bat, so that's a plus. The right is Vivillon, and UGH. It's a Bug/Flying butterfly. Really? Gosh, there's just not enough of those! Unova was so nice about not repeating unwelcome types like this. Why is Kalos?

Still, most of the news is excellent. Way to go, Pokemon!

Is Pokemon Art?

Lately, people have been asking if video games are art. I think so. However, is Pokemon?

Someone argued validly that Pokemon can't be art because it has no atmosphere. Which I guess is kind of true. Pokemon isn't well known for stunning visuals. In fact, Pokemon in the first generation is very bland when it comes to atmosphere. Every location looks practically the same. In fact, a lot of the locations are just cities.

Later games improved on this with quiet snowy areas, serene forests, threatening volcanic mountains, frightening haunted houses, gorgeous bridges, techno towns, and bustling cities. Islands are usually hit-and-miss, but there's something there.

Still, does it have atmosphere? Does atmosphere even qualify Pokemon as art, or anything? Well, I think X & Y might finally be onto something. There's diagonal movement, which means more exploration. In fact, the ways to explore have been changed. Instead of simple running and bicycling, we have rollerblading and Pokemon-riding. In fact, you can change your own character to better reflect you. It's too soon to tell, but from what I've seen, Pokemon might finally be nearing that atmosphere it so needed.

Actually, two games come to mind when discussing Pokemon as art. For me, at least. Pokemon in Gen V really tries to bring the beauty of the Pokemon world to the player. Zoom outs and ins are prominent while traveling, in order to let the player perceive the amount of detail that went into the game. For once, I actually don't spend my time flying everywhere. Sometimes, I just run around enjoying the scenery. In that sense, I think Pokemon really captures the meaning of art.

Before that, one game DOES capture the atmosphere it tries to portray: Pokemon Colosseum. It moves diagonally, so again, you can travel more. But it goes beyond that. The tone of the game is dark, and the loneliness of the scenery really captures that. So if there's one game that captures art, it's Colosseum.

But I don't feel that atmosphere alone says what is and isn't art. Choosing a Pokemon team is art. It shows what choices you make as a person, and the preferences of what you feel makes a good companion. Art is more than good looks. It's about personal connection, and Pokemon really manages to capture that, no matter how lousy people feel each passing game may be.

Well, this got kind of preachy. Hopefully next time will be an update on X & Y. Watch out for that Table Pokemon!

Probably No Light Type...

WE HAVE FOUR NEW POKEMON!

One of them, however, seems to disprove the existence of a Light typing. See the little yellow guy? He's Electric/Normal, and is the Generation Pokemon. As in generating electricity. No doubt light as well. I believe because of him, we won't be seeing a Light type at this point. Sure, it doesn't prove anything, but that guy's about as light as they come.

The others I'm in favor of. I love the Fighting panda, and the Grass Gogoat is kinda cool, especially since you can ride it. The robin... I see it as the odd one out in this image. I firmly feel that it's this region's national bird, like Pidgey or Pidove. The fact that it can learn Flame Charge does inspire some hope in me that its final form won't just be a boring Normal/Flying type again, like so many others.

The panda is adorable, but as I was talking about Spinda before, I can't help but feel that this panda is too close to what real pandas look like. Spinda is a clear exaggeration, but this guy... well, hopefully he'll evolve into something as cool as he is cute.

You can ride Gogoat. Which is why I've been calling it Gogoat. Aside from being its name, you can go on the goat, which I'm fascinated with. Can we expect more rideable Pokemon? I hear you can only ride on it in the main city, which is fine, but disappointing. Not much is known about the city, but as far as I can tell, it's involved with a marketplace.

More news: You can customize your trainer, giving them different skin and hair colors. This makes sense, especially given a previous image of the male trainer looking at a mirror. I welcome this feature, even if this is as far as it goes.

Back to the Electric/Normal Pokemon. So this might mean that Light isn't a type, but it's not conclusive. But if they wanted to make a Light type, this Pokemon would have been a great opportunity. They could still do it, but I don't think so. Besides, it's too much of a game-changer. Where were Arceus' Light plates? Would Flash becoming a Light type really change anything? For that matter, can you think of that many Light type moves to fight with?

