Pokémon Moon - Nintendo 3DS

As a longtime pokemon fan, this purchase was a no-brainer for me. For this installment I chose to not look at any spoilers of the game beforehand, so these are my thoughts while playing through: New Pokemon: Any game with new pokemon usually guarantees a thumbs up from me. Im less of a fan of remakes because I played through the originals so many times as a kid. The new pokemon this time around were all really great and I felt like a kid again seeing them all for the first time. I also really liked the addition of alolan forms for some of the original 151 pokemon, but there were only ~15 of those total (including some evolutions), which was kind of disappointing. Another great thing is that there are plenty of new legendaries / special pokemon to catch, which I felt was lacking in X/Y. Z Moves: Instead of mega-evolution, this game introduces z-moves. They are essentially a once-per-battle super move that you can use by attaching an item to your pokemon. Honestly, I prefer mega evolutions. It breathed new life into some pokemon by changing abilities and appearance. Z-moves are kind of boring... Trial battles instead of gyms: Trials replaced gyms in this installment. This was a super cool new addition in my opinion. A lot of people are unsure how they feel about the change, but I thought trials were great. They are very similar to gym battles in terms of progression through battles/ puzzles to be solved, but the advent of totem pokemon, enemies calling for help during battle, and increased stats made them more challenging and satisfying. Extra features: In terms of extra features, this game did a good job. Replacing hidden machines with pokemon riding was a great idea, it really makes you feel more involved and saves your teams move slots. Pokemon refresh and poke-pelagio are also fun little mini games that offer benefits during the main game. Festival plaza is basically more cumbersome way to connect to the internet/ interact with others, but it adds minigames and shops that can be fun as well. Lastly, breeding for competitive play is easier and quicker than ever, which is always appreciated by those getting into online play for the first time. Overall, I really enjoyed (and am still enjoying) the game! I would recommend it to any pokemon fan new or old, and even as an introduction to the series, as the game itself isnt too hard and there is a huge variety of pokemon to catch! The game has a few ways to increase or decrease difficulty, such as the exp share and constant stream of rare candies, which is great for easing new players in, or for veterans who want more of a challenge.

This is hands-down one of the best Pokemon game Ive played, and the story is arguably one of the better ones of the series. There are a few caveats which keeps it from being 100 but its definitely worth the time of day to experience. Please note that at the time of this review, the access to the rest of the pokemon not available to the Alola region hasnt been patched in yet. PROs: + Better narrative +One of the better designed worlds in the series + The characters in the game are a lot of fun + You can run from the start! Also, Pokemon you ride makes covering distances a lot easier, even in the water later on into the game. + Its Pokemons return to challenging gameplay. Youll have a really bad time doing a Nuzlocke in this game. + The music will give Black & White, and Diamond and Pearl a run for their money. Arguably the highlight of this series. + The battle interface has been streamlined a bit for ease of use. + There are more battle boxes, so you dont necessarily have to constantly edit your team when the usual 2 is used up. + The PC box has been streamlined. Moving items and organizing your pokemon within the box is easier. + Team Skull are one of the most endearing villains in the series. + Breeding Pokemon are a lot easier, and there are visual cues as to when an egg is ready. + The Z moves are a welcome addition to the series. CONs: - Catching rare Pokemon in the water is a horrible experience - The game has one of the longest openings in a Pokemon game. Cutscenes will be very jarring for the first few moments into the game until you eventually get used to it. - NEBBY, GET IN THE BAG! - Festival Plaza, this games online hub, makes it an even more tedious journey to just battle someone online. It takes a lot more button presses/ clicks than usual. Its a step down from the X&Ys more convenient interface. - The Zygarde Core quest is infuriating. Its definitely a worse version of the megastone quest from X&Y - Acquiring megastones in this game requires you to go through the one of most tedious post-game challenges. To make matters worse, theyre also the most expensive.

