Pokémon Sun - Nintendo 3DS

Pokemon is one of the highest selling, most preordered, and anticipated games for the 3DS. And for good reason (sort of). Despite the franchises age, the series seems to outsell itself with every new release. After 20 years, Game Freak has decided it might be time to shake up the formula beyond new pokemon and slight adjustments to type sets/moves. Some changes are welcomed (no HMs) while others are a bit of a head scratcher (can’t fish where you want.) I will give the game the benefit of the doubt as I am only wrapping up the second island, but most of my complaints are true issues throughout the game: 1. No 3D. Absolutely none present in the game. Unlike the previous games where 3D was limited to certain areas, this game has none at all. I have a problem with that considering I am playing this game on a 3DS. Clearly the hardware was too taxed as it is, so 3D was dumped to try and give the game a wider release. 2. This game should have been a New 3DS exclusive. The original 3DS is almost six years old and the New 3DS is almost 2 years old. There are currently only about 3 exclusive games to the New 3DS, this would have been a great opportunity to get people to move on to a new unit. I know I would have. As it is, the game supposedly runs “slightly better” on the new hardware, but that is debatable 3. The game runs poorly. Despite having released two other pokemon games for the system, Game Freak has yet to learn how to properly optimize the game. The game runs fine when walking around the world, but in battle things can get dicey. Totem battles, which happen after every trial, will make the game run slow. When the totem pokemon calls for an ally, it runs even slower. It took damn near 10 seconds from me pressing flame bite for the game to actually show the move on screen. Even single battles can cause the frame rate to dip. That is insane. How are there frame rate issues in a POKEMON GAME. This isn’t Tomb Raider or COD. 4. The game fools you into thinking it might be free roaming, but it is possibly more restricting than the original Red and Blue releases. There are trainers not letting you pass, barriers in the way, wild pokemon blocking you. All in an effort to make sure you follow this extremely linear path to the one place the game wants you to go. At least in Blue/Red you could skip gyms and come back if you wanted. 5. I feel like the probability of random battles has been raised. I can hardly walk through grass a few steps without been attacked. Maybe it is just me, but I am using more repels than ever in this game. I don’t know if it is a result in moving on a 3D plane rather than a grid, but I don’t remember having battles this much in ORAS, X/Y 6. People talk WAY too much. I understand dialog is going to happen, but this isn’t Metal Gear Solid with deep political intrigue and an engrossing story. Pokemon’s story is pretty straight forward, so why do I have to hear three different people talk and then move to another location just to have them talk some more? Even the random NPC characters have nothing interesting to say. I’m usually just trying to get the basic info and move on. Don’t drown me in exposition and unnecessary cut scenes. 7. The game is even easier than ever. A. Experience share is back, which makes leveling a joke. At least you can turn that off. B. NPCs will literally tell you where to go to next. No need to roam and maybe find something cool C. If that isn’t enough, the map will show you with a red circle D. If THAT isn’t good enough, the pokedex will TELL YOU WHERE TO GO YOU DUMMY DUM DUM E. The game tells you type advantages. God forbid you learn something F. People are constantly healing you or giving you free healing items. G. No trainer has more than 2-3 Pokemon. Not ace trainers, not trial trainers, not big Kahunas. You will steam roll everyone 8. I can’t fish where I want. Now you have to find special zones by the water to fish. You can’t just do it wherever, that wouldn’t make sense. 9. Your avatar’s stupid blank face. Every other character in the game can emote, but you are left with this stupid grin on your face that makes me want to punch him. If other people can raise their eyebrows, open their mouth, and make other expressions, why can’t I? 10. There is no audio options to raise or lower background noises and music. Maybe I just want to hear the music and no noise, or vice versa? Or just turn the music down a smidge in the mix from the battle sounds? You can’t. Most modern games give you this option but you can’t do it in pokemon. WHEW, Ok. So what do I like about this game? 1. Despite the terrible optimization and frame rate drop, I will admit the character models and environments are well made and LOOK nice. I am not condoning trading function for pretty polygons, but the art direction is quite nice. 2. I’m glad Game Freak tried to make a move in a slightly different direction with these games. Trial challenges are interesting and fun for the most part. It breaks up the monotony of the game. Granted they are not all that different from gyms, but different enough to give the old fans something fresh 3. You can move freely in all directions. No more grid based movement. I really hated this in the past two games. In the DS and gameboy days I could live with it, but when everything is fully 3d, but you still moved on a grid, that was awful. Great change. 4. No more HM slaves. Long gone is the need to have a pokemon’s move list be deluded with strength, cut, surf, etc. Now you open a menu and you can ride a pokemon past obstacles. It is a bit of a bummer that only one specific pokemon is flagged to be that specific HM (tauros for rock smash) for instance. So you can’t designate who you want. Not too big a deal 5. Pokemon refresh is a mini game of sorts where you can get rid of status ailments like poison with the touch screen. You select a brush or comb and touch the pokemon until they are healed. It is a nice inclusion as you are bound to get poisoned or paralyzed along your trip. 6. The new pokemon are perfectly fine. Haven’t run into anything yet and was disappointed with the design. They fit well with the old monsters. 7. The music is also fine. There is nothing there that will blow your mind – has a bit of a been there done that feel, but there isn’t anything in the soundtrack that will grate your ears. (trumpets) 8. There are other things to mess with like poke alego island and the festival plaza. Honestly I never really messed with these types of things much in the old games, but it is nice to have something separate from the main game to play quickly. So there you have it I guess. The game is a disappointment in my eyes. I think Game Freak will really hit it out of the park with their next release. Hopefully they move away from the old 3DS. This wobbly game will make me weary of future launch day purchases. Never thought that would be a problem with pokemon. I honestly would not recommend this game for the full price. Maybe at 30, anything lower than that and I would say go for it.

