Pokémon Moon - Nintendo 3DS

The ones that left a negative review probably didnt even know the big changes Pokemon Sun and Moon were going to make, so dont listen to them! This game is so fun to play, I played it for the whole day and never got bored. Although, I really bought this game because I thought Mega Evolutions were still there, and I wanted to build a Mega Audino team (Didnt have ORAS). They didnt state that there were no longer Mega Evolutions, but they did state other changes. Wish there was still Mega evolutions! Otherwise, this game is awesome! Still looking for an audino ;)

I havent beaten it yet, but I have logged in over 26 hours so far. I have to say that overall, I am really enjoying this generation. There are a lot of nice quality of life improvements to help make the gameplay better. The biggest would have to be the removal of HMs. No longer will I have to sacrifice a 6th slot for a HM Slave, nor teach HMs to my other members that I do not want there. The plot is decent, nothing mind-blowing or shocking, but a really nice addition to help move the game along. The Trials aspect is also something I really enjoy. Instead of gyms, you undergo trials that can be anything from seeking out certain pokemon, taking pictures, aiding someone in repairing a terminal, or even concocting a meal to lure out a pokemon. Its refreshing to not have to deal with the same setup: enter a gym, fight several trainers, then defeat gym leader. The new Z system is also really fun. I actually prefer this over mega evolution as it feels more natural and you seem more involved with your pokemon partner. Mega evolution is nice, but it just felt really out of place. With Z, you appear to encourage and boost your pokemon to unleash a unique attack related to their type. All in all, I absolutely love this game and I am extremely pleased with the new additions. Im considering buying Sun so I can have an excuse to keep playing once I clear Moon.

This is quite possibly the best game to come out of the series since some of the originals. The story has some stumbles but overall has some rather interesting twists. The difficulty of the old games, while not back, is certainly looking to make a comeback as this is the most difficulty Ive had since my original Gold playthrough and Whitneys infamous Miltank. The PokePelago and removal of HM for Ride Pokemon are certainly welcome additions to the series and serve as a nice point to aid new players while giving veterans something to come back for (pelago) and fixing an issue many have had for years (Ride). Overall the game is technically well made, with only VERY obvious slowdown when in double or Totem battles due to the sprites on screen (though Ive heard this is better, but not gone, with the NEW 3DS models I cant confirm as I only own a regular XL). I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to get into the games or a veteran looking to come back, I certainly enjoyed the 33 hours I put in just beating the storyline.

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.

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.

I logged so many hours within the first month of owning this game! I opted for Moon mainly because my nickname is Sun and I needed some balance in my life. As an old-time player of Red/Yellow/Blue, Moons gameplay keeps the original style in-tact while introducing better alternatives; for example, no longer do you have to rely on Pokemon solely for HM use - you will always have all the HMs at your fingertips as you progress through the game! It keeps the online capability and clock-dependency of previous games, which can be a little weird if you choose Moon because your in-game time will be offset by 12 hours (day when its night, vice versa). A personal favorite capability of Moon is Poke Pelago which lets you make the best use of the time that youre being a responsible adult and doing work instead of playing Moon. You can train up Pokemon or let Pokemon collect items for you to pick up when you return which is determined by how much you decide to give them treats. Its not necessary to use Poke Pelago to complete the game, but it does allow for better time management. All in all, I havent really been fond of the newer games since Im more of a casual gamer, but Moon is a lovely bridge between casual and serious gaming. Ive definitely had friends who take the game to the next level and create a Pokemon team to be reckoned with, but I prefer to play on my own terms. Moon allows for both types of gamers and I have found myself going back to the game every couple of days with enthusiasm. Oh, and Nebby? Please get in the bag.

Its been several generations of pokemon and 20 years later since the original gameboy games but the formula hasnt changed much. You still go catch monsters, train them up, then prove youre the best. This new iteration however is in my opinion the best installment yet. The layout is simple and informative, for both casual and hardcore gamers alike. There are tons of new pokemon, as well as old pokemon with new forms,. The quality of the game is great as usual. It even changes up the pacing of the game by replacing the usual gyms with trials. Theres plenty of new and exciting content, and its all using 3D models now. There are a few downsides, but not many. Cons - Super training (for training EVs) is gone - 3D feature is unavailable, even on the 3DS - The old online connectivity has been replaced with a really confusing and lackluster Festival Plaza. It works, but its harder to navigate and find friends.

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.

I pre-ordered this back in October - I was super stoaked when it arrived on release day. Ive been a super big pokemon fan since Red/Blue were released 20 years ago. I was a little apprehensive since Id heard Sun/Moon kinda deviated from the traditional pokemon game. ~Spoilers! Dont read this part if you dont want to know about storyline~ The biggest thing I didnt really care for was how guided the game is - there are a TON of cut scenes you cant skip through, and the beginning of the game really forces you along (blocked paths, required tasks before you can do anything else, etc.). This makes the game quite easy to progress through since there isnt really any way you can get lost. Sun/Moon dont have the traditional Gym Leaders/Battles - instead, you are a trial-goer and participate in little mini-tasks through your journey across Alola. Rather than Leaders, you are given trials by Island Captains, and eventually face the Island Kahuna as the Grand Trial on each island. I honestly found some of the trials to be rather silly - one is a find the difference sort of game, another is wandering around finding items in a jungle, etc. None are particularly difficult puzzles or anything. Grand Trials are battles, and those arent particularly difficult either (you get the Alpha Saphire/Omega Ruby style Exp. Share pretty early on, so your team is pretty OP. The main story line is pretty interesting - I enjoyed some of the unexpected twists. The after-story is also pretty good, and theres quite a bit to do after beating the pokemon league the first time around. There are no HMs in Sun/Moon - instead, you get to ride various pokemon around and can call them from anywhere. Pretty useful, and theres no need to keep an HM slave around to get through different dungeons. I liked Pokemon Refresh a lot - its really cute to be able to interact with your pokemon after a battle. Pokepelego is also pretty cool - the ability to farm berries so quickly/in one spot is insanely useful. Im not too thrilled with the Festival Plaza - it seems you need to be connecting with other trainers via NFC, etc to get the most out of this one. TL;DR - Fun pokemon game.

I havent finished it yet but so far, this is my least favorite Pokemon game. I dont know how they could have went from Pokemon X that I LOVED to this. *It is soooo slow. People talk to me for forever and then I do one thing and they come up and talk to me for forever again. I cant just play the game! Also, the screen goes black for a little too long sometimes when the picture changes, and the battles are slow. *There are no gyms. There are trials. Renaming things wouldnt be so bad but the trials arent even a challenge. I feel like the whole game is just one big walk down a twisting route, where trainers get progressively harder to defeat and some trainers give you things. I dont feel like Im making progress. *The map really confuses me. It may not be a big deal for some people but I would get lost on the original maps. I guess thats why they place flags to tell you where to go next. *Too many things you can only do once a day. I feel like Im playing a free download sometimes. *A lot of things that I liked about Pokemon X, like the clothes, and the mini-games where I can play with my Pokemon are lame in this game. I can buy clothes but they dont change every day, they dont seem as cute, and I cant even see the hats! I can still pet and feed my Pokemon, but I cant play with them. *I cant sit in chairs. I cant even walk on top of them. Im used to being able to do that. I also cant look inside trash cans. *There is an A bubble on top of pokeballs... For some reason, this just makes me feel dumb... or that the creators think Im dumb. The only reason this game is somewhat enjoyable is because I am addicted to Pokemon in general. If anyone thinks they can change my opinion, please be my guest. -Katelyn