So what is different in Pokemon X/Y from Previous ones?

[Hamtier]

My favorite Gen, Gen 4 made a difference by changing the physical/special attributes of attacks on pokemon,making the way you raised your pokemon different from before and changing up the core gameplay by changing how you handle a pokemon. what does X/Y contribute to the series?
i'm asking because i'm considering buying it, but i dont want it to become a gen 5-like dissapointment(it bored me because its exactly the same as what i've done in gen 4..).

 

[shrekfan246]

Well, I've played about fourteen hours so far -

The pacing for leveling is much faster, but the pacing for progression appears to be a bit slower. As stated, I'm fourteen hours in and I've just obtained the third of eight Gym badges, with most of my party being in the low-to-mid 30's. This is because you get the EXP. Share pretty early on and it acts similarly to how it did in Gen. I by giving the entire party experience instead of being equipped to a single Pokemon, though you can turn it on and off at will. In addition, you gain experience even after capturing Pokemon. Also, I might just be slow, because I've spent a fair amount of time exploring and just running through the grass training a bit and looking for Pokemon to capture.

There's a massive variety of Pokemon to capture. There's been Pokemon spilling out my ears here, I even caught a Bagon pretty early on, the earliest I've ever seen a pseudo-legendary in the wild. Additionally, while it's certainly mostly down to personal preference, the Gen VI designs I've seen so far have been vastly better than anything out of Gen 'Gurdurr' V. Litleo is one of the most adorable things I've seen in a long time, and while the starter evolutions are a bit lackluster, things like Talonflame, Meowstic, Tyrantrum, and Aurorus look pretty damn awesome.

It adds (I believe, at least) hordes of wild Pokemon, in which you're going five-on-one with lower leveled Pokeymanz and can't capture until there's only one left. Also Fairy types, roller skates for fully analog movement with the 3DS control stick, four items bindable to the usual "Register a Key Item for quick use!" button instead of the normal one item, and little things like Pokemon-Amie for playing with your 'mons or "Super Training" which I believe lets you boost their EVs or... something. I'll have to look that up. But they're little minigames almost reminiscent of something that might have been in Pokemon Stadium or something, and a cute little distraction for those of us who aren't competitively-minded.

Far as I can tell there really isn't anything drastically different from a gameplay perspective, but this is Pokemon. For what it's worth, I loathed Black with all of my being and am heartily enjoying Y, just because the move to 3D from sprites and the massive roster of old and new Pokemon alike gives it that new shine I felt the franchise kinda needed.

 

[sextus the crazy]

My favorite Gen, Gen 4 made a difference by changing the physical/special attributes of attacks on pokemon,making the way you raised your pokemon different from before and changing up the core gameplay by changing how you handle a pokemon. what does X/Y contribute to the series?
i'm asking because i'm considering buying it, but i dont want it to become a gen 5-like dissapointment(it bored me because its exactly the same as what i've done in gen 4..).

Honestly I'd say the biggest battling changes have been the typing shake up (The introduction of the Fairy type and steel's nerfing, along with a few other minor changes) and the introduction of mega evolutions. I haven't played it myself yet, so I can't tell you definitely, but It doesn't seem like that much of a change.

 

[Eggsnham]

Aesthetically there's a HUGE difference. The battles look fantastic and you can customize what your trainer looks like, etc.

Gameplay wise, it's not terribly different from previous iterations. They added the fairy type, a few dozen new Pokemon, gave some various Pokemon the ability to use mega evolutions (which are admittedly pretty cool) and made it quite a bit easier to train and level Pokemon. There are also somewhere near 500 (give or take) Pokemon you can catch in total, which (I think) is the largest number of catch-able Pokemon in any single Pokemon game.

It's more than enough to justify buying it, in my opinion anyways, but not so much that it will rock the world of Pokemon fans.

 

[Hero of Lime]

It's mostly a visual upgrade, especially for the battles themselves.

There's the new Pokemon of course, it wouldn't be a new gen without them.

Pokemon Amie, definitely the cutest addition to the game. :3

Customizable player characters, though I still look the same as the default male trainer because I'm boring like that.

Other than that, not much else is different really.

Edit: Totally forgot about the addition of the Fairy type, definitely shook up battling.

 

[Drakmorg]

The biggest change to the actual system and mechanics of the game is the addition of Fairy-type and Mega Evolutions, that's about it. Well that and they added Super Training, which takes a vast majority of the pain out of EV training your Pokemon, if you're into that sort of thing.

