My history with the Pokemon franchise dates back to the late 1990s with the release of Pokemon Red & Blue on the original Gameboy. Sure, I was only 12 at the time but right from the start I was entranced by the prospect of raising my own monsters and battling it out against my friends during recess.

Now 15 years later Nintendo revitalizes the franchise with the first fully 3D handheld title in series history, Pokemon X & Y. Can it possibly hold up to the fond memories I have of raising my first Charmander in Pallet town over a decade ago? Our in-depth review is probably a week away but here are my impressions of the first five hours.

There’s a lot to experience in the latest iterations of Pokemon, and I’ll save some of opinions until I am further into the game, so here’s four things I’ve enjoyed so far.Read More