The Pokémon series has been through a lot, and a casual observer would be forgiven for assuming that the developers must be out of fresh ideas after twenty long years. Thankfully people who spend far too much time playing video games, like us and many reading these pages, know better.
Enter Pokémon Sun and Moon, the latest duo to enter the fray on the rapidly ageing hardware of the 3DS. The previous new-gen games brought about a revolution with the leap to 3D, but fell short in a few small areas for a lot of long-time fans. The question is - can the seventh generation make up for the shortcomings of its letter-based predecessor?
The first time you boot up the game you're not given a moment's breathing room. No title screen appears to welcome you, but rather some new data is created on your ever-shrinking SD card and you're thrust gung-ho into the intro cutscene. It's startling at first but certainly not in a bad way, and this trimming of the fat is a factor that runs through the whole game.
Once you're given control you're ushered into a linear sequence of events that teach you what's what, and it's obviously a tutorial designed to show less experienced Pokémaniacs the ropes. This is long and somewhat slowly paced, but given the complexity the series has garnered over its lifetime it's absolutely necessary to bring the detailed mechanics to the player in this manner. It's frustrating for veterans of the series, but these players will also know how to blitz through in as little time as possible, so whilst it isn't exactly a roaring start to the game this is something that (for all its sins) needed to be done.
Thankfully once this chapter of the game is over everything opens up tenfold. Your shackles are removed, you're given new, totally optional areas to explore, and the freedom that awaits you through the rest of your adventure becomes plain. This is also the moment that the plot comes into play, and in true Pokémon fashion it's up to you to stop the nefarious deeds of the sinister Team Skull and their plot to steal as many Pokémon as possible.
That might make the story sound terribly basic, but you needn't worry about such things. Despite the Team Rocket-esque beginnings, the full scope of what is happening on Alola becomes clear as you march on through the various islands. In fact we'd go so far as to say that the plot in Sun & Moon is the deepest and most ambitious Game Freak has dared attempt. It's certainly not Shakespeare, and it remains accessible to a wide age range, but despite this many of the topics and thematic devices are miles ahead of standard 'evil group tries to take over the world with legendary Pokémon' affair we're oh-so used to.
As you may well know, this plot isn't progressed through the traditional use of Gym Leaders, rather you're given Trials to complete that reward you with a Z-Crystal to enable Z-Moves (we'll come to those later). These vary far more than the gyms ever did in previous generations, and it feels like a natural progression that links in beautifully with the island you're exploring. Rather than feeling like a juxtapose building in which anything could happen, the lay of the land dictates the tasks and nature of each Trial. You're usually battling at some point throughout these tests, but getting to these bouts has various different requirements. Whether it be flushing out a tenacious monster from its den or overriding a security door, you'll never feel like you're doing the same thing twice.
As with every game prior, we've also got a host of brand new Pokémon to deal with, and we have to say it's a really solid bunch of monsters. Past efforts have often fallen into the trap of being over-designed, but the residents of Alola are for the most part cracking specimens. The designers have kept it simple with inspirations from the real-life Hawaii that the region is based on, and they fit in superbly (with a handful of exceptions). What is a little more outlandish, however, is the design of the Ultra Beasts.
These are creatures from another dimension, and good gravy does it show. To save native Pokémon from looking completely ridiculous clearly the decision was taken to allow other-worldly beasts to fulfil the quota of weirdness that every designer harbours. Whilst these designs may not resonate with everyone they are undeniably alien, and bear such variation that we defy anyone not to find a single one they like the look of.
Speaking of aesthetics, we have to talk about the islands that make up the region you'll be charging around. Each of Alola's four main islands is unique in one way or another, and allows for a real contrast of locales in a tight area. You'll come across coves, groves, meadows, mountains, and even a slightly out-of-place ranch with matching old-west stylings. If you've seen any screenshots of any of the areas then you'll know that they're all utterly gorgeous; we should note, though, that the 3D effect isn't utilised in general gameplay, and has been dropped in favour of more reliable performance.
With the ditching of the old-fashioned grid system, meanwhile, every inch of Alola feels naturally formed and wonderfully organic. Long gone are the square clumps of grass and right-angled bodies of water, and instead we're treated to sweeping coastlines, gentle inclines and winding roads. These features are made all the more obvious when you enter one of the many towns, which follow a much more artificial layout for the most part, providing a very obvious contrast between locations which makes us appreciate the natural landscape even more.
And the glorious environments don't just stop at the overworld; every battle you indulge in takes place in one of dozens of available arenas dependent on your location in the world. This can vary as much as a typical grassy patch in one location to a trainer battle on a long, winding road just seconds apart from one another. Moreover the characters you meet along your journey also have a distinct air and variety about them; each one is memorable and easily recognisable for the most part, and their dialogue has never been better, even if it does still suffer from a small amount of the clunkiness you'd expect from a Pokémon game.
But it's not just new environments, new characters, and new Pokémon you'll be able to play with; there are bags of new features to muck around with at your fancy. Pokémon Amie returns in the form of Pokémon Refresh, which does away with the awkward facial recognition system that hated beards and glasses; instead you're able to simply feed your monsters, pet them, and generally make them feel splendid. You can also activate this feature at the end of a battle should a prompt come up by pressing the Y button, which allows you to clean up your fighters to make them happy, and even remove status ailments with the aid of a curiously never-ending medicine tool.
You'll also want to pop in to Poké Pelago, which gives you various micro-management islands that reward you with new Pokémon, items and Poké Beans to use in Pokémon Refresh, boost your Pokémons' levels, and plenty more besides. At first it appears to be little more than tedious busywork with a similar time-limit structure to that of many games on smart devices, but underneath this shell is probably one of the most important features Sun & Moon has to offer.
Instead of using your party, the islands on Poké Pelago use the creatures you've stored in your boxes (you know, those things you caught and forgot about). For the first time in the series these guys and gals and Magnemites now have a purpose beyond being a largely sedentary trophy collection; as we mentioned before, they can be trained up, find new items, and even encourage new, completely unknown Pokémon into your box and therefore your Pokédex. At last every Pokémon you've caught has a reason for you to keep it, and the random items, level gains, and chance of encountering and keeping new members of your ever-growing onslaught horde really makes this a vital feature for everyone, regardless of experience.
