Pokémon Moon - Nintendo 3DS

This is the first new Pokemon game Ive played since the original Sapphire back in ~2004, and I enjoyed this game quite a bit. The story and progression is really interesting in this game and there are lots of new and interesting pokemon to catch. The visuals are also very nice for a 3DS game, while still fitting in with what a Pokemon game is supposed to look like. My one complaint with this game, however, is that its extremely easy - to the extent that I would argue this is one of the simplest videogames I have ever played. For most of the game, I was able to 1-hit or 2-hit almost every pokemon, and wipe out every trainer I came across without any challenge. This is mostly because trainers always carry pokemon of a far lower level than what yours likely are, and up until the last act of the game they will only ever have 2 or 3 pokemon, tops. I think there was 1 trainer before the final act of the game with 4. However, to add more challenge into the game, I came up with a few gameplay restrictions that I feel make the game much more fair: - Turn off EXP share when you get it. EXP share is basically easy mode, and the game is much better without it. - Only hold 3 pokemon at a time, and not 6. As I mentioned, trainers never have more than 3 until towards the end of the game, so for most of the game this will simply make fights more balanced. There is no challenge in fighting a trainer with 2 pokemon while you have 6. - Dont use Z-moves. This is a bit sad to give up, since theyre really cool, but some of them are so powerful that it makes the game downright unbalanced to fight opponents who do not have these moves. I find the game better without them, at best restricting them to boss trainers. Playing the game with these three restrictions basically makes a hard mode, that puts you more in line with the opponents you will face throughout the game. I understand the need to open this series up to a new and potentially younger audience, but this is literally the easiest videogame I ever recall playing. These restrictions make the game better for older gamers who can handle a little challenge, or for anyone who preferred the difficulty of the early- to mid-2000s entries.

I never thought I would rate one of the core Pokemon games anything below 5 stars, but I was a bit disappointed with this generation. The game itself is certainly playable, but I cannot get over the fact that I miss going to Gyms so much. The Pokemon available are sort of cool, but some of the special things that you have to do to catch them are pretty annoying. Overall, I felt like it was a bit of a step down from OR/AS, but hey, they tried something new. I guess there is always that possibility when you try something different.

This is a great game, though definitely a departure from previous titles in the series. I enjoyed it, but its interesting how much they changed up the formula. I really love how they simplified the format of the HMs and show you which moves are super effective. Im sure the hardcore dont need this, but if youre a casual like me or using a dual-element attack against a dual-element Pokemon this is a real life-saver. Also, I love how they removed the Pokemon Ami games in this version, I spent way too much time farming cupcakes in Gen 6. :)

I started playing Pokemon when I first picked up Red and Blue as a kid. I played every game, but Black(2) and White(2), and I have to say, that Sun and Moon are by far the best in the series to me. People complain about the hand-holding in this generation but truthfully, as a long-time fan, I love it. I love the fact that the attack menus during battles show me exactly what attacks are effective without having to memorize all the type matchups. I love that I can see just how deduffed my Pokemon are, and from what, during battle. I love my Rotom-Dex telling me where to go, rather than putting the game down for a couple weeks then getting completely lost when I come back. The lack of gyms is fantastic; having trials throughout the journey feels incredibly natural. Theyre part of the flow as you travel across Alola. The story is actually interesting and involved, rather than an afterthought like in most of the previous games. Some of the Alolan Pokemon may seem odd at first, but they all have a certain charm that reels you in. Poke Pelagos islands are an interesting way to get money, evolution items, and beans to feed your Pokemon. The Festival Plaza is fun because its not just a trading hub, but minigames as well. Trainer customization is at an all-time high... I can go on and on about everything I love about this generation. The gist is, I feel like Sun and Moon are fantastic for both new players and old fans alike. You can play just to complete the story, or you can Wondertrade/battle online. You can head to the Battle Tree, or breed Pokemon and shiny hunt. If youre new to the series, this is where to start. Sun and Moon will get you up to speed on everything you need to know, so you can go back to the older generations and be a pro trainer. If youre an longtime player, these games get rid of a lot of headache that the previous ones had. Quality of life is much, much better.

