Pokémon Moon - Nintendo 3DS

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!

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.

Christmas gift & she loves it. That’s good enough for me.

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 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

Absolutely my favorite main-series Pokemon game to date, especially since X&Y (which I was not a fan of overall). The characters are so much more likable and the shift to a more interesting, story-focused experience is really appreciated. It offers a lot of fresh new things to the formula while still keeping that undeniable Pokemon feel. Even though theyve clearly made certain aspects easier for the new audience brought in by Pokemon GO, as a veteran I feel it doesnt interfere with the experience and it still feels engaging and fresh enough to enjoy whole-heartedly. My only warning is, if playing on the original 3DS, the framerate can dip significantly during things like double-battles or Totem battles. It doesnt dampen the overall experience for me personally, but be aware that its optimized far better for the New 3DS systems and you may notice some bad framerates if not playing on the newer system. Technical gripes aside, I hope to see more games following Sun&Moons lead in the series future. Alola!

This game takes place in the newer region of Alola. It introduces new mechanics and improves on gameplay that made previous games feel tedious such as grinding for levels to fight in gyms or going out of your way to fight against the newest villainous group. However, the story feels incomplete and some sections of the game are empty spaces making it look like a mouth with missing teeth. The game is better than previous generations and with Poké Rides you finally are not forced to teach members of your party moves in order to explore the world. I had rated the game before playing Ultra Sun, its still a great game even though it now feels like the light-version of Ultra Sun/Moon. I would still recommend it if you want a game you can replay and if you are looking for a short game during a break.

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.

The game came in a sealed package and works fine luckily, but it was the UAE World Edition when I specifically bought the US version

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.