Pokémon Moon - Nintendo 3DS

I was hesitant to pick up Sun and Moon after the massive disappointment that was X and Y, especially after seeing that they suffered from one of the exact same issues--very few new pokemon with the new generation. Some might say that there are too many pokemon already, but I disagree. Were especially lacking in pokemon of the new Fairy type, and Sun and Moon did very little to remedy that. But I pre-ordered the game despite my misgivings, and honestly? I wasnt disappointed. It definitely has a few rough edges, but overall this was well worth my time and money. Lets start with the worst aspect, the graphics. Namely, the models of the pokemon themselves. Now, I have a degree in 3D Animation, I have some idea of whats going on regarding the models and Im sure thats exasperating my issues. But holy crap Game Freak, your models look like bootleg plastic toys crapped out of a low quality 3D Printer. Throw some texture maps onto your models, the 3DS can handle it, even with the crappy shader. Please just. A texture map, a specularity map, something! The models are physically painful to watch for me, moving like stiff jointed action figures and looking like a four year olds idea of color theory slapped on a pokemon shape. A pokemon that particularly suffers from this is Dhelmise, which is an anchor+ship wheel with seaweed clinging to it. The seaweed looks like green paint and takes an otherwise cool design and makes it hard to handle having the thing on the screen. The world-map models however are beautiful, and the in-game cutscenes are beautifully rendered with the only flaw being the unnerving never-ending stare plastered on the player characters face. A less severe flaw: With the move to Generation 7 it seems that we have lost Super Training and the foot in the door it brought to the competitive world of the series. While the Super Training Minigame wasnt the best thing, it was a way for players to interact with their team on a level besides shouting orders at them. Now for the redeeming qualities: Bugs: While no pokemon game is free from its share of glitches, unlike X and Y, Sun and Moon dont drag the frame-rate down on my old 3DS when Im in a battle. This is an A+++++ improvement. Plot: Easily the best plot since Pokemon Black and Pokemon White, the story is easy to follow and kid-friendly, but just intense and thought provoking enough to engage the older players as well. The biggest problem is how hand-holdy and railroady the game is, assuming that the player must be a two year old who must be spoonfed everything to be able to understand it and know where to go. Per usual and despite all requests otherwise, Game Freak has still not put in a way to skip the tutorial if youve already played. Post-Game: It exists! And is actually quite fun, and brings back a surprising cameo character. Welcome back from Emerald! Neutral things: The Poke Pelago- its a fun gimmick and nifty idea that I hope they expand on in the future, but theres a very very large disparity between resource availability and things available. While trying to build your islands you are constantly hurting for Poke Beans [the special currency for this section of the game] which are also used in Pokemon Refresh, the replacement of Pokemon Amie. This means you often have to choose between bonding with your pokemon, or spending the beans to make it marginally easier to get more beans. Pokemon Refresh is fun and cute, but with the lack of resources it quickly becomes exhausting, and unlike in Pokemon Amie, there arent even minigames you can play to increase your Pokebean stock! Money scarcity- Ive been playing pokemon games for as long as I can remember. I have beaten and owned literally every main series game, and most of the side games, and I have NEVER had the issues with keeping a healthy supply of pokeyen that I had in Moon. An Amulet Coin or a special promotional pokemon with the special move Happy Hour is literally required to have anything resembling a healthy supply of pokeyen. New designs- Are painfully hit or miss. Of the ~70 new pokemon+formes introduced, I like maybe 30 of the designs, and the rest I honestly wish I could throw into a lava pit. I dont have a single one that Im just neutral on. Im hoping the series continues in this direction, but seeing what Ive seen for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, I dont have very high expectations.

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.