Though admittedly the introduction of Fairy-type is a decent shake-up, since not only is it both immune to and super-effective against the most irritating pokemon to fight (Dragon, of course), it's also weak to the two types that were both vastly under-powered previously in the offense department, Steel and Poison.

 

[Story]

My favorite Gen, Gen 4 made a difference by changing the physical/special attributes of attacks on pokemon,making the way you raised your pokemon different from before and changing up the core gameplay by changing how you handle a pokemon. what does X/Y contribute to the series?
i'm asking because i'm considering buying it, but i dont want it to become a gen 5-like dissapointment(it bored me because its exactly the same as what i've done in gen 4..).

OP, there have been several very important changes core changes in the series that I expect to be implinted in later games. Here's a quick list:
1. The new Fairy Type switched around typing advantages.
2. Exp. Share has been completely overhauled making leveling a team less of a grind.
3. There are now berry mutations and juices which work as hold items for boosting Pokemon stats.
4. Megaevolutions give new life to old pokemon
5. 65? ish new pokemon with new typing combinations.
6. ...


On a personal level: The esthetic changes are honestly really amazing when compared to the rest of the main series. Especially in the animations of the creatures. I don't think the Pokemon have ever looked better or showed so much personality. From the way they move to their actions, I was actually impressed by how much attention Game Freak put into them. I guess I'm still guessing after playing all 365 of my captured pokemon in pokemon amie one boring afternoon. I haven't felt so charmed about Pokemon in a while. Try feeding a Doduo or petting a Trubish.

 

[Skullpanda]

Berry farming (if you like that) is a whole lot easier now, as it's just one place instead of scattered across the entire map. Breeding takes significantly less time than it used to. As in, I put the two 'mons in, step outside, have a battle (all of 30 seconds at this point), hey look an egg!
If you're into flying types, there's sky battles, where mainly only flying types can participate.

Um...if you're up for gambling, there's wonder trade. Put up a 'mon of your choice, connect to the internet, and see what you get from someone else who did the same thing. Be prepared for a lot of Bunnelby though.

I personally like the fact that team Flare, while utterly psychotic, have a believable goal besides "because we can". The fact that the npcs you interact with frequently actually seem a bit more human helps too. Post-story, there's a "Friend safari", which is a neat little thing. Basically, every friend you have on your friendslist in game gives you a new type of 'mon that will be there. It's random, but you can get some useful stuff from there, especially if you're trying to fill the Pokedex.

Add in affection actually being worth something now (Bonus xp after battles, shaking status effects, avoiding attacks all because they LOVE YOU THAT MUCH), ghost and dragon types being useful and more frequently appearing respectively, and you've got a fun game all around.

Oh, and there's a new type that apparently is really weak to poison. Too bad so far none have been strong enough to last more than one shot from any of my pokemon.

 

[Yagami_Kira]

EV training is way easier now. Super training can perfect EV train a 'mon in 30-45 minutes.

 

[Haefulz]

This is the first set of Pokemon games that really makes me think I couldn't go back to how it was before; they've changed so much, most of it for the better. I've put in just over 90 hours and here are the main points you'll want to know:

1. The graphical upgrade: You've probably read and seen all about the new 3D models that replace the older sprites, but it's still worth mentioning because of how much better the game looks. At first I was skeptical because I've always loved the sprites, and until now, I considered HeartGold and SoulSilver the pinnacle of the series as far as the look of the Pokemon went. That said, the 3D models are absolutely beautiful. One thing that bothered me about Black and White was that the animated back sprites of your active Pokemon were pretty terrible looking. That isn't the case here; everything is super crisp and clean, and so many of the Pokemon are drop dead gorgeous. I'm sure you'll be amazed by how some of your old favorites will be brought back to life in this game (Aerodactyl and Kingler look amazing off the top of my head).

The attack animations are very cool looking, with most Pokemon having very unique attack animations depending on the type of attack. Some of them are downright beautiful (fire attacks look fantastic, and look up the animation for Aura Sphere on Youtube or something). All this, combined with the environmental backgrounds during battles make the battles way more entertaining than ever.

(As a side note, turning the 3DS's 3D on will slow down the framerate during battle... I usually keep it off and the game is still beautiful)

2. The Online features: This is a big one for a game that sometimes leans so hard on the social/trading aspect. You can trade or battle with anyone, anywhere you are in the world. No more going back to Pokemon Centers and finding the right receptionist to talk to. Even if you're in a cave or on a long route, just hit the person's name on the touch screen and select what you want to do with them. It really couldn't be any easier than this.