If you're more of a connectivity butterfly than a monster hoarder, you'll definitely want to check out the Festival Plaza. This is the go-to hub for any sort of communication you might want to dip your toe into. From standard trading and battling to the Global Trade Station and the lucky-dip known as Wonder Trade, you'll tackle everything through here. But if you just want to interact with someone nearby, in a flash, you can use the new quick connect system, which at the hold of a button on both devices allows you and any friends or rivals to connect for trade and battle. It saves going through the Festival Plaza, which can be a real time-saver.
But anyway, back to the plaza. Beyond the typical features we mentioned above you'll also be able to play certain mini games, buy items in bulk, and even have your fortune told, all from this central hub. The real draw here is the internet and local wireless options rather than the little distractions it has to offer, as we didn't find them all that interesting. It's possible that younger players may get more enjoyment from the simple running around and answering questions, but don't expect it to hold your attention for long. Nevertheless, having all communication take place in a single, conglomerated hub is a welcome relief from the slew of menus that have been present in past titles.
When you do use the Plaza don't think you'll be falling into anonymity amongst the dozens of other avatars. After having a brief hiatus in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, character customisation is back and this time it really means business. The variety of clothing is greater than ever before, and hairstyles no longer have to be hidden underneath a hat as before, so get ready to show off those luscious locks you've been forced to hide since Red & Blue. Whilst we would like even more customisation options available to us, we feel that this is something that could be said about almost any similar system. It's bigger and better than the fashion-focused Kalos and we feel you can't say fairer than that.
So there's plenty to tickle your fancy outside of the main game, but how does your Pokémon quest aim to challenge you? Any veterans of the series will be pleased to hear that although Pokémon games are about as difficult as you make them, Sun and Moon are easily the most difficult to date. The new Pokémon bring a cocktail of new moves, abilities and strategies that you need to employ in order to best what is thrown at you. Subtle changes to older moves means the competitive scene will have to learn a whole new metagame to come out on top, and the inclusion of Z-Moves puts you constantly on edge.
Having said that, we did feel a slightly deflated by Z-Moves on the whole; at first they were extravagant, exciting, and a joy to execute, but after dozens of hours playing they lost their edge and the animations were more of a nuisance than a reason to get excited. They also don't always turn out to be as powerful as you might expect, and whilst that may sound like a bad thing it's actually our favourite part of this new system. Mega Evolution was nearly always a no-brainer, but Z-Moves can potentially be blocked with moves like Protect, and if you happen to waste it as an enemy is switching you don't get another chance to use it or any other Z-Move your party may have access to. They feel underwhelming but that's what makes them viable, especially in a competitive situation. We'd much rather them be this way, as opposed to a method to totally break the system so many have come to adore.
Speaking of mixing things up, the new Battle Royal mode takes just about everything you thought you knew about battles and turns it on its head. The main concept is for four trainers to pit their Pokémon in a free-for-all against the other three currently in play. This mode puts you at the mercy of three opponents, and thus your tactics have to change entirely. Knocking out an enemy grants you a point, but lose all three Pokémon and you'll lose immediately. Moreover the match will also end whenever one player has lost all their available Pokémon, meaning you have to constantly judge and predict what others will do to ensure victory. It's a great new mode that we really hope gains traction. The chaos of it all helps open it up to newer players and all will think twice about what Pokémon they want to take in.
If the story is tiring you a bit, but you're not in the mood for anything too far removed from the main game, talking to NPCs can often yield new quests for you, ranging from finding and catching specific Pokémon to throwing pesky sea-dwelling monsters back into the ocean so they don't hurt themselves or anyone else. They're minor distractions that won't take up too much of your time but it does help to make the world feel much more alive. You'll often need to fly back to previous islands because of new, completely optional areas that you couldn't reach before, and doing so is an absolute joy with plenty of rewards to boot. There's no way you'll be able to do a clean sweep of every area the first time you enter it. Even if you get so sidetracked that you forget how to progress the story, you can rely on your Rotom-powered Pokédex to keep track of everything, and even provide cheerful, text-based commentary on the lower screen so you'll never get lost, even if you put the game down for a week or more.
Conclusion
Simply put, Sun and Moon are best Pokémon games that Game Freak has ever produced. Poké Pelago, the side quests, the absolutely stunning nature of the presentation, it's all a sheer joy from start to finish. Game Freak hasn't missed a beat and has managed to carefully balance the inclusion of new mechanics without totally ruining things for the most hardcore fans. It's got content coming out of its ears, a much more interesting story, and rewards exploration in a way no other title in the series has. Whether you're a Pokémon fan new or old, this is an absolutely essential purchase.
Comments 189
IT'S ALMOST HERE HYPEHYPEHYPE
Awesome! Can't wait to head to Nintendo NYC for the midnight launch. But I'll likely be playing the game on my Japanese region N3DS while standing in line starting Thursday since Japan is 14hours ahead and their eshop should update for the preloads of the games around 10am EST Either way, my hype cannot be curbed!
only problem is that in many eyes the 3DS is not a 'HOT' system
hope they do a Switch version
Didn't expect a review so soon. Friday can't come soon enough.
10/10? What did you give ORAS?
Not till I beat X.
Gosh...! 10/10 ?!
tldr that's what "Conclusions" are for.
So, this is a long game chock full of content that has neither paid DLC nor amiibo support and is $40? So it's basically the total opposite of Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival that Wii U owners got last holiday? Which is still more than we are getting this holiday.
And yes I know there is that bracelet ring toy, but the toy doesn't add anything to the game, the game makes the toy light up and vibrate, that's the opposite too.
Enjoy the game everyone, heck I may even have to break down and play it some day just to support the idea of a complete game for 1 price, but as a Wii U owner left high and dry this holiday who has been watching comprehensive coverage of this game over the past 6 months I needed to vent a little.
Edit - Thanks to everyone who has pointed out to me this isn't a nice little package, it's 2 games totaling $80, and there's also the little matter of the $5 per year Pokebank. It's like they charge for DLC even before the game comes out.
kudos to Gamefreak for getting me so excited for a game I don't even want that I overlooked those things. I suppose Nintneod may have had a hand in it as well, but as much coverage as S&M has received compared to games like Paper Mario Color Splash and Zelda BotW over the past 2 years, well I think Gamefreak and/or TPC are doing most of the heavy lifting in marketing.