As soon as I saw the trailer for Pokemon Sun and Moon on YouTube,I knew I had to pre-order it.Lots of people have been waiting for so long to get their hands on this game and I was worried that as soon as I got mine,I wouldve been disappointed.When the demo came out,I instantly played it.I ended up craving more.But the wait was worth it! This game is so amazing even though I just barely started it.What I like about this is that you dont have to battle gym after gym in order to progress.There are around 4 islands in the game and each is controlled by an island Kahuna.The only way you can get to them is by completing some side quests or fighting in battles,which is completely different from previous Pokemon games in which you had to battle a bunch of gym leaders in order to get some progression.Another aspect that I like about the game is the time difference between Sun and Moon.Moon plays in a different time zone than Sun,which makes the game-play a bit more interesting.These are just some of the things that youll find different from previous game generations.Regardless,I enjoy this game and I know Ill spend a lot of time playing it.

As the Pokemon games reach their 7th generation, the formula of the games has become very much a standardized affair. Move through routes, defeat gym leaders, then face the elite four and challenge the champion. The games have each stood out individually for features such as Pokemon contests from R/S/E, customizable fashion from X/Y, the DexNav from Omega Ruby, and so on which have not been carried on to later games. The biggest change in Pokemon Sun/Moon is the removal of Pokemon gyms, replaced by Island Challenges where trainers fight predetermined battles and solve puzzles. I strongly dislike this change; while the total experience gained ends up matching gyms, the distinct feeling of a gym and gym leader is lost, and so areas lose some of their individuality. I hope that gyms return in the next series of games. Other changes have been made too, mostly positive. While the number of new Pokemon added is relatively small compared with games such as Black/White, new Pokemon Alolan forms have been added with new designs, typing, and movesets. The Alolan forms make for very interesting new designs and type/move combinations, and my personal favorite is the Alolan Ninetales, which is now blue and is an Ice/Fairy type. Customizable fashion and hairstyles have made a welcome return from Pokemon X/Y after being absent in Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, and there is a very Hawaiian feel to the clothing options. HM moves have been removed, replaced by Pokemon riding to break rocks, travel on water, or flying between cities. The day/night cycle has a renewed emphasis, where Pokemon can appear on routes depending on the day or night like in the original Gold/Silver games. Additional modes include the Festival plaza, where trainers can meet and interact, sharing stats and greetings and matching up for battles and trades. A second new mode is the Poke Pelago, small islands where you can grow berries, increase Pokemon happiness, levels, and EVs, and search for rare items. Both of these modes are fun and can be quite the time-wasters. One complaint I have is the relatively limited set of post-game activities. A small set of new areas open up along with the ability to catch new legendary Ultra Beasts, along with the Battle Tree, the new area where you can battle AI-controlled teams for currency to purchase rare items. However, these activities can be completed relatively quickly and the Battle Tree can become repetitive very fast unless you have a diverse set of Pokemon to battle with. Another complaint I have is the lack of backwards compatibility. Despite Pokemon X/Y, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire and Sun/Moon all being 3DS games, there is no way to trade between Sun/Moon and the older games. The only possibility is using the external Poke Bank application to transfer your friends from earlier games to the new games, but not vice versa. This process makes it difficult to transfer teams across the games, and harms the replayability of those older games by not letting you use newly caught Mons. Overall the game is highly enjoyable and accessible for newcomers or those who may have not played for many years (I myself just recently purchased a 3DS and the newest 3 series of games). The new Pokemon and Alolan forms are very visually distinct and have interesting type combinations that make battles deeper. Most of the changes to gameplay are positive and add to the diversity of modes available to players. The difficulty curve, while on the easy side (It is still a childrens game after all) is consistent and compelling, and the environments of Alola are lovingly rendered and attractive to the eyes. I would recommend this game to any Pokemon fan as well as anyone interested in RPG games or curious about the Pokemon series.

Ive been apart of the Pokemon world for the last 20 somthing years since Red on the gameboy color came out and I have to first say that this is a nice different flavor to the run of the mill pokemon games although following the fundamentals of the games things have changed no gym battles but Island leaders as well with the ability to fly, surf and rock smash no longer holding a party pokemon down is fantastic. I highly recommend this game to all pokemon fans because its a breath of fresh air to the franchise. Although I suggest ultra moon or sun because this games the outdated ones like black and white where to blk/wht 2.

