Convince me to buy the new Pokemon

[Sarasena]

So I used to play and love Pokemon back in the days of original Gold/Silver, as a child, but since then I haven't touched the series. For whatever reason, I am pretty tempted to get the new X/Y version (not sure which), especially since my local FutureShop is bundling the game plus a special 3DS XL at the price of just a 3DS XL (so game for free).

I've been reading some reviews, though, and they don't really cover the parts I'm interested in. I'm definitely a non-competitive player; what I liked about Gold/Silver was the story quest and all of the "side quests"/minigames, like that one where every Xday of the week you go to a park and participate in a bug-catching competition, or fishing competitions, or things like that - as well as catching and breeding Pokemon.

Most of the reviews talk about the combat mechanics and stuff, which I'm fine with, as well as all the online-social-multiplayer features and Mega-Evolutions and the art style and how Fairies finally stick it to Dragons, which I'm pretty meh on, but what I really want to hear about is how varied the world and player activities are. Are there still day-night cycles with some Pokemon only available at certain times? How large is the game world? Are there still mini-games and in-game competitions and breeding and all those things (I assume so), and are they any good? Is the story really JUST "gather badges and defeat the Elite Number" as the reviews seem to imply (because I remember the main storyline in Gold/Silver having lots of little interesting quirks along the way)?

A lot of my friends who have been playing Pokemon recently seem to be into the highly competitive multiplayer side of it, and that doesn't interest me at all, so basically I want to know if this is a good monster-catching RPG, with lots of variety, for people who don't do tournaments or care about minmaxing their team. Can someone point me to reviews of the game, or previews, or something else, that actually deal with these aspects of the game in greater detail?

 

[Hero of Lime]

I have tremendous amounts of fun with the games, and I've never stepped foot into competitive battles. Like Tizzy said, I can't really guarantee I will like X and Y enough to recommend it as I haven't played it. There is a 95% chance I will like it of course, but I've tried to away away from too many details on the new Pokemon.

I can recommend the 5th generation of games wholeheartedly. Again, even without the competitive side. With a more engaging story than previous gens, the 5th gen games really suck you in for lack of a better word. Since you haven;t played since Gold and Silver, it will be completely fresh, no old Pokemon are available in the wild until after the main story(though you can trade other gen Pokemon into the game at any time.)

I have about 230 hours in one of my copies of Black where I completed the full Pokedex. Again, I spent all that time only going online to use the trading system to get Pokemon I needed to complete the Pokedex, or build my unhealthy collection of Reshirams. So definitely try the fifth gen games (Black/White, and Black2/White 2) they get the prestigious and totally not made up Hero of Lime Seal of Approval!

I'm sure the sixth gen games will be lots of fun too, after all, the games aren't designed just for the competitive players. It's like Halo, many people only care about the multiplayer, but plenty of people care more about the story and universe, and never even go into a single online match.

 

[Louzerman102]

First a link to a funny and well written article that you should read.
http://www.destructoid.com/so-you-re-a-grown-ass-adult-paying-239-to-play-pok-mon-262849.phtml

Second you can dress your female avatar in pretty dresses of your choosing. It's Pokemon with dresses.

BEST POKEMON GAME EVER!

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

First a link to a funny and well written article that you should read.
http://www.destructoid.com/so-you-re-a-grown-ass-adult-paying-239-to-play-pok-mon-262849.phtml

Second you can dress your female avatar in pretty dresses of your choosing. It's Pokemon with dresses.

BEST POKEMON GAME EVER!

Thanks for the link, I had a good time reading it. Last counter point is actually what I see as the best as well.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

Because there's the new Fairy type. It says screw you to Dragon type pokemon while having a weakness to Poison and Steel types.

You get TWO starters: one of the current generation and one of the Generation 1 starters.

There is a Poison/Dragon type pokemon. There has never been one of those before this generation. Same goes for the Ghost/Steel pokemon.

Mega-evoultions. Some pokemon have this and it's an in-game battle function. Take for example Charizard - he finally becomes a Fire/Dragon type...albeit only briefly.

Customizable characters. Yeah, you heard me right. You can thank me later.

There's a bunch more than just this, but this should be enough of a start to get you interested.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Well, you get two starters, and one of them is from Gen 1. I think that's awesome news and shakes the formula up a bit.
I've also seen 3D-ish images of the game, which is again good news.

