This review contains spoilers
Ignoring the stuff that scared the pants out of people on sleeping on this title (which i still think is a dumb reason to skip out on this gen), the games are very solid titles. Quite a number of things to get you ready for competitive have been made easier (hyper training now only requires your pokemon to be lv50 as opposed to lv100 plus bottle caps are purchisable), while some removals are very questionable (literally no interiors, barely any cave dungeons, postgame is reduced to just raids as of this review). My biggest gripe is no refighting elite four or gym leaders. As they would've been a good source of grinding for money postgame. but for whatever reason, Game Freak decided to just make them all a one and done thing.
Gameplay wise, the world is even massive than before. wild pokemon are pretty lively (even if they have 2 behavioral settings upon seeing you), sandwiches makes encountering certain types easier, herba mystica is a welcome addition for shiny hunters. and as I previously stated, battling is as solid as ever. Aside from graphical glitches that would happen sometimes because of improper terrain (my tinkaton slipped off a cliff because she was battling on a steep hill).
And because I have to point out the pink elephant in the room, the graphical glitches can get ugly sometimes. especially when you make it to the lake or do the cortondo gym challenge. it can especially be a bit jarring online since the game is less hinged during union circle sessions depending on the connection.
Story wise, I'd honestly say is better than black and white's story. You can argue with me that black and white left an imaginable impression on you as an 8 year old and can never change your opinion, but that's your opinion. the story here i feel shines brighter than black and white's. especially the little twist at the end (despite me marking this as spoiler warning, I'm still not saying). Its probably the best story in any pokemon game ever. Especially since the league isn't treated as the main thing (even if you are still collecting 8 gym badges plus the other badges for the other quests).
Overall, the games are a very good experience. Though unfortunately, i'm only giving a 3 and a half stars because the postgame is as dry as water in a desert. Most of my playtime came from EV training and exploring Paldea as much as possible. Which I really enjoyed. I just wish they gave us more to do during the endgame and didn't outright remove the battle tower. Maybe my score will change when there's a free update that gives us more postgame stuff to do or when dlc rolls around. But as of now, it gets the score i've appointed it.
Gameplay wise, the world is even massive than before. wild pokemon are pretty lively (even if they have 2 behavioral settings upon seeing you), sandwiches makes encountering certain types easier, herba mystica is a welcome addition for shiny hunters. and as I previously stated, battling is as solid as ever. Aside from graphical glitches that would happen sometimes because of improper terrain (my tinkaton slipped off a cliff because she was battling on a steep hill).
And because I have to point out the pink elephant in the room, the graphical glitches can get ugly sometimes. especially when you make it to the lake or do the cortondo gym challenge. it can especially be a bit jarring online since the game is less hinged during union circle sessions depending on the connection.
Story wise, I'd honestly say is better than black and white's story. You can argue with me that black and white left an imaginable impression on you as an 8 year old and can never change your opinion, but that's your opinion. the story here i feel shines brighter than black and white's. especially the little twist at the end (despite me marking this as spoiler warning, I'm still not saying). Its probably the best story in any pokemon game ever. Especially since the league isn't treated as the main thing (even if you are still collecting 8 gym badges plus the other badges for the other quests).
Overall, the games are a very good experience. Though unfortunately, i'm only giving a 3 and a half stars because the postgame is as dry as water in a desert. Most of my playtime came from EV training and exploring Paldea as much as possible. Which I really enjoyed. I just wish they gave us more to do during the endgame and didn't outright remove the battle tower. Maybe my score will change when there's a free update that gives us more postgame stuff to do or when dlc rolls around. But as of now, it gets the score i've appointed it.