Pokémon Sun - Nintendo 3DS

When I first bought this, I really didnt pay attention to any of the trailers because the Pokémon series usually followed the same layout throughout the games - Brief introduction to game mechanics, You venture from home, Battle the 8 gym leaders, fight some gang with a serious background, and beat the E4. The first 30 minutes of the game held my hand so tight. That was absolutely new for me. The Kahunas were like Gym leaders, except they usually gave you permissions to use Cool Z-Moves. Sweet! And then there was team skull, which confused me for most of the game. Theyre so silly and easy to take out! And post game... theres so much more to do! Spoilers below. Read at your own risk. First, as the champion, you may defend your title as Champion. Ever since I was a kid, me and my friends held badges in our school and acted as the schools gym leaders (with Teams filled with Pokémon who were lvld using gamesharks). When I saw there was an option to defend my title again, I was so giddy with joy! The second thing to do when the game is over is fighting the battle tree. 20 or so years have passed since Pokémon red/blue. I remember playing on the game boy color, buying batteries until I switched to the SP. All of the greyscaled coloring... it all came back to me when I tried to do the battle tree. After entering the area, I was approached by Red and Green. An actual shiver went down my spine. A couple years back, we had a chance to fight Red at the end of the game. And now you have a choice between fighting him or Green. Both are grown up! I was surprised to see both of them here! What surprised me more is that... other champions are here apparently. I spent countless hours climbing the tree and... well, Ill leave the rest to you. In short. Buy this or Moon, it doesnt matter. The game is terrific and is definitely worth the $40 (unless you paid $32 while pre ordering. Then its 120% worth the money).

Pokemon Sun was okay. Although I started playing in December I beat the pokemon league in May because there wasnt THAT much motivation to get back to it...and I still have yet to collect the legendaries and defeat Red and the gang and that sort of thing. Now the game itself is quite easy. It was interesting of them to give you a Rotomdex; that is, Rotom is essentially your Fi or Navi or Midna if youre familiar with Zelda games--but that feature also made me a little lazy. Every time I turned on the game Rotom reminded me of where to go since he even has a map with the destination written on it! Thats very coddling in my opinion, and while I become familiar with almost every city and route in other pokemon games while playing through, I still dont quite remember where things are in Sun and Moon because I didnt have to. They point you there anyway. So I will spend about five minutes flying on Charizard from place to place until I realize that I should probably take the ferry/ship to another (guessed) island because what Im looking for isnt here. The best part of the game to me was Team Skull; they were really funny in the sense that Game Freak knew how lightly the bad guys are taken by the players anyway so they took the liberty to show that through their lines. That being said, because of Team Skulls humor I saw early on that Aether Foundation was suspicious. Skull was too non-threatening and disorganized to be the true threat, so even if Aether acted like perfect citizens something felt off. Theres also questions I had about the deeper motives behind Aether funding Skull; I believe theres always something deeper when money is involved between two parties. Then the leaders of those two parties blindly jump into another dimension together with these strange pokemon theyve barely seen? And one is older, has more influence and power than the other? But I keep that to myself. Also, although the dimensional lore and such is being expanded through the events and tidbits from this game, the plot is basically oriented around Lillie. Thats not bad at all--you dont have to be the main/most important character all the time, but yes, Sun and Moon is Lillies story which can be summarized as Mom, what are you doing? Mom, STAHP! And Lillie learning to stand up for herself and stop being a helpless child all the time. Although my character is friends with her and was a catalyst for her growth in the series, I am not attached to her (Lillie) as a player of the game. Maybe if she were in some other series shed be more interesting to me? I dont know. Gladion and Hau were rather one-dimensional too but still nice to have as companions. (It wasnt anything as disarraying as having four friends constantly skipping and flocking around you and calling your name in circles like in X and Y.) But anyhow, I like them more than Lillie. Hau never gets flustered when crazy stuff is happening; he really keeps his cool and remains positive, and Gladion...hes so afflicted and standoffish its funny. But on a deeper note I approve how he got away from his mother and made his own path when she was losing it. Unlike Lillie, he didnt wait around for anyone to save him while suffering in the meantime. He took type:NULL and got OUT of there! Thats my boy. I really like that. Anyhow, moving on to the soundtrack: its not bad at all. Until I went to YouTube looking for the songs I liked, I never knew that there were two versions for most of the songs, so I suppose every time Ive picked up Sun Ive only played at night (I highly favor those compositions over the day version anyhow) and missed the daytime renderings. The music is fine but to me the routes used a lot of the same songs around the same places so I didnt differentiate them as well as I would other Pokemon games. And although the music is objectively decent, I only have about three that I regularly go back to actually listen to out of affection...DEFINITELY not the wild pokemon song though. The totem pokemon version makes it better but the original makes me angry for some reason... What I dont like is the new menu for handling pokemon. In many ways its convenient but I dislike trying to move a pokemon in my party and then remembering OHHH, I have to go out of my way to press Y to move this fool! On the bright side, I really like the options they give you when your party is full. You can exchange pokemon and items back to the PC all in one go! HMs: Its sort of convenient to not have to have an HM slave to perform all of the functions you need to get around the terrain, so I think its an interesting system them procured over in Aloha. Definitely enables you to have only who you trained to be a warrior with you while youre going. Alolan forms: Pretty cool; it brings out observations that we can see in the real world. Not all squirrels, even though theyre all squirrels, occur in the same appearance throughout regions or the world. So that makes it a little more interesting, though I wont comment on Dugtrio nor Golems alolan form...or whatever random stuff they did there. And the oricocos! Oh my god. All in all: not bad. I really didnt want Solgaleo though. I can only remember him as Nebby (should name him that for kicks!) and if only they had given us the choice to catch him or let Lillie have him! He iS hers. Honestly it would be gold to see a girl as clumsy as Lillie have a magestic pokemon like Solgaleo as her starter pokemon in Kanto. They deserve each other; she saved him from his demise and they went through a lot together as a team already. I really, really wasnt interested in having him because...you know...Im not a fan of legendaries anyway. I was more excited when I accidentally stumbled upon Tapu Lele the other day. Though the nature of the guardian pokemon rub me the wrong way too...going around on MY island punishing people as you will...who gave you the right?! Just kidding. I just dont really connect with legendaries in general. And I think she would feel better with him as her partner as her mom rehabilitates. And it was interesting for them to make a legendary that evolves too. That about wraps it up! Pokemon Sun and Moon...pretty okay game, I wont lie. I wasnt motivated to do any more that I had to, though.

