Young and old fans alike flocked to video game stores on Saturday, Oct. 12, for the release of “Pokémon X and Y.”

According to examiner.com, more than 400,000 copies of the games were preordered in the United States alone. Many GameStop locations opened early or offered a midnight release of the games due to their popularity. Globally, more than 4 million copies of the games were sold in the first 48 hours, making the new “Pokémon” titles the fastest selling Nintendo 3DS games of all time.

The success of the new games can be attributed to the series’ large audience. The Pokémon games are typically targeted to 9 to 14 year olds, but they also appeal to anyone who grew up playing the series. College students everywhere remember playing the first installments of the video game series “Red and Blue” when they were released in 1998. Many fans followed the series over the years, purchasing every new installment and the consoles required to play them.

Senior Zach Mooney preordered “Pokémon Y” from GameStop a week before it was released.
“I played the old games a lot when I was younger,” Mooney said. “I bought the 3DS specifically for the new Pokémon game. There was a lot of hype around it and I was excited for the new graphics.”

The gameplay of both “Pokémon X” and “Pokémon Y” is nothing short of revolutionary for the franchise. This is the only generation of the game to feature 3D graphics instead of the usual 2D sprite-based graphics.

Battle scenes underwent a complete overhaul and now feature scenery, size comparisons and some animation. The updated graphics were long overdue. After years of playing Pokémon games with simple graphics, the new design does take some getting used to but is ultimately worth it. The visual upgrade transforms “Pokémon X” and “Pokémon Y” into an entirely new experience.

Players are now able to customize their characters by choosing skin and hair color and purchasing clothes during the game. In the first generation of Pokémon games, no customization was available and players were forced to play as the same white male character. It seems that with the new games Pokémon has finally embraced diversity.

As with every new generation in the franchise, new Pokémon were released with the game. It seems that the developers catered to their older audience, because they were sure to include many favorite Pokémon from the earlier generations. This decision played up to the nostalgia many players were sure to experience and made the games irresistible.

“I finished the game in three days. I couldn’t put it down,” Mooney said.
However, the plot leaves something to be desired. The new Pokémon games do not have the charm of the old games.

“I was disappointed in the storyline,” Mooney said. “I shouldn’t have been able to beat it that quickly.”

Even with its minor drawbacks, the new features “Pokémon X” and “Pokémon Y” proves that the franchise has not let its fans down. The game is a great buy for both Pokémon masters and new players alike.

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