So, we got to play the demo yesterday - and yes, it was identical to the previous demos, as we expected - so, to confirm, that means no Team Flare, extra trainer battles, viewable stats, etc. There are comprehensive videos of the demo online from previous events, so if you want to know exactly what was there, go check them out.
In terms of opinions, the game plays and looks a treat. As usual with 3DS games, the screenshots and videos do them no justice whatsoever. Once you get them running on real hardware everything starts to make sense. This is, hands down, the prettiest Pokemon game ever made - and, I'd actually hazard a guess at saying it's one of the prettiest games Nintendo's ever published (though, obviously, it'd take something dramatic to knock Windwaker off its well-deserved perch). The fact that GameFreak insisted on sticking to a familiar looking style has meant that the game does not look like it's trying to reach beyond the limits of the hardware, and instead makes the absolute best of it. The anime-style shading on the Pokemon models gives them a level of quality that some examples from the Pokedex 3D fall over from (no plastic/rubbery looking textures, for example), and really does suck you in to the battles as if you were playing GameFreak's vision of the anime.
The battles flow pretty quickly, and I think you'd be a fool to turn the animations off (if you even can) thanks to how lively the battles feel as a result. You can spot a few hidden loading screens if you know what to look for and there is - in the pre-release demo version at least - a slightly uncomfortable couple of seconds between the battle starting and the battle options being displayed on screen. But those may be ironed out in the final game - and certainly wouldn't be a game breaking issue if not.
In all, the game does look, and feel, and play like an entirely new game. After two very similar generations on the DS, it's more than a breath of fresh air, it's an entire lifetime's worth. GameFreak are trying really hard to pick up any fans that lapsed during the previous generations - and I definitely think they'll succeed. I'd like to think that a lot of what's going on with these games would also make them very happy - but there's no accounting for some people's tastes. If I was in that position myself, though, I'd be considering it pretty much bang on what I'd be looking for in a new game to bring me back in. Really, having been a bit less involved with Gen V after release (though, obviously, still playing the games), I do somewhat have that feeling anyway. X and Y feel like the games to get me as excited about the series as I was back in 1998.
On a smaller note, I actually got to demo the game on a 2DS as well for bonus points. In short, the pictures of the unit do it little justice in really explaining it - so see it for yourself in stores before making any real judgements about it - but it really does look like a neat, solid piece of kit. The feel of using it actually is pretty damn good. That wedge shape means it never feels uncomfortable to slip down from the analog slider to the touchscreen, and - actually, it's a lot more comfortable to use with my massive man hands than the original 3DS. Aside from lacking the 3D effect, its biggest weakness is really just the screen size. Less of a problem for the kids at which the unit is aimed, but the 3DS XL's screen is pretty much the perfect size for me. Were it not for that fact, I'd have to say I'd definitely consider a 2DS as an extremely viable option for picking up the hardware cheap to play the latest Pokemon games on. I'd say that unless you really wanted the 3D effect, it'd be the better choice over the original 3DS - which makes it all the more baffling that they're not discontinuing the line, really.
Which leads me to the point of this article: I plan to hold a sort of unofficial Q&A session, where I take questions from Pokécharms members and try and find the answers in the demo.
. All the customised trainer pictures. 
