Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet Double Pack
released on Nov 18, 2022
A double pack containing the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games is available for pre-order as a digital downloadable version or as a packaged version.
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this is the proof why nintendo should make more powerful consoles (and publishing finished games of course)
i do really like this game however its visuals are quite bad because the pokemon have this outline around then where it clashes with the world and adds a static pixelated effect which looks really bad and the fact that they have removed the shiny sound effect and sparkles in the overworld was a real downgrade since that was something that made legends so good but they just removed it, however the story for this game was very good and even shocking at some points
My new favorite Pokemon games, in spite of everything. A ton of delightful new Pokemon, the most fleshed-out human cast yet, an incredible finale, and a bunch of changes to the gameplay at both the in-game and competitive level that I quite appreciate.
Pokemon at its best is magical, what can I say
Pokemon at its best is magical, what can I say
I am reviewing the double pack cuz it’s much easier since they’re the same game.
The performance issues on this game are so beyond abysmal. This game literally, at some points, was in slow motion with how janky the frame rate was. It has improved marginally but not that much for how long it’s been out.
The mechanics of traversal are also really janky and feel really underdeveloped. Arches had this problem but even that wasn’t that bad in comparison to this. Traversal isn’t as fun or intuitive, often actions won’t register like they’re supposed to, especially when climbing. Flying also has been super nerfed. It’s just rough.
Pokemon designs are also the worst. They aren’t as bad as Gen 1 but they’re bordering on the worst. There’s some I like but overall there’s not a lot I like. Maybe if they were done in Sword and Shield style I’d like them but the low quality models make them uglier than they should be.
The story is actually the only thing I consistently like. Team Star was the weakest, by far, with some really baffling cutscenes that didn’t make sense to me. The gym challenge was OK but Nemona was not a good rival and the champion is terrible. No wonder they reduced the champion down to a rank you can get cuz she literally can get creamed by a good fire, fighting, or water type. The best one is Arven’s storyline which culminates in the final conflict which, while a bit tacked on, is still good, I’d say and had maybe the darkest storyline of a pokemon game as far as content goes.
Terrastalizing is OK but nothing special. It does add some cool competitive stuff but as someone who doesn’t play competitive it’s completely a non factor for me. Gigantamax and Mega Evo were 20x better but Terra is 20x better than Z moves.
What I’m most disappointed by, though, is the lack of explorable inside spaces. Arceus, even though it’s so so so so so ugly, had pretty good inside environments with lots of moments for worldbuilding. Arceus especially had quests that made even the empty and boring world seem full and fleshed out. This doesn’t have side quests or inside spaces and instead NPCs are just walking around outside and maybe two of them talk about the town but most of them have no world building moments at all. Even Sword and Shield, for how shite it was overall, had more love and interest in the country and cultures it was making. This game feels like it’s uninterested in creating a world and more interested in filling up space. It’s a façade.
Very disappointed with this game. I wish I wasn’t but it’s just not good. I hope the DLC is better than this.
The performance issues on this game are so beyond abysmal. This game literally, at some points, was in slow motion with how janky the frame rate was. It has improved marginally but not that much for how long it’s been out.
The mechanics of traversal are also really janky and feel really underdeveloped. Arches had this problem but even that wasn’t that bad in comparison to this. Traversal isn’t as fun or intuitive, often actions won’t register like they’re supposed to, especially when climbing. Flying also has been super nerfed. It’s just rough.
Pokemon designs are also the worst. They aren’t as bad as Gen 1 but they’re bordering on the worst. There’s some I like but overall there’s not a lot I like. Maybe if they were done in Sword and Shield style I’d like them but the low quality models make them uglier than they should be.
The story is actually the only thing I consistently like. Team Star was the weakest, by far, with some really baffling cutscenes that didn’t make sense to me. The gym challenge was OK but Nemona was not a good rival and the champion is terrible. No wonder they reduced the champion down to a rank you can get cuz she literally can get creamed by a good fire, fighting, or water type. The best one is Arven’s storyline which culminates in the final conflict which, while a bit tacked on, is still good, I’d say and had maybe the darkest storyline of a pokemon game as far as content goes.
Terrastalizing is OK but nothing special. It does add some cool competitive stuff but as someone who doesn’t play competitive it’s completely a non factor for me. Gigantamax and Mega Evo were 20x better but Terra is 20x better than Z moves.
What I’m most disappointed by, though, is the lack of explorable inside spaces. Arceus, even though it’s so so so so so ugly, had pretty good inside environments with lots of moments for worldbuilding. Arceus especially had quests that made even the empty and boring world seem full and fleshed out. This doesn’t have side quests or inside spaces and instead NPCs are just walking around outside and maybe two of them talk about the town but most of them have no world building moments at all. Even Sword and Shield, for how shite it was overall, had more love and interest in the country and cultures it was making. This game feels like it’s uninterested in creating a world and more interested in filling up space. It’s a façade.
Very disappointed with this game. I wish I wasn’t but it’s just not good. I hope the DLC is better than this.
This review contains spoilers
I want to be so smug, to berate the game for the horrendous and borderline unforgivable performance issues that shipped in the most profitable franchise in the world's marquis game. The lack of voice acting is equally jarring, and I wish that the various routes weren't level-gated to be truly open.
But... Area Zero was surprisingly GREAT! Like... really, really great. And the new Pokemon and evolutions are pretty cool. It really is a fun game. Let's hope Gamefreak heard the backlash and gives their development cycle more time to really give these games a fair shake.
But... Area Zero was surprisingly GREAT! Like... really, really great. And the new Pokemon and evolutions are pretty cool. It really is a fun game. Let's hope Gamefreak heard the backlash and gives their development cycle more time to really give these games a fair shake.