Please read the Foreward here if you would like a bit of background behind these blog entries!
The sixth generation of main-series Pokémon titles offers us, the adoring players, with the most balanced and energized gameplay the series has seen yet, making huge changes to the way we play. The concept of powerful Mega Evolutions were introduced, and the game-changing Fairy-Type was added. Even the breeding and training of competition-worthy Pokémon was made more accessible than ever. And with convenient online battling (and trading--we can't forget about that PokéDex!) options at your finger- or stylus-tips, it's no wonder these games set in the French-inspired Kalos and tropical Hoenn regions have captivated Trainers both new and old. But it's not all sunshine and roses in the flowery region of Hoenn or the once war-torn region of Kalos. Despite the outstanding changes these games bring to the table, there's more at play than meets the eye.
If you picked up the North American guide to Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, you'll find it has a fairly substantial interview in the beginning (they always recommend skipping it to avoid spoilers, but in that case, why not just put it in the back?). I'm doing a bit of paraphrasing here, but essentially the reason behind excluding some features of X & Y in the generation three remakes was to allow the games to "exist in parallel." In other words, if someone wanted to pick up a generation six game, but could only choose one, they wouldn't feel obligated to get the newer Omega Ruby, because X still had some features to make it stand on its own.
Honestly, this is an opinion I greatly respect. Giving players the option to pick whichever game they want to focus on within the generation is quite freeing. While the "need" to "upgrade" each time a new game was released wasn't seen as too much of an issue to what seems like most fans, but there is definitely something very appealing about the idea of being able to stick with the older games of a generation if one so desires. For this, I can justify certain elements of X being left out in Omega Ruby--under other circumstances, I would much prefer those elements to be retained, however, as I feel each new Pokémon game should build upon the last, taking older features and improving upon them, making each new game a more all-encompassing experience than the last.
So where did this idea well-intentioned idea go wrong?
A major component--the theme that lies at the core of every main-series Pokémon game--is connection. The ability to connect with your friends, people close-by, and, with the advent of the Nintendo DS and Diamond & Pearl Versions, with people all over the world, is an unshakable aspect of each Pokémon game that makes its way into our eager hands. So the world of Kalos, and the world of a new Hoenn, are meant to coexist, and allow the player the freedom to live in whichever world they so desire without feeling pressured to pick one over the other... and yet, they do not quite exist on the same plane.
Generation six introduced a lot of amazing new features to Pokémon as a whole, arguably the most major of which is Mega Evolution. Although some may be up to par with some of the iconic "mascot legendaries" of the series, they are all allowed in the Ranked Battle system. Their viability, along with their accessibility, makes them some of the most desired Pokémon to include on competitive and casual teams alike. And here is where one of my major gripes lies: my hypothetical friend decided she prefers the Kalos region and really likes the character customization feature, so she went ahead and bought X. I, looking forward to decking out my Super Secret Base, picked up a copy of Omega Ruby. She challenged me to a "for fun" battle, and now the game is telling me I'm not allowed to battle her because the silly "dream team" I'm using has Mega Audino.
Even back in generation five, Black Version and Black Version 2 could battle with each other using "exclusive" formes; although the person using Black Version would see the "original" forme sprite, the stats and Ability of the new forme would be retained. X & Y could have been patched to accommodate for these new Mega Evolutions--they didn't need to be available or obtainable in the older games, just allow them to be used when fighting against someone with a Kalos game--but for no specified reason, this did not occur. What this boils down to is that, despite previous generations allowing it, the most recent generation of Pokémon does not fully allow same-generation games to "properly" interact with each other. To some, this may not seem like a huge deal (numerous people may even feel as though "everyone will upgrade to the Hoenn remakes, I mean, it's Hoenn after all!"), but as someone who ran a fairly major Pokémon Club in my college, it was very difficult getting our personal Gym system to work around this. Not everyone wanted to upgrade to Omega Ruby, which made it difficult for those who did to continue to interact with those who stayed with X. This is something that I witnessed first-hand. The fact that the Hoenn remakes did not include all major elements from the Kalos games resulted in people not wanting to buy them, which in turn resulted in difficulty when people with the Hoenn remakes wanted to battle against those with the Kalos games. If GAME FREAK truly wanted the Kalos games and Hoenn remakes to "coexist," they should have patched the Kalos games to allow for battles against the newly-introduced Mega Evolutions. Because they did not, GAME FREAK did not create their "coexisting" games the way they had intended, and ultimately, the features excluded from X & Y now feel as though they should have been included in the Hoenn remakes after all.
In addition to Omega Ruby lacking features from X, the Hoenn remakes also lack features from their original games. While Contests and Secret Bases make a return (and are renamed to Contest Spectaculars and Super-Secret Bases, respectively), there are two fan-favorite features that are noticeably absent: namely, the ambitious yet worthwhile Battle Frontier, and the simple and humble yet enjoyable Gym Leader "rematches."
While a remake can never be exactly the same as its original, I think it's fair to say that at the very least it should include all the features of the original. But because the Hoenn remakes didn't include all the features of the original, they even ended up losing some characters, too--the Frontier Brains are the most obvious ones, but Juan and Scott don't make appearances, either (Juan especially would have been very fun to incorporate if they included Gym Leader rematches, but I digress).
And while the lack of a Battle Frontier really takes a toll on the overall playable longevity of Omega Ruby (I think one of the reasons why I'm so eager for news on the latest main-series game entry is because I've run out of things to do in my games that isn't "breed for my competitive team"), the lack of Gym Leader rematches is just...bizarre. All I have to say on that matter is this: who thought it would be a good idea to put the profiles of the Gym Leaders in the Trainer's Eye of the Area Nav--the in-game app that exists solely to tell you when a Trainer is ready for a rematch--if you can never challenge them to a rematch?
Although X does not have any "original game" to go by, it similarly lacks post-game features to keep the players playing after the story credits roll. It's similar to how a new game of a generation doesn't feature all the post-game goodies of the previous generation's magnum opus (such as how Emerald featured its own Battle Frontier, but generation four would not see their own until the release of Platinum), but it's not something players like to see. As I've already touched upon, Pokémon games work best when they improve upon the features of the previous games, not discard them. And the lack of post-game content is definitely something that sticks out to many fans regarding the games that brought us into the sixth generation.
Another interesting comparison between the Kalos games and Hoenn remakes is their approach to storytelling. To be more specific, although they both contain premises that are interesting at their core, the characters lack a lot of depth and almost none have any sort of development. This may not matter to some people, especially to those who claim that gameplay matters above all. But my logic is this: (hopefully) each new Pokémon game will improve upon the last, adding new features and further balancing the gameplay and enhancing the graphics. There is no doubt that generation six is, as of now, the best when gameplay is considered. But when generation seven rolls around with improved mechanics and graphics and even sound quality, what will cause the previous games of the series to stand out? For most people, what really differentiates each set of games is their story and characters (and to an extent, the region, but I'll get to that).
So what do I mean when I say the characters lack a sense of depth? To put it shortly, you could switch almost any NPC with someone else and nothing about the story would change. The characters are essentially cardboard cut-outs; just a slick design coupled with some lines of dialog that aren't very significant. With regards to the Kalos games, Lysandre is actually very close to being multi-faceted--he almost seems to know that what he's doing is wrong, but is so obsessed with his goal that he can't bring himself to stop--but not enough focus is given on him, his manipulation of the Team Flare Grunts, or his confliction at the decision to end all life on Earth despite Pokémon not deserving the punishment to really bring forth that feeling of a character who doesn't quite want to "press the button," but does so anyway due to his conviction. Alternatively, other characters such as Sycamore and Korrina have a lot of potential to show development but ultimately fall flat due to the lack of action they take and reaction they give. Other characters still, such as Dexio and Sina, are completely pointless altogether. And don't even get me started on Diantha...
