Pokémon Moon - Nintendo 3DS

If you are looking for the non-world edition, this isnt it

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.

Unfortunately came without art, just the game, for someone like me how love to collect this old games it’s disappointing.

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.

game is just as fun as other pokemon games and it has exciting new features that were specifically made for pokemon moon and its alternate game pokemon sun. i picked pokemon moon because its legendary pokemon is a giant bat pokemon where pokemon sun has a lion type. i just got my game not too long ago so im not really far in the game yet since i dont have tons of time to play it. i will say though im far enough in that i love what i see and cant wait to see what else it has in store for me. i am 28 years old and it is a great game for kids or adults without getting bored at all

As someone who played Pokemon since the Pokemon Special Edition days, I can say that the changes in this game has the biggest changes to the series, ever. First of all, they got rid of gyms for the Island Challenge, like it or not, and honestly, Im mostly mixed on it. In one way, I find going through them a bit easy, of course I havent finished the yet so I cant say that for all the trials, but they can actually be a bit fun at times. Another change they had, which is another like it or not, are the Z-Moves replacing the Mega Evolutions. Personally, I would prefer the Mega Evolutions, and the Z-Moves arent always exiting, but to each his/her own. The level design is also less grid-like, which I didnt even realize that in the demo, but its definitely a step up from the older grid-like design, since what worked in the past, where we had d-pads on portables, are just aged concepts with analog sticks/pads on the system. Now, the game itself is still Pokemon in core concept, and some of the changes are a bit light compared to others, such as effectivness rating on your move lists for example, but one of the changes I cant believe didnt come sooner is Pokemon Refresh. If you played X/Y or Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, you mightve heard of a feature called Pokemon Amie, which is mostly, in my eyes, NintenDogs Pokemon Edition. It was one of those features I barely used, mostly cause I couldnt find a point in it, and even the effects felt small to me, even if it was for better exp, dodging moves, or just help in evolving certain Pokemon. However, with Pokemon Refresh, I feel like its in my best to use it, especially when you can cure status conditions. I always hated having to run to the nearest Pokemon Center to cure that one Pokemon. Now, its just more convenient to cure your Pokemon than it has been before, and it actually made me want to use the other features. Another feature I really like is Pokemon Ride. Why? Because no more HM Slaves. Its like the Soar feature in Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, but with more options to go through obstacles and traveling faster, and again, no more non-removable HMs, freeing up your move lists for your favorite moves. There are also changes presentation-wise, such as trainers standing behind their Pokemon during battle and ACTUAL OPPONENT MODELS INSTEAD OF SPRITES. I kind of wish your opponent doesnt look a manikin after they lose, but its a step in the right direction. Even the new PokeDex can tell you the exact location of a Pokemon and gives you mission locations, via bottom screen. Overall, while there are more features and changes, I feel like these are great changes for the series thus far, making this game may favorite version of the game. Oh, and during daytime in real world, its nighttime in-game, because thats totally not the weirdest way of differentiating the version at all, but kept within theme anyway. Customization also comes back from versions X and Y, letting you make a more unique looking trainer than just identifying yourself as a Bug Catcher or Ace Trainer. Storywise, its the usual Pokemon affair. The only difference I can say is that your rival actually picks the weaker Pokemon instead of the stronger one, i.e. a fire-type Litten vs a Grass/Flying type Rowlet, but at least hes a cheery fellow. I also like the characters thus far, even the members of the crime organization youll fight most of the game, Team Skull, which has the most ridiculous members ever. Seriously, these guys are just hilarious, from their animations, the way they talk, to the boneheaded ideas they have, like stealing berries. Of course, I havent finished the game yet, and I likely wont put any spoilers on the review anyway, except for berry stealing, but I feel that this story, so far, is just the typical Pokemon affair, except with no gyms, and Im fine with that. As far as the Pokemon themselves, I think they look great. I even like some of the Alola Forms of classic Pokemon, such as Vulpix for example. Sure, there are some to make fun of, such as Alola Persian being compared to Garfield, and even Gumpshoos, in the head, reminded me of Donald Turmp when I first saw it (could be a coincidence, could be an office joke turned Pokemon, who knows). But for the most part, I feel like a lot of the designs are great, and I havent found too many designs to laugh at. I do have some small problems, though, I have, such as the removal of elements. For example, in Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, you can sneak up on Pokemon, but on this version, thats not the case. While its a small thing, I actually liked this feature as it felt like actual Pokemon hunting. There is also, mostly in battles and mainly due to upgrades, a good amount of slow down, which wont affect your gameplay experience, but it shows how old the hardware is, especially when they got rid of 3D (for the most part) in the game, which caused slow down in the older 3DS Pokemon games anyway. You only get it while using the PokeFinder, a little camera minigame more or less, which is already laggy at best anyway. Im also not crazy about the change from Mega Evolutions to Z Moves, but thats just me. Overall, I highly recommend either Sun or Moon. Really, whether which version to get, if both isnt an option for you, really depends on the Pokemon you want, so I would research the differences, but other than that, there arent that many, and even then, the two games connect to each other. If you want to move your Pokemon from X/Y or Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, youll be waiting until January to do that, so keep that in mind when you purchase either one of them.

