ACK! Has it really been almost a month since my last post?  Ooh that means exactly one month ago today, JDubz proposed!  Awww…

Anyway, clearly I’ve been keeping busy since my last post.  It’s probably a bit too late to go into a whole Comic Con post, since it’s kind of old news now.  (I’m sorry!!  “Being Engaged = Wedding Planning” plus “Pokemon = Yes”… so my free time is kind of used up these days! lol)  But if you’re interested, you can see my photos from Comic Con on the StreetPass Long Island Fan Page.  If you weren’t able to attend NYCC and see our StreetPass Panel, you can view it in it’s entirety on YouTube:

So what’s life like after New York Comic Con?  Well, like most Nintendo fans, I’m completely engrossed in Pokemon X and Y!  Of course, I still set aside time to play ACNL (Update:  Chops is finally moving out!  My plans to expand my back yard will finally come to fruition!  I must add a new public work in my back yard ASAP before another townie tries to move in directly behind my house…) but I’ve been playing a lot of Pokemon as well.  Here’s why!

Why Pokemon X&Y Are Awesome:

• Super Training!  ST is by far one of the best new features to the Pokemon series.  In all previous generations, having a well trained team with perfect stats was something only the hardest of the hardcore competitors could achieve, via a painstaking EV training regimen.  Now in Gen 6 we have SUPER TRAINING, a super easy and fairly quick method for gaining perfect stats (as per your Pokemon’s nature) starting right at Level 1!  All you have to do is play some simple mini games to increase your EV’s, and this really levels out the playing field for the PVGC and other competitive Pokemon battles.  Everyone has the chance to improve their Pokemon via ST!  (Note: Perfect IV’s, however, are still somewhat difficult to muster up.  Luckily, there is a cool post-game facility to help with the IV situation.  I don’t want to post spoilers about that just yet.  But the question is, how soon is too soon to post spoilers?  What do you guys think?  Comment if you think I should post whatever spoilers I want!  lol)
• PSS!  The latest in player communication is the PSS (or Player Search System) which connects you to fellow Pokemon players in new ways.  If your WIFI is turned off, you can view anyone who is playing on local wireless and interact with them in many ways, such as Trading, Battling, Voice Chat and even viewing one another’s Trainer Video (yep, that’s another new feature in X&Y – edit an EPK for yourself lol!).  For those who have turned on their WIFI, you see even more!  Anyone who is online from your friends list will appear on the PSS, as well as anyone you might have randomly traded or battled against.  On top of that, you will also see a constantly updating string of random people who happen to be online at the same time as you.  So even if you have NO friends on your list (how sad) you can still find people to trade and battle!
• Wonder Trade!  One of my personal favorite changes to the latest Pokemon Generation is the addition of Wonder Trade.  As someone who spends a lot of time breeding, I end up with lots of “unwanted” (or “spare” Pokemon, to be nice lol) Pokemon that I don’t know what to do with.  Trying to trade away a batch of Weedles on the GTS can be time consuming, and really… who is going to want to accept your trade?  Rather than releasing your spare Pokemon (which essentially kind of “kills” your Pokemon, since that code is never seen again!!), you can now do a Wonder Trade!  Wonder Trades are awesome because you can trade any Pokemon for some mystery Pokemon that is sent to you via someone else also looking to do a Wonder Trade.  People have gotten some really great Pokemon via Wonder Trade, such as starters, legendaries, Pokemon infected with Pokerus, region-specific formes, and shinies!  Give it a try and see what you might get!  (Note:  There has been some buzz on the internet of a glitch involving Wonder Trade, where in rare cases players PC Boxes were infected with a “Bad Egg” that corrupts game files.  Please rest assured that this is an extremely rare glitch that is getting blown out of proportion because of sites like GameFAQs, where people freak out over the smallest of things.  The chances of you getting stuck w/a Bad Egg are less than 1%.)
• The New PGL!  The Pokemon Global Link was very popular in Gen. 5, and it has a new look for Gen. 6!  I really like it so far.  With the new PGL, you can sync your game at any time (no more drawn out process of putting a Pokemon to “sleep” at the Dream World) and then when you visit your profile on the PGL you can see an activity stream, much like a Facebook profile, of what you’ve accomplished!  On top of ‘status updates’ such as, “Bianca just beat the 5th Gym!”, your PGL profile will also show your in-game photos, as well as any medals you might have earned.
• Battle Chateau!  This is my personal favorite new addition to Pokemon X&Y.  The Battle Chateau is kind of like the Battle Stadiums from Gen. 5, only at the Battle Chateau you have a rank and the higher your rank, the tougher your opponents will be!  On top of that, your rank also affects how much money you earn per battle.  Since this is a Chateau (meaning Castle in French) you can expect the payouts to be higher than a regular battle.  Add onto that the ranking factor and put an Amulet Coin on your Pokemon and you’re looking at a LOT of money per battle!
• Mega Evolutions!!!  Last but not least, this new feature in Pokemon X&Y is a huge hit!  Lots of Pokemon now have a new evolution… a MEGA Evolution!  With the use of a special Mega Band, your trainer character can control when these Pokemon achieve their Mega Evolution.  Going Mega changes the Pokemon’s stats and makes them a powerhouse in their own way.  Did I mention that Mega Evolutions have a new look, and they look really bad ass??  Mega Evolutions are one of the coolest new features in Pokemon X&Y, so check it out!

If you haven’t started playing Pokemon X&Y yet, what are you waiting for?  This Generation is a great place to start, for those of you who haven’t played a Pokemon game since Gen. 1, and adds lots of cool features for the seasoned Pokemon veteran.  There is literally something for everyone.  I didn’t even cover all of the new features such as the Berry Farm or the Battle Restaurants in Lumiose City.  Don’t forget the awesome Pokemon Amie mini game, which allows you to pet and interact with your Pokemon in a Nintendogs kind of way.  It’s REALLY cute.  There’s so many new things to try out in Pokemon X&Y, so don’t waste another minute!  Get it now!  😀