Pokémon still providing new, updated games

No doubt, one of the most anticipated games released this year was none other than the seventh generation in the Pokémon series: Pokémon Sun and Moon. The Pokémon franchise has been one of Nintendo’s most successful game series since the initial release of Pokémon Red and Blue all the way back in 1996. Sun and Moon released on Nov. 18.
I took the liberty of using Thanksgiving break to finish Pokémon Moon, after looking forward to this game since early this year, when rumors of the new game began to surface. Nintendo, throughout the year, released several trailers each teasing new information from the games, such as the appearances of iconic characters from earlier in the series, new Pokémon, and new challenges. From the beginning, Nintendo received criticism for releasing too much information about the game before its release. However, I can say with full confidence that this wasn’t the case, after 26 hours of game play. I was constantly surprised by the content that didn’t appear in the teasers.
Pokémon Moon takes place on the islands of Alola, a region based on real-life Hawaii. Your purpose in the game is to travel to all four islands to beat the captains and kahunas of each island, a big difference from the usual formula of beating gym leaders in every previous Pokémon game. The goal of becoming the best trainer in the region remains the same. Also, unlike previous games, your character does not have a true rival that chooses the starter that’s strong against the one you choose, but a companion who aims to get strong with you, who chooses the starter that is weaker to you.
The game follows the usual formula of choosing between three starters of three different types: fire, water, and grass. This generation features great choices, offering a fire-type cat, a grass-type owl, and a water-type seal. Personally, I chose the cat. Your choice of starter affects how difficult certain places in the game will be for you if you don’t catch a variety of Pokémon, since certain types are weak to other types.
Overall, I think the game is fantastic. I like the story it told involving your character, his/her companions, the Aether Foundation, and the “bad guys,” Team Skull. The story is more heartfelt and better written than in previous games. The game introduces about the same amount of new Pokémon as the sixth-generation games, Pokémon X and Y. The wild Pokémon in the game feature many of the now nearly 800 Pokémon that haven’t been seen in the wild since the second generation. The game panders to the nostalgia of players like me, who have been involved in this series since elementary school. The graphics are beautiful for a Nintendo 3DS title, and the game rewards exploration through its mechanics. There are even sections of Alola that I haven’t discovered despite completing the main story after 26 hours, meaning that there are a few things I can do in the post-game. I also applaud Nintendo for delaying its Pokémon Bank app, a program that acts as a cloud storage system between your games and allows for transfer of your Pokémon between games, until January 2017, meaning that players can’t just transfer their favorite, already strong, Pokémon over to the game. Players are forced to experience the new Pokémon to complete the game.
The game isn’t perfect, however. It tends to drop a lot of frames in battles that feature four Pokémon, making the game appear choppy at parts. The tutorial stage of the game is too long, lasting about an hour on my play through. I understand that Pokémon is a relatively complex game with nuances in every stage of it, which can be intimidating for new players, but being an avid player myself, I would have liked to be able to skip parts of this stage of the game. I applaud Nintendo continuing to make this game accessible to new generations of Pokémon fans in every new installment, though.
I also didn’t particularly like the new Rotom PokéDex feature. I like that it provides a map on the bottom screen of the 3DS showing your objectives, but I don’t like that the feature reiterates your objectives as soon as you get them, providing its own commentary. I can see how this feature could be endearing to others, but I just find it annoying.
Despite its flaws, I strongly recommend picking up Pokémon Sun or Pokémon Moon this holiday season. It holds true as a next generation game and provides great framework for a continuation of the series. Nintendo and Game Freak manage to refresh the series time and time again, and I don’t see the hype dying down any time soon, especially with the continued success of Pokémon Go and the great reception of this new generation. I would give Pokémon Moon, and in turn, Pokémon Sun, a solid nine of 10 rating. I see myself playing it for hours to come.