Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Nintendo drags Pokémon into the modern age with Pokémon X and Y

Anthony John Agnello
By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo pushed its monster battling series kicking and screaming into the year 1996 on Tuesday, announcing Pokémon X and Pokémon Y for the Nintendo 3DS, the very first Pokémon games to use fully polygonal graphics. It’s not just the environments that are wrought in three-dimensions this time out. The Pokémon, the battles, the characters, everything: These games are as 3D as Super Mario 64. It’s only taken Nintendo and Pokémon studio Game Freak seventeen years to make it happen!

Shiny new graphics aren’t the only changes Nintendo is bringing to the new game. During the Nintendo Direct announcement of the games on Tuesday morning, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata detailed some of the new beasts that will feature in the games. As is common for new entries in the mainline Pokémon games, Pokémon X/Y have three new frighteningly adorable monsters to start the adventure with. Among them are Fennekin, a sort of fiery dog, Froakie, a blue, skeptical-looking frog, and Chespin, what looks like an overly cheerful squirrel wearing a helmet made of lawn shavings. Also, as is common with main series games, there are two new legendary Pokémon, one for each new game. Iwata did not specify how many total Pokémon would be in the new game.

Recommended Videos

The most interesting part of the announcement, though, wasn’t the game’s new look or the new monsters that will be featured in the game. Nintendo said that for the first time in the Pokémon series’ history, Pokémon X/Y will see a simultaneous global launch in October 2013. In the past, new Pokémon games were released in Japan and only released in the US and Europe months after the fact. In the 1990s during the first Pokémon boom, this saw many US retailers selling imported games for the first time. Now, though, the US, Europe, and Japan will all get the games at the same time.

Related

There’s still a great deal about the new games that’s unknown, though. While Nintendo is modernizing the presentation of Pokémon with these new games, it didn’t say whether or not Pokémon X/Y would have new online features. Many players have begged for a Pokémon game that offered more complex online play than basic battles and Pokémon training. For now, people will have to wait for Nintendo to discuss what other ways the series will evolve in 2013.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Anthony John Agnello
Anthony John Agnello
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…
Save $950 off the Alienware x16 gaming laptop with RTX 4080
Screen on the Alienware x16.

You should be prepared to spend some serious cash if you want to buy a powerful gaming laptop like the Alienware x16, but fortunately, there are savings that you can enjoy with your purchase. Dell has slashed the machine's price with a $950 discount, so it's down from $3,450 to $2,500 -- it's still not a budget-friendly device, but it's a reasonable price considering its capabilities. This bargain may not last long though, as gaming laptop deals almost always expire sooner than you think, so you have to proceed with the transaction as soon as possible if you're interested.

Why you should buy the Alienware x16 gaming laptop
Get serious about PC gaming with the Alienware x16, which challenges the performance of the best gaming laptops with its Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card, combined with the 13th-generation Intel Core i9 processor and 32GB of RAM that our guide on how much RAM do you need says is the sweet spot for high-end gamers. These specifications will not only let you play the best PC games on their most demanding settings, but also leave you prepared for the upcoming PC games of the next few years.

Read more
Best Xbox Series X and Series S deals: discounts and bundles
Microsoft Xbox Series X and Series S game consoles.

The latest generation of the Xbox has some excellent upgrades, such as a quick pause-and-play function and the option to buy a cheaper digital-only option. Luckily, both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are easier to come by now compared to when they launched and stock was low. That means there are a lot of great deals you can take advantage of right now, and, much like with PlayStation deals, looking around for the best deals will get you much better prices. To that end, we've gone out and scoured all the big and small retailers for some of our favorite deals out there.
Xbox Core Wireless Controller -- $57, was $65

Whichever Xbox you buy, you get a standard controller but how about having one that shows off some of your personality? Or one that means you can play games on the couch with your buddies or family. That's where the Xbox Core Wireless Controller is so useful. Available in many different colors, you get all the benefits of an ergonomic design with sculpted surfaces and refined geometry for enhanced comfort. Up to 40 hours of battery life is convenient while it connects via Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth so you can use it with your PC, phone or tablet too.

Read more
Fallout 4 is finally getting free Xbox Series X and PS5 upgrades
New Fallout 4 Creation Club mod content coming with the Xbox Series X and PS5 launch.

Bethesda has confirmed that the current-gen update for Fallout 4 will finally release on April 25.

That's good timing, as a Fallout TV show just released on Amazon Prime this month to positive buzz. Fallout 4 came out for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox One in 2015, and this definitely looks like it will be the most substantial update the game has received since its last expansion was released.

Read more