Pokémon X/Pokémon Y

Okay now hear me out when I say that this is a dangerous game in the series because it allows your children to add complete strangers to their friend list after trading/battling at least twice and if they do so they can speak to these strangers using the systems microphone and there are perverts who occasionally target such children. So do NOT let your children play these games unless they are supervised or you have the parental controls set up as some of these strangers do try to get phone numbers, addresses of where your child lives etc... And the game has a function that WILL make it difficult to reject friend code requests by these strangers called the Friend Safari which allows you to catch special Pokemon that are tied to a registered friend code and the Safari is unusable unless you have a friend code registered... And I'm editing to bring up another issue that another reviewer brought up that I have had issues with myself and that is the inappropriate nicknames on wonder trade and even on the GTS. There were rare event Pokemon on the GTS like a shiny Jirachi nicknamed Ebola n*gger and Anal Sex and those names are supposed to be blocked but these were posted by hackers as Jirachi and other events aren't usually supposed to be nicknamed (there's exceptions for events from previous games where you get an item and catch it yourself but Victini was the last of those).

I'm 19 years old and not a parent, but I am told I'm really good at decision making in entertainment, both for myself and children. I'll be focusing on my main issues with the game, and then the good points. Anyway, on with the review. My reason for believing that this game is best for ages 10 and up is because younger children may have trouble understanding the game. There's quite a bit of complex vocabulary and concepts that younger kids may not be able to grasp, and that may cause them not to enjoy the game as much as older kids. It's not that the game is inappropriate for younger kids, it would just be difficult to understand. There is just one problem I have found in the game, which is the feature called "Wonder Trade". It's a feature where your child can connect to the internet and send off a Pokemon to a random player and receive another Pokemon from that player. It's a fun way to experiment with new Pokemon or find some that you haven't seen before. However, exercise caution with this feature. You can't chat with anyone like in a chatroom or something, but some people will find creative ways to sneak in some inappropriate names for a Pokemon. For example, twice I have gotten Pokemon named "KYS f4gg0t" (translation: "Kill yourself, f*gg*t."). So there is a small chance of your child getting a Pokemon with an inappropriate nickname, and there is no way to change it's name if you're not it's original trainer. My advice for avoiding such a scenario is to not allow your child to use Wonder Trade, and only allow them to trade Pokemon with a trusted friend or family member. Allowing them to trade with a trusted friend or family member will allow you to see what they will receive beforehand, while everything you receive in Wonder Trade is unexpected. However, don't let this one flaw totally impact your decision on whether you should get the game or not, because it's fairly rare that this happens, and measures can be taken to prevent it from happening. I just wrote this part as a warning, not a reason not to get the game. Now, onto the good stuff! This game is nice and slow-paced. You can take your time and explore the large world of Kalos in the game. There is no need to rush whatsoever, nothing is timed and you can save your progress any time you wish. There's a wide range of Pokemon that you can catch and learn about, and there's so much nature and scenery to see, which I believe could be a good example because that could motivate children to learn about real life animals and explore nature. The main characters are wonderful. They set very good examples. The player's character can help your child to learn strategies and motivate them to experience the outdoors and motivate them to be more adventurous. The player's rival, Calem (if the player is a girl) or Serena (if the player is a boy) can teach children to be a good sport and to be supportive of others, even if they're in competition, and that being a rival does not automatically mean being an enemy and being nasty. The player's best friend, Shauna, is a great example as well. She's all about savoring the moment and enjoying time spent with friends, she doesn't try to rush through anything, and she's generally happy and cheerful. She is a good example to children because she can teach them to slow down and enjoy life, to care deeply for others, and not to be so self-absorbed and selfish. Then one of the player's other friends, Tierno. Tierno is a good example because he likes to maintain his individuality in a non-pretentious way, and he doesn't follow the crowd and enjoys being himself without feeling bad about it, even if others don't like him or find him annoying. Children can learn to be themselves and not to be ashamed of the way they are from Tierno. And then another one of the player's friends, Trevor. Trevor starts out as very shy and somewhat cowardly. As the game progresses, he slowly gets more courageous and confident, but not enough to where his personality totally changes. Trevor is a good example because children can learn from him that no matter how shy and cowardly they may be, they can learn to be strong and overcome anything. The Pokemon battles are not portrayed as heavily violent at all. In the game, Pokemon battles are actually part of the in-game world's culture, and are conducted very respectfully. The characters in the game use Pokemon battles as a way to get to know new people and understand others opinions better, because it's believed that the person's battle style and how their Pokemon act can say a lot about their personality. Pokemon are not treated as mere battle weapons either. The game encourages to bond with your Pokemon and care for them, just like you would with a pet in real life. In the mini-game called Pokemon-Amie, you can pet, feed, and play with your Pokemon to increase your bond. And the game rewards strong bonds with Pokemon by making the Pokemon more cooperative in battle, such as being able to easily shake off status conditions like paralysis, or enduring a strong hit and preventing fainting. Basically, if you don't take time to bond with your Pokemon, the game is going to be very difficult to play. If you do, it will make the game a breeze and more enjoyable. And now to clear up misconceptions for religious people like myself. People think that Pokemon promotes the theory of evolution, but that's not the case. When the game says that a Pokemon is evolving, it just means that they're growing up. "Evolution" in this game just simply means a change in appearance. And then people think that items like Poke Balls are witchcraft or talismans, but this is not the case either. In the game, many characters will explicitly state that it's very advanced technology and scientific breakthroughs. The game takes place in the very distant future, so that's why there's so much advanced technology. This portion of the review is not meant to talk badly about religious people, it's just a way to clear any worries they may have. I actually had these worries once too, but I looked into it and found out that it's all safe.