Pokemon Sun/Moon: Prediction Report Card/ Late Review

Well, we live in a world post-Pokémon Sun/Moon release. So how did the game turn out? Did it live up to the hype? Did all those theories play out to something at all? Is Lusamine the greatest Pokémon villain of all time? Which starter did I choose? Is the game any good at all? Stay tuned for the next episode of Tevin's Super Late Review and analysis. Attention Spoilers Alert. 

(It gets his seal of approval, so just go buy the game)

I haven't completed the full game, only the main campaign, but some of my friends have informed me what takes place after. So, before we continue let's get this out of the way, Pokémon Sun/Moon may very well be one of the best Pokémon games since Gold/Silver. Don't worry, I'll give you a couple minutes to tell me why that is in fact not true (Are you done? No. It's fine, I've got to find a couple Zygarde cells anyways). Now that you have finished listing why my statement isn't true, let's start off with my theories or plot prediction. (If you didn't read that previously here's a link for you to take a gander at Predicting the Plot).

I was waaaaaaaay off with my predictions, like Columbus going to "India" off. I did get a few things right, so, I would give myself a 45 out of a 100. Here's a list of the things I did get right and wrong.

Things I Got Right

• Team Skull and The Aether Foundation are working together 
• Lusamine (whose apparently 40 years old, I'm guessing that she found a Lazarus Pit), Gladion and Lillie are related 
• The Ultra Beasts do come from an alternate dimension 
• Cosmog does evolve into one of the cover legendaries 
• Gladion and Lillie got their signature Pokémon from the Aether Foundation 
• Lillie stole Cosmog from the Aether Foundation 

The many things I got Wrong

• Lusamine's revenge on Alola (Lusamine just wanted to collect the beautiful Pokémon) 
• The Royal family (Lusamine, Lillie, and Gladion are not royalty) 
• Brother and Sisters (Lusamine is the mother of Gladion and Lillie) 
• There is no great super battle against the legendaries, returning trainers and the Ultra Beasts (unless there is something in the post-game) 
• There are truly no gym or other regions 
• This isn’t the end of the Pokémon world 
• Wicke isn't evil (unless she's playing the long con and waiting for an opportunity. I mean come on who names a non-evil character a name just one letter off from wicked) 
• None of the Ultra Beasts have nothing to do with any of the characters in the main story (excluding UB-01's fusion with Lusamine) 
• The Royal family do not take a large role in the game 
• The starters don't play a big role 
• The main characters’ age is 11 

Ok, maybe a 35 out of 100, but I still got some of these things right. I guess I should retool the McTheorizer, at least in time for God of War PS4. My theories, most of the other theories were off, but did I enjoy what Game Freak delivered?

Review

(Pokemon's Version of E.T.)

As I said before, the seventh generation of Pokémon is one of the best games since Gold/Silver. Mechanically, Sun/Moon is what the series has been begging for. For the first time since the 2nd generation, I literally had no idea what was going to happen next, all I knew at the end of each trail that I had to face a totem Pokémon, but the trails themselves I had no idea. The story around the trail was a lot deeper and exciting than the typical gym battles. The fact that I didn't know what was coming next made the game feel more like an adventure. One second you are wondering a cave, the next second a totem Kommo-o is staring you down looking for a fight. That sense of adventure is the best part of the game. Visually, the game looks stunning when compared to other titles in the series. The game feels like an actual world, instead of a grid square to walk on. There are dipping and rising hills and pathways that twist and turn. The game feels more cinematic, not just with the battle system. There are actual cutscenes outside of running in legendaries. This serves in helping tell the story.

(Yea, the cool kids of this generation)

Another part of the game, that I absolutely adored were the new Pokémon designs. This generation of the little pocket monsters looked extremely cool. I remember in X/Y, I only caught a handful of Pokémon (I'm the type of Pokémon trainer that catches Pokémon based on whether they look cool or not). There weren't many Pokémon that looked cool to me, plus there were keys that were Pokémon (that's right, haunted keys, Klefki). In Sun/Moon, even the Pokémon that sounded dumb in writing looked cool visually (I'm looking at you, Palossand). My favorite Pokémon this generation is probably Lycanroc Midnight form, he looks like a mix of the Joker and a wolf (we all know how much I love the Joker that's always a plus). There's also Decidueye (A cool take on Robin Hood), Type: Null (a chimera Pokémon with the greatest backstory), Mimikyu (the creepiest of the bunch) and much more. There is just so many cool Pokémon in this generation, so much in fact that I'm having trouble picking my team (my dream team right now is Mimikyu, Type: Null, Lycanroc, Decidueye, Golisopod and the sixth spot is an alternate). Even with that squad, part of me is trying to argue that we should these other Pocket Monsters, and I think that is a sign of good design.

(It's like Uber, but with Pokemon)

Pokémon Sun/Moon should be a synonym for convenience because there is so much thought put throughout the game (it's almost as if the Pokémon franchise evolved. That is comedy gold right there). HM slaves are a thing of the very dark past, instead, there is Poke Ride, which is basically a taxi service with Pokémon. So, you get to have a team of six Pokémon that you want on your team. When you catch a Pokémon, you are given a choice to add it to your team or send it to your PC. Pokémon -Amie is replaced with something that you can use in refresh, and that allows you to take care of your Pokémon right after a battle. There are so many other features that help make the Pokémon experience feel fresh. Not everything is well thought out. The Zygarde Cells quest is insanely annoying. Other than telling you how many cells and cores you have collected, the game doesn't tell you much. You never know if you've collected all the cells from one island, and you don't get a checklist of all the areas you've already visited to collect a cell. So, god help you if you've collected 99 cells because you are going to have one hell of a time searching for that one (emphasis on hell). If I'm being honest here, the payoff isn't really all that cool either because you don't get perfect Zygarde, instead you get the one we all know and love with a special ability that allows it to transform into Perfect Zygarde after it has lost half of its HP. The most annoying new feature about the game is the ability for wild Pokémon to call for help. The fact that you can't throw a Pokeball because there are two Pokémon is the annoying part. It needlessly extends the fight, especially if the Pokémon is way weaker than your team and you are trying to exercise some restraint.