I'm not suprised, honestly. From everything I've seen this looks like a (much needed) step up from X/Y and ORAS.
OMG! OMG! OMG!
Can't Wait!
Wow a 10?! Awesome! 😃
I've seen talk saying this is the easiest game and now I read this is the most difficult. Hopefully the truth is somewhere in the middle
@kastark ...? It's the single best selling console of this generation.
Also holy crap a 10?! Friday can't come soon enough!
@rjejr - maybe we should complain about it being split into 2 games or something
I haven't played the game yet but based on all the information and leaks available, a 10/10 kind of surprises me.
They seem to have made some cool changes and additions and I'm super keen to get into the games (I couldn't be more sick of ORAS) but it still seems to have plenty of flaws that will keep it from fully living up to potential unfortunately.
Let's spread the hype of Pokemon Sun / Moon to all people !
@TeslaChippie In my opinion the active 3DS user base is around 16-18 million users, Nintendo thinks 60 million, but many people have more than one system
The hype went a bit down on the leak NeoGAF thread, but as one user put it best there, "it was the worst game ever for 12 hours until we understood how IV training worked and then it became the best game ever".
Just what I expected. I said multiple times that these games are going to be the best ones yet.
Well, I'm just OVER THE MOON with the score.
Can't wait to get Sun and start my journey through Alola with Rowlet on Friday! #TeamRowlet
Fantastic Review, Alex!
About Z-moves, they can't be blocked by protect. They have reduced damage, but aren't blocked.
Uhm, can you switch off the function in the battles that you can see which moves are super effective against your enemy?
Thnx for the great review
while we're at it. warning: naughty(ish) language. epic rap battle between charles darwin and ash ketchum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC7H99-7wxk
Any news on base 3DS performance, load times and frames? It was pretty shoddy in the demo.
This is what happens when you take a year off and spend time on developing a game.
So far it's around 88 on Metacritic. I liked Y (that was my first) though I wasn't really planning on picking another up, but I just might have to...
Shamefully, I've never tried a Pokémon game. Is this the one to start with? Is there a better option? I know pretty much nothing about Pokémon, so I need advice!
Completely agree with the review. Game is fantastic.
For those wondering, the game features around 320 pokemon to catch.
@Ashthearcher You can safely start with this one.
It has a nice tutorial which explains how the game mechanics work to people who are new.
You can also catch some pokemon from previous generations.
@MajorasMax I haven't found a way. There's not in the options menu, so I don't think we can.
Tried battling other trainers online and that 'feature' was still there.
Weird thing is, it sometimes it doesn;t appear when playing offline.
It'll be my first pokemon game at launch. Looks like i'm jumping in at the right time!
@rjejr the only thing close to DLC is the National Dex.
It seems pokebank will be the only official way to transfer pokemon from gen 6.
Currently, there's no national dex (if you mod a pokemon that you can't currently catch, it doesn't have a dex entry), so it seems the only way of completing the national dex would be using the pokebank or someone who can transfer them for you. Of course, we will know for sure once the update with pokebank comes around January.
Just looked it up, exploration is alright, but getting into and out of battles is a little long, and while the battle system is slower in Singles, Totem and Doubles are absolutely terrible in slowdown with animations flat out stalling on an original 3DS. Lovely.
The fact that I've training is a thing has made this game perfect already.
No more spending days breeding one Pokémon just to get the right IVs. I don't think anyone actually enjoyed that.
@BLP_Software Time to upgrade.
I am so incredibly excited!!!
Now im becoming even more curious. Still 8(or seven if im lucky) days until the game arrives.
@Ashthearcher I mean, this is probably the "best" pokemon game. It's not the most hardcore experience--that, in my opinion, still goes to HeartGold and SoulSilver, but those can run you up a pretty penny. I say start with this, X, Y, OR or AS.
sweet baby jesus
That's what I'm talking about. I'm so glad I preordered. I also have a Genecet too!
It's getting a lot of hype. I told myself I'd only get this game if it were VERY special. ORAS/XY were naff imo. This doesn't look much better...
Might look into it further first before getting...
@kastark Game Freak will never port a game and besides on the 3DS this thing is blowing up the internet.
@Gerbwmu "maybe we should complain about it being split into 2 games or something"
Fair point. That has always worked out in my household though as each of my kids has always picked one and played side by side. But you are right, I compeltley overlooked the fact that you'ld need to spend $80 to get everything, so it's not as pristine as I made it seem. Well guess that means I don't have to buy it now, thanks.
Is anyone else upset that gym leaders were done away with?!!?!! I am so excited for this game, but no new gym leaders makes me feel like the nostalgia got stabbed in my heart
I was thinking of Christmas to get this game, but these positive reviews are tempting me to spurlge
@rjejr This was a problem, until trading for exclusives became so brain dead easy.
Unless you're trying to get the flagship Pokémon on the cover for both games, there's no reason not to get all the exclusives.
@TeslaChippie @Gridatttack
Thanks! I might pick this up once I finish fire emblem birthright. My only concern is that I own a old 3ds and apparently this game chugs when doing double battles on it. Not a big problem tho
@kastark If someone says the 3DS is not a hot system, they either are in denial, hate fun, or are just plain ignorant. Perhaps all of the above. Either way, the over 60 million 3DS owners say otherwise and are much more wiser when it comes to gaming. That and they actually love to have fun, unlike those who say the 3DS is not "hot." 😒
10/10? Wow... I thought I couldn't get any more excited yet here I am. An amazing score for a seemingly amazing game. I could gush over it for hours more so I'll just say I can't wait for Wednesday, which is true. 7 days has never felt so long.
@Gridatttack "pokebank"
Oh, an even better reason for me not to buy it as I've never played one before and basically have no idea what you are talking about.
OK, that was just a joke, my kids have played almost every one, at least the remakes if not the originals, so I do know most of what is going on. For whatever reason - I raised them miserly I suppose - my kids have never felt the need to spend $5 per year for the bank, making due w/ their two 3DS and a copy of each version of each game for trading.
