Pokémon Moon - Nintendo 3DS

Great new entry in the Pokemon series. As a long-time fan, it is nice that they are still improving the games with each iteration-- it would be really easy for them to put out a sub-par product and still get sales. I have already put ~120 hours into this game (about 30 or so in the story with oodles of time in the post-game), but even with that time investment I will buy it again for the Nintendo Switch and play through again :P. Some of the great quality of life improvements over the previous games: No more HMs Previously, you had to make room on your Pokemon for story-based moves (and have specific types of Pokemon in your party), but this is no longer the case! Great story The story in this game is one of the best in the series, possibly the best (over B/W), though this will probably differ somewhat based on personal taste UI Improvements If you ever had to look up type matchups to see if a move was Super Effective/ Not Very Effective, you are in luck: after you have battled a Pokemon, your move effectiveness is always displayed on your moves in the lower screen. IV Judging all Pokemon in your PC boxes at any PC This is huge for anyone that breeds Pokemon: after unlocking it, you can see the IVs for any Pokemon in your PC (which streamlines the IV checking process significantly). EV display in Summary screen This is a slight step back (as you could normally see this in the bottom screen at any time), but when you press the Y button on a Pokemon Summary it shows you the current EV investment for the Pokemon (with sparkles if a stat is maxed). It is nice having the same UI for the IVs and EVs in the same spot. Basically, if you have ever liked Pokemon (or just want to try a fun game), try this out. It is totally worth it. If you are thinking of trying another Pokemon game after Pokemon GO, you will not be disappointed-- the actual gameplay here is so much better. Just buy this and a fitbit :P.

One of the best main series Pokemon games Ive ever played! I like how much love they put into the storyline and characters this rime around, and the new Pokemon are very good. They really stepped up their game since X and Y. There are also so many things you can do. Like side quests for extra money, looking for creatures for the Zygarde Cube, taking photos of Pokemon, and Poke Pelago. Some of the bigger changes, like the Trials instead of Gym Battles, and removal of HMs really lends to the culture of Alola, and the progression of Pokemon as a game. Z-Moves are a better addition than the Mega Evolutions and are incoporrated into the story and gameplay pretty well. Z-Moves also scale with the Pokemons stats. Customization has improved, too. My only greviances are that there should be more Alola Pokemon (because they are so good) and there are performance issues during battles that are not 1v1. But if you can get past that, then you are going to enjoy all that the Alola Region has to offer you.

As a longtime pokemon fan, this purchase was a no-brainer for me. For this installment I chose to not look at any spoilers of the game beforehand, so these are my thoughts while playing through: New Pokemon: Any game with new pokemon usually guarantees a thumbs up from me. Im less of a fan of remakes because I played through the originals so many times as a kid. The new pokemon this time around were all really great and I felt like a kid again seeing them all for the first time. I also really liked the addition of alolan forms for some of the original 151 pokemon, but there were only ~15 of those total (including some evolutions), which was kind of disappointing. Another great thing is that there are plenty of new legendaries / special pokemon to catch, which I felt was lacking in X/Y. Z Moves: Instead of mega-evolution, this game introduces z-moves. They are essentially a once-per-battle super move that you can use by attaching an item to your pokemon. Honestly, I prefer mega evolutions. It breathed new life into some pokemon by changing abilities and appearance. Z-moves are kind of boring... Trial battles instead of gyms: Trials replaced gyms in this installment. This was a super cool new addition in my opinion. A lot of people are unsure how they feel about the change, but I thought trials were great. They are very similar to gym battles in terms of progression through battles/ puzzles to be solved, but the advent of totem pokemon, enemies calling for help during battle, and increased stats made them more challenging and satisfying. Extra features: In terms of extra features, this game did a good job. Replacing hidden machines with pokemon riding was a great idea, it really makes you feel more involved and saves your teams move slots. Pokemon refresh and poke-pelagio are also fun little mini games that offer benefits during the main game. Festival plaza is basically more cumbersome way to connect to the internet/ interact with others, but it adds minigames and shops that can be fun as well. Lastly, breeding for competitive play is easier and quicker than ever, which is always appreciated by those getting into online play for the first time. Overall, I really enjoyed (and am still enjoying) the game! I would recommend it to any pokemon fan new or old, and even as an introduction to the series, as the game itself isnt too hard and there is a huge variety of pokemon to catch! The game has a few ways to increase or decrease difficulty, such as the exp share and constant stream of rare candies, which is great for easing new players in, or for veterans who want more of a challenge.