In any game, especially JRPGs, the final boss battle is a crowning moment--this is no exception in Pokémon. A common trope among JRPG final bosses is that they take on multiple forms, so that the "true" final boss is not someone (or something) you have seen thus far. Pokémon puts their own spin on this by revealing the Champion themselves during the story, but not revealing they are the Champion until the time comes for you to do battle (the only exception to this would be in Black Version & White Version). This leads to a commonly-used story structure: although you may have foiled the plans of the big baddies and dealt with the legendary Pokémon of the region, your original goal of conquering the Pokémon League remains unfulfilled. You push past Victory Road and the Elite Four to find that all along the Champion was none other than--
Your jerk of a rival who is always one step ahead of you, and this is your big chance to finally put him in his place. Lance the dragon master, who helped you infiltrate Team Rocket's HQ and used his Dragonite to Hyper Beam a guy in the face. Steven, the cool-headed rock-collecting millionaire whose knowledge of the region's lore was an invaluable asset to you in your efforts to stop the extremist enemy. Cynthia, intelligent and unwavering, who stood beside you and helped to unravel Team Galactic's schemes. Iris, daughter of dragons, who stood up to the Seven Sages and allowed the chosen hero to advance into N's Castle two years prior.
And Diantha. A movie star. There is nothing more to Diantha's character besides her title. Before your encounter in the Radiant Chamber, you see her a measly two times, and neither of these meetings are of any value. The first time she is seen is pointless because all it establishes is that Lysandre is obsessed with physical beauty (I'll get more in-depth as to why this is actually pointless in a bit). Your second meeting in Coumarine City establishes that she knows Professor Sycamore, and that Mega Evolution probably involves the bonds between Trainer and Pokémon. That's cool to know--that one of the very few Trainers in the entire region capable of achieving Mega Evolution has no idea how it works. In all seriousness, however, this second encounter is likely included to add depth to the lore behind Mega Evolution and to remind the player that Diantha exists--otherwise, it would be all too easy to forget that she does.
Truthfully, I had forgotten about her. The first time I played through X I made my way through the Elite Four with ease. "Who on Earth could the Champion be?" I wondered. I was at a loss--every character had fulfilled what little roles they had, so... And then I let out an audible groan. It had to be her, she was the only unused NPC remaining. I hadn't quite remembered her name, but I did remember how she was one of the first NPCs revealed during the pre-release period--even before Lysandre and AZ! It turned out I was correct, and how did the Champion greet me? "Oh, I must look like such a fool not to recognize you sooner! You and your Pokémon are the ones who stopped Team Flare for us all!"
Yes, that's right. The Champion who sat idly by as I stopped the team openly attempting to nuke the entire world even admits she doesn't know me. This doesn't excuse her poor character, but rather makes it worse: it actually draws focus to the fact that Diantha had no role in the story whatsoever. Her stage may be beautiful and her battle music may be solid, but it's not satisfying to defeat her. What I mean by this is that although defeating her brings the satisfaction of beating the game, any random NPC would have brought this, too, given their title was "Champion." But because Diantha has no traits besides her career, and makes no attempt at doing anything, you're not truly satisfied with beating her. Think about why it was so satisfying to defeat your rival in the Kanto games--because you managed to snatch the coveted title of Champion from under the nose that annoying urchin who bothered you so much throughout your journey. It was satisfying to beat Steven because he was presented as a very cool character who appeared frequently to help you and stop the region's villains. In a sense, defeating him was like surpassing your mentor--your bad-ass mentor. But when you defeat Diantha, who are you beating? A movie star whose movies you haven't even seen. Some random NPCs mention them in passing, but nothing more. If these movies had somehow been incorporated into the games' story, it could have at least been a way to give the player some exposure to Diantha, and a the very least it would have given some satisfaction to beating her, knowing first-hand (and not just through the grapevine) just how great of an actress she is. Because although it is admittedly impressive to be both a successful actress and a powerful Pokémon Trainer--the Champion, no less--she still needs to do something, even if that something is working on her latest movie.
The first time you meet Diantha is also the second time you encounter the game's main villain, Lysandre. This encounter sparks a discussion about "beauty." Lysandre asks Diantha if she would prefer to be young and beautiful forever to allow her to play similar roles in her movies, to which Diantha replies that she'd rather age and use that to experience different roles.
If the games' mascots being the Pokémon of Life and Death didn't key you in, one of the main themes of the Kalos games' story is life and death. And this conversation is one of the first, if not the very first time we are keyed into in. Everlasting youth is a clear parallel to life (everlasting), whereas aging brings one closer to inevitable death. But what's interesting about this conversation is twofold: one is how it portrays life versus death. By Diantha proclaiming that aging, which we have already deemed is linked to death, is actually good, she is in essence giving a reason as to how death is good, or, to word it differently, necessary. Not to be a downer but the truth is death is just as important as life; without death, there would be no life, and this conversation brings to light the importance of death. Another way the game tackles this is through the ultimate weapon: it was made to give life to AZ's Floette, but was again used to end the lives of the other Pokémon fighting in the war. This is an interesting device to show that with life comes death.
So what exactly is so odd about this? Well, when else is death shown as something necessary, something that isn't always inherently bad? The answer would be never. It's almost all too easy to forget that the ultimate weapon once brought about life because for the majority of the game Team Flare is utilizing it for death--and in that case, death is rightfully portrayed as bad.
The narrative gave us a small glimpse that it is aware that death is not always awful, and that it is a necessary component of life itself. However, there is so much focus on death being bad--because what the main villains are doing is absolutely awful--that it becomes all too easy to forget that it's something that needs to come along with the two-sided coin that encompasses life. If the goal of the narrative was to portray that death is always bad, they shouldn't have had the centerpiece item clearly represent both life and death, and they shouldn't have included this conversation, because as it stands, it feels very out-of-place. An argument can be made that AZ's struggle of eternal life indirectly shows the importance of death (by implying that eternal life is not good), but again it isn't focused on nearly enough and ultimately takes a backseat to the constant drilling of the idea that death is bad because of how much focus is given to the ultimate weapon's function as a weapon.
The second interesting point about this statement is that Lysandre is speaking strictly about physical beauty in this case. Keeping Diantha young would keep her beautiful, but as Diantha points out, she can still act even when she's old. Lysandre tries to tell the player that Diantha, as an actress, lives to make other people happy, which is beautiful--metaphorically. And later when we discover Lysandre's true intentions, it's all for the sake of a beautiful world--metaphorically. Because physically there is nothing beautiful about a world ravaged by a nuclear explosion. So in this regard, the conversation is odd because it's already painting Lysandre as a "bad" villain. Why bother trying to showcase him as someone who is after something so shallow as physical beauty when the entire rest of the game he will be portrayed as desiring the, in a sense, more justifiable metaphorical sense of beauty? What purpose does this conversation hold when it's the only time Lysandre is trying to argue in favor of physical beauty instead?
Aside from this, Lysandre faces another hypocrisy, and that is regarding his motives. He claims he wants to make a world where there are no wars, where people don't fight each other, and resources aren't scarce. But... is the world actually like that? We know there was an awful war once, but that was three thousand years ago. We have no idea if there were any other wars in that time (and let's be reasonable: this is Pokémon, there very well might not have been). There's absolutely nothing to imply that resources are scarce. The NPCs are all very friendly, and aside from the people who are implied to be upset when you don't tip them, no one is portrayed as selfish (if anything, you can argue that by not tipping you're the selfish one, but that's neither here nor there). In actuality, the only people who are selfish and causing conflict are Team Flare themselves. Lysandre, my man--all you need to do is disband your gang and you'll have exactly the world you want!