Is the "pokedex" an important part of the game? Is it like Skylanders or Lego Dimensions where you NEED other Pokemon from other games to finish the game or is it just a collectathon? We've never been "collectors" in my home, still no "Platinums" on PS3 after 8 years, we are main story and then move on folk. Well "after game" if it's meaningful, but we don't collect things. My kids gave up on Pokemon Go after a few days as thats all it was too them, collecting.
Thanks for the heads up on the Pokebank and the Pokedex, I may have to go edit my original post now as I apparently over looked a few important things. And I'll have a more in depth discussion w/ my kids before their copies of the game get here Friday.
@Kalmaro Thanks, that might be why my kids never worry about the Pokebank or exclusives, 1 copy of each game in our house day 1 since B+W. The older games weren't Day 1 but they've bought games like HeartGold and SoulSilver at the same time.
I can't wait for Pokémon moon to come out, a week to go... ^_^
On a related note, does anybody know why EU gets sun/moon 5 days after the rest of the world? I'm not complaining, things were far worse in the bad old days, but what's the point of a 5-day delay?
This could be the game that surpasses Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver for me, my favourite Pokemon games of all time. Either way, I have Pokemon Moon already preloaded and ready to go. 😄
hahah yeah no, 10/10? hahahaha.
seriously, I liked triples.
Poor me I suppose...
@rjejr Depends. This national pokedex is not really needed to enjoy the game main content.
The pokebank is just for moving pokemon between the past games and this one. In my case, I need it to bring my competitive pokemon from the previous games.
I guess the only reason your kids might want to use it is to bring their pokemon from the previous games to these new versions.
As many, I've already played the games, and trust people, they're worth it.
And in honor of my avatar, I think we must all thank Youkai Watch for these splendid games. After the rushed and bland generation VI, I thought that Pokemon was going in a bad direction, but YW's success really made the people at Game Freak step up their games. Better yet, they took the best element of YW (the deep sense of immersion) which also happens to be a correction of the biggest flaw and disappointment of generation six.
Kudos to you, Game Freak, you've got my trust again. Now if only you let go the stupid idea that 80ish new pokemon for each generation are enough, because they're not. Also bring cross generation evolution back.
Awesome , love the new Pokémon that I've seen so far - it's been a really good year to be a Pokémon fan .
I'm very conflicted about this. I was a pokemon fan at the very beginning with red and blue versions, left it for years and decided to retry the series with Black 2. Didn't like it at all since there was no evolution in regards to graphics, story, and even the newer mon wete really stupid. This game looks pretty decent though but I'm afraid to drop the cash, play it for a few minutes, and regret it...hmmm...
SoulSilver was a 10. X /Y and Sapphire/ Ruby were good but they weren't wow. X/Y had that wonder trade but the story was just ok. I hope moon will live up to SoulSilver.
@kastark
What do you mean 3DS is not "Hot" system ? Hello...3DS has fancy design, eye catching colors and how could you deny that ? I'm still fine with 3DS even not as detailed as Wii U. Remember, graphic is not everything.
@Ashthearcher Pokemon X and Y should have holiday discounts coming up soon, and are great for newcomers to the series. Don't do ORAS, as they're not quite as newcomer-friendly or balanced (the enemy teams are monotype in ORAS, which lessens the strategy considerably). Sun and Moon should be good options too, but I haven't played them to confirm.
Which version to buy? Sun or Moon? Besides the Pokémon, are there notable other differences that convinced you of one version?
@rjejr
May I ask ? I'm still newbie about Pokemon Bank. Let's say, if I want specific Pokemons (example Sawk, Lucario, Machoke) should I have to use Pokemon Bank to get transferred Pokemon or I still can get them by Random Battle ?
Holy! It got a ten?! "Simply put, Sun and Moon are best Pokémon games that Game Freak has ever produced." wow now my hopes are even higher. FRIDAY COME SOONER PLEASE
Wow. Hype mode activate!!!!! Been avoiding the leaks and spoilers, I want to experience the wonder of this game to feel the same way I felt the first time I played Pokémon almost a decade ago. Looks like it will be! Friday can't come soon enough.
I was expecting like an 8 or 9 but a 10!? Man, only 8 days to go!
No game can be a 10. That would mean a game is pretty much flawless with no bugs or anything, and that's usually an impossible feat.
10/10 wow!!!. So hyped for this game.
Great review.
Okay, but where's the National Dex? >.>
Still, a ten outta ten is a ten outta ten.
(no, the lack of a national dex doesn't really bother me much. In fact, it only makes it easier for me to achieve 100% pokedex completion!)
@Ashthearcher Luckily, the battles do not require fast reflexes!
10/10? Really?
Really?
That's going way too far honestly.
On the other hand, given that you gave ORAS and X/Y a 9/10, I can see why you'd give it 10.
It's not bad, but it's certainly not 10/10, if anybody actually thought this game was 'perfect' then they're delusional.
Just when I thought I could survive the wait for Friday...
"and rewards exploration in a way no other title in the series has"
That end part of the review has got me even more hyped.
@amyr0se 10/10 means outstanding, not perfect. No game is perfect.
Cool! I will get this eventually but I have yet to finish X or AS. I'll play the demo for my sun and moon fix.
@flightsaber Cool! Thanks to you too!
From what I have seen so far those games suffer from the same problems that XYORAS have. The graphics look like a pixelated mess. They are not ugly but there are not good either. Also everything is super slow: the dialogue (even in fast settings), animations at the beginning and end of battles and more, the frame rate is very bad. Also there is this National Dex thing that is the biggest problem to be honest that strays from the "got to catch them all" formula. I suppose Sun/Moon have only 31 boxes too that by no means are not even enough to store all characters (including variations) in the cart.
Another overrated Pokémon game. I fail to see how a game that can barely run on its hardware can get 10/10.
@Yorumi Dont be silly, without the tutorial you may have forgotten how to throw a pokéball, let's not forget the importance of going into tall grass to find Pokémon....
/sarcasm
Joking aside, I can love with it. The demo underwhelmed me to tears, I played it once and got bored. Looking forward to the main game though.
@RainbowGazelle That's because for the longest we've had to put up with barebones games with not much content that run great.
Now we have a game with so much content the system can't handle the awesomeness... And most are fine with that.
@Yorumi
Yes, we know for sure due to the leaks and people having already beaten/dissected the entire game.
