I walked into the local GameStop at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 17. Already, there were people crowding the hallway, having gotten their ticket and now were just waiting for the clock to hit midnight.
"Pokémon Sun and Moon" was releasing in three hours.
Those three hours went by crazy fast; in between the constant conversations on what Pokémon is the best, which new Pokémon had the best design and being interrupted by a group of people that dressed up as some of the Team Skull grunts, it was midnight before I knew it. When the first copy of the game was handed out, the mall was filled with an uproar of applause. People were excited for this game, and to be honest, that excitement is far beyond justified.
The first thing I did when I got my copy of the game was realize how far we had come with Pokémon; it's been years, and there have been so many new changes to the formula of Pokém-
Nahhh, I popped the game into my 3DS as soon as possible and got started on my adventure!
One of the first things I want to point out about this game is that it's probably one of the most immersion-heavy games of the series. The first interaction you have in the game is a voice-call with the professor of the region. In previous titles, the professor speaks more so to the actual player rather than the character, but now, the professor speaks to the player as if they were the character. On top of that, trainers actually appear behind the Pokémon during battles, random Pokémon cries can be heard while just walking throughout the region, and cut-scenes with both characters and Pokémon add to the grandiose immersion this game holds.
The graphics and scenery within the game are nothing short of stunning. The Pokémon's animations are all so fluid, the backdrops of the island are so detailed. One extra bit that adds to both the immersion and the general artistic feel of the game is the idea of the Poke-Finder. You can use your pokedex to take pictures of Pokémon you find during random times throughout the game, and then post them to a social media-esque place where people leave comments and upvote your pictures. Granted, these are all pre-programmed responses and you can't actually interact with this social media platform, but it's a nice touch.
I've quickly fallen in love with most, if not all, of the Pokémon in this generation. From Rowlet's friendly antics to Rattata's sketchy demeanor, I've heavily debated using every single new Pokémon on my team at least once. There might not be that many new Pokémon in this generation, but hey, quality over quantity, am I right?
Now, the one gripe I have with this game so far is that it's too easy. But then again, I'm a college student, and this game is aimed for a much younger demographic. I do understand why the difficulty is what it is, but it's been a while since we've had a genuinely challenging Pokémon game.
But other than that one issue, this game is shaping up to be magnificent. I've only managed to play through one of the four islands so far (and I'm fairly sure this island is treated more like a tutorial island than anything else), so I haven't been able to experience everything yet. But not only are my first impressions mostly positive, they are glowingly positive.
PS: Team Skull is the best evil team the Pokémon Company has introduced yet.
