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XY was the last Pokemon game that I was really happy with, and yet it was also my first major disappointment.
It brought some really meaningful innovations / features to the table. Raising Pokemon and hooking up with players for online Battling or Trades had never been better, thanks to the intuitive design of the PSS, the Super Training interface as a way to track EVs, or Friend Safari for gathering Pokemon with high IVs and Hidden Abilities. I also loved using the O-Powers, Battle Chateau and Restaurants for grinding. Despite the actual post-game unlocks being less robust than something like BW2 or HGSS, it still kept me playing because of much more doable it was to get into in team-building and online.
Character customization and Pokemon Amie made the journey feel more like my own. I could make a character that more closely resembled my style, and my party members felt more alive than ever.
The roster of Pokemon was the best that we had ever seen, with every Generation seeing representation. Even replaying the game is still fun to me because of how varied your teams can be from one playthrough to the next.
All that being said...The world is rather underdeveloped, and that left me wanting more. Your friends were like cardboard cutouts, all completely one-note. Lysandre is seriously underwritten, with his motivations lacking validation. The Gym Leaders are relegated to just being bosses again, after BW went out of its way to establish them as people with more depth, agency and purpose. Zygarde's story was dealt with through the TV show. Xerneas and Yveltal don't really have much of a presence in Kalos either. Then there are all of the little loose ends, areas that seem unfinished, etc.
I had hopes for an XY sequel to redeem this generation, but alas...We got ORAS instead...And that game is a whole other rant...
