Pokemon Sun and Moon were released Friday to eager fans across the world. This release marks the end of a long wait that began with the trailer and announcement of the games way back in February. It has been a stellar year to be a fan of the franchise and the new games are a great way to cap off the series 20th anniversary. If you are a lapsed fan who got into the Pokemon Go fever, then I would highly recommend getting back into the series and here are 4 reasons why. Bonus fact: your character is originally from Kanto, the setting for the first Pokemon games!
1. The Menus are Much More Streamlined
Going along with the 20th anniversary of Pokemon celebration, Nintendo re-released Red, Blue, and Yellow for the 3DS. I happily downloaded both Blue and Yellow to relive the nostalgia of being a child on Christmas day playing Pokemon Blue and taking down gym leaders in my PJS all day. However, with my rose colored glasses, I had forgotten how archaic the original Gameboy was. To be fair, pulling off a game like Pokemon on the limited technology was no small feat. There are just some annoyances that modern games don’t have. Sun and Moon like all the DS and 3DS entries have touch screen support, which may not seem like a huge deal, but it’s a time saver for move and item access. The new games even added an instant command for throwing out a Pokeball.
2. The Battle System is Great
I jumped back into the Pokemon series in the last entry, X and Y, after not playing a game since Silver. I loved the new games and enjoyed the newest concepts, but the biggest problem I had was not knowing what types the Pokemon were anymore. In Generations 1 and 2 for the most part you could look at a creature and reasonable guess its typing. I’ve gotten burned more than once guessing too. In Sun and Moon they have created a new battle menu that allows you to view move effectiveness if you’ve fought the Pokemon before. This is a great idea, because with over 700 monsters now, it can be hard to remember what types they all are. The new games also allow you to view move descriptions during battle which is a first for the series. This battle system will help new and returning fans to maximize their attack potential.
3. It’s the First Fully 3D World in the Series
While other games have been 3D, none have been this fully immersive. The world looks great and everything is to scale. The lack of a second analog stick on all 3DS models keeps the camera from being in the player’s hands, but you rarely notice it. Gamefreak crafted a world in which you don’t need to move the camera however. The angles that they used ended up being perfectly suited to the terrain. The new look makes the world around you seem so much larger, and with 4 different islands to explore, you will have plenty of time to enjoy its beauty.
4. Aloalan Pokemon Forms Reinvent Classics
Ok, so let’s get this out of the way, the new Meowth is sassy as hell. But here’s the thing, there’s an actual reason for it. Meowth in Aloala are highly pampered and the years of this treatment made them naturally more selfish and vain. Pretty much every Pokemon that undergoes a change due to the region can be explained in this way. As a Biologist, the idea of evolution has always made me cringe somewhat. Evolution occurs across a species and not an individual. Pokemon Sun and Moon seems to have thrown us Biology nerds a bone however, showing us that speciation can occur with isolation of a population. It also mildly mirrors Darwin’s work in the Galapagos islands. This is a nice touch and gives me a reason to talk to my Biology class about Pokemon, so I’m all on board.
So with all of this in mind I would hope that you are excited to give the new games a try. Luckily for you dear reader, this article is releasing right before black Friday. I haven’t seen any deals on the new games, as they are probably too new for that. Pokemon games also always hold value insanely well. The big deal for sales is the $99 new 3DS. The 3DS is a great handheld console for traveling or even just playing while you watch TV. The game library is diverse and very solid. Basically, if you have an interest, it’s represented on the console. Couple this with the fact that you can purchase older games from the E-Shop and it’s a match made in heaven. Give it a chance and support the new Pokemon games so we continue to get new awesome stuff from Nintendo.