Sound could still work. The fact that there's an ability protecting from Sound-based moves, not to mention the many Sound-based Pokemon like the Whismur family, Chatot, and Meloetta, all of which are at least part Normal type, means that Sound isn't too far off.

Next time, hopefully, we'll get more insight on X & Y. Maybe something bigger can be revealed.

3D Spinda

So Pokemon is going into 3D, huh? Well, that should be cool. Yep, very cool.

Spinda can't be the same.

I thought about it. Spinda has over 4 billion different spot patterns. More with shiny. So tell me that it'll be possible to fully incorporate that into the game. Tell me that.

It can't. Spinda was always able to be cheap. It didn't move for most of Generation III, but in Emerald, it just jumped a little, not turning its head. Same with the fourth generation.

In Gen V, it wobbled constantly. Even though full animation was possible, it didn't spin. That would be more effort. And in spin-offs, Spinda didn't have any spot differences.

So with Gen VI, having full 3D graphics would complicate things. Spinda would be a nuisance to animate. Especially because of this fact:

NO ONE CARES ABOUT SPINDA.

I'm sure someone would complain if they removed its identity by giving one general spot pattern, but who seriously uses Spinda? No, really, name me someone who uses Spinda. I will slap them.

So X & Y will have "well over 700 Pokemon". Whether that means we'll get a typical even-numbered generation amount or not (Johto has 100, while Sinnoh has 107, so this could be, like, 110) has yet to be seen. What I can tell you is that this will surely take a toll on the animators.

So would Spinda be worth it? Should they drop Spinda's gimmick? It's not even that good. I mean, certainly fascinating, but not even a little useful.

That having been said, 3D Pokemon is a bit... well, I think this series can't go on forever. Obviously not. A thousand Pokemon would be too complicated. Everytime someone who used to play Red and Blue asks, "How many Pokemon are there now?", I tell them. And they always go into shock.

Let's face it. Not all Pokemon are good. Spinda, naturally, being a prime example. Pure gimmick. So is it worth it to complicate an already complex game? Because it IS complicated. Unova alone had 649 Pokedex entries, plus more shadows and animations. Not to mention, animating the sleep effect. Can you imagine how hard it must be to work on Pokemon, especially the new games? It must be Hell on Earth.

Personally, I say it's time to make things easier for the programmers. They have to animate all sorts of new effects. It's gotta be tough.

By the way, I got speaking lessons. I don't use "ain't" anymore. Anyway, next time we'll talk about something else. Maybe the anime.

Mewtwo To You Too

So ya probably heard about this, if ya is a real Pokemon fan, born an' raised since the Nineties forced us ta be men, not pansies.

Mewtwo... got a... new form? Clone? Cousin? I ain't the one ta tell ya if it's what or not, but I AM gonna tell ya how I feel.

Since Kanto, the money generation, people have held the first 151 with high regard. Ya can't mess what ain't broke, they sez. None, I gotta say, more than Mewtwo. Ya mess with him, ya get Hell ta pay.

Now me, I ain't a stickler for that gen. I can adapt pretty well, since, as I said, I ain't a pansy.

But I'm startin' ta see a trend with these "announcements"...

Gen 6 Starters: "What will they evolve into? I hope Fennekin ain't a damn fightin' evo again!"
Gen 6 Legendaries: "What typings are they? Are they new typings?"
Gen 6 Eeveelution: "That ain't no particular Eevee typing ta me! What's its deal anyhow?"
Gen 6 Mewtwo: "Whazzat? A new form? A clone? Whatever Phione is ta Manaphy?"

See a trend? ALLA DEM IS TOO DANG SECRET!

Who's that Pokemon? I DON'T KNOW!!!!!!

I think they's tryin' ta build suspense for this gen. Last gen they couldn't do that, since it ain't a gen with real surprises.

No, really. It ain't. Black characters an' female professor an' a new continent an' TripleRotation battles ain't surprises.

Unknown Eeveelution typing? The suspense of Fennekin's fate? Mewtwo's future? It ain't clear. An' every time we got a question, they bring out an even harder one.

Me, I gotta say, it's brilliant. What marketin' ideas have done this so well? You get excited for the new game! Not even the title makes sense! Black 'n' White, it's easy ta guess that ideals are countering. But X an' Y? I ain't got a clue!