PROS: -3D environment looks really nice -More difficult than expected; I expected this game to be a breeze if it was anything like X and Y, but I surprisingly found myself struggling in certain areas -Trial challenges are a welcome change to the typical Gym leader layout -Instead of HMs, you can summon different pokemon entirely to interact with overworld obstacles. This is great seeing that teaching pokemon HMs that while needed to get through the game, are really bad moves in an actual fight. For example, instead of teaching a pokemon rock smash, instead you can summon a tauros to ride on, and to dash into rocks to break them. POSSIBLE CONS (some of these are subjective and problems that I personally dont like, but I know a lot of people do like them) -SO MUCH STORY - This is a problem that I feel is getting progressively worse with each new pokemon game. I feel like I cant walk two steps without triggering some kind of cut scene that I just DO NOT CARE ABOUT. Containing characters that I DO NOT CARE ABOUT. ESPECIALLY in the opening of the game, which takes waaay to long to finish. Ive talked to a lot of people who do love the story and characters, and I guess its just a To each their own thing, but if you were annoyed at the number of cut-scenes in the last pokemon generation, this is even worse. There are so many side characters that tag along to wherever you go, and will not shut up whenever I just want to go back to playing the game. Especially Hau. I HATE Hau. In-fact Im going to go on a tangent about Hau: Remember how in the first generation (I should mention that I am not a first-gen-fanatic like others, I prefer the 3rd generation and the remakes of the 2nd gen), your rival was the biggest jerk in the world, and you wanted to beat him so bad and it felt so good when you did? Apparently gamers cant handle that kind of conflict, so instead every Rival now are the nicest, most PG, and most boring characters in the game, who pick the starter pokemon that are weak against your starter because a challenge against your rival is too much to ask for. Every time I see this character waiting in the distance with his stupid smug face, waiting for me to get close to trigger a cut-scene that I cant escape, and play a battle that is now a chore because I dont care about this boring character. (In case you didnt want to read this novel above me, allow me to simplify: Too much boring story and too many boring characters that keep you from actually playing the game) -The introduction takes way way too long, and is especially boring and pointless to anyone familiar with pokemon games -Another complaint is the use of way points and a radar map. I enjoy being able to figure out what I need to do in order to progress throughout the game. Its a great feeling when you figure out the next step in your adventure by yourself with little help. In Sun and Moon, you are given a radar map on your bottom screen, and on that radar are way points that tell you exactly where to go which means that there is no room for any exploration in this game, because the game designers felt the need to hold your hand throughout the game, and always point to where you need to go. This makes the cutscenes that explain to the player what they need to do because it doesnt matter what they say, the waypoints will show them where to go anyways. (TLDR) So, overall, Ill say this. If you arent a fan of the newer generations because of the excessive story, and very easy nature, etc. etc., this certainly wont do anything for you, especially with the addition of waypoints. The only thing that I like more in this than X and Y is that some of the Trial pokemon battles are actually pretty tough and may even warrant some grinding. If, however, you really like the new games, and all of the story involved, and you want your adventure to be easy, then buy this game by all means. And even though I trashed this game in most of this review, I will still give it a solid 3 stars. It is still a pokemon game, after all, and you would need to do a great deal to screw up a pokemon game enough to be a bad game.