@Anti-Matter Your asking the wrong guy. Heres what I know about Pokebank.
1. It costs $5 per year (in the US) every year.
2. You put in Pokemon you've captured in old Pokemon games you've already played, then when new Pokemon games come out you can transfer your old Pokemon into the new games.
And I'm only half sure about #2.
I am pretty good at Google though.
http://www.pokemonbank.com/en-us/
You should be able to get that in several different countries, try deleting the /en-us at the end if it doesn't ask.
@Gridatttack ...that's too bad, thank you for your response though.
''has managed to carefully balance the inclusion of new mechanics without totally ruining things for the most hardcore fans'' my ass
@Yorumi There's no national pokedex (yet)
You can get the shiny charm after you capture all 320 something pokemon between sun & moon.
The national pokedex will likely come with the January update when pokebank support is added.
Right now, if you mod the game with a pokemon that's not catch-able, there's no pokedex entry for it.
@rjejr
Yep, that's pretty much it.
Pokebank is by no means a requirement in order to play these games. I've already caught them all (that's 721 critters total!) in Pokemon Y, and then again in Pokemon OR, using only one game in each pair of games and the (free) GTS online trading system that's included in the games, for free!
@Yorumi
Yeah, you can still transfer older mons to Sun/Moon and use them, there just won't be a pokedex entry for them.
@MajorasMax I have to agree, it's annoying, as for someone myself who knows what move should work, but then I asked myself: should I really bother with it?
I mean, I already know beforehand what move should work, so it's sort of pointless to look at that.
Perhaps the only complain I can come up is that it makes the bottom screen more crowded with info I don't really need.
@Yorumi Yes. You can use the pokemon and all. There's just no pokedex entry for them.
@GeminiSaint Thanks, I'm forwarding that reply to each of my kids email accounts. I'm sure they already know all of that, but maybe they'll explain it to me.
To add to the discussion: Pokebank is good IMHO. It is somewhat slow but it works to mass trade characters from any 3ds game to any 3ds game. There some downsides though. You cannot evolve pokemon that evolve through trading and (this is very strange) the Pokemon cannot hold items in the bank. I understant not having Key Items or HMs but why can't they have Megastones or Master balls? It is not that they glitch the game or anything...
Still never played a Pokemon game, I've purposefully tried to avoid them as I don't want to get sucked in to it all! I've got Blue and Yellow on the 3DS VC though, might fire one of them up over Xmas.
Then again, I've still got to play FE Fates to play too. Oh decisions, decisions...
@Gridatttack ...Yeah I guess I'll just remember all the moves that my pokémon have and choose one before opening the move, uhm, thingie in the menu
I know it sound farfetch'd but I'm feeling oddish I didn't know ekans be so happiny I could exploud. I can hardly bayleaf it, it feels like I'm taking a rydon on a magikarp-et ride and it's onix-ceptable to be gloom-y and slaking at a time like this. Abra Kadabra Alakazam it'll soon be here. Take a chancy, hoppip down to the shop, break the seel, blow the dustox your 3DS this is the yanmega game you're seaking!
@Gridatttack
Despite the review, I can't help but feel as though the difficulty is still not on par with the first few gens. Since you already have played the game, could you voice your opinion on the difficulty meter?
The thing I'm most interested in knowing at the moment is what the base shiny rate is in this game (it has been slowly creeping up) and what methods of boosting it have been included beyond the shiny charm... but it'll probably be a while before all that stuff is figured out.
@NintendoHistory The first games were not that difficult to be honest, the mechanics were such that you could use almost anything and win.
@NintendoHistory The first gens were only 'difficult' because it was broken as far as battling went. The addition of the special/physical split and the check on psychic types made it far more balanced. Also the games are going to be easier once you've played a few games because the core mechanics don't really change much. If you learn the type chart and what is effective/not effective against what there isn't a whole lot of difficulty that can really be added unless they code NPCs to use VGC style tactics.
10 out of 10?! Did you review a gen 1 game? Otherwise this is wrong 😜
@DragonEleven
Base shiny rate is the same as in ORAS (1 in 4096).
As in previous games, there are ways to increase those odds.
Wow! Did not expect a 10/10! But I still expect Pokemon B2W2 to remain the best Pokemon games.
@Arcamenel
I completely agree with your points.
I guess the thing I'm worried about is if it's as difficult as Gen 6, or on the level of Gen 4. By comparison, I could replay Gen 4 over and over again, but it still maintains its fair difficulty meter because the NPC's are simply smarter. Meanwhile, I find myself gliding through Gen 6 without even seeing what move I'm using. There is definitely a presence of a more "kid-friendly," or a downward curve in difficulty in Gen 6.
HYPE!
@Kalmaro Apparently it doesn't work that way. IVs aren't changed but the EVs are made to look like it has "max IVs" when in battle with the bottle caps used on respective stats.
IS THIS OUR FIRST 10/10 FOR A POKEMON GAME?!?!
I knew this game was gonna be good, but it's THAT GOOD? YEAH BUDDY!
Also, I'm not sure if I just missed it, but are HMs finally gone?
@Marakuto exactly, there goes the dream: making perfect 6 31 IVs dittos for breeding.
This looks useful just for legendaries/event pokemon/your starter.
PERFECT SCORE!!!
Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait! The other reviews I have read are all giving it 9's. So far, this has been the most in depth review I have read. I have Moon preordered and am dying to pick it up. I am still playing the demo too, lol.
@NintendoHistory It's definitely more difficult than the cakewalk XY was.
I had trouble on some totem pokemons, but overall I didn't had much trouble. It's not as difficult as past gens, somewhere along middle ground, but they are some moments that if you don't come prepared, you might run into trouble.
The AI is a bit smarter this time though. I saw the game use some setup use to troll the player (magic guard clefable with cosmic power, or totem Lurantis with a castform with sunny day so it could spam solar blade)
My playthrough team was Decidueye, Primarina, Salazzle, Palossand, Crabominable and Lycanroc.
And yes, I set the switch mode so it doesn't ask me what pokemon is coming next.
@MasterWario Yes, HM are gone, replaced by pokemon mounts. They are TMs now.
About how long is the average playthrough if you're not trying to rush through it? It looks like a pretty short game despite the file size.