Pokémon Sun is really fun to play!

By far the best Pokemon Game since the originals. I own two 3ds and since I bought both sun and moon I run them on both. The graphics cause the original 3ds to lag some, however theyre still amazing graphics and great games! I also really love the new regional variants they introduced here. I havent beat the games just yet, because Ive also been working but I look forward to playing the end game as well, after having heard good things about it as well! Minor downside if you ask me is the tutorial (wish there was an option to skip or give a condensed version) and cut scenes are a tad on the long side. However, they are enduring to the story lines!

This review assumes you know what a Pokemon game is generally about - this one doesnt change the format too much. On a technical level this game is a step up in terms of graphics and battle animations - wifi features and online battle system is much improved from last generation as well. The story is not very deep but adds a few twists to the typical Pokemon formula, wouldnt want to give too much away but for example there are no longer gym leaders in this game. Also, many new Pokemon their are some changes made to existing Pokemon called Alola forms which adds new twists and a competitive edge to certain pokemon. Overall the new Pokemon designs are well thought out and welcome additions with a few notable exceptions. For competitive Pokemon players there is now an option to bypass the breeding process to obtain perfect IVs - you still have to work to get the right natures and abilitiies however. If you enjoy the competitive scene then definitely upgrade to the newest generation of Pokemon, if you are a casual player who wants basically the same game with improved graphics and a different setting then you will like this game.

Overall its a pretty good game, though the story seems a bit short compared to others. The Generation V games seem to be the longest in the series in terms of time to complete, Black 1 & 2 and White 1 & 2, and in terms of scope and size of the map as well, although Generation IV Heartgold and SoulSilver probably come very close. Ive been playing Pokemon since Blue for the GBC. Its unfortunate Pokemon games in general do not carry over many features from previous games, Generation VIII games (Sun & Moon) dont have swarm battles, triple battles, and many other features from the Generation VI games. I dislike the fact Sun & Moon do not have the full National pokedex so you cant actually catch them all although the Pokemon bank does - I suspect this is a ploy to get more subscribers to that service, which is also excellent by the way. The graphics, controls, etc are all fantastic, cannot find a flaw with those at all, although the 3ds does appear to lag when there are double battles, although only slighlty - and I do have the New 3ds. The online features are pretty awesome, too. Wonder trading is still my favorite part of the new pokemon games, its almost as addictive as gambling.