I had been waiting for this game for SO LONG. It was worth it to pre-order because: 1) I got it shipped to me the day it came out and 2) it was at a discounted price!! What more could you want?? I absolutely wouldve paid $400 for this game. I wouldve given Nintendo my soul. For the months leading up to it, I would show my friends and family the new trailers by shoving my phone in their faces and waiting for a reaction. Pokémon has been a part of my life for over 14 years and I couldnt live on if they stopped making games. I couldnt. You may laugh, you may scoff, but I am as serious as Sirius (Black). I also chose Moon because its so much cooler and less basic than Sun. In Moon, the clock is 12 different from the real world so its DARK WHEN ITS LIGHT AND LIGHT WHEN ITS DARK IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. Alright, thanks for reading. Or not reading. Either way, have a fantabulotistic day.

Great new entry in the Pokemon series. As a long-time fan, it is nice that they are still improving the games with each iteration-- it would be really easy for them to put out a sub-par product and still get sales. I have already put ~120 hours into this game (about 30 or so in the story with oodles of time in the post-game), but even with that time investment I will buy it again for the Nintendo Switch and play through again :P. Some of the great quality of life improvements over the previous games: No more HMs Previously, you had to make room on your Pokemon for story-based moves (and have specific types of Pokemon in your party), but this is no longer the case! Great story The story in this game is one of the best in the series, possibly the best (over B/W), though this will probably differ somewhat based on personal taste UI Improvements If you ever had to look up type matchups to see if a move was Super Effective/ Not Very Effective, you are in luck: after you have battled a Pokemon, your move effectiveness is always displayed on your moves in the lower screen. IV Judging all Pokemon in your PC boxes at any PC This is huge for anyone that breeds Pokemon: after unlocking it, you can see the IVs for any Pokemon in your PC (which streamlines the IV checking process significantly). EV display in Summary screen This is a slight step back (as you could normally see this in the bottom screen at any time), but when you press the Y button on a Pokemon Summary it shows you the current EV investment for the Pokemon (with sparkles if a stat is maxed). It is nice having the same UI for the IVs and EVs in the same spot. Basically, if you have ever liked Pokemon (or just want to try a fun game), try this out. It is totally worth it. If you are thinking of trying another Pokemon game after Pokemon GO, you will not be disappointed-- the actual gameplay here is so much better. Just buy this and a fitbit :P.

One of the best games in the series to date. Ive played since gen one, I have to say that the characters and writing in sun and moon is amazing. The closest would be gen 5, but that was more story driven than character in my opinion. The designs may take some getting used to, but after a month even the ones I didnt like originally have grown on me. The only complaints may be that the beginning of the game is rather dialogue heavy, so for kids that dont like reading or even others, it may come off as tedious. Other than that, the post-game is rather small and similar to X and Y/ORAS.

I was skeptical when I picked up this game. I am a veteran of all the Pokemon games, from Red and Blue onward. I was disappointed in the direction that X and Y took the franchise, but GameFreak has gotten back onto the right path with this game. First: the gameplay changes. The gym challenge has been tossed and replaced with an island challenge, which combines traditional Pokemon battles with new mechanics that make each Island Trial unique. I wont spoil them here, but they were a breath of fresh air. Battles look great, the new battle screen has been redesigned for the better, and the movement is fluid. Second: the graphics. This game looks amazing. It as good as any 3DS game I have ever seen, and better in many ways. The animations are beautiful, the islands are gorgeous, and the new Pokemon look awesome. Third: the quality-of-life improvements. The PC in the Pokemon Center is easier than ever to use, the battle screen (as mentioned above) is the best its ever been, the backpack is better, HMs have been replaced with a new Poke-Ride feature that does the same thing but doesnt take up your moveslots, and there are a lot more variety of Pokemon early on than I am used to. Seriously, you can find over half of the Pokemon types by the end of the second route! Fourth: the story. This story is possibly (and probably) the best story of any Pokemon game to date. Its interesting, it flows well, it evokes emotional reactions in you, and it has several great surprises. Things I didnt like: The beginning tutorial takes a couple of hours to get through. As someone who has played these games for a long time, I felt like my hand was being held far too often at the beginning. And the number of cutscenes in the beginning of the game is ridiculous. It gets much better after that, but still, the first couple hours are a slog. Also, this game does not run great on the older 3DS models. It suffers from semi-frequent slowdowns in-battle. Even on the New 3DS models, there are occasional slowdowns in battles. Also, a lot of the new Pokemon in the game are slower than I am used to, which makes battles against old Pokemon a little frustrating. Overall, this is a worthy game to pick up. I had to knock off a star due to the game having some issues on older 3DS systems and the length of the beginning tutorial/cutscene spamfest. But other than that, it is an amazing game that I highly recommend to both fans of the series and anyone who wants to try out their first Pokemon game. It will not disappoint.