For now, just enjoy the ride that Pokemon is puttin' ya through. An' don't go on forums ta figger it out. It never works.

Next time we'll talk about what I wanna. I really hope it ain't somethin' dumb, like, "New Deoxys form!" Ugh.

Ninfia: The Ribbon Type Pokemon

So if you're me, ya already heard about Eevee's new frou-frou evolution. I ain't got no words for this beast except...

NEW POKEMON EVOLUTIONS CONFIRMED!

That's alright by me. Maybe it'll finally give us Luvdisc's reason to exist. Nah, probably it ain't gonna.

So this patootie is none other than Ninfia. I ain't got a clue, though, what type it is. Everyone's got a theory, lots of 'em are crackpot ideas.

Me? I think it's Normal. Others say Flying. An' others say "Magic", but I ain't gonna believe in a magic type.

I can tell ya what it AIN'T. Steel, Rock, an' Poison. Cross 'em off yer lists.

Speakin' of types, some folks believe Xerneas an' Yveltal are Light an' Sound.

I ain't gonna doubt it. I think it makes too much sense. If that's so, then maybe Ninfia CAN be Magic. But here's why I ain't think so:

1. Magic is just Psychic. It ain't nothing but that. Plus, Magic is also Ghost. Think about it, ain't ya?

2. Magic is too dang vague. Ya can make any Pokemon "Magic". Clefairy? Magic! Togepi? Magic! Pikachu? Hey, MAGIC. I ain't able to shoot thunder from my butt. I calls it like I sees it: Magic.

3. Magic ain't got any basis. Types like Fire an' Water mean they got the power of fire an' water. Psychics got power of mind. But Magic means that they can do anything. They can use ANY power. And that ain't fair. Even Normal types can't use some moves!

So I ain't trustin' Magic. Space, though, might be. After all, it got stars as an attack.

We'll see! But Gamefreak, this is a cruel prank on us! Leafeon is obviously a Grass Pokemon! Why can't Ninfia be obvious too?

Finally, evolution method. I say this: Eevees usually are more male than female. So why not make it evolve into Ninfia as a female only? I dunno, sounds legit.

That's all for today. Tune in next time, an' maybe Luvdisc will get an evolution.

Pokemon X and Y

I coulda sworn it was gonna be Pokemon Volcano Ruby an' Pokemon Ocean Sapphire! They even had items that ain't got no use in-game! But nope! It was all a joke!

Instead, we got somethin' better: Pokemon X an' Pokemon Y.

I ain't got a 3DS, but this is gonna make me get one. Hey, I got practically a year before I need it! I can geddit before October!

The best thing to do is analyze what we know so far. So I'm gonna start with the names. The freakin' names.

"X" an' "Y" don't make no good names for Pokemon games. The color scheme worked, an' I get why they'd drop it finally, but X an' Y are too generic to actually find with ease! Like "N".

Plus, it don't make much sense. Is it a math Pokemon game this time? I can say that Pokemon Black an' White ain't black an' white. See? 'Cause the game talks about conflictin' ideas. So why X an' Y?

LEGENDARIES, THAT'S WHY.

They ain't gave us no names yet, but don't they both look like Y? I gotta say, I'm glad to get rid of the Dragon legendaries. They was too much.

They also ain't the only Pokemon revealed. We also get the starters! AWESOME! So let's look at 'em!

Already failed! It's just Oshawott repackaged! I gotta say though, it's nice that the Grass starter ain't a frickin' reptile like every generation ever.

This got promise! It don't look like no Fighting type, nor a Journey to the West guy! I like him!

This I'm gonna get. I always got a soft spot for frogs, like the Poliwags an' Seismitoad. Plus, he's cute an' got ruffles! That's alright by me!

Then there's the graphics. Some don't like it. I do. I like it a lot. It's got promise for a new generation with possibilities.

Which is my problem with Pokemon X an' Y. Black an' White never stood a chance. We never got games that makes us care enough outside of the main line. Magnagate? Not even all of the Pokemon from Gen 5. Pokepark? Not interested.

It's also real soon. Not even five years go by an' this comes out? What a world!

But I'm excited for the games. Hopefully there's actually new mechanics or I'll just be the Peeved Professor. Next time I'll talk about what I wanna. You don't gotta tune in, but you miss out that way.