Pokémon Moon - Nintendo 3DS

Aesthetically pleasing? Yes. You stop being excited about how great it looks after playing it for a couple of hours and seeing all the flaws. Seriously, there is no sense of accomplishment to this game period. Whoever developed it mustve just went, Hey, lets make this game easy for idiots. Dont bother grinding levels, you dont need it. The game tells you where to go and what to do. Cut scenes galore. I am also really irritated with how it tells you even what moves to USE in battle. Its always been about trial and error, and memorizing from experience how to battle. Besides isnt the whole point to pokemon to become a master trainer? You cant grow as a person much like you cant get better at a videogame if everything is handed to you on a silver platter. Now, the call for help feature....is such a tedious waste of time. Most people are not going to farm shinys for hours on end. And, as far as I can see, thats the only purpose it serves because I can kill everything just fine. It just eats up more of my day when my pokeball fails and another one drops from the sky and tells you that you cant throw it if two are on the field. If the island challenges were a little more difficult, you might actually get some satisfaction from obtaining a z-crystals. The game even gives you dire hits to waste on totem pokemon if you suck bad enough to need it. Your rival in the game is a joke and Gary would be ashamed of him. I read reviews of performance issues but I have a New 3ds so I cant really bi*ch about that. Festival plaza is super pointless other than the daily drawing where you can win an item. Poke pelago is actually implemented seemingly well. Honestly, I think this game is for children only. Teens and adults that are long time fans of the series are going to have much to gripe about. I see a lot of 5* reviews and just assume those people must be the ones you see at work or school that smile all the time and never get gloomy. Overall, its an okay game with untapped potential. I think its definitely a game people should try though your mileage may vary.

I was very disappointed with Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, but Im still a Pokémon fan so I HAD to order this game. Im happy to say the bad taste went away completely! I feel really excited when I play this game, discovering new Pokémon and forms! The story is interesting and the characters are all likeable so far. The new mechanics are great and well implemented. I LOVE to ride Tauros, I thought I was gonna miss my bike but hell no! Also the trials are entertaining, I dont miss gym leaders at all. One in particular made me laugh a lot. Also you get to see Pokédex descriptions everytime you get a new Pokémon, either from capturing, evolving or trading, which is great. Some of the descriptions are pretty cool or even creepy! I only wish we had Pokémon Bank already, my dear friends from previous games are waiting for me there. If youre a Pokémon fan, youll LOVE this game!

It is great to find all of the 3DS Pokémon games on Amazon below the original retail price, and not have to pay scalper prices for something that has over eight million copies floating around. World Edition games are USA region games that have been packaged by Nintendo for smaller international markets. Dont be scared to buy it if you live in the United States, Canada or Mexico (North America). Though I would recommend that you buy Ultra Moon since it is the same game and story but improved (like Platinum is to Diamond).

Ive been a fan since Gen 1, but its fun to see what new features / changes they make every generation. Pros: The graphics seem to have moved entirely away from the old everythings a grid format. Makes the world seem newer. I also like that they brought back character customization / fashion stuff. Though this will show up in the cons section, I do like the call for help mechanic. It shakes up the battle system and makes it feel a bit more organic. And it can help with the leveling. My favorite feature, though, is the removal of the HMs and bike and replacing them with the pokémon ride system. You now get to ride around on various pokémon to accomplish the same results without having to carry an HM slave with you or wasting move slots on your team members. Cons: Theres a lot of tutorial-ism in the game. Though I do sometimes like how the map has a marker showing you where to go (and this certainly makes putting the game down and picking it up later more doable), the game sometimes bashes you over the head with reminders of what youve gotta do next or (in one case) are in the progress of doing. Then again, it does seem like games are generally moving in that direction. My only other complaint is the one mentioned above: call for help. While it shakes things up and makes things feel more organic and all that, it can be tedious as hell. As in the pokémon can chain call for help and do so on the same turn you murder their friend, making it impossible to catch the pokémon or end the battle without retreating or AoE moves.

I havent played a pokemon game since Pokemon Crystal. Thats a LOOONG time ago. I was hesitant on grabbing the next release of Pokemon, but I was curious to see how much it has changed and whatnot. Thankfully, not all full 700+ pokemon is required to capture to complete the Alola Pokedex and Im thankful for that feature. Im also glad that I dont need to be overwhelmed by other generations of Pokemon (at least not yet) when versing others. All in all, it was a wonderful experience that I do not regret spending my time and money on. Cant wait to hear about the Nintendo Switch announcement for pokemon!

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.

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.

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.

Game Freak needed to release a new Pokemon game to reinvigorate the series, and Pokemon Moon is that game. Ive been fan since the beginning so I was a little skeptical about the change up from gym leaders to island hoping, but the experience is still 100% Pokemon adventure. The graphics a step in the right direction with fully a animated protagonists and NPCs as opposed the classic big headed sprites of previous games. Keeping with clothing customization from Pokemon X/Y was a smart move as well, especially now that you can see the details much more. I can keep describing how great it is but you really need to experience it for yourself. Again, its not your typical 8 gym, catch legendary, then fight the elite four adventure, but it is definitely worth your time.