This, along with another issue with his character--which will be addressed shortly--lends to the overall "weak plot" present in X. If Lysandre's motives were more real, the idea of him wanting to kill off everyone would feel more justified as a plot device. As it currently stands, it's a weak, overused trope for the villain to want to destroy the planet for no real reason, making the very basis of the plot seem extremely weak.
Another key theme throughout the story of X is obsession. The game uses this to juxtapose some key characters, but in doing so reveals its own shortcomings in regards to its cast. The two major NPCs in this regard are Lysandre and AZ. AZ, the Kalosian king of three millennia long gone, was obsessed with bringing his dear Floette back to life, which led to the creation of the ultimate weapon, and the loss of countless lives. AZ's obsession was driven by loss, which ultimately caused more loss. Lysandre, on the other hand, was obsessed with creating a "beautiful world"--one where there weren't so many people that resources needed to be fought over, and everyone was productive and helpful. No fights, no arguments, no wars. But unlike AZ, Lysandre's obsession was not driven by loss. So if in the previous section you were wondering if there was any way Lysandre's motive could have been better-handled, here's one appropriate possibility.
As we've covered, we actually don't know what sparked this desire to create a beautiful world. In some ways, this lack of detail isn't all too bad. By not giving him a motivation, it paints him as a more sinister character--although he has good intentions at heart, it appears all the more selfish because there is no apparent motivation. However, this goes in direct contrast to the climax of the game, where Lysandre is asked what will happen to Pokémon as a species if his goal was to be achieved. He is shown legitimately crying--and understand this is more emotion than any other character has shown thus far--because Pokémon will all be wiped out. What purpose would this scene have except to show Lysandre as at least remotely redeemable? His actions are not justified; rather, he is shown to have some goodness and some understanding of the impact of his awful actions. But if we are to believe that he is a "good person" deep down--his intentions are good, but he is taking it way too far--why is he not given any sort of motivation or backstory regarding his ultimate desire?
This is in direct contrast to AZ, who is given a clear motive for what he did: although his actions are not justifiable either (and even AZ knows this), we are more sympathetic towards him because we understand why he did it. But the game also wants us to be sympathetic towards Lysandre, which is difficult when the only thing we have to grant him sympathy with is his breakdown in the later half of the game. In other words: Lysandre's lack of motivation could have been dismissed if he was ultimately portrayed as a "completely bad" character, but because he is made (at least partially) sympathetic towards the end of the story, it makes his lack of driving motivation all the more awkward.
This theme of obsession and loss can also be applied to Sycamore. Sycamore is obsessed with Lysandre. He idolizes him. From the moment Lysandre is introduced to the player with his ash-red text box, spouting about his desire for a beautiful world, it's pretty clear that he is involved with the fashionably red-clad Team Flare. Sycamore is completely oblivious to this. Even when Sycamore invites you into Lysandre Café, there's an NPC not ten steps from him who proclaims how great Team Flare is. And still, Sycamore is completely unwavering in his belief of how great Lysandre is, with all the fabulous creations he's helped produce to make the world even a tiny bit better.
Despite all this, Sycamore shows no real reaction to the revelation that Lysandre plans to utilize the ultimate weapon to wipe out humanity. All we get is a small line of dialog from Dexio at Lysandre Labs, claiming, "The professor's feeling pretty down, but he's using his network of acquaintances to try to stop Team Flare's plan." And after going through the Labs, making your way through the Team Flare HQ, and defeating Lysandre for the third and final time, Lysandre uses the power of the ultimate weapon and destroys the HQ in the process. It isn't shown whether he makes it out or not, but it is a very widely-accepted fan-theory that he does indeed perish beneath the ultimate weapon.
And how does Sycamore react to this--to the death of the man he idolized, and could very well be interpreted as his best friend? "I have to apologize to you about Lysandre... I'm very sorry for the trouble he caused..." That's it. That's what he says. Not to mention that the line, "And by stopping Team Flare, you also saved Lysandre" takes on a much deeper meaning when put into the context of Lysandre's supposed death. It just doesn't make sense that Sycamore has no real reaction to the events that played out.
It could be argued that this is to strengthen Sycamore's character. After all, two very great men, a king and an inventor, became obsessed to the point of essentially committing genocide (or wanting to, in Lysandre's case), one of whom was driven by the loss of a loved one. Sycamore, while still great in the sense of being a researcher and professor, is still always shown as, for a lack of better term, an absolute goof-ball. He is incapable of achieving Mega Evolution (he didn't even really try to climb the Tower of Mastery), he hangs his head in defeat whenever you battle him, claiming he is awful at being a Trainer--there is even official concept art showcasing his ineptitude at roller skating. It's certainly an intriguing interpretation that, compared to the ambitious Lysandre and dedicated AZ, Sycamore remained composed through his obsession and loss and did not (over-)react and try to take out the world. But because he showed no sort of reaction at all, no sadness which would be natural at the loss of his dear friend, or discovery that he is essentially a genocidal maniac, it instead feels as though he should have reacted, and not that it was intentional to show him as an emotionally steady man. His silly behaviors make him seem more "real," but his lack of emotion and reaction goes against that. It undermines what could have been a fascinating juxtaposition between two characters of great standing losing control due to their obsession, and a third who, despite his inadequacies, manages to retain his composure through loss.
On the flipside, the characters featured in the Hoenn remakes do take a bit of action, but don't really seem to learn or grow from their experience. The leaders of Team Magma and Team Aqua, thankfully, do get a bit of attention when dealing with their remorse for following through with their foolish actions, which is definitely an improvement on the other characters' placidity. Interestingly, the major themes surrounding Omega Ruby are that of extremism (the well-intentioned Team Magma taking their plans just a bit too far and not realizing the monstrously negative impact they would have on the entire world) and obsession--an obsession with your goals that leads to an extremist outlook. It's an interesting mirror to the themes of the Kalosian games, and it makes all the references to X, such as the tree planted by AZ in Sootopolis, feel a bit more meaningful.
In terms of characters who were significantly tweaked from their original counterparts, Wally is most certainly the crowning achievement of the Hoenn remakes. He is successfully portrayed as a meek and nervous boy from the start, who always seems to be one, or ten, steps behind you. When he shows up, although he isn't that great of a Trainer, his earnestness manages to captivate the player, and you really believe that he is trying his best to improve. The detail of Wally winning all the Gym Badges while you were busy dealing with Team Magma, evidenced by his name engraved into the "mysterious Gym statues" before you challenge them yourself, was a nice touch. This all leads up to a very climactic battle in Victory Road. Although it felt a little easy, it could certainly be considered purposeful, as you've always been one step ahead of Wally--but it still felt powerful, with great use of scenery, music, and dialog that brought the moment together cohesively. In all honesty, it made the battle with Steven in his plain, silver room feel almost like a let-down with how appropriately epic Wally's battle was portrayed.
Other characters were changed for the better (or for worse), but ultimately don't hold a candle to the treatment that Wally received. Norman receives a small scene after defeating him showcasing his conflict at having his child defeat him, which is appropriate and well-deserved. Other Gym Leaders are given some minor scenes post-game which show them as people with lives that extend beyond their Gym, but really aren't very meaningful beyond that. Brendan...is annoying. He was incorporated into the story a lot more than in the originals, likely trying to mirror the use of your group of friends back in X. It's hard to really place my finger on it, but I believe his over-eagerness and his slightly haughty attitude that turns into arguably a crush on the protagonist made him not appeal to me. He was always...there when I didn't want him to be, and besides being a stereotypical overly-friendly friend he held no importance (I have similar issues with the "friend characters" in X, which I will bring up later). Every time he was shoe-horned into the story, I couldn't help but wish it was Wally instead.