Overall I like this version of Pokemon. Starter pokemon are cool, but dont pick the fire cat unless you want to destroy the game . . . or its your first play. Happily, you may have two games at once, so you can collect multiple pokemon to trade, and perhaps use a different starter. Also, fire cat evolves into a dark/fire/some sort of fighting pokemon that is not cute at all! I love cute pokemon (dont judge) and the water-seal actually ends up cute. I still love him, but wish he werent so creepy looking as a fully evolved! I recommend starting with the water pokemon, since its probably the toughest to start with (and I think most of us playing are a bit of old hats. I picked the fire pokemon for my first run through, so I could beat it quickly/check it out. I just used my fire pokemon . . . and pretty much beat the game with just him. He can be more than a bit op. Story line is different, and interesting, but not amazing. It just seems like a more advanced (graphic-wise) good pokemon. I love crystal/gold/silver/soulsilver/heartgold, so I really enjoyed this one. Its got a plot that in nearly on par with those (but not quite). I am not impressed by the pokebeans . . . or petting the pokemon. Its cool that there are more ways to make your pokemon happy/friendly, but it gets tedious fast, and can be pretty boring after a few times. Also . . . the fire cat starter has a fire belt as a fully evolved pokemon that burns you. He makes a weird face when it happens, too. . . not a huge fan. I do like that when my pokemon loves me it is less likely to faint. It makes me feel loved in return. Island evolutions/varieties are very cool/fun to collect--except for the bird that needs different nectar. I caught one and was unimpressed when there just kept being more and more forms that didnt fill my pokedex. Filling your pokedex is perhaps easier than ever, with the trading being so simple/kind of interactive? You can put up messages (appropriate) that others can read.

All ran smoothly. Great and quick shipping.

This is a great game for pokemon fans who are looking for a slightly different story line and non-traditional rpg main game. To put it simply this game uses maintains many of the mechanics and features of the main story games for pokemon but introduces a story line that doesnt necessarily involve beating several gyms, defeating an evil organization, and beating the elite four, although two of those elements are still within the game (it still feels a more variant of typical pokemon games). Any main rpg style pokemon game is very easy to pick up and play without any prior knowledge.

I was hesitant to pick up Sun and Moon after the massive disappointment that was X and Y, especially after seeing that they suffered from one of the exact same issues--very few new pokemon with the new generation. Some might say that there are too many pokemon already, but I disagree. Were especially lacking in pokemon of the new Fairy type, and Sun and Moon did very little to remedy that. But I pre-ordered the game despite my misgivings, and honestly? I wasnt disappointed. It definitely has a few rough edges, but overall this was well worth my time and money. Lets start with the worst aspect, the graphics. Namely, the models of the pokemon themselves. Now, I have a degree in 3D Animation, I have some idea of whats going on regarding the models and Im sure thats exasperating my issues. But holy crap Game Freak, your models look like bootleg plastic toys crapped out of a low quality 3D Printer. Throw some texture maps onto your models, the 3DS can handle it, even with the crappy shader. Please just. A texture map, a specularity map, something! The models are physically painful to watch for me, moving like stiff jointed action figures and looking like a four year olds idea of color theory slapped on a pokemon shape. A pokemon that particularly suffers from this is Dhelmise, which is an anchor+ship wheel with seaweed clinging to it. The seaweed looks like green paint and takes an otherwise cool design and makes it hard to handle having the thing on the screen. The world-map models however are beautiful, and the in-game cutscenes are beautifully rendered with the only flaw being the unnerving never-ending stare plastered on the player characters face. A less severe flaw: With the move to Generation 7 it seems that we have lost Super Training and the foot in the door it brought to the competitive world of the series. While the Super Training Minigame wasnt the best thing, it was a way for players to interact with their team on a level besides shouting orders at them. Now for the redeeming qualities: Bugs: While no pokemon game is free from its share of glitches, unlike X and Y, Sun and Moon dont drag the frame-rate down on my old 3DS when Im in a battle. This is an A+++++ improvement. Plot: Easily the best plot since Pokemon Black and Pokemon White, the story is easy to follow and kid-friendly, but just intense and thought provoking enough to engage the older players as well. The biggest problem is how hand-holdy and railroady the game is, assuming that the player must be a two year old who must be spoonfed everything to be able to understand it and know where to go. Per usual and despite all requests otherwise, Game Freak has still not put in a way to skip the tutorial if youve already played. Post-Game: It exists! And is actually quite fun, and brings back a surprising cameo character. Welcome back from Emerald! Neutral things: The Poke Pelago- its a fun gimmick and nifty idea that I hope they expand on in the future, but theres a very very large disparity between resource availability and things available. While trying to build your islands you are constantly hurting for Poke Beans [the special currency for this section of the game] which are also used in Pokemon Refresh, the replacement of Pokemon Amie. This means you often have to choose between bonding with your pokemon, or spending the beans to make it marginally easier to get more beans. Pokemon Refresh is fun and cute, but with the lack of resources it quickly becomes exhausting, and unlike in Pokemon Amie, there arent even minigames you can play to increase your Pokebean stock! Money scarcity- Ive been playing pokemon games for as long as I can remember. I have beaten and owned literally every main series game, and most of the side games, and I have NEVER had the issues with keeping a healthy supply of pokeyen that I had in Moon. An Amulet Coin or a special promotional pokemon with the special move Happy Hour is literally required to have anything resembling a healthy supply of pokeyen. New designs- Are painfully hit or miss. Of the ~70 new pokemon+formes introduced, I like maybe 30 of the designs, and the rest I honestly wish I could throw into a lava pit. I dont have a single one that Im just neutral on. Im hoping the series continues in this direction, but seeing what Ive seen for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, I dont have very high expectations.