Maybe youre a child reading this with glee, wonder and excitement. You love Pokemon and want to explore, train and test your ability to become the very best like no one ever was. Or maybe, and more accurately youre a grown adult with a family, who has grown up with Pokemon with some games bringing you excitement while others not so much. In Pokemon Moon, you will not be disappointed. The game reinvents the world of Pokemon while staying true to its roots. In this game you will encounter many exciting adventurous elements that will resurrect the nineties kid in you. Explore The Uniquely Tropical Alola Region In this game you play a Pokemon trainer who is just beginning his journey into the world of Pokemon. You will explore many different geographical locations that are all centralized in the breezy, relaxing tropics. As a result of this many of the creatures you will encounter will be affected by this including old classics such as Raticate, Pikachu,Vulpix and a vast number of other Pokemon both new and old who will display all new abilities and characteristics to assist you in your journey. Tired Of Waiting While Your Avatar Has To Constantly Walk Everywhere? Fly To Anywhere From Anywhere With The All New Charizard Ride Pager Whether you have a Charizard in your party or not it will not make a difference. In the game your character receives a ride pager that allows you to summon Charizard from anywhere you are and fly to any island you desire with relative ease. No longer will you have to wait while your avatar walks or runs long distances or capture flying Pokemon to get to specific locations! Simply summon Charizard and off you go! Discover The Mysteries of The All New Ultra Beasts! A whole new unique Pokemon! Or are they? In Pokemon Moon the player is introduced to creatures that have come from a dimension known as Ultra Space! After completing the games main story, your journey will not simply end there! After the credits roll your character will awake in his/her room and be given a mission by a mysterious old man who gives you an ancient item.You will use this mysterious item to track down and capture/contain what are known as Ultra Beasts. Unique and powerful creatures that are much more powerful than even the strongest Pokemon. Whether you capture or destroy the beasts is up to you. Your Decisions. Your Actions. Your Choice. Whatever you choose to do will change/affect the outcome of the game. Action! Adventure! Mystery! What more could someone want? Pokemon Moon is a game for everyone of all ages and backgrounds to play and enjoy.

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 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.

Overall I like this version of Pokemon. Starter pokemon are cool, but dont pick the fire cat unless you want to destroy the game . . . or its your first play. Happily, you may have two games at once, so you can collect multiple pokemon to trade, and perhaps use a different starter. Also, fire cat evolves into a dark/fire/some sort of fighting pokemon that is not cute at all! I love cute pokemon (dont judge) and the water-seal actually ends up cute. I still love him, but wish he werent so creepy looking as a fully evolved! I recommend starting with the water pokemon, since its probably the toughest to start with (and I think most of us playing are a bit of old hats. I picked the fire pokemon for my first run through, so I could beat it quickly/check it out. I just used my fire pokemon . . . and pretty much beat the game with just him. He can be more than a bit op. Story line is different, and interesting, but not amazing. It just seems like a more advanced (graphic-wise) good pokemon. I love crystal/gold/silver/soulsilver/heartgold, so I really enjoyed this one. Its got a plot that in nearly on par with those (but not quite). I am not impressed by the pokebeans . . . or petting the pokemon. Its cool that there are more ways to make your pokemon happy/friendly, but it gets tedious fast, and can be pretty boring after a few times. Also . . . the fire cat starter has a fire belt as a fully evolved pokemon that burns you. He makes a weird face when it happens, too. . . not a huge fan. I do like that when my pokemon loves me it is less likely to faint. It makes me feel loved in return. Island evolutions/varieties are very cool/fun to collect--except for the bird that needs different nectar. I caught one and was unimpressed when there just kept being more and more forms that didnt fill my pokedex. Filling your pokedex is perhaps easier than ever, with the trading being so simple/kind of interactive? You can put up messages (appropriate) that others can read.

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.