 

[Doom972]

I know how you feel. Watching video of Pokemon X & Y actually made me think about buying a 3DS, but I eventually decided that it's not worth it, especially since none of my friends will be playing it, which is part of what made it so fun when I played back in the first two generations.

If you actually need to be convinced, then I suggest letting it go. If/when you'll want it, you'll get it.

Too bad they are too shortsighted to release it for PC/Android.

 

[Arkenangel]

I can't speak for X + Y, having not actually played them, but black/white (2) seemed a step back to ye olden days of GSC. Day/night very much still exists. No idea how big the map is, although, I'll comment that none have seemed quite as expansive as GSC (going into Kanto post E4 just opened it up). The nice thing about recent titles is the increased amount of effort put into story; it's still the same formula, but characters (such as Gym Leaders) are given far more agency. Your rival actually serves to move the plot forward, instead of just being a device to toss the odd battle in here and there. Minigames still exist, but there's no guarantee you'll like them. Pokeathlon minigames I've always found shit, but Pokestudios in Black/White 2 was simply delightful.

The trouble is, Pokemon has moved far forwards since the time you played it; expecting an experience like the gameboy titles will leave you disappointed. Want to hear my verdict? If you're planning on getting a 3DS regardless - and X/Y comes free and no other titles take your fancy - it's worth trying out. I wouldn't recommend getting one for the sole purpose of playing X/Y however.

 

[freaper]

I've never played Pokémon competitively and I own at least one game from each generation bar Black/White 1&2. I assume there will still be those mini-game features, as they tend to not remove, but rather change, or add features. You might not have the same bug-catching contest, but there will probably be a park, a safari zone, and whatever the hell they added in the most recent generations.

I suggest that, if you're interested in the games, you play them without Gold and Silver in mind, but give them a chance to surprise you. At least that's how I like to approach new Pokémon games.

First a link to a funny and well written article that you should read.
http://www.destructoid.com/so-you-re-a-grown-ass-adult-paying-239-to-play-pok-mon-262849.phtml

Second you can dress your female avatar in pretty dresses of your choosing. It's Pokemon with dresses.

BEST POKEMON GAME EVER!

Oh wow! Male characters get outfits too? If not, female it is!

 

[Story]

I don't know if you care about this sort of thing, but it's getting pretty good reviews so far. That's something that hasn't happened for a mainstream pokemon game in years.
It also features some of the biggest changes in the series in a long time. The 3D visuals were enough for me, but it also has customizable characters, a petting feature, and mega evolutions if that's your thing. Many of these features are what we wanted since the series started.
And I'll tell you what ultimately made me decide to drop $220+ on the game and system.
There are a least five really great games on the 3DS at the moment, so it won't be a completely wasted investment.
I knew I was defiantly going to get the system anyway when the new Smash Bros came out, might as well have it for the new pokemon.

That was my rationale, yours might very. Who knows? The game and system might be a good thing to get for your birthday or for Christmas.

Edit:
You know, this is what I get for not reading your post OP.
I think for you, the best thing that will convince you to pick up the new pokemon is that
A. It will be free that you'll have a gaming system with great games for it already, so even if you don't like it, you can always resell it. You can use getting the system for buying the DS version of Smash Bros when it comes out.
B. Your friends will be playing it. Probably not for the same reasons you are sure, but it's always fun to have a chance to play with your friends and talk about the game if you want. That's a luxury I don't have personally.
C. The opportunity for discovery, you're going in the game blind sure, but this will be the first time in ages that a game like pokemon will surprise you. Not just with the new storyline but the new pokes. I can't speak for the games content for sure, but I heard from a review that the game came be up to 35 hours long. That sounds like a big expansive game to me.

 

[DarthAcerbus]

If the game comes free with the 3DS, there's no reason not to. There are plenty of other games for the 3DS out or forthcoming that are sure to make the system itself worthwhile (Fire Emblem, Castlevania, Remade Ocarina of Time, sequel-ish to Link to the Past), any DS games you missed that you want to pick up for relatively cheap, and there's the Steam equivalent that lets you buy and download games going all the way back to the original GameBoy (not the full catalog, but still very expansive).

 

[Eri]

It's Pokemon. I shouldn't have to say more. There's a reason it's one of Nintendo's best selling franchises ever made.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

I get what you mean OP, but it sits in the same camp as GTAV for me personally. Shit people hype the fuck up, then I get my hands on it and I'm 'meh'-ed out of my mind.

Having played Soul Silver recently it just summed up what I liked but also what I despised about the series. Isn't worth buying a 3DS for personally, but different strokes for different folks.