3. Competitive entry: This really depends on what you want out of a Pokemon game, but I know this is a big one for a lot of people. Getting into the competitive scene is as easy as it's ever been here. Game Freak has immensely simplified the process of breeding and training a competitively viable Pokemon. The new Super Training mini games make it extremely simple to distribute Pokemon EVs how you like.

4. Mega Evolution: Again, I was pretty lukewarm to the idea when I first learned of it, but I love it now. The aesthetic changes to the Pokemon that Mega Evolve are really cool most of the time, and they get some pretty nice Abilities and stat boosts to top it off. I cannot wait to see which Pokemon they decide to Mega Evolve in the future.

There are certainly countless other small changes that as a whole make the game enjoyable and better than previous iterations (The addition of a new type--Fairy), but those four were the main changes that stood out to me and affected the game the most. As someone who has played and loved every single generation of Pokemon since the original Red/Blue, Pokemon X and Y brought back the magic that I felt with Red/Blue and Gold/Silver.

 

[Dragonbums]

This is the first set of Pokemon games that really makes me think I couldn't go back to how it was before; they've changed so much, most of it for the better. I've put in just over 90 hours and here are the main points you'll want to know:

1. The graphical upgrade: You've probably read and seen all about the new 3D models that replace the older sprites, but it's still worth mentioning because of how much better the game looks. At first I was skeptical because I've always loved the sprites, and until now, I considered HeartGold and SoulSilver the pinnacle of the series as far as the look of the Pokemon went. That said, the 3D models are absolutely beautiful. One thing that bothered me about Black and White was that the animated back sprites of your active Pokemon were pretty terrible looking. That isn't the case here; everything is super crisp and clean, and so many of the Pokemon are drop dead gorgeous. I'm sure you'll be amazed by how some of your old favorites will be brought back to life in this game (Aerodactyl and Kingler look amazing off the top of my head).

The attack animations are very cool looking, with most Pokemon having very unique attack animations depending on the type of attack. Some of them are downright beautiful (fire attacks look fantastic, and look up the animation for Aura Sphere on Youtube or something). All this, combined with the environmental backgrounds during battles make the battles way more entertaining than ever.

(As a side note, turning the 3DS's 3D on will slow down the framerate during battle... I usually keep it off and the game is still beautiful)

2. The Online features: This is a big one for a game that sometimes leans so hard on the social/trading aspect. You can trade or battle with anyone, anywhere you are in the world. No more going back to Pokemon Centers and finding the right receptionist to talk to. Even if you're in a cave or on a long route, just hit the person's name on the touch screen and select what you want to do with them. It really couldn't be any easier than this.

3. Competitive entry: This really depends on what you want out of a Pokemon game, but I know this is a big one for a lot of people. Getting into the competitive scene is as easy as it's ever been here. Game Freak has immensely simplified the process of breeding and training a competitively viable Pokemon. The new Super Training mini games make it extremely simple to distribute Pokemon EVs how you like.

4. Mega Evolution: Again, I was pretty lukewarm to the idea when I first learned of it, but I love it now. The aesthetic changes to the Pokemon that Mega Evolve are really cool most of the time, and they get some pretty nice Abilities and stat boosts to top it off. I cannot wait to see which Pokemon they decide to Mega Evolve in the future.

There are certainly countless other small changes that as a whole make the game enjoyable and better than previous iterations (The addition of a new type--Fairy), but those four were the main changes that stood out to me and affected the game the most. As someone who has played and loved every single generation of Pokemon since the original Red/Blue, Pokemon X and Y brought back the magic that I felt with Red/Blue and Gold/Silver.

You can't leave out IV training dude.

If anything I think THAT is the bigger one worth mentioning. I get ass kicked by my friends all the time who dedicate WEEKS to perfect IV Pokemon. No matter how much I EV train I always lose to them. I'm so glad they made it much more easier so that more than the obsessed would indulge in it.

 

[AntiChri5]

Can you finally have multiple saves?

 

[TheEvilCheese]

So many people mentioning Super training as a fast way to EV train. It is not. It's fun the first few times, but after EVing a couple of competitive teams it's a slog. The fastest way to EV train is horde battles, you can (with proper planning) train around 5-10 times faster than super training, the EXP share and Pokerus, combined with power items mean you can EV 5 pokemon that need the same stats as a group very efficiently. Even EVing one at a time it's significantly faster than Super Training.