Pokemon Moon is the first Pokemon game that ever took me more than a week to beat. And no, its not because Pokemon Moon is difficult. The reason it took me over a month to beat Pokemon Moon is because it is boring. I could barely play over an hour of it at a time. My excitement was quickly dashed after starting up the game for the first time. Thirty minutes of cutscenes later, and I still wasnt on my pokemon journey. People seem to love bashing the Gen VI games but if theres one thing those games did correctly, it was the short introductions. Pokemon XY barely had a tutorial section; I was catching Pokemon only ten minutes after popping in the cartridge. And I understand that tutorials are essential. Ive been playing Pokemon since Gen I so I know how to play the games. Someone just entering the Pokemon series might find the tutorials useful. However, we arent talking about a massive open world rpg. Its Pokemon, guys. Just demonstrate to the player how a basic battle works and how to catch wild Pokemon. Pokemon Gold and Silver did that in under ten minutes so can anyone tell me why 16 years later in Gen VII it takes over half an hour? The very least they could have done was to make the cutscenes skippable. You think its just the introduction, right? Nope. The game is cluttered with them. I swear I spent more time reading through all those cutscenes than I did exploring the various Islands. Not that there is much to explore, however. Pokemon Sun / Moon are not the games you were promised. 1) Exploration Although no Pokemon game is really non-linear, never before have I truly felt confined to a corridor than I have been in Moon (or FFXIII, take your pick). The novelty of having multiple islands to explore quickly dissipates as you realize that almost all of the routes feel exactly the same. Much of this can be attributed to the lack of the variety of Pokemon. A lot of the same Pokemon will keep sprouting up across all of the islands, taking away any uniqueness or sense of discovery. However, the routes themselves just arent particularly interesting. Most of them look the same, with the few trainers littered throughout being the only way to distinguish one route from the next. 2) Festival Plaza I cant even begin to guess why this exists. What was wrong with the PSS from Gen VI? Why did they replace that with this? Festival Plaza is one great big mess, a convoluted manner in which to connect players that totally breaks any immersion and fun because of how obnoxious and tedious it is. 3) Trials and their Captains After hearing about the decision to remove the classic Gym Battle system, many people were excited to find out what the trials of Sun and Moon would be. I myself was quite intrigued as I wondered what they implemented. Trials and their Captains were meant to spice things up, offering a new way of growing stronger as opposed to the previously established Gyms. However, different isnt always better. Instead of gym puzzles, gym trainers, and gym leaders, Gen VII offers a tedious activity coupled with a battle against a Wild (though powered-up) Pokemon. After the first two trials, it becomes clear that the concept was not properly hashed out. Most of the trials end up feeling just like gym battles anyway (Looking at you, Acerola >_>) so its a lackluster experience. 4) Rivals A lot of people wish for a classic Rival, akin to Blue or Silver. Someone cold, rude, derisive, and powerful with maybe a superiority complex sprinkled on top. After the lackluster comedic Rivals of Gen IV and Gen VI, most people felt tired of the lack of competition. Seriously...does anyone remember Barry? Or the XY Trio? They were among the most useless of characters in their games and pathetically weak as well. However, I guess there are people out there who appreciated them, though how anyone can like a character like Tierno is beyond my capacity of understanding. So in a spineless attempt to please both crowds, they included two Rivals in Sun and Moon. Hau, the happy-go-lucky native who barges into the story whenever he feels like it, is the goofy comedy relief Rival who never poses any threat to you or your ambitions. This is clearly outlined in the first hour of the game, when Hau, your RIVAL, does the opposite of all other Rivals in Pokemon games, and selects the Pokemon with a weakness to yours. Throughout the game, he is obnoxiously cheerful and never changes or develops as a character. He is just as useless by the end of the game as he is in the beginning and youll groan out loud every time he appears on screen. On the other hand, we have Gladion. Unlike Hau, he is an aloof and calculating individual who believes in individual strength. I really dont have anything bad to say about Gladion. Hes obviously a throwback to Silver, the Rival from Gen II, but theres nothing inherently wrong about that. Out of all the characters in this game, Gladion is written the best and his character actually experiences credible development throughout the game. Not to mention, his battle theme is INCREDIBLE! 5) Lillie Ugh...I cannot stand this character. Lillie, the little coward who cant do a single thing on her own, tags along with you for most of your journey through Alola. This wouldnt be an issue except that Lillie is one of the most aggravating and pointless characters of all time. Sun and Moon spend a lot of time (and a million cutscenes) trying to get you to love and adore her, as if shes the most precious, delicate flower in the world. However, after hearing Lillie tell me for the third time that she didnt enjoy watching Pokemon get hurt, I just couldnt find it in myself to care. Lillie is meant to be written as a selfless heroine trapped behind insecurities and trauma. However, the game doesnt do a good job of presenting her that way. Cutscenes of yelling Nebby! Get in the bag! and I wish I were more like you! are not nearly enough to build a character. Show, dont tell! Instead of telling us about how brave Lillie is or having all of the characters in the game compliment and praise her on her (non-existent) growth, show us that shes becoming more mature, more responsible, more courageous. When the climax of Lillies growth and transformation finally arrives, it just feels so forced and contrived. At no point was I ever convinced Lillie had developed one bit as a character. 6) Your Character (Protagonist: Sun and Moon) Protagonist Sun and Moon have absolutely no soul. With giant, wide open eyes, permanent smiles on their face, and strangely robotic walk cycles, Sun and Moon look and act like zombies. Compared to these two, Red is a rambunctious extrovert. Sun and Moon have no character. Most of this is Lillies fault. So much of the story is centered on her that it leaves little room for Sun and Moon to properly develop. You spend more time fulfilling favors for her, listening to her drone on and on about this or that, or saving her from another disaster than you do learning anything about yourself. 7) Team Skull While I have grown to love them, I can understand why some people dont care much for Team Skull. As an antagonistic group, Team Skull is laughably pathetic. When compared to Team Rocket, Team Aqua / Magma, Team Plasma, the rapping punk goons fall flat on their face. However, while I disliked them in the beginning, I am rather fond of them now. Their music is cool and the dialogue from their members are witty and funny. Its also incredibly hard to dislike their leader, Guzma. I think Team Skull is fine. Just dont take them too seriously and youll be okay. Overview Its not the worst game ever. Even a (relatively) bad Pokemon game is still better than 70% of games out there. Anyone who gives this game a 1/10 is a liar. However, I really must advise caution for long time Pokemon fans. Sun and Moon are not the games you think they are and you will most likely be disappointed by many of the unwelcome changes to the Pokemon formula. It is certainly different but change is not inherently good. Some things, like Ride Pokemon, are very good. No longer is there a need for HM Slaves. However, many other things are bad. With the repetitive nature of the game, annoying unskippable cutscenes, hit-or-miss music, boring / tedious trials, super linear gameplay, and so many plot convenieces, this is the worst Pokemon generation so far.