 

[Baldr]

If you own a 3DS it a no-brainer. I don't remember the reasoning behind me buying a 3DS a couple months ago, but it was a good choice. I love the current games on it. I play a ton of Mario Kart and Ocarina of Time remake was really good fit for the 3DS. I love the fact I don't have to go to a game store if I'm in the mood for a game at like 2am. I just download everything to regular SD cards from the online shop.

 

[William Ossiss]

I have the ultimate reason... that doesn't really pertain to any of your concerns.
You can walk... IN CIRCLES. Mind=blown

Seriously, though, you may want it for the story. I hear that they've gone away from the bad team A wants to use legendary X to rule region Z... Which is something I'm happy about. Other than that there are sky battles, pokemon training mini games, and pokemon ami. Basically new age hey, you, pikachu.

 

[FinalHeart95]

They've actually changed a good amount for the first time since G/S/C.
- Fairy type to counter the relatively overpowered dragon type
- The above includes a retyping of many other pokemon, like Marill, who is now a fairy type
- Mega Evolutions add a new element of strategy to the game. Some even change the type of the original pokemone (for example, Mega Charizard X is Fire/Dragon, not Fire/Flying).
- Best graphics by FAR
- Customizable character (really shouldn't be a selling point, but oh well)
- Two starters (can get a Torchic the first week too)

Although I might be a bit more hyped than others since the most recent non-remake I've played is Emerald.

 

[Bonk4licious]

Biggest Pokemon game to fit a cartridge, about 1.7 GB if I remember right. Sky battles add a new type of battle dimension to think about (especially for competitive), then horde encounters, new minigames, and everything is re-balancing for what we can only hope to be the better with Fairy type. Hopefully Dragon will stop taking so much dominance, now with new perspectives on old Pokemon who get that extra Fairy advantage rather than normal typing. 1.7 GB, awesome new Pokemon types and battles, and the 3DS has waaaay more to offer than just Pokemon. Consider this the gateway drug, friend.

 

[DeltaEdge]

So I used to play and love Pokemon back in the days of original Gold/Silver, as a child, but since then I haven't touched the series. For whatever reason, I am pretty tempted to get the new X/Y version (not sure which), especially since my local FutureShop is bundling the game plus a special 3DS XL at the price of just a 3DS XL (so game for free).

I've been reading some reviews, though, and they don't really cover the parts I'm interested in. I'm definitely a non-competitive player; what I liked about Gold/Silver was the story quest and all of the "side quests"/minigames, like that one where every Xday of the week you go to a park and participate in a bug-catching competition, or fishing competitions, or things like that - as well as catching and breeding Pokemon.

Most of the reviews talk about the combat mechanics and stuff, which I'm fine with, as well as all the online-social-multiplayer features and Mega-Evolutions and the art style and how Fairies finally stick it to Dragons, which I'm pretty meh on, but what I really want to hear about is how varied the world and player activities are. Are there still day-night cycles with some Pokemon only available at certain times? How large is the game world? Are there still mini-games and in-game competitions and breeding and all those things (I assume so), and are they any good? Is the story really JUST "gather badges and defeat the Elite Number" as the reviews seem to imply (because I remember the main storyline in Gold/Silver having lots of little interesting quirks along the way)?

A lot of my friends who have been playing Pokemon recently seem to be into the highly competitive multiplayer side of it, and that doesn't interest me at all, so basically I want to know if this is a good monster-catching RPG, with lots of variety, for people who don't do tournaments or care about minmaxing their team. Can someone point me to reviews of the game, or previews, or something else, that actually deal with these aspects of the game in greater detail?

I think this review should cover what you are looking for fairly well!
http://kotaku.com/pokemon-x-and-y-is-everything-you-wanted-pokemon-to-be-1441044517
And from what I've heard, the day/night cycles will still exist, but I don't think the season changes from Gen V will be present. And like a lot of others have said regarding side-content in later Pokemon games, I think that it's something that hasn't faded, particularly in Black White 2, which had a ton of post game content, and side content for days.

Anyway, hopefully this review will cover what you were hoping it would.

 

[soren7550]

Don't. Instead, take the money you would have spent on Pokemon and send it over to me so that I can get a 3DS XL.

Baring that, get it. The games have added a lot more side content as the games went on (although me personally, I usually didn't care for most of them). A lot of what you're asking, no one can really answer since X/Y hasn't come out yet. Also, I'm sleepy and as such zzzzzzzz...