• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Pokémon Sun Version/Moon Version Review Thread

BY2K

Membero Americo
OpUWsjB.png

Metacritic: 88
Open Critic: 89

NintendoLife: 10/10

Simply put, Sun and Moon are best Pokémon games that Game Freak has ever produced. Poké Pelago, the side quests, the absolutely stunning nature of the presentation, it's all a sheer joy from start to finish. Game Freak hasn't missed a beat and has managed to carefully balance the inclusion of new mechanics without totally ruining things for the most hardcore fans. It's got content coming out of its ears, a much more interesting story, and rewards exploration in a way no other title in the series has. Whether you're a Pokémon fan new or old, this is an absolutely essential purchase.

Digital Spy: 5/5

Pokémon Sun and Moon is the ultimate Poké adventure. It manages to introduce a lot of new features that greatly enhance the gameplay experience, but retain enough of the original DNA to make sure it doesn't feel totally alien to players who have been Pokémon trainers since 1996.

We can't wait to see where the series goes next, because with Pokémon Sun and Moon it's clearly the beginning of a new Pokémon era, not the closure of the last.

IGN: 9/10

After 20 years of slow but steady evolution, Pokemon gets a bit of a reinvention in Sun and Moon. An engrossing and rich new region makes the Alola journey — along with all the changes Sun and Moon make to the existing formula — enjoyable throughout the main adventure, and small interface and variety of upgrades along the way make a few of the things that stayed the same feel better than before.

God is a Geek: 9.5/10

Pokémon Sun and Moon are filled with so much you’ll be absorbed in every facet from the moment you begin;

DualShockers: 9/10

Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are both fantastic additions to the series’ 20th anniversary. With an inspired new generation of Pokémon and a ton of variation, Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are the freshest take on a tried-and-true series. However, just like a vacation, most changes are ones I hope are temporary — I’ll be happy to return to the formula again next year.

Destructoid: 9/10

But for every issue I found with Pokemon Moon, whether it was an old problem that just caught up with the series or something new -- I found solace in the indomitable likability of a cast member, or the thrill of finding another party member that I would battle with for years to come. I'm already seeing myself playing for several hundred hours before the end of 2016, and I haven't even fully experienced all of the online features yet. Such is the power of Pokemon, and I hope we get to see Alola's influences linger as Game Freak gears up for its next adventure.

The Sixth Axis: 9/10
EGM: 9/10

A couple technical issues aside, Sun/Moon might be the best Pokémon game yet. It freshens up a formula some of us PokéManics might not have realized was growing stale until now. Trials and Grand Trials provide variations on familiar gameplay, and the removal of HMs and telling players how effective their moves are rejuvenates battling.

The Good The island trials will make you never want to battle in a gym again. Ride Pokémon doing away with Hidden Machines from previous games.
The Bad Some slowdown in battles involving three or more Pokémon.
The Ugly Why is my character always smiling? Even when things take a turn for the worst in the game, my character’s facial animation never changes.

Game Informer: 8.5/10

Sun & Moon feels significantly different from previous Pokémon games. X & Y may have marked the series’ biggest visual change, but Sun & Moon shows Game Freak is willing to re-examine Pokémon’s tenured mechanics in order to improve the game. Sun & Moon is still Pokémon, but it showcases some of the biggest changes the series has ever seen – and that’s a good thing.

GamesRadar: 4/5

Pokemon’s celestial pair occupy a unique position, belonging to a bestselling series played by kids and adults alike. Sun and Moon not only maintain its broad appeal, but boost it into the stratosphere. It’s familiar enough and different enough. It’s complex but well-communicated (if a little heavy handed in its tutelage). Learning about each of Sun and Moon’s new monsters - how they run, fly, swim, feed, dance, and co-exist with locals - gives the games a marvellous sense of rolling wonder for anyone, regardless of age. Game Freak’s latest welcomes old fans disillusioned by previously samey entries and entices a whole new generation to pick up a Pokedex.

Nintendo World Report: 8/10

Pros

Battle mechanics are as fun as ever
Characters and world are charming
Does experimental things with formula
Fun additional features
Ride Pokemon lift the move limitations

Cons

Double Battles chug rather harshly
More linear and easy going
Story less intriguing than expected

Eurogamer: Essential

With Pokémon Sun and Moon however, I have a new one: the world of Pokémon is finally, exactly that: a world, with charming, textured characters not just in the named friends and foes you meet, but the random people on your journey, the region you live in, the music, the Pokémon themselves and the very soul of the journey. At long last, Pokémon is not just back. With Sun and Moon, it feels fresh again.

GameXplain: Loved it
 

McDougles

Member
My fellow editor at App Trigger gave it a 9/10.

Pokemon Sun and Moon offer a new spin on an old gameplay structure, providing a pleasant balance of familiarity and novelty while keeping things manageable for new players. Minor issues, like a somewhat weaker postgame and a strange mesh of difficulty levels at times are easily overshadowed by the great new Pokemon designs, desperately needed UI improvements, and a storyline uncharacteristically good for this series. Pokemon Sun and Moon carry with them plenty of hope that the series will continue to grow and adapt to its growing (and growing up!) audience.
 

Zalman

Member
Mainline Pokémon reviews barely matter to me. I'm too deep into this crap. Good to see them being received well though.
 

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
X/Y Reviews in comparison...