PROS: At first, I really did not like the Alolan theme, thinking that it was cheesey, but I see it was made in good taste and actually appreciate the immersion the game makers have established. If youre a player that loves the fine details of the game, and recognizes the effort game developers put into making every aspect interesting, this is the right game for you. Its chock full of great fun minigames, pretty good customization, and a lot of quality of life improvements. I havent loved a Pokemon game this much since Pokemon Ruby-Sapphire! CONS: The only con is that a lot of the male character customization is limited and seem low effort, especially compared to that of the female characters! I wish the devs would focus more on male-player customization-- or at least provided a way to change player gender. Men like a diversified look and occasionally don long hair too, I promise.

Pros. Graphics and sound have been greatly improved ! But if you are using an older model of the 3ds then the frame rate drops a little during battles . On the other hand the *new* 3DS handles things pretty well, you wont notice the frame drop as much. HMs are a thing of the past! No longer will we required to have HM slaves on adventure team! We can now page Ride Pokemon ! Need a bolder smashed out of the way? Summon Touros! Need to go for a swim? Summon Lapras or Sharpedo ! Need to fly? Summon Charizard! The only downside is that these are rental pokemon . You cant use your own . They also seem to be shiny locked as well. Kurts Apricorn Pokeballs have returned ! For the trainers out there who have dreamed of having 5th, 6th and now 7th gen pokemon in this special balls REJOYCE ! Love Ball Sylveon is a thing now! Moon Ball Rockruff is a thing! Keep in mind that Apricorn trees are not in game but you can find these special balls through out the game. Trainer Customization is back and better then ever ! First off! After 20 years we can finally take the damn hat off! YES ! There are more hairstyles for both boys and girls ! Girl trainers get to wear make up. White colored clothes can be dyed whatever color you want! Breeding mechanics have gotten an upgrade ! Male and Genderless Pokemon can now pass down their pokeballs if they are bred with Ditto ! Before it was females only ! The Day Care was replaced by the The Nursery . Pokemon will not level up and auto forget moves that you are trying to breed down . Because they dont level up in the Nursery its hella cheaper to boot! These games are more story driven then any other pokemon game! There a few flaws I do NOT like but Ill just have to deal with. GTS . Game Freak still has NOT figured out how to block people from asking for unreasonable trades. Like Caterpie for Arceus , for example . Not much backwards compatibility with 6th gen games . Theres NO way to trade directly between 6th and 7th gen games without Pokémon Bank . I myself and many others have tested this. Theres NO way to battle players who have 6th gen games either . But in the end , despite the flaws I still think these are solid games .