Now that I've finished the game I wanted to record my thoughts for posterity's sake. Obviously there will be spoilers and the only reason I am repeating this is so that they don't show up in the preview on my page.
Pros:
-The Ride Pager. Hands down the best new feature. Fans have been wanting a way to get rid of HMs and they've finally given it to us. (I would've like to see them use more Gen 7 Pokemon as rides instead of older ones; but that's a minor gripe.)
- The new Pokemon. From the starters to the mascots there are so many wickedly cool designs. (The beast Pokemon kinda leave a lot to be desired but that's par for the course at this point.) I especially like how well a lot of the new Pokemon fit the theming of the game overall. I know that is usually the case; but in this game it felt particularly on point.
- The NPCs. With the exception of Hau I really enjoyed the colorful cast of characters that graced this game. Obviously Lillie stands out above the rest as someone who shows a lot of growth through the game. It's nothing mind blowing; but by Pokemon standards it's definitely a step up from characters we've seen in the past. Also Team Skull might be the best team we've ever had. Guzma and Plumeria are both delights.
Neutrals:
- The Trails. While I definitely appreciate the subversion of the traditional progression, I felt they could've done a lot more with it. They started off feeling really fresh and new; but quickly felt repetitive; fighting three or four Pokemon before facing the boss with little in the way of puzzles or clever level design.
- The Story. While the NPCs were (mostly) fun, the story itself was rather weak. While that's to be expected with Pokemon games, it's clear that they are trying to improve. My biggest gripe was the constant interruptions in the first half of the game. It felt like a way-too-long tutorial. With that said as mentioned above I liked the subversion to the usual progression, as well as actually becoming the first champion of a region as opposed to someone else beating you to it/already being established.
- Clothing. While I am glad they made their return, the choices (at least for males) was still sorely lacking. If anything it felt like a regression from Gen VI. I can't say for sure but it seems like there were fewer actual items to choose from; but with an expanded color palette to make it seem like there's more than their actually is. As someone that loves customization I found it a little disappointing.
- Alola. The Hawaiian-esque setting is fantastic. Going from island to island is great. Having only four islands to travel between? Not so great. The world is far too small. The fact that I was left wanting more is both a good and bad thing. There's so much unexplored space on the world map it's kind of depressing. Even if they had done something like Wind Waker where there were a bunch of small islands with one area to explore I would've felt more satisfied.
- Z-Moves. The moves themselves are, for the most part, a spectacle to behold. While I wouldn't say they are on par with Final Fantasy summons, I get the same kind of feeling when I use them. The drawback is that, once again, it requires a held item to perform. It's still far more versatile than mega evolution, however, so in that regard it's an improvement.
Cons:
- Alolan Forms. I'll just come out and say it. I hate the concept. When I play a new Pokemon game I want to play a NEW one. With new Pokemon. Not old Pokemon with a new coat of paint. Not to mention most of them look like crappy fanart. (That being said Marowak's design was particularly inspired.
- Old Pokemon. On a related note...the ratio of old Pokemon to new was way WAY too skewed in the direction of the former. The only thing worse than seeing an Alolan Pokemon was seeing a plain Jane one. I ended up avoiding random battles as much as possible after the second island because it was a waste of time. I had no desire to wade through dozens of battles with Rattats and Tentacools just to get to the new Pokemon. X/Y had a much better balance despite having plenty of old Pokemon in it as well; but it's obvious they really wanted to show off the Alolan forms.
- The Menus. Gen VI had it so good. All the things you'd ever need right there on the bottom screen. But not so in Gen VII. The menus felt super clunky in this game. Having to go to Festival Plaza just to do anything with your friend was a terrible TERRIBLE decision. I realize that they don't want games to feel stale; but if something isn't broken, why try to fix it?
- Lag. This game chugs far too often for its own good. Most notable in double battles/battle royals; but regardless it's not acceptable. If you're going to release a game for the old 3DS then it should be able to run well on an old 3DS.
Overall:
As a whole I found this game to be a huge step down from previous entries in the series, Gen VI specifically. A lot of cool ideas squandered in a package of mediocrity. With little in the way of post-game (that I can tell) I don't see myself coming back to this game very much now that I'm done with it.
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7 years, 10 months ago
08 Jan 2017 13:48 CET
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