Why I Love Pokemon X & Y

October 12th, 2013. Pokemon X/Y released worldwide (for the first time!) and its a very special game to me. It gets a lot of flack online, but now that it's 10 years old I wanted to hop on here and just talk about these games and reminisce about the good and the bad.

Manga Channel: @ShonenSoup

[bobbylambe]

Finally someone understands why X and Y was so good the online was the best out of any pokemon and even meshed perfectly with omega ruby

[Blitzrr]

And now Z is here... Well Z-A. The prophecy is fulfilled.

[DakotaofRaptors]

The music and the atmosphere felt so magical to me: XY was the last time I felt that 'spark' in a mainline Pokémon game.

[JeysArcade]

Generation 6 was perfect for me. I absolutely love Kalos and it's pokemon. To this day I pray mega evolution will come back

[EmeralBookwise]

X/Y were quite literally what brought me back to the franchise. My interest had been warning as far back midway through my first playthrough of R/S, but I kept wth the series all the way up until B2/W2 ended up being the first time I ever skipped a game.

Which isn't to fault those two games. I've always heard nothing but praise for them, they just weren't what I wanted and I felt for the first time I was maybe over Pokémon...

...then the first trailer for X/Y landed, and suddenly all my passion came back to life. I was eager for these next games in a way I'd forgotten I could be, and my hype only grew with each new reveal.

I won't claim they are perfect games, but they might be the foundation of the best generation mechanically. A foundation further refined and improved by OR/AS and which maybe could have been perfected if there had been any kind of actual Z version.

Nothing since has compared. The closest anything else has ever came was Legends Arceues, but even that was more of a tentative optimism that things could still improve, not the overwhelming enthusiasm X/Y originally gave me.

[Mr]

Man X and Y just felt so hyped. From its announcement to its release, everything just felt so exciting and positive. I don’t think the games that came after had such an exciting lead up to it’s release. Man 2013 was awesome. These games deserved their upgraded versions and it’s such a tragedy we never got to play them.

[thesaltyweeb]

Gen 6 man... I had so many good memories with this game....

Getting my first job and buying my 3DS and my copy of Y... Being absent for 5 days to transfer all my Pokemon from Black and White, Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver and seeing them all in 3D? Ah man just beautiful!

Also Kalos was a fun region despite what people thought! Hell when Sun and Moon came out, I kept wanting to go back to Kalos since Alola was boring.

[jayscaping]

I was 17 when XY was announced. There was something special about that trailer. It really felt like we were entering an entirely new era of pokemon after everything feeling kinda the same for the 14 years previous that i had been following the series. I remember waking up at 4 AM to watch the trailer live on my phone, rewatching it and thinking about it nonstop throughout the day and week following. It came out when I went to college that year and kind of defined that entire year for me. Although in retrospect the games were not that great, they were definitely a symbol of a moment in time and I will forever cherish these games for that. That feeling has not even come close to returning for any game since then, and my interest in the series has sadly diminished as I have become older and the games have become more stale.

[DaveReviewsThings]

I also love this generation so much. Just very fond memories playing Pokemon X

[pacosalvs]

Kalos is special for me because it was the first time I got to experience new pokemon game hype season and it was probably the last time before the pokemon community turned into an active warzone. Also a new type and mega evolutions kinda make it magical like if pokemon was trying to evolve

[Zygarbodor]

X and Y were the first Pokémon games I ever played. While I do agree with some of the criticisms they receive, it's not enough to prevent them from being some of my favorites. Part of that is probably just nostalgia, but even without the rose-colored glasses, there's still a lot I love about these games.

One thing I think XY nailed was the setting. Every region has its own unique vibe, and I love them all (yes, even Galar and Paldea), but Kalos in particular just really appeals to me. Something about it just feels so cozy, I really don't know how else to describe it. Another thing I love about Kalos is how grand it feels. It's no larger in scale than prior regions, but the fact it was the first 3D region, as well as the amazing soundtrack, help make the world feel a lot bigger than it actually is. I specifically want to give a shout-out to Routes 8 and 15 - their themes are some of the most "adventurous-sounding" IMO.

