Nine Reasons Why I Love Pokémon XY!

[Fitzy3386]

This is my first time trying to make a thread, so bear with me if I mess something up.
I decided to post this because a friend of mine said to me "I have to be honest, but I'm not entirely sure what you like about XY." I have opinions about these games, so I thought a post here would be the best way to answer.
Reason 1: Trainer Customization!
Let's get this one out of the way. Pokemon XY introduced the concept of trainer customization. No longer are you bound to a single look. You can make Calem/Serena you. I've been a fan of Pokémon since Red and Blue came out, but XY was the first time it felt like it was me taking on the region
Reason 2: Roller Skates!
I love the roller skates!! The freedom of movement, the speed increase, the tricks. Every single aspect of the roller skates makes the simple act of walking around fun.
Reason 3: The New Pokémon!
I think Pokemon XY have some of the most gorgeous and cool new Pokémon. The expansion to the national pokédex is the smallest, but that just embodies quality over quantity. Standouts include the fossil Pokémon (Amaura is the cutest thing ever, Tyrantrum is the most badass fossil Pokémon). Inkay has a neat evolution method and a fun typing. Dragalge is graceful and beautiful in a poisonous way. The starter trio is solid, my favorite is Chespin but I like them all (not a given for every generation). Aegislash is powerful and one of my favorite designs for a Pokémon based on an item. And few things are as fun as riding a Skiddo!
Reason 4: The Old Pokémon!
Megas! Mega-evolved pokemon! Mega Evolution! I think everything that needs to be said about megas has already been said, so I will just list my favorites here and move along: Gardevoir, Charizard (both), Venusaur, Gengar, Gyarados!
Reason 5: The Aesthetics!
I think Kalos is one of the prettiest regions. Every town and city is a work of art. The moment when you walk (skate!) past the Battle Chateau and the camera shifts to showcase it? Perfection! Lumiose City is a massive city that feels like a massive city, and has so many fun things to do in it that upgrade your style.
Reason 6: The Gym Leaders!
This point has overlap with the anime, because I think Kalos' gym leaders are arguably the greatest gym leaders showcased in the anime! They are all full of personality quirks missing from the games, but which are completely in character for what we see in the games. On top of that, they have interesting designs and fun gyms to navigate (Though Valerie's doll house freaked me out a little). Also, anime Grant is probably my favorite gym leader who didn't travel with Ash.
Reason 7: The Parade!
For the first time in the core series of games, you get the credit you deserve for saving the world! After you and your friends save the world and you become champion, you get a parade! The whole country celebrates their champion and savior! No disappearing bad guy, no secret Hall of Fame room followed by credits, you get to feel like a winner!
Reason 8: AZ!
I love AZ so much. His story is so tragic. If you know, you know. If you don't, I won't ruin it for you. When I first saw AZ's final scene, I cried without shame. I was just so damn happy for him!
Reason 9: The Rivals!
I saved this one for last because I feel like this is where I'm most likely to lose some of y'all. I love the rivals in XY! I know this is a minority opinion, but I do. Calem/Serena were an interesting twist on the competitive rival, explicitly never able to catch up. But off-screen, they grow into a talented trainer in their own right, even earning a Key Stone. Tierno and Trevor are both great, because they are Pokémon trainers who don't want to be the champion. They embody the idea that, in a world of Pokémon, the dreams of a "Pokémon trainer" are as varied as a person in our world. And Trevor's pokédex battles were (IMO) a neat way to see how your progress with the dex is going. Shauna is, in my opinion, the best friend the games have ever given us. Just like the guys, her dream isn't related to battling, but she is always shown to be supporting you when she's on screen. The fireworks "date" with her is adorable. And she gives you her starter's baby! Overall, I really love these kids. They feel like friends in a way that few friendly rivals have, before or since.

These are my reasons. If you have your own reasons, I'd love to hear them! I feel like I'm forgetting some since I'm doing this all from memory.

 

[DarkMeow]

I logged a lot of time into Y, but I barely remember any of these points you brought up! It makes me want to actually sit down and play through it again. It's been literal years since I've sat down and given it a go. I think the last thing I was doing was shiny hunting. There are a lot of benefits to shiny hunting in the newer games. I used to sit down and watch shiny hunting streams and wonder trading streams as I also went about trying to breed shinies. Those were good times. A lot of my time was spent here on the forums discussing the games as well.

I remember being so excited for character customization. I agree that it was an excellent choice to include it in the game. I too felt more like I was playing as myself, and it helped with the immersion. Also, who doesn't like to play dress up every once in a while? I think my only problem really was that clothing for males felt really limited. Generally though I think that's a problem with most games, which is why I usually end up playing female characters in games that allow customization just so I have more options.

