Pokémon Moon - Nintendo 3DS

I have played every pokemon game at least in main series of these. This might be my favorite so far. Something about it was just great. They added more story than normal which at beginning was honestly a bit obnoxious because I wanted to fight people but in the end I enjoyed the game throughly and I am still playing to catch the cool new pokemon and train them up. Getting used to the totem battles over gyms was weird and kinda missed not having as many boss trainers but later on in game they actually give you quote a few tough opponents go against. Well tough as long as you didnt like special train your pokemon IV and EV wise lol. Oddly whole I loved this one my GF who does enjoy most of them told me she just couldnt get into this one and stopped playing hers after like first island. So I suppose it isnt for everyone.

Fun game and came new nice and quick.

The game was fun. Flaws of the game: Super training has been removed. I dont see the o-powers either. EV training takes more time. Battle tree is very hard. Red blue, Cynthia and other known characters are there, so why did they ruin it by making it more difficult. The stupidiest part is how game freak never allows you to change your cloths in your own home/room, that is by far the stupidest. How are we suppose to level up quickly if you cant even rebattle trainers. Hell! Even the highest the wild pokemon are 40-50 in level. Once you beat the game if you rebattle the elite four they are going to be stronger. This is hard for pokemon you are trying increase their levels. The antagonist is a beautiful woman that looks kind and compassionate but goes rogue later on, I was like WTF?? Is game freak runing our of ideasideas or what? What the hell was game freak thinking? Positives: More player customization. IVs are better to analyze now. Music isnt that bad. Poke pelago. Better graphics. Game freak needs to step up their game, otherwise they are going to lose a lot of fans. It makes me wonder why I even bother buying these games anymore.

Moon version is quite fun to play. The story plot, while nothing deep, is quite entertaining and well thought, with some nostalgia for the old time players like myself. One downside, at least for me, is that the plot ends way too quick. Theres not much to be said about a Pokemon game. The game mechanics itself havent changed much in 20 years, besides some enhancements in the type system and some battle dynamics. It remains a great starting RPG and a challenging competitive platform offering PVP with players around the world.

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.

This game is probably one of my favorite Pokemon games. I love the story line that is more involved than many of its predecessors. It actually makes me feel like Im getting my moneys worth out of the game! The pokemon are just as cute in this one. I usually find in many Pokemon games that I go for the same old team in each one, but this one I ventured out and tried different pokemon. The festival plaza is one of my favorite things about this game, as well as Poke Pelago. I seriously could see myself playing this game even after I beat the main story line this time.