Pokemon's always been a notoriously difficult game for the mainstream to review---most only focus on the superficial elements (no doubt X/Y got positive reviews because it was seen as leaving the "archaic" sprite era) and the central adventure. From what I've heard Sun and Moon delivers on a compelling new journey, but at the cost of bringing even more linearity to the fold and pushing the player along at a quick pace and with a post-game that is the series standard for the first entry of a Generation.

Hyped regardless though.
 
Does this get released midnight JST on the Japanese eShop?

Already preloaded it, just need to know when it'll be accessible.

Scores are exactly as expected.
 
Gamecentral gave it 9/10 and called it the best pokemon game ever:

http://metro.co.uk/2016/11/15/pokem...w-the-very-best-like-no-one-ever-was-6259748/

In Short: The best Pokémon game yet, that expertly combines the best elements of the old games with a mountain of new features and wonderfully odd creatures.

Pros: Combat and customisation that’s incredibly deep, but also surprisingly accessible. Huge game world filled with secrets and near endless longevity. Expansive multiplayer options.

Cons: The lack of artificial intelligence can ruin the illusion in some battles. Linear story progression can seem restrictive at the start.
 

Kensuke

Member
Great reviews. Personally I'm looking for comments about the challenge/difficulty. I feel recent entries have been way too easy and overall I'm just tired of brain dead battles where it's basically impossible to lose. Here's what I've gathered so far for people interested in that aspect:

Eurogamer:
"With much lower experience yields, but a re-tooled Exp. Share, leaving it switched on generally means you can defeat a Route's trainers, catch all of it's Pokémon, and be just about the perfect level to tackle the next stage right away, without the need to grind. It's a decision that lends Sun and Moon some valuable momentum."

"Fortunately however, once you break free of the game's overbearing protection, a far greater balance is found than the worrying decline in difficulty we've seen in previous entries"

NintendoWorldReport:
"It’s still possible to hunt down Technical Machines (TMs) for extra battle power in the environment, however. They may not be as necessary to find however, as the game is incredibly easy. I didn’t feel threatened at all during the adventure, and most enemies were easily dispatched."

Other NWR review (they have two): "The game is also extremely easy, though I will say it is notably more challenging than both X/Y and OR/AS."

USgamer:
"Even playing slowly and collecting more EXP than was probably intended, I've found these fights to be a real challenge... especially when the totem pulls in creatures that offer supporting buffs and debuffs."

Gamesradar:
"Battling two foes simultaneously often happens in Alola, not just with Totems, and it’s a great solution to Sun and Moon’s overall unchallenging difficulty."

Fansided:
"One of the greatest weaknesses of Pokemon X and Y was how gosh-darned easy those games were. I’m not going to pretend that Game Freak has magically learned how to create difficulty settings, but Sun and Moon do have a noticeable difficulty increase over their predecessor. Trainer and wild battles are still largely cakewalks, but some of the Trial battles and other, later fights may test your mettle more than you’d expect–some fights even have powerful ability and typing combinations designed to work together to trip you up!"

TechBuffalo:
"The other point longtime veterans like to hammer on is the difficulty. The franchise is too easy these days, they say. That remains true with Sun and Moon. You won’t be challenged by this game in the same ways you are in other JRPGs. When you are challenged, it’s more by annoyances in design than it is particularly tough battles. There are a few tough spots, sure, but not like the ol’ days some of you pine for. I don’t mind this. I don’t play Pokémon to be challenged."

Still digging for some more. It seems the game overall is not difficult, but totem battles can be a bit challenging at least.
 

DrArchon

Member
Yep, those are mainline Pokemon reviews. No surprises there.

Do any of them mention how fast the battles are on average? I just remember when they used to be super slow and I hated it. I'll surely enjoy the game no matter what, but I still wouldn't mind knowing.
 

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Battling two foes simultaneously often happens in Alola, not just with Totems, and it’s a great solution to Sun and Moon’s overall unchallenging difficulty.

Oh, the official site hasn't covered this yet oddly enough but there's a cool gimmick this time related to this...

Wild Pokemon can call reinforcements, usually members of their evolution line---great for EV training, and you can even get Pokemon at lower levels through this way like a Level 10 Salamence.

Some Wild Pokemon even call their predators who'll attack them.
 

oti

Banned
Yep, those are mainline Pokemon reviews. No surprises there.

Do any of them mention how fast the battles are on average? I just remember when they used to be super slow and I hated it. I'll surely enjoy the game no matter what, but I still wouldn't mind knowing.

I deactivated animations pretty quick. You still have to watch the dances if you perform a Z-attack though.
 

Zubz

Banned
So it's easy and has less post-game content than XY/ORAS? I'm sure I'll still love it, but that doesn't bode well.
 

Quonny

Member
After X and Y, nah. Not believing the reviews.

Same. Hadn't played a Pokemon in years, read the reviews about X/Y, bought it, immediately got bored. It's the same old, same old.

Will never understand why the mainline Pokemon games get such good scores, but hey, people like them, and they sell well, so clearly I'm the minority.
 

Mutombo

Member
they would be making so much money if they'd release this on smartphones as well, after the pokemon go hype.

heck, i didn't even play pokemon go, I havent played pokemon since the first one twenty years ago, and I'm even replying in this thread where I have nothing else to find.
 

Aleh

Member
Please don't compare Sun and Moon with XY, everything points to SM being considerably better (in my opinion).

Many have already mentioned the increased difficulty and the various improvements are noticeable, big leap forward and deserving of these good scores. I can't say the same about XY even if I'm a big fan who has played every single mainline game since I was a kid :p

I'm hyped af if it wasn't clear lol
 
Top Bottom