Although the other NPCs don't have much depth to them, the Hoenn remakes do take an approach that certainly ups the storytelling from the Kalos games: the characters are a lot more expressive, as is the camera. While the characters do not change over the course of the game (with the exception of Wally), they use a much wider variety of facial emotions and body language, which at the very least conveys a better sense of character than their Kalosian counterparts. This, coupled with the much more dynamic camera usage, makes sitting through the dialog and cutscenes feel a lot more cinematic.
But when it comes to the story of the generation six games, one thing that sticks in most peoples' mind is almost certainly the post-game "episodes:" the Looker Episodes in Kalos, and the Delta Episode in Hoenn.
The Looker Episodes are definitely the pinnacle of story-telling within the Kalos games. Looker is a genuinely likable character who helps move the plot forward and expose the true nature of the involved characters. I never expected to be feeling for Xerosic of all characters, but lo and behold, the Looker Episodes swoop in to defy my expectations! Malva is given a bit more motivation, which at the very least allows players to think back to her minimal involvement within the main story of the game. And Emma is absolutely the main star. She's the underdog, living on the streets with her Espurr, with just the right amount of spunk and determination to move through the story. She was entirely likable, and you rooted for her as she went from a homeless girl, to being controlled as Essentia, to overcoming those hardships and eventually taking over the Looker Bureau. The entire series of events felt meaningful, with more character development during these short post-game escapades than the entirety of the main story.
Alternatively, Omega Ruby features the Delta Episode. The star of the Delta Episode, Zinnia, actually makes a very brief appearance in the Petalburg Woods at the beginning of the game, but doesn't appear again until the post-game begins. I'm not entirely sure I see the point in this: nothing was gained by having her appear there except that there was more vague dialog to sit through. I didn't even remember she had appeared there until I looked through a guide and saw a brief mention of it, well after I had completed the Delta Episode.
This is the main issue I face with the Delta Episode: the main character is way too vague. Her backstory regarding the Draconians isn't explained well enough and her motives really don't make sense. There's not enough detail given to her and the story as a whole. All she has going for her is a cool design and cool battle music. It brings to mind the shortcomings faced by Diantha's character.
Pokémon never really had the best timeline to begin with, but Zinnia's proclamation about an alternate-universe Hoenn isn't bad simply because it gives us a Zelda-styled timeline and makes Omega Ruby's place on it less clear. It's just a very poor excuse for a conflict. Think about it: if you could just go ahead and use your obtained energy to blast the meteor away from the planet, that would be the end of the Delta Episode. They either needed to rewrite it so the conflict lasted longer, or find another conflict to keep it going--and they settled on alternate universes, the next up-and-coming narrative cop-out that's starting to give time-travel a run for its money.
It doesn't even work thematically within the game, either. If these were remakes of Diamond & Pearl Versions then I could see it, since the games already focus on space-time, science, the universe, anti-matter... Alternate universes seem right up that alley. But the Hoenn games are rooted in environmentalist issues and extremism, not the workings of the universe(s). The only way it could be argued is in regards to the idea of "coexistence," but that was the very first theme I argued was not handled well. It was not handled well mechanically, and it was not handled well narratively, either.
And at last we come to the topic of the regions. The Hoenn region itself is a solid one. The amount of water was actually toned down for the remakes, which I feel was a good choice. There's still enough water to give the region a tropical feel (and further enhance the land versus sea theme) but not so much that a bunch of the region all looks the same and features the same wild Pokémon. There are plenty of cities and routes and other landmarks to visit. It is brought to life beautifully by the new 3D graphics engine.
The Kalos region is also beautiful. The use of flowers as alternatives to tall grass is clever, the buildings and towns and routes are all scenic, and the music used for them is especially fitting. But it feels...empty. One look at the in-game map will show you lots of empty space. You essentially run around in a circle across the region, and there aren't a whole lot of extra landmarks or places to visit besides the cities themselves. Even places that you can see, such as the Kalos Power Plant, can't be visited in their entirety. The splendor of the magnificent cities certainly wears off once you realize the region doesn't actually offer as much in regards to places to visit, or places with much importance.
There's a fairly large gap between the first few badges, but after that each badge comes one after another rapid-fire. The game probably would have felt better-paced if there were more towns or cities between the later "Gym cities," too, and not just the early ones. And considering how "empty" the map appears, there was definitely potential for more areas without having to change the overall star shape of the region too much, if at all. There's even space for more areas down south around Kiloude City. As beautiful as the region is, there is just so little to Kalos as a whole that despite iconic places such as Lumiose City or the Anistar Sundial making their home there, there's not much to remember or do.
Ultimately this issue is more closely linked to the matter of "lack of content," but I still think it is one worth bringing up: if there had been more content within X, which could have been incorporated by use of an expanded region, the region and game itself would have been more memorable. But as it stands, only a few key locations are particularly iconic, while others, which may have been intended to be iconic, are easily forgotten.
So why did I choose to place X & Y above Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire? Ultimately it comes down to potential. Both of these games have great potential. X had the potential to have a thoughtful, provoking narrative with vibrant, unique characters. Omega Ruby had the potential to give us great amounts of content and expand upon its already solid original counterparts.
Both games have good aspects. People will certainly be clamoring for X's character customization to return for future games, along with the DexNav created for Omega Ruby. They brought the beloved world of Pokémon to life with vibrant 3D models and environments, and their enhanced sound capabilities immersed us more than we ever had been before. Despite some previously-mentioned hiccups, the connectivity features are plenty. Despite their flaws, the generation six games are very solid.
But when games with better graphics and gameplay come around and build upon them, they will likely not hold up. And for me, the reason why X just narrowly comes out above Omega Ruby is because of how in-depth they tried to make the story and characters. In terms of content, they both face very similar issues. In terms of characters, while Omega Ruby had the very successful Wally, the other characters don't hold up, and the deep potential so many characters had in X makes them, in an ironic turn of events, more memorable overall. The better execution of its post-game episodes also leans in X's favor.
Making the top five out of fifteen-or-so sets of games is no small feat. X & Y really pushed the Pokémon series forward with some revolutionary gameplay changes. As such, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire had so many advancements to account for when retelling the classic games' stories. There may have been some steps backwards in regards to what features were included in the generation six games, but they were still powerful strides into a new era of Pokémon games--games that can take advantage of better hardware, beautiful 3D graphics, and a new appreciation for deep, meaningful storytelling. X & Y and Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire are key stepping stones for the series, and I can only hope their shortcomings are used as learning experiences moving forward into the future generations. Generation six may have marked the end of our beloved sprite-based games, but where there's an end, there's also a new beginning. And I'd say it's a very strong beginning.
You may be thinking to yourself, "Rivvon, you mentioned the friend characters from X and didn't talk about them after that! What happened?" And in response I'll say that I have already analyzed X's application of the "friend" characters in this post. Please take a look if you're interested in reading what I have to say on their implementation--I feel they are another great example of the potential X passed up on in regards to its NPCs. The reason why I ultimately didn't include them in this analysis is simply because I felt any section I wrote on them would end up as a copy-paste of the aforementioned post.
