(Jenna Pittaway / Neon Tommy)

Pokémon is one of the best-selling video game franchises in the world, second only to Nintendo's long-standing Mario franchise.

The latest games in the Pokémon series feature all new mini-games, character options, and ways to interact with your Pokémon. Here are 10 of our favorites: 

1) Customization

You can now customize your trainers! When the game first starts, Professor Sycamore not only asks you if you’re a boy or a girl, but he also asks you what you look like. Right from the start you are able to choose from three different skin, hair, and eye color options. After this point, you are able to change your hairstyle at hair salons, and you can even change your character’s clothing by buying different outfits at clothing stores. 

“I'm spending all my in-game money on all the outfits and their different colors. Not only do I sob from the lack of money in real life, but in Pokémon as well,” says 19-year-old Toronto computer science student Richard Viernes.

You can also give yourself a nickname that your “friends” in the game will use. They play a bigger role in this game than in the past, and there are more than one of them, so pick something you like!

2) Horde of Pokémon

Some Pokémon can now attack you in hordes. Since the Pokémon found in hordes are always weak, this type of Pokémon battling doesn’t boost experience a great deal. However, this is a great addition to the game, since it does represent the idea of Pokémon being in their natural habitat. In addition, horde battles are also a great way to boost your stats quickly.

SEE MORE: Pokémon X And Y: The Cons

3) Pokémon Rides

You can now ride Pokémon! Well, kind of. At certain parts in the game you are able to ride a Pokémon to get through tough terrain. The five Pokémon you can ride include: Gogoat, Rhyhorn, Lapras, Skiddo, and Mamoswine.

4) Interactive Evolutions/Pokémon Amie

The introduction of Pokémon Amie allows you to interact with your Pokémon. It’s similar to a Tamagotchi experience: you can feed, pet, and play games with your Pokémon to raise individual levels of affection, fullness and enjoyment. Not only is this new feature exceptionally fun, but some Pokémon can only evolve through these interactions. For example, Eevee can only evolve into a Sylveon if your Eevee has at least two affection hearts in Amie. In addition, Amie can also help raise the stats of your Pokémon. 

“This feature allows you, the trainer, to see your Pokémon in 3D, and raise them,” says Andrew Wong, a 21-year-old game developer and Pokémon player. “This can be a lot of fun, but a tad-bit repetitive. The benefit is that your Pokémon will perform better in battles if they have high affection for you.”

5) Experience

You no longer have to choose between gaining experience points or catching a Pokémon. Your Pokémon can now gain experience even when catching a Pokémon. It's that easy.

Screenshot from Pokémon White, released in 2010 (Jenna Pittaway / Neon Tommy)

Screenshot from Pokémon X, released in 2013 (Jenna Pittaway / Neon Tommy)

One of the reasons X and Y were so hotly anticipated was the debut of 3D rendering in a Pokémon game. The graphics are not mind blowing or cutting edge, but they’re a vast improvement over the 2D graphics from previous iterations. 

There are two types of 3D at work: the 3D rendering of the gameplay and the stereoscopic 3D of the dual screens on the 3DS handheld itself. The dual screen 3D isn’t used much, but the 3D rendering adds a new dimension to the game. Elaborate cut scenes and dramatic camera perspective changes add a nice touch to the game's visual presentation.

Battles are the only time the developers chose to take advantage of the stereoscopic 3D, but if they were going to use it anywhere, it is the place to do so. Attacks are also animated in 3D, which makes battles way more exciting.

The battles are further enhanced by multiple camera angles and techniques, like tracking across the battle and pulling out to wide aerial shots. We also get close ups of the Pokémon during battle. The overall package lends itself to an immersive experience.

7) EV Training

EV training stands for effort values training. When you defeat a Pokémon in battle, you get experience, but many people don’t know that they also get EV points, which raise your base stats. Every Pokémon that takes part in defeating a Pokémon gets EV points. Typically, you have to get four EV points in a single stat to get one stat point. EV training is quite complex, but Pokémon X and Y have simplified it for players. 

“EV training has been around for a while and is where you have your Pokémon battle specific kinds of Pokémon and defeat them in order to raise a specific stat,” explained Wong.

“This was very time-consuming, and easy to mess up on. If you lost count of how many, let's say, Magikarps you defeated, you might not end on the specific amount desired.” 

Super Training allows for targeted training in each category and also offers a reset feature if you want make a mistake or want to change a Pokémons emphasis. Wong is a fan:

“Very handy for serious Pokémon trainers who play in real tournaments.”

8) O-Powers

O-Powers are a new feature in Pokémon X and Y that give you the option to increase your Pokémon’s stats within battle, gain more experience points, or raise your likelihood of catching Pokémon. You get O-Powers by talking to a man named Mr. Bonding in a variety of places; he can often be found in a town’s hotel or Pokémon center.

Wong says, “One last thing about online that is really interesting is the implementation of O-Powers. Think of O-Powers as three-minute buffs for your lead Pokémon, or other things you do as a trainer. You can send friends O-Powers as they battle, giving them an upper hand, and they can do the same for you! It's also something you can do for yourself, but it drains your ‘O-Meter’ more. Giving costs less than receiving!
”

9) Wonder Trade

Wonder Trade is a new feature that allows you to connect across the world and randomly trade Pokémon. Basically, Wonder Trade allows you to gamble in a way with trades. You put any one of your Pokémon up for trade, you get randomly paired with someone in the world, and you trade. Though Wonder Trade is completely random for both parties and though you have no guarantee what Pokémon you will get in return for your trade, the experience is actually quite exhilarating.

Wong says, “It can be fun, as things happen like getting a Cubone from Japan. Of course, there are jerks that send a Bidoof hoping to get lucky from you. Not so fun.”

10) Nostalgia

Though this game does have many new features, it also inspires a very strong nostalgia in players who grew up in the ‘90s. At the very beginning of the game, you pick out a newly introduced starter Pokémon, but soon you are asked to pick another starter Pokémon, from the original three: Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur.

In addition, which one of you ‘90s folks didn’t get excited when you woke up that Snorlax on Route 7 by finding and using a Pokeflute? And when you walked into that first patch of tall grass, saw the screen go white, and saw the first Pokémon you encountered was one of the original 150, don’t tell me you didn’t just die a little and run down memory lane.

Sniff.

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