Great game. I spent over a hundred hours as of the release of the game in November. It took a lot of mechanics including moves attack power and leveling up ways and made them a little different. There are multiple ways to level your Pokemon, encounters are different as well, and it feels a little fresher. I had a lot of fun. A downside is how childish it can be. Dont get me wrong, I know the target audience is children but I personally grew up with the game and one day want to see something new. I cant wait to see what Nintendo comes up with next.

LOVE this game. Ive been playing Pokémon off and on since Crystal. I really got back into after a friend bought me Alpha Sapphire. I played AS all the way through, but only partially played through X and White 1. I was excited for the new structure of Sun/Moon, so I got myself Moon and my brother Sun. Ive always just played casually, but my brother only did Nuzlocke runs for the challenge. Both of us have played this game traditionally, and still found it challenging and fun! The new trials are fun, and the ability of wild Pokemon to call for help is both infuriating and fun. Ride Pokémon take away the need for an HM slave, finally. Overall, great game for casual players and experienced gamers alike. :)

Pokemon Moon brings a refreshing take on the Pokemon series. You still are tasked to catch em all, but there are significant changes to keep the series, now 20 years old, still appealing to gamers. Yes, you still have to pick from three starter Pokemon that are either Grass, Fire, or Water, but the interesting tweak comes from the final forms. The Grass Starter Rowlet eventually gains a Ghost typing and the Water Starter Popplio gets a Fairy typing. While weve seen a Dark type added to Greninja in X & Y, the Fire starter Litten gains the Dark type. Yes, there are new Pokemon in the region, but I have no complaints about the design of them since I feel like most are organic fits to the tropical feel of the Alola region. I like the twist of adding alternate forms of classic Pokemon further defining the idea of evolution in different regions. I appreciate the tweaks made to replace the traditional Gyms. There is an organic feel to the Island Challenges and these little tweaks keep the formula fresh. The controls are pretty much the same, though there is free directional-controls that the other versions lacked. Again, everything felt familiar as long as you played any Nintendo DS (Fourth Generation) or newer generation of Pokemon. Personally, if you only played Red & Blue, and was inspired by Pokemon Go to play this, Im convinced that you would still pick up the mechanics pretty easily. Its been mentioned but I will reiterate: If you are using an original 3DS or a 2DS like I do, there is a slowdown between picking an attack and the attack animation if you are either in a multi-Pokemon battle (for example a double battle or if a wild Pokemon calls for help). To me, this doesnt affect the game at all, but it does show that Sun/Moon is pushing the 3DS to its graphical limits. I honestly thought that the game was being extra dramatic, not that the game was loading in the background. All in all, the thing that Pokemon Sun & Moon has that previous versions lacked (or lost) was heart. There is a level of investment you have with the characters that you want to learn more. Your rival is very laid back; even your mother feels more intrigued by her child growing up than previous mothers. I wanted to keep playing, journey through every island, talk to every person, become a Pokemon master with the squad that I customized to my liking.

Id let my son tell you, but I havent seen him since I have it to him for his birthday . I hear cheers and chants, and a lot of omgomgomgomg. The few questions Ive asked have resulted in Its awesome Oh my g,momma. Its awesome Epic Totally booyah epic awesome son And a few others that I cant remember which order the words went in. In summation, my 8 year old is nuts for it. Or slowly mummifying because we just think hes playing the game...hmmm. Im gonna go check on him