Youll get the UAE World Edition. Works fine, just more expensive than needed. Save yourself 10 bucks and buy this, because its the same product. https://www.amazon.com/3DS-Pokemon-Moon-World-Nintendo/dp/B08Y4B2H1K/ref=asc_df_B08Y4B2H1K/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=509457162433&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5056308463487562962&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010320&hvtargid=pla-1393393556597&psc=1

im on the second island so this will be a bit incomplete the new pokemon designs and animations are fairly good. the new improvements are either good or bad the hand-holding in the game is a lot more noticeable and would help newcomers jump in or annoy people looking for the least bit of a challenge. i just dont see the reason for a destination point in the game. the camera is a lot better than x/y however there is no 3d feature and i would have liked to be able to move the camera at times as well. the new pokemon gang team is fairly good the animations giving to them are funny and give them a sense of being. all i got so far may add to this.

Aesthetically pleasing? Yes. You stop being excited about how great it looks after playing it for a couple of hours and seeing all the flaws. Seriously, there is no sense of accomplishment to this game period. Whoever developed it mustve just went, Hey, lets make this game easy for idiots. Dont bother grinding levels, you dont need it. The game tells you where to go and what to do. Cut scenes galore. I am also really irritated with how it tells you even what moves to USE in battle. Its always been about trial and error, and memorizing from experience how to battle. Besides isnt the whole point to pokemon to become a master trainer? You cant grow as a person much like you cant get better at a videogame if everything is handed to you on a silver platter. Now, the call for help feature....is such a tedious waste of time. Most people are not going to farm shinys for hours on end. And, as far as I can see, thats the only purpose it serves because I can kill everything just fine. It just eats up more of my day when my pokeball fails and another one drops from the sky and tells you that you cant throw it if two are on the field. If the island challenges were a little more difficult, you might actually get some satisfaction from obtaining a z-crystals. The game even gives you dire hits to waste on totem pokemon if you suck bad enough to need it. Your rival in the game is a joke and Gary would be ashamed of him. I read reviews of performance issues but I have a New 3ds so I cant really bi*ch about that. Festival plaza is super pointless other than the daily drawing where you can win an item. Poke pelago is actually implemented seemingly well. Honestly, I think this game is for children only. Teens and adults that are long time fans of the series are going to have much to gripe about. I see a lot of 5* reviews and just assume those people must be the ones you see at work or school that smile all the time and never get gloomy. Overall, its an okay game with untapped potential. I think its definitely a game people should try though your mileage may vary.