Sun/Moon might be the weakest entry yet... (Ramblings from a Disappointed Fan)

[IncineROAR]

I honestly think they wanted to go a lot deeper with the games, but I'm pretty sure they ran into system limitations with the 3DS. I'm not one to go for rumors, but if "Pokemon Stars" is real - then I have a feeling there will be a lot more to that game because of the new console.

 

[Arceus the Dragon]

I don't think they ran into system limitations with the 3DS. I think they made SM this way because they are the first pair of games of gen 7. So Stars or whatever would be better when it is released on 3DS.

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

I honestly think they wanted to go a lot deeper with the games, but I'm pretty sure they ran into system limitations with the 3DS. I'm not one to go for rumors, but if "Pokemon Stars" is real - then I have a feeling there will be a lot more to that game because of the new console.

Honestly, part of me wonders if Sun/Moon was originally intended for the Switch but its development moved to the 3DS after the Switch got delayed. It's rather late into the 3DS lifespan for there to be another generation, although there's still plenty of more games coming to the 3DS so who knows. But I do think that Sun/Moon could have benefit more if they were released for the Switch.

 

[Peachy]

I can't say I agree, but I do understand your sentiment. I remember right after XY came out when I realized how much I disliked those game and everyone was raving about how they were the best games in the series.

 

[Bolt Strike]

Definitely disagreed. I would've killed to have features like Poke Pelago and Festival Plaza in XY, that's the kind of extra content those games needed. The story, while not as great as BW, still stands above pretty much every other, the region and the characters feel more alive than ever and the storyline is one of the most intense I've ever seen in the series. I wouldn't call it the best game in the series, that honor goes to Platinum, but it's definitely the best one since Pokemon went the casual route.

The only disappointment I have with this game is the linearity, there's really no excuse for it anymore. With the Rotom Dex telling you exactly where to go and giving you a detailed map of nearly every nook and cranny of the region, there's no way anyone could possibly get lost anymore. I was hoping with the Rotom Dex around, they'd let you explore the island any way you want and complete the Trials in any order you want.

 

[Stratelier]

I'm not too far into the game myself, but so far I am liking almost all of the little things I notice. The biggest of which is the PC storage system eliminating the frontend "deposit/withdraw/move" menu.

One glaring disappoint is the GTS, I see absolutely no improvement over Gen 6 yet. Provided, Gen 6 was actually workable compared to Gens 4-5, but the IMHO the "Pokemon you have" search filter should be enabled by default. And ideally we should also have a reverse search too (pick a Pokemon from your box and search all offers requesting it) because sometimes you have a Pokemon that you want to trade off but aren't particular about what you can get in return.

 

[Almonds]

As for story, I'd say it's the same quality as XY. Sun and Moon's story is below Gen 5, 4, and ORAS for me. It's entertaining thanks to the new concepts, but I do miss the thrill and excitement from BW. Still, it was well written.

The new features are useful. I like all the different rides and the simplified PC. It definitely helps to choose whether to keep or release pokemon after catching them. The Z moves are cool. However, I have to agree with Bolt the Cat, that having the Rotom Dex mark the next destination took out some of the fun from exploring.

"But you can just ignore the marked flag and explore before continuing with the story!"

Well, there's a difference exploring the region blindly, making the wrong choices and going around in circles before finally stepping in the right path feeling accomplished, and having a glaringly obvious red flag pointing out where the right path is before you even make your own decisions. It doesn't have the same excitement of discoveries you make on your own.

But did you actually play Double Battles, Multi Battles and Battle Royal battles? Those are what concerns me as a 2DS user.

2DS user here, and sometimes the lag is irritating. It's not bad in single battles, but the speed gets a bit shitty in double battles.

*presses attack command*
*waits*
*is shown cut scenes of my pokemon's face, the first opponent pokemon's face, the second opponent pokemon's face, and my avatar's face*
*attacks*

Which is another reason I don't like the SOS system because the battles get a bit draggy. The lag isn't too bad, nothing to worry about, but there are times when the battles require patience.

Aside from the lag, the only other complaint I have is the lack of clothes for the male characters...but that's for another thread.

 

[Bolt Strike]

The new features are useful. I like all the different rides and the simplified PC. It definitely helps to choose whether to keep or release pokemon after catching them. The Z moves are cool. However, I have to agree with Bolt the Cat, that having the Rotom Dex mark the next destination took out some of the fun from exploring.

"But you can just ignore the marked flag and explore before continuing with the story!"

Well, there's a difference exploring the region blindly, making the wrong choices and going around in circles before finally stepping in the right path feeling accomplished, and having a glaringly obvious red flag pointing out where the right path is before you even make your own decisions. It doesn't have the same excitement of discoveries you make on your own.

Not the point I was making. I'm saying that if you have a flag telling you where to go, there's no point in railroading you down one specific path to progress the story. I don't really care if there's a flag telling you where to go, but there's really not much to explore to begin with. The exploration in the game is pretty much limited to looking for a handful of nooks and crannies on the routes while the game constantly dictates what order you visit each area. It's the lack of freedom in the progression I have issue with, not that it constantly points out how to progress, for an island region that's naturally nonlinear it's pretty disappointing that they chose to make it equally as restrictive as Unova and Kalos. The exploration would've had a lot more impact if you could visit any area of the island you want when you first visit and drove the story progression based on your choices, with the flag serving as a marker to help get you back on track, not a goalpost that you're forced to cross.

 

[Stratelier]

I am now seriously upset -- on TWO occasions now I have lost significant progress (~30 minutes) because when I restart my save file it isn't where I last remember it being.

Of course, it could still happen that I forgot to actually save before shutting the game off, but that only makes it worse.