Let me just say that I adore Pokemon. Ive been watching the show since it first aired in the US, Ive played every main series game since Silver, as well as a few of the offshoot games, Ive collected cards and more-so naturally when I heard an all new region would be released for the 3ds I was very excited, and the hype around the games grew until I could barely wait for the next news. And when it came... Well, at first, I wasnt as impressed as I thought I would be. Mostly because I was super excited to play and the intro scene takes FOREVER. Seriously, I know its necessary for the story but the whole beginning is so slowww. Its kind of like the start to Pokemon Black and White but longer. I actually thought I wouldnt like the game much at all as I started playing. And then the story took off...and I was BLOWN AWAY. This game is beautiful! I love the scenery, the look of the models, the new pokemon...(well most of them, anyway...) and I would definitely recommend it. But the best thing about this game, is the story. This story was so much fun to follow, even if it was a bit obvious at times. I found myself loving Lillie and Kukuis characters, feeling meh about Haus (hes actually around less than you would expect), curious about Gladion and wanting Guzma to be...I dont know, more, prevalent I guess. But the fact the game made me actually want me to see these characters grow and better themselves-thats impressive. Ive gone on a bit too much by now so Ill end this here. I suggest if you like Pokemon, or RPGs, give this at least one try. Also, for the record, UB Gluttony or whatever looks like a heartless boss jumped out of Kingdom Hearts and invaded Pokemon. Its weird and Im not sure how to feel about it.

Gen 7 feels like the refresher that the Pokémon series has needed for a good while now. With a heavier focus on (a surprisingly mature) story of growing up, varied gameplay and challenges, a memorable cast and some charming new designs, its been a ton of fun for the past few weeks to play. The Ride Pager feature has made team building a breeze without the need to constantly fret over who to give what HM, and the Alola region is absolutely stunning to take in with its vibrant colors and beautiful music. The Z moves are a ton of fun, too, and make for some really wonderful finishing blows in battle. Sun is the most Ive been glued to a Pokemon game since back in 2007 with Diamond! So many little call backs and touches looking back on the series 20 years really hit a first gen fan like me. Game Freak has pushed the nostalgia buttons and its worked. Its not all perfect, though. The Call for Help mechanic is frustrating to deal with: It can make battles an infinite slog where the act of just catching one Pokémon becomes a tiring ordeal. Likewise the story can drag things out more than one might like, especially with how repetitive it can be early on. Plus, the fact that you really cant transfer from your previous gen games yet as of this review (an issue Nintendo and Game Freak have promised to have addressed by early next year) is annoying, but it also makes completing the Dex easier for now. Whether youre an old veteran to the series or someone looking to try a Pokémon game for the first (or maybe even trying to introduce your kids to the series), I highly recommend Sun and Moon!