#5: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
and
#4: X & Y
I want to start with an apology: I know it's been a while since I wrote the foreward to this blog series, but I have quite a bit to say about these newest additions to the Pokémon series. And the more I wrote, the more in-depth I realized I could push it. This lead to a lot of re-working of sections, and ultimately quite a substantial read on your part. I sincerely hope you find this mini-essay at the very least interesting. Regarding the ranking itself, this may not be a tie, but I feel it's necessary to discuss these sets of games in tandem when analyzing them, so let's get right into this sixth generation breakdown! and
#4: X & Y
Revolutionary Gameplay
The sixth generation of main-series Pokémon titles offers us, the adoring players, with the most balanced and energized gameplay the series has seen yet, making huge changes to the way we play. The concept of powerful Mega Evolutions were introduced, and the game-changing Fairy-Type was added. Even the breeding and training of competition-worthy Pokémon was made more accessible than ever. And with convenient online battling (and trading--we can't forget about that PokéDex!) options at your finger- or stylus-tips, it's no wonder these games set in the French-inspired Kalos and tropical Hoenn regions have captivated Trainers both new and old. But it's not all sunshine and roses in the flowery region of Hoenn or the once war-torn region of Kalos. Despite the outstanding changes these games bring to the table, there's more at play than meets the eye.
Existing in Parallel
If you picked up the North American guide to Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, you'll find it has a fairly substantial interview in the beginning (they always recommend skipping it to avoid spoilers, but in that case, why not just put it in the back?). I'm doing a bit of paraphrasing here, but essentially the reason behind excluding some features of X & Y in the generation three remakes was to allow the games to "exist in parallel." In other words, if someone wanted to pick up a generation six game, but could only choose one, they wouldn't feel obligated to get the newer Omega Ruby, because X still had some features to make it stand on its own.
Honestly, this is an opinion I greatly respect. Giving players the option to pick whichever game they want to focus on within the generation is quite freeing. While the "need" to "upgrade" each time a new game was released wasn't seen as too much of an issue to what seems like most fans, but there is definitely something very appealing about the idea of being able to stick with the older games of a generation if one so desires. For this, I can justify certain elements of X being left out in Omega Ruby--under other circumstances, I would much prefer those elements to be retained, however, as I feel each new Pokémon game should build upon the last, taking older features and improving upon them, making each new game a more all-encompassing experience than the last.
So where did this idea well-intentioned idea go wrong?
Another World, Separate from our Own
A major component--the theme that lies at the core of every main-series Pokémon game--is connection. The ability to connect with your friends, people close-by, and, with the advent of the Nintendo DS and Diamond & Pearl Versions, with people all over the world, is an unshakable aspect of each Pokémon game that makes its way into our eager hands. So the world of Kalos, and the world of a new Hoenn, are meant to coexist, and allow the player the freedom to live in whichever world they so desire without feeling pressured to pick one over the other... and yet, they do not quite exist on the same plane.
Generation six introduced a lot of amazing new features to Pokémon as a whole, arguably the most major of which is Mega Evolution. Although some may be up to par with some of the iconic "mascot legendaries" of the series, they are all allowed in the Ranked Battle system. Their viability, along with their accessibility, makes them some of the most desired Pokémon to include on competitive and casual teams alike. And here is where one of my major gripes lies: my hypothetical friend decided she prefers the Kalos region and really likes the character customization feature, so she went ahead and bought X. I, looking forward to decking out my Super Secret Base, picked up a copy of Omega Ruby. She challenged me to a "for fun" battle, and now the game is telling me I'm not allowed to battle her because the silly "dream team" I'm using has Mega Audino.
Even back in generation five, Black Version and Black Version 2 could battle with each other using "exclusive" formes; although the person using Black Version would see the "original" forme sprite, the stats and Ability of the new forme would be retained. X & Y could have been patched to accommodate for these new Mega Evolutions--they didn't need to be available or obtainable in the older games, just allow them to be used when fighting against someone with a Kalos game--but for no specified reason, this did not occur. What this boils down to is that, despite previous generations allowing it, the most recent generation of Pokémon does not fully allow same-generation games to "properly" interact with each other. To some, this may not seem like a huge deal (numerous people may even feel as though "everyone will upgrade to the Hoenn remakes, I mean, it's Hoenn after all!"), but as someone who ran a fairly major Pokémon Club in my college, it was very difficult getting our personal Gym system to work around this. Not everyone wanted to upgrade to Omega Ruby, which made it difficult for those who did to continue to interact with those who stayed with X. This is something that I witnessed first-hand. The fact that the Hoenn remakes did not include all major elements from the Kalos games resulted in people not wanting to buy them, which in turn resulted in difficulty when people with the Hoenn remakes wanted to battle against those with the Kalos games. If GAME FREAK truly wanted the Kalos games and Hoenn remakes to "coexist," they should have patched the Kalos games to allow for battles against the newly-introduced Mega Evolutions. Because they did not, GAME FREAK did not create their "coexisting" games the way they had intended, and ultimately, the features excluded from X & Y now feel as though they should have been included in the Hoenn remakes after all.
More Missing Links
In addition to Omega Ruby lacking features from X, the Hoenn remakes also lack features from their original games. While Contests and Secret Bases make a return (and are renamed to Contest Spectaculars and Super-Secret Bases, respectively), there are two fan-favorite features that are noticeably absent: namely, the ambitious yet worthwhile Battle Frontier, and the simple and humble yet enjoyable Gym Leader "rematches."
While a remake can never be exactly the same as its original, I think it's fair to say that at the very least it should include all the features of the original. But because the Hoenn remakes didn't include all the features of the original, they even ended up losing some characters, too--the Frontier Brains are the most obvious ones, but Juan and Scott don't make appearances, either (Juan especially would have been very fun to incorporate if they included Gym Leader rematches, but I digress).
And while the lack of a Battle Frontier really takes a toll on the overall playable longevity of Omega Ruby (I think one of the reasons why I'm so eager for news on the latest main-series game entry is because I've run out of things to do in my games that isn't "breed for my competitive team"), the lack of Gym Leader rematches is just...bizarre. All I have to say on that matter is this: who thought it would be a good idea to put the profiles of the Gym Leaders in the Trainer's Eye of the Area Nav--the in-game app that exists solely to tell you when a Trainer is ready for a rematch--if you can never challenge them to a rematch?
Although X does not have any "original game" to go by, it similarly lacks post-game features to keep the players playing after the story credits roll. It's similar to how a new game of a generation doesn't feature all the post-game goodies of the previous generation's magnum opus (such as how Emerald featured its own Battle Frontier, but generation four would not see their own until the release of Platinum), but it's not something players like to see. As I've already touched upon, Pokémon games work best when they improve upon the features of the previous games, not discard them. And the lack of post-game content is definitely something that sticks out to many fans regarding the games that brought us into the sixth generation.
Stories of New and Old
Another interesting comparison between the Kalos games and Hoenn remakes is their approach to storytelling. To be more specific, although they both contain premises that are interesting at their core, the characters lack a lot of depth and almost none have any sort of development. This may not matter to some people, especially to those who claim that gameplay matters above all. But my logic is this: (hopefully) each new Pokémon game will improve upon the last, adding new features and further balancing the gameplay and enhancing the graphics. There is no doubt that generation six is, as of now, the best when gameplay is considered. But when generation seven rolls around with improved mechanics and graphics and even sound quality, what will cause the previous games of the series to stand out? For most people, what really differentiates each set of games is their story and characters (and to an extent, the region, but I'll get to that).
So what do I mean when I say the characters lack a sense of depth? To put it shortly, you could switch almost any NPC with someone else and nothing about the story would change. The characters are essentially cardboard cut-outs; just a slick design coupled with some lines of dialog that aren't very significant. With regards to the Kalos games, Lysandre is actually very close to being multi-faceted--he almost seems to know that what he's doing is wrong, but is so obsessed with his goal that he can't bring himself to stop--but not enough focus is given on him, his manipulation of the Team Flare Grunts, or his confliction at the decision to end all life on Earth despite Pokémon not deserving the punishment to really bring forth that feeling of a character who doesn't quite want to "press the button," but does so anyway due to his conviction. Alternatively, other characters such as Sycamore and Korrina have a lot of potential to show development but ultimately fall flat due to the lack of action they take and reaction they give. Other characters still, such as Dexio and Sina, are completely pointless altogether. And don't even get me started on Diantha...