 

[Team Gaara]

Bookmarking this thread because as soon as I saw the title, I was floored~ I'm only halfway through the game and it's shaping up to be right up there with DPPT as far as story goes, which is the pinnacle of the franchise, IMO, as it relates to story, with RSE/ORAS right behind~ Since I don't wanna be spoiled, I'll be back to read what all was said here and to give my thoughts on the game once I beat it~ But even now, it's FAR from the weakest in the series, for me.

The only disappointment I have with this game is the linearity, there's really no excuse for it anymore. With the Rotom Dex telling you exactly where to go and giving you a detailed map of nearly every nook and cranny of the region, there's no way anyone could possibly get lost anymore. I was hoping with the Rotom Dex around, they'd let you explore the island any way you want and complete the Trials in any order you want.

Maybe it's just me sucking, but I actually got lost quite a few times~ XP I don't constantly find myself looking down at Rotom Dex UNTIL I find myself to be lost~ I think the linearity is not so bad this time around. I seem to always be in the middle of two paths and having to decide which I want to take on first before proceeding with the story, but it may just be me exploring~

 

[Bolt Strike]

Maybe it's just me sucking, but I actually got lost quite a few times~ XP I don't constantly find myself looking down at Rotom Dex UNTIL I find myself to be lost~ I think the linearity is not so bad this time around. I seem to always be in the middle of two paths and having to decide which I want to take on first before proceeding with the story, but it may just be me exploring~

That's really how I think you should be using it, try and navigate the area yourself and then check the map if you still don't know where to go. Not sure how you could've gotten confused between choices though, it was pretty self-explanatory.

 

[Team Gaara]

That's really how I think you should be using it, try and navigate the area yourself and then check the map if you still don't know where to go. Not sure how you could've gotten confused between choices though, it was pretty self-explanatory.

Not really confused between choices (unless I was backtracking and ended up lost), just when arriving to a new route and seeing multiple paths would I sometimes get confused trying to make sure I did everything possible before proceeding~

 

[EmpoleonProd]

But did you actually play Double Battles, Multi Battles and Battle Royal battles? Those are what concerns me as a 2DS user.

Yes, Battle Royals is one of my favorite things to do in my free time, like I said there's slight delays or what would appear to be drops in frame rate but it's nothing I consider game breaking.

 

[Team Gaara]

Alright, so now that I have beaten the game myself, I can still say I disagree 100%. These games, IMO, are the best since DPPT, which are the best for me. The story was great, the characters actually felt like REAL characters and not like they were just put there for the sake of taking up space, and were enhanced by the cutscenes, and while there was undeniable lag, it was hardly enough to ruin the game for me.

Really, I can't think of much, ATM, that I can say was a disappointment. These games really exceeded my expectations. The only thing I guess I can say I didn't like was that you couldn't get the ponytail hairstyle (which is the only one I actually like) until post game. And as someone who didn't care much about Customization as it is, that's hardly a problem, IMO~ Sun and Moon really showed me that amazing story I was looking for in XY but didn't quite get~

 

[Silktree]

I wouldn't call the story amazing by any means, but it's decent and I'd rank it second after BW. I liked that it was actually about Lillie saving Cosmog at first and eventually Lusamine. The Ultra Beasts were not treated as much of a threat to Alola, which was actually refreshing.

However, the post-game content is rather lacking for what I can only assume boils down to the next game. The UB sidequest is too straightforward in that it retreads previous locations, relegates the Ultra Beasts to random encounters, and conveniently excludes Necrozma and Mohn. As a result, I do feel some emptiness now given that I have little interest in competitive battling (aside from rental teams which are currently unavailable). But this is a general problem that plagues the series.

I also think that if Battle Tree only has a modest number of returning characters, they should at least have some involvement in the story or just have something interesting to say. But Anabel is the only one that does.

 

[Master Cyrus]

After the strides XY and especially ORAS took to lower the barrier of entry into competitive battling, it's baffling to see the regression here. The only real step up is the bottlecaps, but they're so rare and the amount of grinding in this game to get to 100 to use one is unreal.

Then instead of a breeding loop where you hold down one direction you have to use a loop of constant circle pad rotation which puts huge strain on it or do a straight line which has three loading screens.

EV training with SOS is much more of a pain than with hordes. Pokepelago is ungodly slow. 15 hours for one maxed stat is not acceptable. This isn't a f2p mobile game.

The initial battle point hump to get the power items is also insane where you are expected to have a proper team off the bat instead of having an easy mode to grind before getting into the real deal for battle tree/royal. Not to mention every single mega stone is 64 BP, all the hold items are 48, etc.

 

[Sakuraa]

I disagree. I haven't beaten the league yet, but having finished the main story, I have to say that Sun/Moon are probably some of the better main series games for me. The story is probably the most interesting since Platinum and a lot of the new features like like Poke Pelego and Z-Moves are really fun. And the Island Trial challenge is such a nice change of pace form the boring old gym challenge that's been around for 20 years.

I do have some issues like, a lot of customization features being locked until post game (again:/) plus the ridiculous color version exclusive palettes. And a lot of new Pokemon having very low encounter rates (again). And of course the lag is extremely annoying, but honestly, that stuff isn't enough to break the games for me.

I'd rank Sun/Moon as being better than XY, BW+sequels, and the first 2 generation games for sure. I thoroughly enjoyed the game and thought it was well worth the wait myself

 

[Silktree]

EV training with SOS is much more of a pain than with hordes. Pokepelago is ungodly slow. 15 hours for one maxed stat is not acceptable. This isn't a f2p mobile game.

What about the Festival Plaza method?

 

[Master Cyrus]

What about the Festival Plaza method?

I haven't grinded the plaza up yet, but where I am now they're mostly useless.

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

What about the Festival Plaza method?

From what I hear, it cannot be used if the Pokemon has maximum happiness.