I bought Pokémon Sun while my girlfriend got Pokémon Moon. We both played the 6th gen as well. Pros 1. Fresh story line with some fresh Pokémon in a new location. Everything looks good. 2. Some new mechanics to help keep things interesting. 3. The trials are a fun new thing to replace gym battles. 4. Tons of extra game content to keep you busy. 5. Easy to engage with online players. 6. Better options and game menus help make things faster. 7. You can trade up using Poke Bank from prior generations. 8. This game just throws stuff at you all the time. Spend your money wisely and youll never run out of anything. 9. Love how you can heal Pokémon of status effects after battle. 10. Enough of the same old experience to feel familiar and nostalgic. 11. Love the whole night and day mechanic when catching Pokémon. Gives you motivation to pick up and play during certain hours. Cons 1. There are some lag issues on the older 3DS models. Especially in combat and some menus load slowly. 2. The tutorial in this game is loooooong. You have the regular tutorial stuff then you have to do some free wandering and then on to the Pokémon trainer school? OMG just give me my starter and let me go! Weve all been doing this for years, give us some credit, game! 3. The Hawaii theme is fun, but they overdo it on occasion. I get it, were in Alola now. They have a cool wave and everyone ends their sentences with yeah?... Calm down, game. 4. The characters, especially your rival, are highly one dimensional. Everyone is so hopped up on their dominant personality trait and its wildly over the top fairly often. Not terrible or anything, but I get it. Alola rocks. The professor talks like Wakka from final fantasy 10 and doesnt wear a shirt and your rival NEVER STOPS SMILING. The girl doesnt like Pokémon fighting but heals your Pokémon so you can keep doing it. Settle down, game characters. 5. The new Pokémon skins arent bad, but they arent really necessary. Did meowth really need to look like its giving you bedroom eyes 24/7? Wouldve been cool if theyd added some differences, but the Rattata is essentially the same as the other Rattata with an Italian mustache. Overall, this is another Pokémon game Ill sink dozens of hours into. I like it, its fun. Im about 6 hours in now so I still have hope the characters will even out over time. Worth the price of admission.

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.

Ill review this by all of the game elements. Overall, this is my favorite Pokemon game in the series (Possibly better than Gen IV, dare I say.)! I defeated all the trials and am working on the Elite Four, therefore I did enough to review this game properly. Characters: 5/5 - At first glance, that characters seem bland, but as you continue on, there are plenty of twists and a lot of character development I didnt expect in this game. Team Skull is very funny and is sort of a parody of previous villain tropes and are, well, gangsters. They arent particularly evil, either, and also have development and become much nicer. Gen V was very developed in my opinion, but I think this has more twists. Music: 5/5 - The music is GORGEOUS. Some of it has a beautiful Japanese sound, and some is very Hawaiian. Team Skulls theme suits them perfectly with a gangster-ish sound.Theres not much else to say, but listen to the soundtrack on YouTube. Its great! Plot: 4 1/2/5 - Its the typical becoming a Pokemon Master and Champion quest, but with the island challenge instead of gyms. You face trials and defeat the island kahunas instead of Gyms. You have to face a villain team, which turn out to be wayy more developed later on and VERY interesting, as well as human. They are also very amusing, and theres this secret of strange beings similar to Pokemon and a mysterious group also trying to get them, that I will not mention further than that. It has a lot of surprises, and I love the legendary in Sun, Solgaleo. Theres also emphasis on Zygarde and its forms, 10% (Doberman look), 50% (the one from X and Y, like a snake) and the Complete form, which is like a mecha robot thing. Overall its a great plot. It didnt seem as great as it was at first, which is why it isnt 5/5. You have to fully play through it to appreciate the plot and characters. Z-moves are also an interesting, mysterious element that is optional for you to use, and look pretty awesome in battle. The biggest flaw is I never truly had an issue in fights, I never had that difficult of a time, save for the ghost trial with Mimikyu and one character near the way end, but I still pulled through. For people who want a big challenge, they may be disappointed, especially with Z-moves. Graphics: 5/5 - Great graphics. Animations look great, though you may experience lag in some detailed double battles, although it was hardly noticeable for me. The Pokemon look great, including many new ones, such as Rockruff, Lycanroc, Litten, Rowlet, many Alolan forms, Zygarde 10%, Solgaleo, Type: Null, and more. (That right there is my opinion, but there are bound to be Pokemon one would like. There are also Pokemon returning of other Gens.) What else can I say? Everything looks great. New Features/Returning features: 5/5 - Character Customization is back, but expanded upon. You can choose between lots of looks for the player and lots of outfits. Its like X and Y, but even better! You can also change the eye color with contacts and the hair style. Best of all, NO MORE HMS! TMs can be used unlimited times, but HMs are gone! No more rattatas to learn cut, or making a Pokemon lose a likable move because you need to get through somewhere. You have ride Pokemon and the ride pager, which lets you ride Pokemon to walk over rocky areas, destroy or move rocks and boulders, swim over water, and can ride Charizard for fly! You can also ride a Mudsdale instead of riding a bike, which is so cool looking. HMs are just regular moves now. PokeAmie also changed to Pokemon Refresh, which is really good. It encourages bonds between trainer and Pokemon, and makes them do much better in battles. It also is an option to heal ANY status problem without buying those pesky full heals. Yeah, its pretty useful as well as cute. Overall, a wonderful game. I highly recommend it.

Ive been a Pokémon fan since Gen 1 and this game is one of best ones in my opinion. The story is immersive, theres plenty of content to play through, and its a visually stunning game overall. I am in love with this game and would love future Pokémon games to be of this caliber. The only things I noticed that irked me were during double battles theres a bit of lag. The frame rate drops noticeably. Also, theres some slow loading time during screen transitions. However, both of these things werent bad enough that it hindered the gameplay so its cool with me. Overall I would definitely recommend this game to old as well as new players. Theres plenty of content and fun to be found in the Alola region.