After the success and turbulence of latter DS Pokemon games, X/Y needed to bring the series forward without losing what made it special. It succeeded. X/Y has flaws, but shows major leaps and innovations in the most important aspects of the series. The 3D world is an unexpectedly faithful jump from the 2D sprites, making the world seem more vibrant and beautiful than anything else in the series. Beauty in various forms seems to be the underlying theme of the game. Locations are designed so players can sit in a bench and watch the scenery, the NPC's are more generous and helpful than in prior games, small touches like giving tips for good service is included, and even the online component is improved by encouraging making friends through trades and battles and randomly trading Pokemon via Wonder Trade. That last small feature goes surprisingly far, as one will be surprised how generous strangers can be to each other. And that is X/Y in a nutshell.