In the Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon games, embark on an adventure as a Pokémon Trainer and catch, battle and trade all-new Pokémon on the tropical islands of the Alola Region. Engage in intense battles, and unleash new powerful moves. Discover and interact with Pokémon while training and connecting with your Pokémon to become the Pokémon Champion! The Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon games for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems represent the seventh and latest installment of the core Pokémon series.

Pros. Graphics and sound have been greatly improved ! But if you are using an older model of the 3ds then the frame rate drops a little during battles . On the other hand the *new* 3DS handles things pretty well, you wont notice the frame drop as much. HMs are a thing of the past! No longer will we required to have HM slaves on adventure team! We can now page Ride Pokemon ! Need a bolder smashed out of the way? Summon Touros! Need to go for a swim? Summon Lapras or Sharpedo ! Need to fly? Summon Charizard! The only downside is that these are rental pokemon . You cant use your own . They also seem to be shiny locked as well. Kurts Apricorn Pokeballs have returned ! For the trainers out there who have dreamed of having 5th, 6th and now 7th gen pokemon in this special balls REJOYCE ! Love Ball Sylveon is a thing now! Moon Ball Rockruff is a thing! Keep in mind that Apricorn trees are not in game but you can find these special balls through out the game. Trainer Customization is back and better then ever ! First off! After 20 years we can finally take the damn hat off! YES ! There are more hairstyles for both boys and girls ! Girl trainers get to wear make up. White colored clothes can be dyed whatever color you want! Breeding mechanics have gotten an upgrade ! Male and Genderless Pokemon can now pass down their pokeballs if they are bred with Ditto ! Before it was females only ! The Day Care was replaced by the The Nursery . Pokemon will not level up and auto forget moves that you are trying to breed down . Because they dont level up in the Nursery its hella cheaper to boot! These games are more story driven then any other pokemon game! There a few flaws I do NOT like but Ill just have to deal with. GTS . Game Freak still has NOT figured out how to block people from asking for unreasonable trades. Like Caterpie for Arceus , for example . Not much backwards compatibility with 6th gen games . Theres NO way to trade directly between 6th and 7th gen games without Pokémon Bank . I myself and many others have tested this. Theres NO way to battle players who have 6th gen games either . But in the end , despite the flaws I still think these are solid games .

Pokemon Moon is, in my experience, a surprisingly disappointing game. From the beginning island with the first trial I was shocked, repeatedly, at how easy they decided to make this game. Dont be mistaken: I am fully aware that Pokemon games have never been difficult, but this one takes it to a new level altogether. Cons: *Too many freebies early on and continuing throughout *Processes slowly in some parts due to console limitations *Limited fishing areas *No challenge whatsoever *No horde battles (Honey is essentially useless) *Has a marker that shows you where to go *Too many scenes *A legendary battle right after the last Pokemon League battle and quite a bit of scenes *Easily the most idiotic Team in any game. *The story was slightly lacking *S.O.S. can get annoying early on *Horrible designs for some Pokemon *New addition to battles sometimes shows effectiveness of each attack before you make it *The Pokedex nonsense after catching new Pokemon gets time consuming. *Move reminder teaches all moves a Pokemon can learn by leveling, above and below current level When I say, too many freebies, I mean it. You start off with more than 10 times the amount of money in past games, plus Pokeballs and Potions. Then you get Great Balls, Ultra Balls, Revives, and the EXP Share, all before the first trial. Not to mention more money (over 10,000) for catching a few Pokemon. And then there are the extra areas for racking up more easy items and cash that require little to no actual work: interacting with 6 easily found Pokemon on a beach (20,000 daily for 30 seconds of work), buildings that give daily free items, which include Master Balls and Big Nuggets, and a variety of possible items if you develop a specific island in Poké Pelago. I learned, after the fact, that you can repeat the battle with the legendary that comes after the Pokemon League, assuming you didnt catch it. If you care about the nature and IVs, and havent gone online to find out that fact, youre faced with quite the dilemma, so I count it as a con. I add the move reminder in there because it just makes things too easy. Takes away some of the challenge of breeding if you can get egg moves so simply. Pros: *Riding Pokemon is an interesting concept *Festival Plaza makes for a decent change of pace *A few new Pokemon designs are cool *Being able to get both major legends without another player losing giving up theirs *Hyper Training allows max IV stats without the breeding headache *Being able to see a Pokemons nature right after catching it Hyper training is arguably the best thing for competitive players that this update has. The training doesnt change the Pokemon in a sense that can be bred to future Pokemon, but the IV boost works for battling. Meaning you can essentially cut IV breeding from your agenda so long as youve got a Bottle Cap or two.

