Pokemon Moon - Nintendo 3DS Moon Edition

Easily the best pokemon game of recent years. Sure, I guess some of the earlier ones might seem better for the sake of nostalgia, but I honestly think this is probably the best yet.First, in recent years there have often been complaints about the pokemon being laim or uninspired, and I feel like this set has done a really good job of making a large number of really great pokemon. Sure, there are always a few that seem pointless, but it's far less than in other games, in my opinion. I played through the games multiple times with entirely different teams because there were so many pokemon I wanted to try using.Second, the break with tradition with the gyms was a great change of pace. The prior formula was tried and true, but was so predictable, that even the nicest and coolest gyms were just okay. With the trials, every single one had me excited for what twist it would have. And boy did they have some great twists, it's probably the first game that there were multiple times where I smiled or laughed out loud at something that happened during a trial.And speaking of laughing, Team Skull will forever be immortalized as my favorite villain team ever. Nothing can beat the nostalgic true evil of Team Rocket, or the ethical and moral designing around N from black and white, but this is the first team where I was excited every time I saw them, rather than exasperated that they were wasting more of my time. The jokes, the comedic timing, the music! Everything was done so well, that it will be hard to create a new villain in the next games that will be able to compare.Finally, and I think most importantly, the excellent cast of characters. Sure, I thought Hau was as lame and uninteresting as the next guy, but so many of the other characters were so well designed. The trial captains were dynamic and felt so much more alive than your average gym leader from the previous games. Kukui, for all his lame jokes, was more involved and excited to exist than any before, and it seemed like he had real motivation behind his work. And, of course, Lillie. For the first time ever in a pokemon game, I would purposefully go out of my way to talk with Lillie every time something happened, hoping for a new comment or dialogue. Whenever she popped up needing help, I didn't feel annoyed or tired, but I genuinely wanted to help her. Her character alone was worth the entire game in my opinion, and I desperately hope that they make a third game for this set just so that I can experience more of her story, considering there is still so much to tell. It seems like they've set themselves up perfectly for a sequel, but we can never be sure just what Nintendo is thinking.All in all, I think it is no surprise that this is considered one of the best games of recent pokemon history, and it is definitely an adventure worth experiencing for anyone who considers themselves a pokemon fan.

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. I'm 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 isn't 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.