Also, there's nothing cuter than Alex saying, "Zed moves."
Sweet, I'll be picking up Moon.
@madelk
X and Y were piss-easy. If they somehow thus even easier....well I don't know what to say... Nothing positive probably
Already preordered Moon. I'm suspicious of this score after what the leaks revealed, but I'm looking forward to it either way.
And, wow, it has the deepest plot in the series? That would be impressive if true, consider B/W actually had a pretty strong plot.
It's kind of annoying that a game that is clearly stressing the 3DS hardware doesn't run better on the New model, though (which I'm assuming is the case, because I've heard nothing about this).
Was going to get this day one, then I had to replace 2 tires on my car (adulting stinks sometimes). Guess I'll be working on my backlog...at least until my birthday or Christmas.
I didn't expect a 10/10, now my hype for Sun and Moon is boosted even more!
Also, a small spoiler in the part about Ultra Beasts?
From the review I gathered: they still forces the tutorial (a tutorial should always be optional), there are many areas to explore (good!), way better plot (even better!), there is almost no 3D effect (bummer) and the game is worth to play in general.
@rjejr
The magic of expected sales an order of magnitude (or two) higher than most Wii U games because of the installed base and the popularity of the property. You can invest more in the game and sell it for less.
Also, you don't have to buy both unless you are hardcore and/or have no one else to play with. And $5 a year is paltry and, again, optional for the hardcore.
In other words, it's just as much better than it sounds.
I play games since the atari times, but I never played a pokemon game, so I guess I will have to start now.
@Marakuto So you don't change the IVs, you just boost the EVs so high that it is as if you boosted the IVs to begin with?
That's not what this says:
http://www.serebii.net/sunmoon/hypertraining.shtml
@ap0001 took me 27 hours from the ingame time to reach the credits.
And I played it on a semi-rushed state.
Still haven't done postgame stuff though.
@rjejr
Oh, and when the first year of Switch is getting dicey and the 3DS is about to be abandoned a new more portable Switch can be revealed as an option along with an announcement that all future Pokemon games will land there... maybe even port this one over as an HD edition or whatever. Maybe Stars.
And that's just fine because Nintendo needs to consolidate on Switch as fast as possible.
Team Sun or Team Moon?!
This review added so much hype. Moon coming on Friday!
@rjejr You don't beed both games to enjoy this title. You NEVER have needed both games in any Pokemon generation to enjoy it. Also Pokemon Bank isn't required. The games have always given you enough box space to hold at least 1 of every Pokemon in the game. This game should have more than 800 box spaces.
So yeah, it is a complete game for $40. Pokemon games have always been complete packages.
cant wait also, been ages since i played a pokemon game
Woah, I wasn't interested (dissapointed on X/Y) but this change things. I only hear good things from this game. Time to buy.
So, I've been playing the game myself for awhile now, and although I haven't finished the story yet, I'm on the third island, and I agree with the score so far, as literally nothing has brought the experience down. However, in terms of the review, they do mention one flaw, which is the lack of 3D, which in other games, would have resulted in a 9/10 at best, in most cases. How did Sun/Moon get around this rule? Regardless, it is a great game indeed, and I highly suggest you play it.
@EmmatheBest Probably because they made clear we wouldn't be getting 3d and the fact that the main reason is because the game is so epic that the 3ds quite literally would not be able to handle more.
I'm fine with that.
@-DG "So yeah, it is a complete game for $40. Pokemon games have always been complete packages."
Well that was my original reaction, then everybody talked me out of it. I'm easily swayed when I really don't care either way.
@rjejr The only difference between pokemon title versions is the flagship legendary you catch in the story and like, 5 exclusive pokemon that you can get through trading online anyway.
@Ralizah It does run marginally better on the N3DS. On the old model, attacks in double battles take a second to start, and there is some lag (according to what I have heard; I have a N3DS). Meanwhile, the N3DS performs a bit better there.
@aaronsullivan "And $5 a year is paltry"
I've noticed over the course of my life that big companies trying to get every penny they can out of me always excuse me of nickle and diming them. If you're a big corporation making millions of $ selling me games, then eat the "paltry" $5 and don't ask me to pay it.
Sorry, that's one of my touchy subjects - small "fees" and the like. Nassua county added $45 to their red light ticket fees, so now a $50 "ticket" comes w/ a $145 "fee" so that $50 ticket costs you $200.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/09/20/nassau-county-traffic-tickets/
@Yorumi They should make Pokebank $4.99 so they don't have to give people 10 gold coins in MyNintendo.
I'm pretty excited for Friday.
My heart, she is joyful about this score and review. But my wallet, she is sad....
@TeeJay And the time difference. In fact, there's quite a few differences this time. It's more like Gold vs Silver instead of Ruby vs Sapphire...
Wow!
HYPE OVERLOAD TAKE ME TO VALHALLA
@TeeJay Well, that's better than nothing.
I'm guessing these will be the last 3DS Pokemon games. I hope GF takes its time to create a truly spectacular next entry for the Switch.
As a noob, what are the big differences between the 2 versions? I'm not familiar with the different Pokémon, the Moon legendary Lunala looks awesome. Only I don't want to play during the ingame night time all the time.
@rjejr
Pssht...
They could give 100 gold coin bonuses with Bank, and I still don't think it would affect a single person's purchasing decision
@Oubie Different Pokemon, including the exclusive Legendary, and the games are twelve hours apart. Which should mean that, if you get Moon, it'll be daytime in-game when you play at night.
@Ralizah Oh really? I usually play in the evenings after college/work. So then it will be daytime in-game if i'm correct? And now and then during lunch time it will be nighttime in-game? Funny twist.
@Kalmaro That information is outdated and doesn't accurately describe how it functions. Hyper Training does not actually raise the Pokemon's IVs, it simply makes the IVs act as if they're maxed out when in battle. Theres a proper description of how the process of it works: "This means, in battle, the IVs will perform as if they're maxed. But things like Hidden Power typing will remain unchanged, and you won't be able to breed down the maxed IVs - if you try to breed down IVs, it will breed down the IVs it was born/caught with. The change is artificial."
I'm excited to play Moon, but still not sure if I can buy into all the hype considering X/Y got glowing reviews as well, and I thought that gen was average at best.
