H Mendy

This is a funny 1 star because I actually did have fun playing through the game... Though I had fun playing through the game (likely because I love pokemon), it wasn't / isn't a good game. That doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it if you are a pokemon fan as you'll still enjoy and have fun. At the end of the day, this game doesn't bring much to the table and it feels like all the steps forward they took with Legends Arceus & SCARVO have been reversed and they decided to take steps forward in other areas omitting their breakthroughs the past few games. Why can't they just continue to build on what they do well in a game!? If you take this game simply as a basic battling game with not much else to offer you will not be disappointed. If you were hoping to explore at all, hunt down wild pokemon, shiny hunt, or do anything beyond the main missions or online play, you'll find yourself wishing pokemon could finally put all the pieces together and be disappointed. PROS: - It is a pokemon game and pokemon is an awesome IP - the battle system and mechanics are a massive upgrade (albeit unpolished) - Megas are always fun to use - shinies in the overworld (however this is not a fun shiny hunting game) - Main storyline, though repetitive is a nice change of pace CONS: - World is lifeless and there's not much to do - Repetitive gameplay (they obviously knew this given how we skip ranks) - Long cutscenes with a lacking story (long cutscenes are great in other games, maybe it's because they lack voice acting) - Wild zones are laughably bad - No exploration - Side quests are extremely basic and many are fetch quests (some are great) - Battle mechanics are finnicky, but something to build on for future games (though I don't have high hopes given the tendency pokemon has to take 3 steps forward in one area, and 3 steps backward in others) - Not a whole lot to do outside of the main missions (unless you like online play) I could go on complaining about the game, but in reality I did have fun playing through it and believe most people who play will enjoy it. Lots of those folks will rate it highly but I think as a pokemon fan it's easy to accept having overworld pokemon + a nice battling system as a good enough pass to get 5 stars... I am maybe just a realist here, but it's a bad game that you'll still enjoy playing.