I was very pleased with the new Pokémon introduced. I particularly liked, and still do like, Hawlucha. I tried to breed for a shiny one, but never ended up getting one. Maybe it's time that I do.

X and Y suffered from a lot of problems due to being the first games to break into using purely 3D models. There are definitely parts that feel rushed. I don't consider them the best games in the series, but what I will say is that I put a good amount of my younger years into playing them. Y was the first Pokémon game I ever pre-ordered. I even remember going up to GameStop to put my order in. In the end, I suppose a game doesn't really need to be the best. It just needs to be fun to play. I consider X and Y to be very fun to play.

Now I really need to go do another playthrough!

 

[Norzan]

Legit the last time i have been really excited for a new pokemon game. Today, i have mixed feelings but i don't think it was all that bad or at least as bad as people claim it is.

One of the things i enjoyed about it was that it introduced Inverse Battles, which is a genius spin on the type chart. Shame GF didn't made anything with it in the following games.

Xerneas/Yveltal's theme genuinely slaps and it's my favorite legendary theme and those two are some of my favorite legendaries design wise (specially a breath of fresh air after nothing but Dragons for two whole generations).

Forgot to add a comment about the pokemon, the last generation where i basically like all the new pokemon introduced, specially having the best fossils in the series.

 

[Serverus Snope]

Doing a Mono Fighting run through Y (with no Mega Evolution or Exp Share) has been interesting. It's allowed me to revisit this game in a way where I'm not overpowered... and Hawluchas are scary in this playthrough.

...It's also an excuse to be with Chesnaught again, honestly. My favorite of the starters.

 

[colours]

my reasons:

• skates
• battle chateau is fun tbh, and i liked how rematchable gym leaders were in it and there was actually a system of progression for doing battles so you can get more challenging matches
• character customization in x/y was iirc at its most vast then, so it was really fun playing around with the customization options!
• super training!! i can't emphasize this enough!! this is an absolute godsend for making EV training accessible and easier.
• the little training regimens are actually really fun! it's engaging and i loved doing them even if it was a bit tedious since i had lots of pokemon to ev train lol
• pokemon-amie is great!! it's cute!! i loved interacting with my pokemon and giving them pokepuffs and playing minigames and stuff!!
• loved the pss! it was a convenient way of connecting online with friends and strangers alike to organize trades and battles. no complications to my knowledge, fairly straightforward
• mega evolution is fucking awesome and i miss it to this day
• this is less XY and moreso gen 6 as a whole, but it introduced fairy-type which consistently has great pokemon in it

that's a lot more reasons to like xy than i thought i would've came up with, huh

 

[wanderist]

Love seeing XY appreciation. They have problems, but honestly I've always had fun playing them. I've replayed X more times than I can count now. It came out right after I had gotten back into Pokemon and made a friend in school through it, so a lot of my love for it is from personal memories, but I still find them to be fun games by themselves.

They started some of the newer traditions like customization and gimmicks and Amie-like features. I remember I spent so much time petting and feeding the Pokemon and playing those cute minigames that I really want back. Kalos is also one of my favorite regions, it's so pretty and I love all of the cities and routes. And the fairy-type ended up being my favorite type after I was kinda iffy on them adding a new one.

Glad someone likes the rivals. They aren't my favorites, but I did like them and how each of them were striving for their own goals. Only one was really trying to compete with you in the usual sense. They're all very different individuals who just want to support and encourage each other, and I always thought it was just cute.

Agree that I liked AZ's story, would have been nice to see more of him and his journey.

Overall I just have a lot of love for the Kalos games, which is why I'm still a little upset we never got a Pokemon Z sometimes. But they're still fun to play for me. I kinda wanna do another playthrough now after I'm done with SV.

 

[stunning_cyan]

I always bashed XY based on appearances alone and in result played Sun/Moon first (shitty, I know, I am sorry)
What surprised me when I first DID play XY is that I actually loved almost everything about it apart from probably too safe and friendly rivals. What is best, to me personally though is Team Flare's leader. This is the first time I ever felt truly terrified by a Pokemon villain. Yes, not Ghetsis or Cyrus but a guy who is actually not that bad and pretty normal but who can argue pretty well. Do you remember his monologue before fighting you? Some of the points he raises are valid despite his insane means. I don't know why people turned him into a maniac. He is just depressed and disappointed in humanity which is more relatable than megalomania. Sometimes he really argues so well that you really don't know what to say to refute this. The conversation with him felt REAL.

 

[Emelie]

No offense to anyone who likes the Kalos rivals but I think this is the first time I have ever seen somebody who likes them lol.

I like Emma's story a lot personally. Even though she is a little bit of a Mary Sue (imagine if it was that easy to learn another language irl lol) I think it's interesting to see a less idealized part of the Pokémon world, in this case homeless children/teenagers and the struggle to get a decent job.