Chump Champion
In any game, especially JRPGs, the final boss battle is a crowning moment--this is no exception in Pokémon. A common trope among JRPG final bosses is that they take on multiple forms, so that the "true" final boss is not someone (or something) you have seen thus far. Pokémon puts their own spin on this by revealing the Champion themselves during the story, but not revealing they are the Champion until the time comes for you to do battle (the only exception to this would be in Black Version & White Version). This leads to a commonly-used story structure: although you may have foiled the plans of the big baddies and dealt with the legendary Pokémon of the region, your original goal of conquering the Pokémon League remains unfulfilled. You push past Victory Road and the Elite Four to find that all along the Champion was none other than--
Your jerk of a rival who is always one step ahead of you, and this is your big chance to finally put him in his place. Lance the dragon master, who helped you infiltrate Team Rocket's HQ and used his Dragonite to Hyper Beam a guy in the face. Steven, the cool-headed rock-collecting millionaire whose knowledge of the region's lore was an invaluable asset to you in your efforts to stop the extremist enemy. Cynthia, intelligent and unwavering, who stood beside you and helped to unravel Team Galactic's schemes. Iris, daughter of dragons, who stood up to the Seven Sages and allowed the chosen hero to advance into N's Castle two years prior.
And Diantha. A movie star. There is nothing more to Diantha's character besides her title. Before your encounter in the Radiant Chamber, you see her a measly two times, and neither of these meetings are of any value. The first time she is seen is pointless because all it establishes is that Lysandre is obsessed with physical beauty (I'll get more in-depth as to why this is actually pointless in a bit). Your second meeting in Coumarine City establishes that she knows Professor Sycamore, and that Mega Evolution probably involves the bonds between Trainer and Pokémon. That's cool to know--that one of the very few Trainers in the entire region capable of achieving Mega Evolution has no idea how it works. In all seriousness, however, this second encounter is likely included to add depth to the lore behind Mega Evolution and to remind the player that Diantha exists--otherwise, it would be all too easy to forget that she does.
Truthfully, I had forgotten about her. The first time I played through X I made my way through the Elite Four with ease. "Who on Earth could the Champion be?" I wondered. I was at a loss--every character had fulfilled what little roles they had, so... And then I let out an audible groan. It had to be her, she was the only unused NPC remaining. I hadn't quite remembered her name, but I did remember how she was one of the first NPCs revealed during the pre-release period--even before Lysandre and AZ! It turned out I was correct, and how did the Champion greet me? "Oh, I must look like such a fool not to recognize you sooner! You and your Pokémon are the ones who stopped Team Flare for us all!"
Yes, that's right. The Champion who sat idly by as I stopped the team openly attempting to nuke the entire world even admits she doesn't know me. This doesn't excuse her poor character, but rather makes it worse: it actually draws focus to the fact that Diantha had no role in the story whatsoever. Her stage may be beautiful and her battle music may be solid, but it's not satisfying to defeat her. What I mean by this is that although defeating her brings the satisfaction of beating the game, any random NPC would have brought this, too, given their title was "Champion." But because Diantha has no traits besides her career, and makes no attempt at doing anything, you're not truly satisfied with beating her. Think about why it was so satisfying to defeat your rival in the Kanto games--because you managed to snatch the coveted title of Champion from under the nose that annoying urchin who bothered you so much throughout your journey. It was satisfying to beat Steven because he was presented as a very cool character who appeared frequently to help you and stop the region's villains. In a sense, defeating him was like surpassing your mentor--your bad-ass mentor. But when you defeat Diantha, who are you beating? A movie star whose movies you haven't even seen. Some random NPCs mention them in passing, but nothing more. If these movies had somehow been incorporated into the games' story, it could have at least been a way to give the player some exposure to Diantha, and a the very least it would have given some satisfaction to beating her, knowing first-hand (and not just through the grapevine) just how great of an actress she is. Because although it is admittedly impressive to be both a successful actress and a powerful Pokémon Trainer--the Champion, no less--she still needs to do something, even if that something is working on her latest movie.
Hypocrisy
The first time you meet Diantha is also the second time you encounter the game's main villain, Lysandre. This encounter sparks a discussion about "beauty." Lysandre asks Diantha if she would prefer to be young and beautiful forever to allow her to play similar roles in her movies, to which Diantha replies that she'd rather age and use that to experience different roles.
If the games' mascots being the Pokémon of Life and Death didn't key you in, one of the main themes of the Kalos games' story is life and death. And this conversation is one of the first, if not the very first time we are keyed into in. Everlasting youth is a clear parallel to life (everlasting), whereas aging brings one closer to inevitable death. But what's interesting about this conversation is twofold: one is how it portrays life versus death. By Diantha proclaiming that aging, which we have already deemed is linked to death, is actually good, she is in essence giving a reason as to how death is good, or, to word it differently, necessary. Not to be a downer but the truth is death is just as important as life; without death, there would be no life, and this conversation brings to light the importance of death. Another way the game tackles this is through the ultimate weapon: it was made to give life to AZ's Floette, but was again used to end the lives of the other Pokémon fighting in the war. This is an interesting device to show that with life comes death.
So what exactly is so odd about this? Well, when else is death shown as something necessary, something that isn't always inherently bad? The answer would be never. It's almost all too easy to forget that the ultimate weapon once brought about life because for the majority of the game Team Flare is utilizing it for death--and in that case, death is rightfully portrayed as bad.
The narrative gave us a small glimpse that it is aware that death is not always awful, and that it is a necessary component of life itself. However, there is so much focus on death being bad--because what the main villains are doing is absolutely awful--that it becomes all too easy to forget that it's something that needs to come along with the two-sided coin that encompasses life. If the goal of the narrative was to portray that death is always bad, they shouldn't have had the centerpiece item clearly represent both life and death, and they shouldn't have included this conversation, because as it stands, it feels very out-of-place. An argument can be made that AZ's struggle of eternal life indirectly shows the importance of death (by implying that eternal life is not good), but again it isn't focused on nearly enough and ultimately takes a backseat to the constant drilling of the idea that death is bad because of how much focus is given to the ultimate weapon's function as a weapon.
The second interesting point about this statement is that Lysandre is speaking strictly about physical beauty in this case. Keeping Diantha young would keep her beautiful, but as Diantha points out, she can still act even when she's old. Lysandre tries to tell the player that Diantha, as an actress, lives to make other people happy, which is beautiful--metaphorically. And later when we discover Lysandre's true intentions, it's all for the sake of a beautiful world--metaphorically. Because physically there is nothing beautiful about a world ravaged by a nuclear explosion. So in this regard, the conversation is odd because it's already painting Lysandre as a "bad" villain. Why bother trying to showcase him as someone who is after something so shallow as physical beauty when the entire rest of the game he will be portrayed as desiring the, in a sense, more justifiable metaphorical sense of beauty? What purpose does this conversation hold when it's the only time Lysandre is trying to argue in favor of physical beauty instead?
Aside from this, Lysandre faces another hypocrisy, and that is regarding his motives. He claims he wants to make a world where there are no wars, where people don't fight each other, and resources aren't scarce. But... is the world actually like that? We know there was an awful war once, but that was three thousand years ago. We have no idea if there were any other wars in that time (and let's be reasonable: this is Pokémon, there very well might not have been). There's absolutely nothing to imply that resources are scarce. The NPCs are all very friendly, and aside from the people who are implied to be upset when you don't tip them, no one is portrayed as selfish (if anything, you can argue that by not tipping you're the selfish one, but that's neither here nor there). In actuality, the only people who are selfish and causing conflict are Team Flare themselves. Lysandre, my man--all you need to do is disband your gang and you'll have exactly the world you want!