The battle system remains unchanged (I'm not into the multiplayer scene in Pokémon, so I'm the wrong person to talk to about stats and which Pokémon is viable in the tournament scene). That is not a bad thing, the battle system in Pokémon has always been good. Additions to the system are the Battle Royal and the totem Pokémon. The Battle Royal is surprisingly fun and chaotic. The goal in the Royal is to knock out as many Pokémon as possible, and the battle ends when a trainer loses all the Pokémon. There are so many new strategies to work out to try and win, because you may have a type advantage over one person, chances are someone else may have one on you. Then the Pokémon franchise has finally added boss battles with Totem Pokémon. This is the best part of the new system, giving us super strong monsters to face brings a new aspect to the game, especially since the bosses can call on another Pokémon to help.

(I know, but the game isn't perfect)

Now to the most disappointing part of the game, the story. I think I have only myself to blame for this one. I got too caught up in the whirlwind of the hype. The story in Sun/Moon has a lot of missed opportunities. The number one missed chance is the UB's, and their home dimension. In the main game, the only UB we meet is UB-01, there is only one cutscene revealing UB-02. The climactic scene when the UB's are released into the world ends up not paying off, and because of that the world never feels like it is in danger especially the way the game describes these beasts as destructive forces. So, it's just disappointing to see them being regulated to the post-game.

Then there are the evil teams and Lusamine. Team Skull are goofy with their 90's rap aesthetic and Game Freak succeeds with making them lovable losers. They are there as a distraction, but the Aether Foundation is another story. We all knew they were super evil, but their big reveal is severely depressing. There is one moment when you land on the Aether foundation and Gladion isn't explaining anything to you, but automatically the employees are challenging you to a battle. During this mission is the only time the Aether Foundation is evil. It's the only time you fight the trainers from the Aether Foundation. Without their true sinister presence throughout the game, the foundation just seems like they try out being evil for while then they lose and go back to being good. The game doesn't spend enough time building out their intentions so they never feel like a fully evil team, in fact, they don't even feel like a big part of the game.

(Call your agent Lusamine and get more screen time in Pokemon Stars)

Lusamine's whole goal to open dimensions to other worlds is to collect more Pokémon (oh excuse me, only the pretty ones). So, all this fuss is over catching pretty Pokémon (of course, she does it unethically). Technically, other than the freezing Pokémon and opening a portal to a dangerous dimension, Lusamine could just be a trainer catching Pokémon (although, the final battle with her is cool). Lusamine is unfit to be a mother (most parents sending out their 10 and 11-year-old children on a dangerous adventure shouldn't be allowed to have children). The fact that she basically abandons her children because they stopped listening to her is just a very weak reason (it's called the rebellious stage Lusamine, just be happy Gladion didn't go out and get a mom tattoo). I think the worst part of it all is when Gladion tells you that Lusamine might have been motivated by her missing husband. This should have been explored more in the game, this would have given more depth to her character (I think just giving her more screen time would have been good for her character).

The only other not so great parts of the game are the difficulty and customization. Now, we all understand this game is meant to appeal to kids, that means the games can't be Dark Souls hard. Pixar has proven that media that is geared toward kids doesn't just have to be for kids (Toy Story 3 and Inside Out brought me to tears, a grown man). Game Freak doesn't want kids giving up playing their games and going to play other games. Pokémon games are good enough to take a chance and be hard (not even that hard, just a little bit more difficult). I remember playing Gold/Silver and getting my butt handed to me by gym leaders and my rivals (I especially remember contemplating my existence after I got stuck at Whitney and her damn Milktank). In Sun/Moon, there are few moments in a battle that I struggled with but I never lost. In fact, my character is undefeated (Now, he has a huge ego and nobody can stand him but they are forced to listen to him because he is the CHAMPION). So, Game Freak, please create difficulty settings for the next game, it will be greatly appreciated.

The bare customization options completely surprised me. It is a big improvement from X/Y but Game Freak's customization level is in serious need for improving. There is no preview to cut and dye your hair so the game forces you to spend your money before seeing what you look like. There aren't that many clothing options throughout the game. Looking at other RPGs customizing your characters has become so deep, and the fact that Game Freak is finally looking at other RPGs to influence their games is great, let's just hope the next game can offer more.

Overall, Pokémon Sun/Moon is an awesome generation to be remembered. Although it does have its problems, all its strongest qualities allow you to overlook the weak points. Sun/Moon have strong monster design and introduce a lot of new features to the game. I know I seemed super negative at the end, but trust me this is the Pokémon game that you need to play if you are inherently interested in the franchise. This game is the re-invigoration the franchise needed and if you gave up on trying to catch them all (honestly, nobody will blame you if you don't try to catch them all, there are almost 800 of them) this is the game to jump back in.  Pokemon Sun/Moon gets an 8.7 out of 10.