Pokémon Moon - Nintendo 3DS

PROS: -3D environment looks really nice -More difficult than expected; I expected this game to be a breeze if it was anything like X and Y, but I surprisingly found myself struggling in certain areas -Trial challenges are a welcome change to the typical Gym leader layout -Instead of HMs, you can summon different pokemon entirely to interact with overworld obstacles. This is great seeing that teaching pokemon HMs that while needed to get through the game, are really bad moves in an actual fight. For example, instead of teaching a pokemon rock smash, instead you can summon a tauros to ride on, and to dash into rocks to break them. POSSIBLE CONS (some of these are subjective and problems that I personally dont like, but I know a lot of people do like them) -SO MUCH STORY - This is a problem that I feel is getting progressively worse with each new pokemon game. I feel like I cant walk two steps without triggering some kind of cut scene that I just DO NOT CARE ABOUT. Containing characters that I DO NOT CARE ABOUT. ESPECIALLY in the opening of the game, which takes waaay to long to finish. Ive talked to a lot of people who do love the story and characters, and I guess its just a To each their own thing, but if you were annoyed at the number of cut-scenes in the last pokemon generation, this is even worse. There are so many side characters that tag along to wherever you go, and will not shut up whenever I just want to go back to playing the game. Especially Hau. I HATE Hau. In-fact Im going to go on a tangent about Hau: Remember how in the first generation (I should mention that I am not a first-gen-fanatic like others, I prefer the 3rd generation and the remakes of the 2nd gen), your rival was the biggest jerk in the world, and you wanted to beat him so bad and it felt so good when you did? Apparently gamers cant handle that kind of conflict, so instead every Rival now are the nicest, most PG, and most boring characters in the game, who pick the starter pokemon that are weak against your starter because a challenge against your rival is too much to ask for. Every time I see this character waiting in the distance with his stupid smug face, waiting for me to get close to trigger a cut-scene that I cant escape, and play a battle that is now a chore because I dont care about this boring character. (In case you didnt want to read this novel above me, allow me to simplify: Too much boring story and too many boring characters that keep you from actually playing the game) -The introduction takes way way too long, and is especially boring and pointless to anyone familiar with pokemon games -Another complaint is the use of way points and a radar map. I enjoy being able to figure out what I need to do in order to progress throughout the game. Its a great feeling when you figure out the next step in your adventure by yourself with little help. In Sun and Moon, you are given a radar map on your bottom screen, and on that radar are way points that tell you exactly where to go which means that there is no room for any exploration in this game, because the game designers felt the need to hold your hand throughout the game, and always point to where you need to go. This makes the cutscenes that explain to the player what they need to do because it doesnt matter what they say, the waypoints will show them where to go anyways. (TLDR) So, overall, Ill say this. If you arent a fan of the newer generations because of the excessive story, and very easy nature, etc. etc., this certainly wont do anything for you, especially with the addition of waypoints. The only thing that I like more in this than X and Y is that some of the Trial pokemon battles are actually pretty tough and may even warrant some grinding. If, however, you really like the new games, and all of the story involved, and you want your adventure to be easy, then buy this game by all means. And even though I trashed this game in most of this review, I will still give it a solid 3 stars. It is still a pokemon game, after all, and you would need to do a great deal to screw up a pokemon game enough to be a bad game.

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.

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

Im gonna get some hate for this... I got this game recently and the last one I had played was Y and I LOVE that game. It was a big grand adventure and it had a lot going for it. This feels like theyre trying to do the same thing but something was irking me about it. It feels like less an adventure and more that youre at camp. You have camp counselors wholl open up paths after you do your trial/activity and proceed to the next challenge. The main female main characters eyes are big and soulless which really isnt helped by the way she reacts to things, or doesnt more accurately. Thats the thing, everyone expresses so well in this game, all the NPCs are rendered really well and nicely but then theres your souless self just standing there :) going for the ride. Never expressing herself, which maybe wouldnt be so bad if everyone else wasnt so expressive. Team Skull is probably the most amusing of the teams Ive seen in my Pokemon run (Red/Blue, Silver, Y) and the supporting characters with you are a bit ...weird to me. Maybe Im just missing something with them. But every cutscene with them felt the same after a while. Get in the bag and Im not mad that I lost for the 10th time. I like characters and their plots more than anything in RPGs, it can even make up for a bad story but Im just finding this adventure to be way more toned back and lacking in the adventure part and I just cant get on with it. It feels like Im being treated like a child while in previous adventures they treated you like you were rapidly earning respect. That you were of age and went out to do what you wanted vs a guided tour. The gameplay also feels slow, with the effects turned on in battle theres so many redundant things being done, even in the field even with the text at MAX speed. You found a berry! You got a berry! Wait, theres more here you found another berry! Theres separate text boxes for each of these, every time, and its the theme of the game, wasting your time with redundant, obvious text every step of the way. Only made worse by unskippable jingles every time. Im playing 7th Dragon 3 Code VFD and everything is fast and snappy. Hit a guy, hes confused, they have an effect and a short text blurb that flies on screen to tell you whats going on if the effect wasnt apparent, all effects are listed so they dont have to remind you EVERY TURN. The game is so slow and its all things that other RPGs understood how to speed up ages ago so I can only assume they did this to pad the game out and it just isnt for me. Its just burnt me out real fast and Im sorry to say Im selling this game. Its such a shame, the game looks great, characters express themselves like youd see in Mega Man Legends, youve never had such a great view into the pokemon games. But theres so many things gone wrong in the game for me I just cant stick it out. I swear Pokemon Y wasnt this tedious...Yes Im sure it dragged its feet in some ways but I dont remember it being this tedious.