@Gridatttack It doesn't appear if it's the first time you've seen it. After you see it in battle at least once or if you catch it then you can see the type matchings.
@WillTheLion Interesting.
I knew something was up because sometimes it showed up and others it didn't.
Well, in that case, great. It's just a matter of seeing every pokemon once.
@invictus4000 Why did you hate B2W2? You say that there are no graphical improvements, which is not true, especially going from a colorless Game Boy game to an end-lifespan DS game, you say that the story sucks when it has the most in-depth story of any Pokemon game bar BW1 and SuMo, and that the new Pokemon aren't very good, which is also a false statement, because there are SOME decent Pokemon, and you can use old Pokemon in the game, so it's not a big deal. They also made a TON of improvements since Red and Blue, including Pokemon genetics, breeding, the battle system, online play, etc. PLUS, B2W2 has the PWT, which is the best battle facility in the series. Many people, including myself, find it to be a top-tier Pokemon game.
No hate or criticism intended; I just am interested in your reasoning.
@rjejr Actually, the Pokemon Bank website is outdated (no Sun/Moon/Gen 1 VC info) because Game Freak doesn't care about updating the not-current thing. (COUGH, NO XY UPDATE, COUGH)
I loved Blue and Red, lined Gold and Silver, enjoyed Emerald, lost all interest until Black and White 1&2 came out (which I loved), I also loved X and Y, thought OR and AS were ok and I am super hyped for Sun and Moon. This review only gets me more hype!
I wasn't gonna read it, then couldn't help myself.
Can. Not. Wait. I love all the main series Pokemon games and I'll be pouring my usual 500 hrs plus into this. The Switch can wait. 😁
For the most part it seems like a refreshing game and I can't wait to play it. But I'm still not sold on replacing Gym Leaders with Totem Pokémon; to me it's like replacing Bowser with a generic 'big' Goomba and saying they're an equivalent. They're not.
Other than that, bring on Tuesday! (coz I'm in Ireland like a saddo).
@LegendOfPokemon No, those are good points. I can see for sure the series came a long way since the beginning but it just hadn't evolved enough for me. It was still 2d and grid based, the story was still fill the pokedex and stop the bad team from getting the pokemon, etc. But then again, I come from loving mainly heavy RPGs and deep story lines. To be honest, nostalgia did allow me to enjoy Black 2 for about 10 hours but then I just got bored.
Wow a 10? While I did enjoy X I felt it was lacking that special something that makes me think that it is a must own. This game looks a ton better but the reality is that I am just not that into Pokemon, and there are far too many games that I have been eager to play but have yet to do so. For fans of the series this game looks to be essential though.
Hold up what about
Postgame
Framerate
Is it very linear or quite expanded upon unlike XY
UI
Encounter Rate
No mention on the transfer process from older games either?
Thank you Nintendo Life for being just about the only reviewer to discuss difficulty.
@ninty-love Please, consider other the people that have been avoiding any kind of spoilers from the story, like me for example :/
There was no point in just revealing that, even if you consider it a small detail.
I think at least 1 point should be detracted just for the fact that original 3DS/XL and 2DS owners are forced to upgrade to a New 3DS/XL to not encounter constant slowdown/lag issues. A 9/10 at most seems more fair. A 10/10 implies near perfection in every regard, including technical aspects, yet there is a fundamental technical limitation in the game.
(Let me guess, the reviewer played through the game on a New 3DS/XL...)
@ninty-love I think most adults could see that coming from a mile away. Even so, next time be sure to use the spoiler brackets anyways.
Edit: Wait, does the spoiler bracketing even function anymore?
Please can anyone let me know is there is a new way of catching shiny pokemon?
Anyone like Yokai Watch?
Huh. I expected this to do well of course but a 10? Didn't expect that. Glad to hear it's such a good game!
@dew12333 No, there isn't. Just good old chain stuff and shiny charm.
@dew12333 Supposedly the ally pokemon mechanic is replacing hordes, the more times a pokemon calls for help the greater chance you get of the allied pokemon having good IV's and being shiny. It's basically a chained double battle.
@Marakuto I see, not sure why they never clarified this. Found a page that seemed to be what you pasted
http://www.azurilland.com/forums/pokemon-7th-generation/pokemon-sun-moon/538562-information-about-hyper-training
Still, I'm still seeing this as a good thing. You might not be able to pass down IVs in breeding when they are boosted but who cares, right?
Now you can just focus on breeding to get the right moves and nature and just work from there. Seems fine with me. This way, people who really like breeding wont feel like they got kicked to the curb, still some benefit to it.
@PlywoodStick New 3ds has been around for a little while now and it's not like the game is unplayable, just some lag in double battle. If this was because of shoddy coding I'd understand docking points but this seems to be due to there being so much awesomness crammed into one game that the 3DS just can't handle it.
If it bugs you too much it may just be time to upgrade, the 3DS is kinda old now.
"It's not Shakespeare"
But I was looking forward to Pokémon Hamlet & Macbeth!
Despite the Yo-Kai Watch love going on in my household currently, I'm glad I bought Sun & Moon... will make a nice present for Christmas.
@Arcamenel @Tulio517
Cheers for the replies, can't wait to try it out.
It's lovely time to be alive!
@Gerbwmu every Pokémon game has been split into two games. Besides, they are nearly identical other than they legendaries and are other differences, but you still only need to get one for the experience.
Hm...after I watched from Youtube, when I compare between Pokemon Sun/Moon and X/Y I can say :
1. X/Y has slightly better traphic than Sun/Monn. I mean, Sun/Moon looks a little bit more pixelate than X/Y.
2. X/Y camera angle a bit higher while Sun/Moon a bit lower.
3. X/Y looks more Cell shaded than Sun/ Moon.
4. I prefer X/Y Semi chibi design while Sun/Moon keep maintained on realistic size. I like both of them.
Hm...after I watched from Youtube, when I compare between Pokemon Sun/Moon and X/Y I can say :
1. X/Y has slightly better traphic than Sun/Monn. I mean, Sun/Moon looks a little bit more pixelate than X/Y.
2. X/Y camera angle a bit higher while Sun/Moon a bit lower.
3. X/Y looks more Cell shaded than Sun/ Moon.
4. I prefer X/Y Semi chibi design while Sun/Moon keep maintained on realistic size. I like both of them.
@rjejr I wouldn't go so far as to call it two games at $80. Yes, as with every Pokemon game, there are version exclusive monsters. But they do that to encourage trading, not force you to buy two copies. For example, if you reallllly want a certain monster, you can typically request it at the online trade station, and throw up something of value from your collection. Come back after awhile- chances are you'll have ,are that trade (so long as you aren't one of those psychos asking for legendaries for their starting area birds).