As for the story, I didn't think it was amazing, but I still liked it. I feel like part of the reason it gets so much flak is because Gen VI is sandwiched between what are arguably the two most story-heavy generations. Could the story have been improved by a hypothetical third version? Maybe, but I still enjoyed what we got nonetheless. The highlight for me was definitely Team Flare. The grunts and scientists weren't very memorable, but Lysandre is one of my personal favorite antagonists.

Granted, I like Lysandre more in concept than in execution. He could've been built up a bit more, but the fact that an E-rated game was somehow allowed to have a villain whose goal is *literal genocide* is absolutely crazy. He's basically the Pokémon version of Thanos, and that's just awesome. Lysandre may not be the most well-written villain, but I think he makes up for it through sheer intimidation factor (especially his USUM counterpart, since he's from a universe where he actually succeeded in wiping everyone out. That's some dark stuff for a Nintendo game.)

Another character I wanna mention is AZ. For what little screentime he got, he certainly left a lasting impression. He has such an interesting backstory, and the scene where he reunites with Floette is genuinely one my favorite moments in the whole series. It never fails to get me emotional.

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. I just wanna say, with how much negativity there is in the fandom these days, it was refreshing to see an actually positive Pokémon video for once. As someone who doesn't dislike any of the mainline games, it's nice to see the less popular entries get some recognition once and a while.

[KadenStaab]

I was 17 when this came out. The first time I ever actually went to a midnight release for a game at my local Walmart. It’ll always hold a special place in my heart because of that. I also was a day 1 Froakie fan. Love frogs. The Anime just made Greninja that much better. Throw in Mega Charizard, Lucario, and Ampharos become a dragon type? Wow.

Then Xerneas…a legendary stag who gives Life.

Speaking to me on all levels.

My favorite games.

[jameskozy]

I was 12 as well. Bought a 3ds to get Y. I remember being blown away by the 3d graphics. Such good memories. And yeah there was so much hype on YouTube at the time.

[ZenigameDirect]

I've never related to an opinion about X/Y as much as this. I was 13 when this game was announced and it was all I could think about. Truly one of the most fun generations - especially because of the online play with the PSS. I think 40% of my playtime must've come from Wonder Trade alone.

[Kid_illithid]

I’m the worlds one and only Barbaracle stan. I like his design
Also, wonder trade was amazing. I did it thousands of times

[steamdecknoface]

The day X&Y came out was the day my relationship to my fiancée started our relationship. It was our second date and we played Pokemon X&Y all weekend 👌

[jaden]

its crazy 6th gen is 10 years old x and y was the first game i ever really followed the hype cycle of i remember waiting to see new announcements and following the leaks it was so fun i dont think i have ever followed a game as much and i did for x and y and i remember almost everyone was praising it back in 2013 it was the last pokemon game i really dived into and got everything out of it that i could

[jamezthefirst]

I remember being in high school when they first came out and now I’m a substitute teacher lol. Can’t believe it’s already been 10 years

[timdoggo]

Pokémon X and Y were/are the Pokémon games with the most potential, and really deserved a third game like platinum to Diamond and Pearl to fix its grimes and imperfections

[rutgerniemeijer]

I was 16 when these games were announced and 17 when they released. I was very hyped for these games and couldn't wait to play Y, the one I chose at that time. The day before they released my parents and I moved across the country. I had a pre-order for it at a store in my new hometown. So the day of release I had to find my way through an unknown city to get my copy of a game. I had put my phonecharger in one of the moving boxes, so I couldn't check Google Maps or anything. Just getting the game became an adventure in itself. Later I bought X as well and I spent a combined total of about 500 hours on them during that time. These games are forever cemented among my favourite games of all time.