As someone who played Pokemon since the Pokemon Special Edition days, I can say that the changes in this game has the biggest changes to the series, ever. First of all, they got rid of gyms for the Island Challenge, like it or not, and honestly, Im mostly mixed on it. In one way, I find going through them a bit easy, of course I havent finished the yet so I cant say that for all the trials, but they can actually be a bit fun at times. Another change they had, which is another like it or not, are the Z-Moves replacing the Mega Evolutions. Personally, I would prefer the Mega Evolutions, and the Z-Moves arent always exiting, but to each his/her own. The level design is also less grid-like, which I didnt even realize that in the demo, but its definitely a step up from the older grid-like design, since what worked in the past, where we had d-pads on portables, are just aged concepts with analog sticks/pads on the system. Now, the game itself is still Pokemon in core concept, and some of the changes are a bit light compared to others, such as effectivness rating on your move lists for example, but one of the changes I cant believe didnt come sooner is Pokemon Refresh. If you played X/Y or Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, you mightve heard of a feature called Pokemon Amie, which is mostly, in my eyes, NintenDogs Pokemon Edition. It was one of those features I barely used, mostly cause I couldnt find a point in it, and even the effects felt small to me, even if it was for better exp, dodging moves, or just help in evolving certain Pokemon. However, with Pokemon Refresh, I feel like its in my best to use it, especially when you can cure status conditions. I always hated having to run to the nearest Pokemon Center to cure that one Pokemon. Now, its just more convenient to cure your Pokemon than it has been before, and it actually made me want to use the other features. Another feature I really like is Pokemon Ride. Why? Because no more HM Slaves. Its like the Soar feature in Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, but with more options to go through obstacles and traveling faster, and again, no more non-removable HMs, freeing up your move lists for your favorite moves. There are also changes presentation-wise, such as trainers standing behind their Pokemon during battle and ACTUAL OPPONENT MODELS INSTEAD OF SPRITES. I kind of wish your opponent doesnt look a manikin after they lose, but its a step in the right direction. Even the new PokeDex can tell you the exact location of a Pokemon and gives you mission locations, via bottom screen. Overall, while there are more features and changes, I feel like these are great changes for the series thus far, making this game may favorite version of the game. Oh, and during daytime in real world, its nighttime in-game, because thats totally not the weirdest way of differentiating the version at all, but kept within theme anyway. Customization also comes back from versions X and Y, letting you make a more unique looking trainer than just identifying yourself as a Bug Catcher or Ace Trainer. Storywise, its the usual Pokemon affair. The only difference I can say is that your rival actually picks the weaker Pokemon instead of the stronger one, i.e. a fire-type Litten vs a Grass/Flying type Rowlet, but at least hes a cheery fellow. I also like the characters thus far, even the members of the crime organization youll fight most of the game, Team Skull, which has the most ridiculous members ever. Seriously, these guys are just hilarious, from their animations, the way they talk, to the boneheaded ideas they have, like stealing berries. Of course, I havent finished the game yet, and I likely wont put any spoilers on the review anyway, except for berry stealing, but I feel that this story, so far, is just the typical Pokemon affair, except with no gyms, and Im fine with that. As far as the Pokemon themselves, I think they look great. I even like some of the Alola Forms of classic Pokemon, such as Vulpix for example. Sure, there are some to make fun of, such as Alola Persian being compared to Garfield, and even Gumpshoos, in the head, reminded me of Donald Turmp when I first saw it (could be a coincidence, could be an office joke turned Pokemon, who knows). But for the most part, I feel like a lot of the designs are great, and I havent found too many designs to laugh at. I do have some small problems, though, I have, such as the removal of elements. For example, in Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, you can sneak up on Pokemon, but on this version, thats not the case. While its a small thing, I actually liked this feature as it felt like actual Pokemon hunting. There is also, mostly in battles and mainly due to upgrades, a good amount of slow down, which wont affect your gameplay experience, but it shows how old the hardware is, especially when they got rid of 3D (for the most part) in the game, which caused slow down in the older 3DS Pokemon games anyway. You only get it while using the PokeFinder, a little camera minigame more or less, which is already laggy at best anyway. Im also not crazy about the change from Mega Evolutions to Z Moves, but thats just me. Overall, I highly recommend either Sun or Moon. Really, whether which version to get, if both isnt an option for you, really depends on the Pokemon you want, so I would research the differences, but other than that, there arent that many, and even then, the two games connect to each other. If you want to move your Pokemon from X/Y or Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, youll be waiting until January to do that, so keep that in mind when you purchase either one of them.