This, along with another issue with his character--which will be addressed shortly--lends to the overall "weak plot" present in X. If Lysandre's motives were more real, the idea of him wanting to kill off everyone would feel more justified as a plot device. As it currently stands, it's a weak, overused trope for the villain to want to destroy the planet for no real reason, making the very basis of the plot seem extremely weak.
Obsession
Another key theme throughout the story of X is obsession. The game uses this to juxtapose some key characters, but in doing so reveals its own shortcomings in regards to its cast. The two major NPCs in this regard are Lysandre and AZ. AZ, the Kalosian king of three millennia long gone, was obsessed with bringing his dear Floette back to life, which led to the creation of the ultimate weapon, and the loss of countless lives. AZ's obsession was driven by loss, which ultimately caused more loss. Lysandre, on the other hand, was obsessed with creating a "beautiful world"--one where there weren't so many people that resources needed to be fought over, and everyone was productive and helpful. No fights, no arguments, no wars. But unlike AZ, Lysandre's obsession was not driven by loss. So if in the previous section you were wondering if there was any way Lysandre's motive could have been better-handled, here's one appropriate possibility.
As we've covered, we actually don't know what sparked this desire to create a beautiful world. In some ways, this lack of detail isn't all too bad. By not giving him a motivation, it paints him as a more sinister character--although he has good intentions at heart, it appears all the more selfish because there is no apparent motivation. However, this goes in direct contrast to the climax of the game, where Lysandre is asked what will happen to Pokémon as a species if his goal was to be achieved. He is shown legitimately crying--and understand this is more emotion than any other character has shown thus far--because Pokémon will all be wiped out. What purpose would this scene have except to show Lysandre as at least remotely redeemable? His actions are not justified; rather, he is shown to have some goodness and some understanding of the impact of his awful actions. But if we are to believe that he is a "good person" deep down--his intentions are good, but he is taking it way too far--why is he not given any sort of motivation or backstory regarding his ultimate desire?
This is in direct contrast to AZ, who is given a clear motive for what he did: although his actions are not justifiable either (and even AZ knows this), we are more sympathetic towards him because we understand why he did it. But the game also wants us to be sympathetic towards Lysandre, which is difficult when the only thing we have to grant him sympathy with is his breakdown in the later half of the game. In other words: Lysandre's lack of motivation could have been dismissed if he was ultimately portrayed as a "completely bad" character, but because he is made (at least partially) sympathetic towards the end of the story, it makes his lack of driving motivation all the more awkward.
Loss
This theme of obsession and loss can also be applied to Sycamore. Sycamore is obsessed with Lysandre. He idolizes him. From the moment Lysandre is introduced to the player with his ash-red text box, spouting about his desire for a beautiful world, it's pretty clear that he is involved with the fashionably red-clad Team Flare. Sycamore is completely oblivious to this. Even when Sycamore invites you into Lysandre Café, there's an NPC not ten steps from him who proclaims how great Team Flare is. And still, Sycamore is completely unwavering in his belief of how great Lysandre is, with all the fabulous creations he's helped produce to make the world even a tiny bit better.
Despite all this, Sycamore shows no real reaction to the revelation that Lysandre plans to utilize the ultimate weapon to wipe out humanity. All we get is a small line of dialog from Dexio at Lysandre Labs, claiming, "The professor's feeling pretty down, but he's using his network of acquaintances to try to stop Team Flare's plan." And after going through the Labs, making your way through the Team Flare HQ, and defeating Lysandre for the third and final time, Lysandre uses the power of the ultimate weapon and destroys the HQ in the process. It isn't shown whether he makes it out or not, but it is a very widely-accepted fan-theory that he does indeed perish beneath the ultimate weapon.
And how does Sycamore react to this--to the death of the man he idolized, and could very well be interpreted as his best friend? "I have to apologize to you about Lysandre... I'm very sorry for the trouble he caused..." That's it. That's what he says. Not to mention that the line, "And by stopping Team Flare, you also saved Lysandre" takes on a much deeper meaning when put into the context of Lysandre's supposed death. It just doesn't make sense that Sycamore has no real reaction to the events that played out.
It could be argued that this is to strengthen Sycamore's character. After all, two very great men, a king and an inventor, became obsessed to the point of essentially committing genocide (or wanting to, in Lysandre's case), one of whom was driven by the loss of a loved one. Sycamore, while still great in the sense of being a researcher and professor, is still always shown as, for a lack of better term, an absolute goof-ball. He is incapable of achieving Mega Evolution (he didn't even really try to climb the Tower of Mastery), he hangs his head in defeat whenever you battle him, claiming he is awful at being a Trainer--there is even official concept art showcasing his ineptitude at roller skating. It's certainly an intriguing interpretation that, compared to the ambitious Lysandre and dedicated AZ, Sycamore remained composed through his obsession and loss and did not (over-)react and try to take out the world. But because he showed no sort of reaction at all, no sadness which would be natural at the loss of his dear friend, or discovery that he is essentially a genocidal maniac, it instead feels as though he should have reacted, and not that it was intentional to show him as an emotionally steady man. His silly behaviors make him seem more "real," but his lack of emotion and reaction goes against that. It undermines what could have been a fascinating juxtaposition between two characters of great standing losing control due to their obsession, and a third who, despite his inadequacies, manages to retain his composure through loss.
Obsession, Revisited
On the flipside, the characters featured in the Hoenn remakes do take a bit of action, but don't really seem to learn or grow from their experience. The leaders of Team Magma and Team Aqua, thankfully, do get a bit of attention when dealing with their remorse for following through with their foolish actions, which is definitely an improvement on the other characters' placidity. Interestingly, the major themes surrounding Omega Ruby are that of extremism (the well-intentioned Team Magma taking their plans just a bit too far and not realizing the monstrously negative impact they would have on the entire world) and obsession--an obsession with your goals that leads to an extremist outlook. It's an interesting mirror to the themes of the Kalosian games, and it makes all the references to X, such as the tree planted by AZ in Sootopolis, feel a bit more meaningful.
In terms of characters who were significantly tweaked from their original counterparts, Wally is most certainly the crowning achievement of the Hoenn remakes. He is successfully portrayed as a meek and nervous boy from the start, who always seems to be one, or ten, steps behind you. When he shows up, although he isn't that great of a Trainer, his earnestness manages to captivate the player, and you really believe that he is trying his best to improve. The detail of Wally winning all the Gym Badges while you were busy dealing with Team Magma, evidenced by his name engraved into the "mysterious Gym statues" before you challenge them yourself, was a nice touch. This all leads up to a very climactic battle in Victory Road. Although it felt a little easy, it could certainly be considered purposeful, as you've always been one step ahead of Wally--but it still felt powerful, with great use of scenery, music, and dialog that brought the moment together cohesively. In all honesty, it made the battle with Steven in his plain, silver room feel almost like a let-down with how appropriately epic Wally's battle was portrayed.
Other characters were changed for the better (or for worse), but ultimately don't hold a candle to the treatment that Wally received. Norman receives a small scene after defeating him showcasing his conflict at having his child defeat him, which is appropriate and well-deserved. Other Gym Leaders are given some minor scenes post-game which show them as people with lives that extend beyond their Gym, but really aren't very meaningful beyond that. Brendan...is annoying. He was incorporated into the story a lot more than in the originals, likely trying to mirror the use of your group of friends back in X. It's hard to really place my finger on it, but I believe his over-eagerness and his slightly haughty attitude that turns into arguably a crush on the protagonist made him not appeal to me. He was always...there when I didn't want him to be, and besides being a stereotypical overly-friendly friend he held no importance (I have similar issues with the "friend characters" in X, which I will bring up later). Every time he was shoe-horned into the story, I couldn't help but wish it was Wally instead.