The Pokemon series doesnt quite affect me like it used to (I was an absolute fanatic back in the day) but its still a great way to pass the time. Especially on a boring commute. Features/changes that I like: - HMs are finally not necessary - They brought back the fashion and customization options from X and Y (although I wish you could do more with trainer customization, even if its just more hairstyles) - The Pokedex has divisions by island so your progress is easier to see - The game world + characters are as lively as ever - 80 brand new Pokemon to catch, making the total reach a little over 800 - Making money and getting cool items is easier than ever with mini quest-like objectives that random NPCs give you. (e.g., catch this Pokemon and show it to me) Features/changes that I dont like: - The game telling you which moves are super/not/normally effective after encountering a Pokemon once. It makes the game too easy in my opinion, although I do see why it would be implemented - to make the game more accessible to new players who dont want to go back and memorize the typing of 800 Pokemon and their moves. This can absolutely be a pro to many, but a con for me personally. If youre a Pokemon fan its definitely worth your time.

PROS: At first, I really did not like the Alolan theme, thinking that it was cheesey, but I see it was made in good taste and actually appreciate the immersion the game makers have established. If youre a player that loves the fine details of the game, and recognizes the effort game developers put into making every aspect interesting, this is the right game for you. Its chock full of great fun minigames, pretty good customization, and a lot of quality of life improvements. I havent loved a Pokemon game this much since Pokemon Ruby-Sapphire! CONS: The only con is that a lot of the male character customization is limited and seem low effort, especially compared to that of the female characters! I wish the devs would focus more on male-player customization-- or at least provided a way to change player gender. Men like a diversified look and occasionally don long hair too, I promise.

Somewhat of a different feeling from past Pokemon games. Its well made and compares to the others in features and length, but it tries to tell a heartfelt story with more character development than past entries in the series. The new slew of Pokemon is similar to past additions. Nothing too exciting. Its hard to innovate at this point. But they take advantage of the region it is set in to introduce the legendaries in an engaging and meaningful way. It was hard to put this down and I beat it in the same week/end that it was released, which is always a good sign. Well worth it. I got Blue the day it came out and to this day Im still happy with the handheld releases for this series.

Having played through the Pokemon series, flaws and all, I can say the added features here make this one of the best Pokemon Ive ever played. While the story mostly follows the traditional formula (Collect, Train, Unlock New Areas, Beat the Bad Team, and become the Champion), it does it in a way that finally makes the game feel like its not working against you. Probably the best feature added to this game (and possibly the best addition to the entire series) is the removal of HMs. Instead of having to find the one or two HMs that can be viable on an actual member of your team and having to load as many as possible onto an HM slave (Thank you for your years of service Golduck!), you are now given what becomes effectively a summon ability. At certain progress points through the game, you get access to different Pokemon that function as ridable HMs. A Charizard will help you fly. A Tauros will smash rocks in your path and allow you to dramatically improve your run speed (very helpful with egg hatching). It means your team can be 6 Pokemon that you choose, not 5 plus one just for HMs. The key drawback I found for this game was the hard push to expand the Poison type. While it is nice to see some old faces rejuvenated (looking at you Muk), the sheer number of additional Poison types makes this game feel like youre exploring the poison islands. While I realize this is likely a response to help tone down the power of the Fairy type, which was a response to tone down the Dragon type, it feels a bit heavy handed. Granted, Poison types have been underrepresented for most of the history of Pokemon, but I think they could have been a bit more creative in their execution. Other than that complaint, I think the overall execution of the game was fantastic, as were some of the new additions to the roster. One other nitpick is that there is no National Dex, even after completing the game. Not the biggest deal, but a good FYI. You can see many other reviews that can tell you about the different areas and features, so by all means check those if you;re curious. What it boils down to is if youre remotely interested in Pokemon, you should play this game!