Probably since Pokemon Stadium back on the N64, Pokemon fans have wanted to see a full-fledged 3D Pokemon game. Time and again however, they’ve only been teased by the allure of 3D Pokemon with games like Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon Battle Revolution, both of which were largely about battling and not catching and exploration. XD: Gale of Darkness was the closest the series would get to a 3D RPG of Pokemon. But that’s all about to change as now Pokemon has finally entered the 3D realm. With the tech finally up to snuff with the 3DS, a 3D Pokemon game looked possible now. And now we have Pokemon X and Y.

Looking at the action in the trailer, the exploration still seems to be confined to a grid in some parts, fully explorable in others. The towns look pretty damn nice, resembling something you’d see in Eternal Sonata. The characcters are fully realized in 3Das well, as are the Pokemon. While some might miss the blend of 2D sprites with 3D worlds like on the DS, I’d say it’s a breath of fresh air to finally see this world come to life. It’s got a great cel-shaded look going for it, and the more recent sprites were heading in that direction. So bring it on!

The presentation of battles seems to have gotten the biggest overhaul. It’s still a Left vs Right battle like the other games, but now the camera sweeps, cuts, zooms in, and focuses on the action. While the structure of battles looks largely unchanged, the new presentation is surely nice. It’s even got a Dragon Quest style view of the Pokemon you encounter when the battle starts. The starter Pokemon for this one are Chespin, which looks like a chipmunk, Fennekin, a fire based fennec fox, and Froakie, a water based frog.

Pokemon X and Y is scheduled to be released in October of 2013. Knowing Nintendo’s recent handling of the Pokemon games, they’re going to keep the releases of the Japanese and North American versions close (which was most likely and will probably be a preventative measure.