If you're looking for Pokérus, just ask in a trading thread. All serious competitive players and breeders have it going spare and many will give it away just to spread the love. If you're looking for a trade and can't find one, the best place is probably 4chan/vp (As much as I hate most of the people on there, it's the most actively trading board).

So yeah, OT: As others have said, the visual changes are staggering and the gameplay has shifted slightly. Don't be fooled though, it's still the same core game. Just polished to a mirror shine. I would recommend it wholeheartedly but as always YMMV.

 

[Hamtier]

well everything seems good so far.
however i saw that EXP share is changed to somehow affect the whole team.
this is kinda concerning to me as i used EXP share to EV train some non-active pokemon's EV, but not the whole team. so how does EXP share work now in relation to EV's? and can you opt out for a specific pokemon or is it just an on/off for the whole team kinda thing?

 

[Story]

Can you finally have multiple saves?

No, but man I would kill for that feature.

 

[Story]

well everything seems good so far.
however i saw that EXP share is changed to somehow affect the whole team.
this is kinda concerning to me as i used EXP share to EV train some non-active pokemon's EV, but not the whole team. so how does EXP share work now in relation to EV's? and can you opt out for a specific pokemon or is it just an on/off for the whole team kinda thing?

You can turn EXP on or off if you want, but I won't function like it used to. So long as the pokemon you want to train are not on your team, they won't gain exp.

Sorry to double post.
Also, I feel silly for never finishing that list of mine. xD

 

[TheEvilCheese]

well everything seems good so far.
however i saw that EXP share is changed to somehow affect the whole team.
this is kinda concerning to me as i used EXP share to EV train some non-active pokemon's EV, but not the whole team. so how does EXP share work now in relation to EV's? and can you opt out for a specific pokemon or is it just an on/off for the whole team kinda thing?

On/off for the whole team. It's not really a big deal to be honest when it comes to EVs, EV reset bags are easy enough to get that you can reallocate EVs at endgame and not bother with them during the story. In fact, when EVing a lot of 'mon for competitive battles, I've found the EXP share to be a godsend, letting me EV five things at once. The problem can also be circumvented by using super training.

The new EXP share is effectively easy mode, giving you a total of 350%(?) normal EXP shared among the team. It's insane and removes any semblance of challenge from the main game, gyms and the e4 are a complete pushover unless you're constantly switching your team out for lower levels.

 

[suntt123]

well everything seems good so far.
however i saw that EXP share is changed to somehow affect the whole team.
this is kinda concerning to me as i used EXP share to EV train some non-active pokemon's EV, but not the whole team. so how does EXP share work now in relation to EV's? and can you opt out for a specific pokemon or is it just an on/off for the whole team kinda thing?

Also, if you're concerned about getting EVs messed up from the EXP share, the juice shoppe in Lumiose city lets you mix berries into different juices that raise EVs. Mixing certain berries will let you reset all EVs.

Additionally, the Super Training punching bag thing lets you randomly get reset bags that do the same thing.
Plus, the stat down berries are still a thing but they no longer appear normally. You have to cross pollinate certain berries to have a chance to get them which is kind of a pain. Thankfully, raising the berries is much easier and you get a lot more from each berry tree.

 

[Raine_sage]

well everything seems good so far.
however i saw that EXP share is changed to somehow affect the whole team.
this is kinda concerning to me as i used EXP share to EV train some non-active pokemon's EV, but not the whole team. so how does EXP share work now in relation to EV's? and can you opt out for a specific pokemon or is it just an on/off for the whole team kinda thing?

On/off for the whole team. It's not really a big deal to be honest when it comes to EVs, EV reset bags are easy enough to get that you can reallocate EVs at endgame and not bother with them during the story. In fact, when EVing a lot of 'mon for competitive battles, I've found the EXP share to be a godsend, letting me EV five things at once. The problem can also be circumvented by using super training.

The new EXP share is effectively easy mode, giving you a total of 350%(?) normal EXP shared among the team. It's insane and removes any semblance of challenge from the main game, gyms and the e4 are a complete pushover unless you're constantly switching your team out for lower levels.

Yeah the Exp share felt like it was probably included for the younger players. Post game my team is in the 90s, this might be the first gen where I actually hit the level cap.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the battle maison which unlocks post game. It's like the battle tower only instead of doing fights in sets of seven you can continue your streak for as long as you want, break, and then come back with a different team. It's very nice and you get 1 BP after each battle 2 for every win after 10 and so on. Which makes getting the power items much easier.