Austin Moe

I'm convinced anyone giving this game 5 stars are either bots, getting paid, or biased toward their childhood franchise. This game is not worth the $70. If you have the money to burn and you really want to play a pokemon game, then sure, you could get this one. But if you want to play a GOOD pokemon game, then just pick back up an older title. You won't be missing much. Things I like: -Some of the new mega evolution designs are fun -Character designs and pokemon models are better than Scarlet/Violet's -Good performance on Switch 2 -New battle format is interesting, although it does have its flaws. Can feel clunky at times, but generally is fun. Things I didn't like: -The map feels empty a lot of the time -The city isnt' very diverse. Can be hard to tell where you are since a lot of city looks the same as any other section. -The plants and ground textures are heavily detailed in patches, surrounded by flat textures and even flatter buildings. Top that off with the cartoon aesthetic of the people and pokemon, and you're left with an inconsistent art style that gives me whiplash. Makes the game feel either unfinished or like a cheap asset flip. -I didn't find the main story very interesting. -I also didn't like how the game tried to paint a predatory loan shark as the good guy. It did not make narrative sense. Why's this guy bankrupting people if he's so determined to make the city better? -Most side missions or side quests were dull, and side characters are mostly unmemorable. -The game introduces ranks and your character can rise through the ranks as a type of game progression, starting at Rank Z and going to Rank A. This would be a good thing by itself. However, what the game doesn't tell you is that partway through, you'll jump instantly from Rank V to Rank F for the dumbest reason. So effectively the game you thought you were playing gets cut in half. -This part makes the game feel rushed or unfinished, or like GameFreak couldn't be bothered to fill the missing ranks with interesting content. -Exploration is stale and boring. I already mentioned how uninteresting the city itself was, but traversal is also extremely limited. -Can't ride on pokemon. No ground-based transportation other than your own two feet. -Can't fly on pokemon. Most vertical exploration is done through climbing, which can be tedious in some areas. -This part is extremely ironic considering Nintendo is currently in a lawsuit against palworld and patented the mounting of flying creatures, yet they don't even use it in this game. The game is not worth the price. This looks and plays like a minimum viable product. At best, it's worth $30, but asking for $70 for this game is ridiculous, and announcing a $30 DLC before the game is even released is absurd.