I downloaded Pokemon Go on launch day in 2016 and I have had a lot of great times since, playing this 'game'. Its a great excuse to ride my bike and go on walks with friends, and filling in the Pokedex is fun too.
All that being said, the gameplay mechanics are terrible. Actually catching the pokemon you find is really repetitive, the rewards you get for leveling up stop being useful or interesting relatively quickly, and the battles are usually just boring stat checks that take a couple minutes to pass.
Despite the limited and uninspired gameplay, I still really like Pokemon Go because it created its own niche and fills it really well. It gets me to exercise, makes running errands more enjoyable, and it is legitimately exciting to catch a meta relevant pokemon that has perfect IVs. The monetization of the game is also surprisingly friendly to free players, allowing you to buy most premium items after capturing gyms for a few days. I don't see myself quitting this game unless either a better AR mobile game comes out or the game is made inhospitable to free players.
All that being said, the gameplay mechanics are terrible. Actually catching the pokemon you find is really repetitive, the rewards you get for leveling up stop being useful or interesting relatively quickly, and the battles are usually just boring stat checks that take a couple minutes to pass.
Despite the limited and uninspired gameplay, I still really like Pokemon Go because it created its own niche and fills it really well. It gets me to exercise, makes running errands more enjoyable, and it is legitimately exciting to catch a meta relevant pokemon that has perfect IVs. The monetization of the game is also surprisingly friendly to free players, allowing you to buy most premium items after capturing gyms for a few days. I don't see myself quitting this game unless either a better AR mobile game comes out or the game is made inhospitable to free players.