Although the other NPCs don't have much depth to them, the Hoenn remakes do take an approach that certainly ups the storytelling from the Kalos games: the characters are a lot more expressive, as is the camera. While the characters do not change over the course of the game (with the exception of Wally), they use a much wider variety of facial emotions and body language, which at the very least conveys a better sense of character than their Kalosian counterparts. This, coupled with the much more dynamic camera usage, makes sitting through the dialog and cutscenes feel a lot more cinematic.
But when it comes to the story of the generation six games, one thing that sticks in most peoples' mind is almost certainly the post-game "episodes:" the Looker Episodes in Kalos, and the Delta Episode in Hoenn.
A Mysterious Man and Woman
The Looker Episodes are definitely the pinnacle of story-telling within the Kalos games. Looker is a genuinely likable character who helps move the plot forward and expose the true nature of the involved characters. I never expected to be feeling for Xerosic of all characters, but lo and behold, the Looker Episodes swoop in to defy my expectations! Malva is given a bit more motivation, which at the very least allows players to think back to her minimal involvement within the main story of the game. And Emma is absolutely the main star. She's the underdog, living on the streets with her Espurr, with just the right amount of spunk and determination to move through the story. She was entirely likable, and you rooted for her as she went from a homeless girl, to being controlled as Essentia, to overcoming those hardships and eventually taking over the Looker Bureau. The entire series of events felt meaningful, with more character development during these short post-game escapades than the entirety of the main story.
Alternatively, Omega Ruby features the Delta Episode. The star of the Delta Episode, Zinnia, actually makes a very brief appearance in the Petalburg Woods at the beginning of the game, but doesn't appear again until the post-game begins. I'm not entirely sure I see the point in this: nothing was gained by having her appear there except that there was more vague dialog to sit through. I didn't even remember she had appeared there until I looked through a guide and saw a brief mention of it, well after I had completed the Delta Episode.
This is the main issue I face with the Delta Episode: the main character is way too vague. Her backstory regarding the Draconians isn't explained well enough and her motives really don't make sense. There's not enough detail given to her and the story as a whole. All she has going for her is a cool design and cool battle music. It brings to mind the shortcomings faced by Diantha's character.
Pokémon never really had the best timeline to begin with, but Zinnia's proclamation about an alternate-universe Hoenn isn't bad simply because it gives us a Zelda-styled timeline and makes Omega Ruby's place on it less clear. It's just a very poor excuse for a conflict. Think about it: if you could just go ahead and use your obtained energy to blast the meteor away from the planet, that would be the end of the Delta Episode. They either needed to rewrite it so the conflict lasted longer, or find another conflict to keep it going--and they settled on alternate universes, the next up-and-coming narrative cop-out that's starting to give time-travel a run for its money.
It doesn't even work thematically within the game, either. If these were remakes of Diamond & Pearl Versions then I could see it, since the games already focus on space-time, science, the universe, anti-matter... Alternate universes seem right up that alley. But the Hoenn games are rooted in environmentalist issues and extremism, not the workings of the universe(s). The only way it could be argued is in regards to the idea of "coexistence," but that was the very first theme I argued was not handled well. It was not handled well mechanically, and it was not handled well narratively, either.
Location, Location
And at last we come to the topic of the regions. The Hoenn region itself is a solid one. The amount of water was actually toned down for the remakes, which I feel was a good choice. There's still enough water to give the region a tropical feel (and further enhance the land versus sea theme) but not so much that a bunch of the region all looks the same and features the same wild Pokémon. There are plenty of cities and routes and other landmarks to visit. It is brought to life beautifully by the new 3D graphics engine.
The Kalos region is also beautiful. The use of flowers as alternatives to tall grass is clever, the buildings and towns and routes are all scenic, and the music used for them is especially fitting. But it feels...empty. One look at the in-game map will show you lots of empty space. You essentially run around in a circle across the region, and there aren't a whole lot of extra landmarks or places to visit besides the cities themselves. Even places that you can see, such as the Kalos Power Plant, can't be visited in their entirety. The splendor of the magnificent cities certainly wears off once you realize the region doesn't actually offer as much in regards to places to visit, or places with much importance.
There's a fairly large gap between the first few badges, but after that each badge comes one after another rapid-fire. The game probably would have felt better-paced if there were more towns or cities between the later "Gym cities," too, and not just the early ones. And considering how "empty" the map appears, there was definitely potential for more areas without having to change the overall star shape of the region too much, if at all. There's even space for more areas down south around Kiloude City. As beautiful as the region is, there is just so little to Kalos as a whole that despite iconic places such as Lumiose City or the Anistar Sundial making their home there, there's not much to remember or do.
Ultimately this issue is more closely linked to the matter of "lack of content," but I still think it is one worth bringing up: if there had been more content within X, which could have been incorporated by use of an expanded region, the region and game itself would have been more memorable. But as it stands, only a few key locations are particularly iconic, while others, which may have been intended to be iconic, are easily forgotten.
The Pen is Mightier than the Ore
So why did I choose to place X & Y above Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire? Ultimately it comes down to potential. Both of these games have great potential. X had the potential to have a thoughtful, provoking narrative with vibrant, unique characters. Omega Ruby had the potential to give us great amounts of content and expand upon its already solid original counterparts.
Both games have good aspects. People will certainly be clamoring for X's character customization to return for future games, along with the DexNav created for Omega Ruby. They brought the beloved world of Pokémon to life with vibrant 3D models and environments, and their enhanced sound capabilities immersed us more than we ever had been before. Despite some previously-mentioned hiccups, the connectivity features are plenty. Despite their flaws, the generation six games are very solid.
But when games with better graphics and gameplay come around and build upon them, they will likely not hold up. And for me, the reason why X just narrowly comes out above Omega Ruby is because of how in-depth they tried to make the story and characters. In terms of content, they both face very similar issues. In terms of characters, while Omega Ruby had the very successful Wally, the other characters don't hold up, and the deep potential so many characters had in X makes them, in an ironic turn of events, more memorable overall. The better execution of its post-game episodes also leans in X's favor.
Everything Must Come to a Close
Making the top five out of fifteen-or-so sets of games is no small feat. X & Y really pushed the Pokémon series forward with some revolutionary gameplay changes. As such, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire had so many advancements to account for when retelling the classic games' stories. There may have been some steps backwards in regards to what features were included in the generation six games, but they were still powerful strides into a new era of Pokémon games--games that can take advantage of better hardware, beautiful 3D graphics, and a new appreciation for deep, meaningful storytelling. X & Y and Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire are key stepping stones for the series, and I can only hope their shortcomings are used as learning experiences moving forward into the future generations. Generation six may have marked the end of our beloved sprite-based games, but where there's an end, there's also a new beginning. And I'd say it's a very strong beginning.
Post-Script: On the Topic of Friends
You may be thinking to yourself, "Rivvon, you mentioned the friend characters from X and didn't talk about them after that! What happened?" And in response I'll say that I have already analyzed X's application of the "friend" characters in this post. Please take a look if you're interested in reading what I have to say on their implementation--I feel they are another great example of the potential X passed up on in regards to its NPCs. The reason why I ultimately didn't include them in this analysis is simply because I felt any section I wrote on them would end up as a copy-paste of the aforementioned post.