I have not been a fan of any of the Pokémon games that came out after platinum but this one is really great. THE GOOD: The whole world is in a 3D view instead of a top down or mixed viewpoint. I think they did a really good job of implementing it because I hated it in xy. One of the things I hated about xy was all the new stupid Pokémon and the abscense of the original 150. However in this game the original Pokémon are abundant and I think they did a great job refreshing some of them with the aloa special looks. Having to complete challenges instead of gym matches is a refreshing mix up, and still decently challenging I never liked mega evolution. It just felt forced, and a little over powered. It really takes no place in this game and instead you get to use z powers which are a once per battle powerful attack of one specific type. I think this was a nice addition to the game, but still a little over powered THE BAD: I am playing on a new 3ds xl and have not had any issues but some of my friends with a regular 3ds xl have said that the game lags a bit in some of the bigger battles. Team skull is pretty cringey in the way they talk and try to act gangster. They dont really feel evil to me and just seem like a minor nuisance There are four islands and the entire first island is really just a giant tutorial All of the avatars are super feminine. As a guy I would prefer if I could make a guy that looked at least somewhat like a guy You dont really have a rival, your opponent chooses the starter weak to yours and is never really any trouble to defeat

game is just as fun as other pokemon games and it has exciting new features that were specifically made for pokemon moon and its alternate game pokemon sun. i picked pokemon moon because its legendary pokemon is a giant bat pokemon where pokemon sun has a lion type. i just got my game not too long ago so im not really far in the game yet since i dont have tons of time to play it. i will say though im far enough in that i love what i see and cant wait to see what else it has in store for me. i am 28 years old and it is a great game for kids or adults without getting bored at all

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.

Ive been playing this game for a little over a week now and I love it. Obviously I havent finished it, I play casually when I have some time, but so far it is great. Im leaving a review for some notes about the game, for people wondering if theyd want this newest one. For starters, youre not earning badges in this one, youre completing Trials on 4 different islands, its different from the others and I really like it. There is virtually no 3D in this game. Apparently in just one small portion of it, a mini-game of sorts, it is used, but in regular game play and in battles there is no 3D. I like that, because honestly I rarely use the 3D, but I can see how this would be a deal breaker. I feel like the different battles, parts of trials, and fighting the Kahuna are broken up so in between you train and level your team, and you dont have to grind like crazy before you get to the next gym. It feels more like a story rather than you just running from town to town to battle gyms. Theyve changed a few other things and I really like it, they made it different enough yo justify the purchase, but not so much that it doesnt feel like a Pokemon game.

Who remembers the blue, red version ?? Who remembers teleporting next to some cave and walking up 3 steps , left 4 steps , down 5 steps to catch mew ??? Sadly I am no longer playing Pokémon but I bought this for my nephew. Im sure this new generation or Pokémon are cool but nobody beats the old Pokémon with ash , brock & misty. Sorry just a 90s baby here. Anyway, nephew loved this game. So 5 stars from me. Im glad my nephew is getting close to the same experience I had growing up lol