Aside from those, and the day or night asthetic, the games are the same experience.
I expected this to do well of course but a 10? Didn't expect that. Glad to hear it's such a good game!
NintendoLife would have rated it a ten whatever its actual quality.
@Kisame83 "the games are the same experience."
Well then why make 2? People would trade regardless, the 2 games is to sell more copies, don't kid yourself or defend them, it's purely economics. I'm sure even they would admit it if asked. Not to say they aren't benefits to having the 2 games, but then why not make 2 versions of any game? CoD - 1 in day, 1 in night. 2 copies of Madden, NFC and AFC. Any game can justify 2 cpies if they wanted to make 2 copies, Pokemon can get away w/ it b/c they started doing it and it worked, no reason for them to stop. All those other games will just continue making extra money w/ Season Passes and DLC.
I do prefer Pokemon's way of doing things, but if they weren't making money they'd stop doing it.
As in love as I am with this game (so good) I feel it necessary to point out the technical failures. It's bad. I'm playing on a New 3DS here, and experienced astronomical slowdown in double battles, battle royals, and battles where the opposing Pokemon summoned another pokemon. Single battles are fine. Which leads me into my second flaw: summoning pokemon. You know how in ORAS and XY you could encounter occasional hordes? Take the annoyance of that and up the frequency by, like, every single wild encounter after the first Kahuna. It turns farming into a real chore because the pokemon you were prepared to fight might team up on you with another pokemon that you're just not ready for. My other complaint is with the Battle Royals. When you first check it out, you are put into a mock battle with some familiar faces where all of you are just using your average level 20 Pokemon, and you are set to win. However, after you beat this mock battle, you can't redo it, and trying to enter a regular battle pits your level 20-ish pokemon against your opponents pokemon all leveled off to 50. -_- Why put it halfway through the game and force you to play a demo of it to advance the story if it's effectively impossible to play again until you finish the game? That's like taking a kid to the ice rink and letting him use one of those walkers to learn to ice skate in the kiddie rink and then throwing him into a hockey rink the next time he says he wants to go ice skating. Also, bring back gyms. Trials are basically just menial tasks followed by an ever-so-slightly harder than average boss pokemon. You don't even fight the trial leaders most of the time. Each island has one Kahuna (gym leader), but no gym, you just meet em and talk to em.
Notice these are all small gripes. I absolutely ADORE Sun and Moon, and I am playing the hell out of it. I didn't follow all the pre-release info or any of the leaks, so it's really cool seeing totally new Pokemon for the first time since I was, I don't know, 6? And even when I was 6 I was addicted to Pokemon books and manuals and things, so there weren't THAT many that flew under my radar
@rjejr Pokemon started the 2 version thing to encourage kids to trade with each other. If I have a Vulpix and you have a Sandshrew, and I can't get a Vulpix no matter what and you can't get a Sandshrew no matter what, we trade. If we can both get both, then the only reason to trade is out of laziness for not wanting to bother with capturing a Pokemon.
@happylittlepigs "Pokemon started the 2 version thing to encourage kids to trade with each other."
So, why couldn't kids w/ the same version of the game trade w/ each other? Why does their have to be 2 versions? Isn't it possible for 2 kids each playing Red or Black or Y to have different Pokemon and trade w/ each other?
The only reason to make 2 versions is to make more money.
@rjejr I mean, it can be both, right? Back in the day though, IVs weren't as big of a deal as they were now, so the only big reason to trade was to get a Pokemon you didn't have or to evolve a Pokemon. If there wasn't two versions with exclusive Pokemon, many people would have little reason to trade, and people who don't play with friends would need two games to evolve their Pokemon anyway.
After finally playing through the whole game wow this review is so bad lmao
"Sun and Moon are easily the most difficult to date"
"rewards exploration"
Like did we not play the same game or something lol
@Rocossa
I think it says a lot about someone who has to say "lol" twice in a post that's basically just a single run-on sentence. If you disagree with the review, why not go into a bit of detail as to what areas the game falls short on instead of having a gigglefit? As someone who hasn't yet played it, I would actually like to know in what way exactly the review is "so bad".
Also, periods. Learn 'em! Learn how to use a question mark too. It's hard to take your criticism of someone else's writing seriously when you can't even use basic English that most kids learn in the 2nd grade.
Anyway with that out of the way, I'm kind of skeptical that the game is truly THAT good. I dismissed S&M as a silly entry in the series based on what I saw, but if it got a 10/10, maybe there's some merit to this game after all!
@Onion sorry mom
The EXP Share is back, and I heard that it makes the game much easier than all the other Pokémon games.
@invictus4000 Aw you should have gone for black 1 then, black and white had the best stories, then in the sequels the story went back to normal mostly and more content was added to the world. But yeah B/W had the best stories (unless sun and moon are better, I don't know yet)
60+ hours in and I just completed all seven trials. There is just so much to do in this game. It's definitely one of the best in the series.
Already brought Sun, although I won't be playing it for a long while. Oh well, I can't wait!
I already bought both games but at the moment can't play either of them yet cause I'm still on track to finish Dragon Quest VII first. After that I'll maybe get a head start on Pokemon Sun.
I'm a Gen1/2 fanboi and Moon is the first Pokemon game I'm really going to sink into since the GB era.
@kastark
there ARE some serious rumours about a switch version. allegedly it's called ''stars'' no actual proof, but it's extremely viable.
One of the worst pokemon games Because they got rid of gym leaders and the story is Stupid
Pokemon Heart Gold Rules!!!
Im late to my complaint (You see it rhymes XD) but this game wasn't good for me. Ultra was better by a mile but really, NO Gym Leaders? Just no. Pokemon 2019 is gonna be way better!
@Nincompoop i do, 7 years later
Tap here to load 189 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...