POKEMON!!!!! Who doesnt love it? This game is great! Its super addicting. My husband and I bought each other the opposite games and both games were phenomenal. I would recommend buying one and using the online trade feature to get the game specific pokemon. The only reason I would buy both would be to get both legendaries because that can be a little more difficult. The Sun game functions in time with your 2ds/3ds clock. The Moon will be night time in the game when it is daytime according to your 2ds/3ds clock. The animation is so much more entertaining than previous games. You get a new main plot behind that game full of classic battles and other fun challenges. You can really customize your character. I dont want to say too much and spoil it. If you love pokemon you will love this game!

To start this review out, Id like to share my thoughts on the games graphics. In past generations on the handhelds, it had very low deffinition and you could see every pixel that made up every image and character in the game. This gave it a retro look no matter how advances the game was since no matter what, everything was blocky to some degree. In the new seventh generation games, the graphics have improves sooo much and became far more realistic that the characters actually look like real humans! Aside from all the sprites finally having proportional heads, I absolutely love the character wardrobe customizations, allowing the player to show their own sense of style in game. The new set of pokemon and the Alolan forms provided fans everywhere with plenty new pocket monsters to play with. The most noticeable factor of this showed to me that gamefreak still has fresh new ideas of partners that players can enjoy to battle and trade with. The legendary pokemon finally acquire a huge in game role as guardians of their islands and are introduced at the very beginning (Nebby get back in the bag!) and continue to be brought up all throughout the in game. We are presented with fresh new abilities and combinations to dominate other trainers and show off new strategies. The introduction of the Z-moves was far more poor than I expected, their only real power lay in the strongest of their attack moves. using a Z-status move didnt as much as half meet my expectations. using Z-protect raises defense by one stage!? At least make it two or raise both defenses so that it makes it more worthwhile. This would open up more strategic possibilities for people who dont have a team full of sweepers, what a waste of a Z-stone if you can only use it once in battle for it to be wasted on this. The battle tree appeared to be a downgrade of Unovas White Tree Hollow, forcing you to play hours and hours of battling unfair opponents who get too many critical hits and at the end of a day of grinding, we can finally get ONE mega stone for sixty four bp... Nothing in Pokémon that I have ever seen has ever been more irritating or DUMB than this factor, even compared to the logic in every Pokémon movie. The Z-Stones and this silly playground we call the Battle Tree are the only things keeping me from giving it five stars. The storyline was surely one of the best of all pokemon games, being very involving and revealing strange characters and plot twists. In a certain sense, It almost feels like Team Skull is just an underpaid version of Team Rocket, which has to be one of the most notourious groups in all the the games. Thats my review, its my opinion like it or not, I would urge anyone who enjoys a game with a good in depth story to try it out.

This is a great game, though definitely a departure from previous titles in the series. I enjoyed it, but its interesting how much they changed up the formula. I really love how they simplified the format of the HMs and show you which moves are super effective. Im sure the hardcore dont need this, but if youre a casual like me or using a dual-element attack against a dual-element Pokemon this is a real life-saver. Also, I love how they removed the Pokemon Ami games in this version, I spent way too much time farming cupcakes in Gen 6. :)

Ive played every gen and this is my favorite! They fixed and added so many things I wanted. Removal of HMs and replacing it with Ride Pager, adding with it the ability to ride pokemon anywhere (instead of only in select areas like in XY). Customization is back after being gone from ORAS. Enhanced Pokemon Amie that lets me groom my pokemon (now called Pokemon Refresh). The most interesting plot Ive encountered in a Pokemon game. And the first time the full size model for your trainer is used in the overworld!! One thing I want is for the NPCs to have more pokemon in their party. It makes the game too easy if they only have 3 or less.