Pokemon Moon is the first Pokemon game that ever took me more than a week to beat. And no, its not because Pokemon Moon is difficult. The reason it took me over a month to beat Pokemon Moon is because it is boring. I could barely play over an hour of it at a time. My excitement was quickly dashed after starting up the game for the first time. Thirty minutes of cutscenes later, and I still wasnt on my pokemon journey. People seem to love bashing the Gen VI games but if theres one thing those games did correctly, it was the short introductions. Pokemon XY barely had a tutorial section; I was catching Pokemon only ten minutes after popping in the cartridge. And I understand that tutorials are essential. Ive been playing Pokemon since Gen I so I know how to play the games. Someone just entering the Pokemon series might find the tutorials useful. However, we arent talking about a massive open world rpg. Its Pokemon, guys. Just demonstrate to the player how a basic battle works and how to catch wild Pokemon. Pokemon Gold and Silver did that in under ten minutes so can anyone tell me why 16 years later in Gen VII it takes over half an hour? The very least they could have done was to make the cutscenes skippable. You think its just the introduction, right? Nope. The game is cluttered with them. I swear I spent more time reading through all those cutscenes than I did exploring the various Islands. Not that there is much to explore, however. Pokemon Sun / Moon are not the games you were promised. 1) Exploration Although no Pokemon game is really non-linear, never before have I truly felt confined to a corridor than I have been in Moon (or FFXIII, take your pick). The novelty of having multiple islands to explore quickly dissipates as you realize that almost all of the routes feel exactly the same. Much of this can be attributed to the lack of the variety of Pokemon. A lot of the same Pokemon will keep sprouting up across all of the islands, taking away any uniqueness or sense of discovery. However, the routes themselves just arent particularly interesting. Most of them look the same, with the few trainers littered throughout being the only way to distinguish one route from the next. 2) Festival Plaza I cant even begin to guess why this exists. What was wrong with the PSS from Gen VI? Why did they replace that with this? Festival Plaza is one great big mess, a convoluted manner in which to connect players that totally breaks any immersion and fun because of how obnoxious and tedious it is. 3) Trials and their Captains After hearing about the decision to remove the classic Gym Battle system, many people were excited to find out what the trials of Sun and Moon would be. I myself was quite intrigued as I wondered what they implemented. Trials and their Captains were meant to spice things up, offering a new way of growing stronger as opposed to the previously established Gyms. However, different isnt always better. Instead of gym puzzles, gym trainers, and gym leaders, Gen VII offers a tedious activity coupled with a battle against a Wild (though powered-up) Pokemon. After the first two trials, it becomes clear that the concept was not properly hashed out. Most of the trials end up feeling just like gym battles anyway (Looking at you, Acerola >_>) so its a lackluster experience. 4) Rivals A lot of people wish for a classic Rival, akin to Blue or Silver. Someone cold, rude, derisive, and powerful with maybe a superiority complex sprinkled on top. After the lackluster comedic Rivals of Gen IV and Gen VI, most people felt tired of the lack of competition. Seriously...does anyone remember Barry? Or the XY Trio? They were among the most useless of characters in their games and pathetically weak as well. However, I guess there are people out there who appreciated them, though how anyone can like a character like Tierno is beyond my capacity of understanding. So in a spineless attempt to please both crowds, they included two Rivals in Sun and Moon. Hau, the happy-go-lucky native who barges into the story whenever he feels like it, is the goofy comedy relief Rival who never poses any threat to you or your ambitions. This is clearly outlined in the first hour of the game, when Hau, your RIVAL, does the opposite of all other Rivals in Pokemon games, and selects the Pokemon with a weakness to yours. Throughout the game, he is obnoxiously cheerful and never changes or develops as a character. He is just as useless by the end of the game as he is in the beginning and youll groan out loud every time he appears on screen. On the other hand, we have Gladion. Unlike Hau, he is an aloof and calculating individual who believes in individual strength. I really dont have anything bad to say about Gladion. Hes obviously a throwback to Silver, the Rival from Gen II, but theres nothing inherently wrong about that. Out of all the characters in this game, Gladion is written the best and his character actually experiences credible development throughout the game. Not to mention, his battle theme is INCREDIBLE! 5) Lillie Ugh...I cannot stand this character. Lillie, the little coward who cant do a single thing on her own, tags along with you for most of your journey through Alola. This wouldnt be an issue except that Lillie is one of the most aggravating and pointless characters of all time. Sun and Moon spend a lot of time (and a million cutscenes) trying to get you to love and adore her, as if shes the most precious, delicate flower in the world. However, after hearing Lillie tell me for the third time that she didnt enjoy watching Pokemon get hurt, I just couldnt find it in myself to care. Lillie is meant to be written as a selfless heroine trapped behind insecurities and trauma. However, the game doesnt do a good job of presenting her that way. Cutscenes of yelling Nebby! Get in the bag! and I wish I were more like you! are not nearly enough to build a character. Show, dont tell! Instead of telling us about how brave Lillie is or having all of the characters in the game compliment and praise her on her (non-existent) growth, show us that shes becoming more mature, more responsible, more courageous. When the climax of Lillies growth and transformation finally arrives, it just feels so forced and contrived. At no point was I ever convinced Lillie had developed one bit as a character. 6) Your Character (Protagonist: Sun and Moon) Protagonist Sun and Moon have absolutely no soul. With giant, wide open eyes, permanent smiles on their face, and strangely robotic walk cycles, Sun and Moon look and act like zombies. Compared to these two, Red is a rambunctious extrovert. Sun and Moon have no character. Most of this is Lillies fault. So much of the story is centered on her that it leaves little room for Sun and Moon to properly develop. You spend more time fulfilling favors for her, listening to her drone on and on about this or that, or saving her from another disaster than you do learning anything about yourself. 7) Team Skull While I have grown to love them, I can understand why some people dont care much for Team Skull. As an antagonistic group, Team Skull is laughably pathetic. When compared to Team Rocket, Team Aqua / Magma, Team Plasma, the rapping punk goons fall flat on their face. However, while I disliked them in the beginning, I am rather fond of them now. Their music is cool and the dialogue from their members are witty and funny. Its also incredibly hard to dislike their leader, Guzma. I think Team Skull is fine. Just dont take them too seriously and youll be okay. Overview Its not the worst game ever. Even a (relatively) bad Pokemon game is still better than 70% of games out there. Anyone who gives this game a 1/10 is a liar. However, I really must advise caution for long time Pokemon fans. Sun and Moon are not the games you think they are and you will most likely be disappointed by many of the unwelcome changes to the Pokemon formula. It is certainly different but change is not inherently good. Some things, like Ride Pokemon, are very good. No longer is there a need for HM Slaves. However, many other things are bad. With the repetitive nature of the game, annoying unskippable cutscenes, hit-or-miss music, boring / tedious trials, super linear gameplay, and so many plot convenieces, this is the worst Pokemon generation so far.

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.

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.

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.