ziggytippi
2013
the opening cinematic is pretty cute but god the arena fights made this game so unremarkably boring that I didn't care when my Wii U tossed out my Wii U save data for this game, and I care about my saves a lot
2011
the story here was actually pretty good this time around and it was pretty fun to explore especially compared to the original Rumble. shame that after this the Pokemon Company decided Rumble was too good to continue being good so they kept introducing mediocre sequels after this game
copying my review from my Diamond review since they're the same game
this is the game I arguably have the most nostalgia for despite starting with the Gen 3 games
there's not a whole lot I can say about this pair of games that hasn't already been said. it's a really interesting region with interesting creatures and concepts marred with the worst engine in the whole series. music's pretty good too
that being said there is absolutely no reason to play this game over Platinum, Platinum improves on this pair so much that Diamond and Pearl are outright obsolete
this is the game I arguably have the most nostalgia for despite starting with the Gen 3 games
there's not a whole lot I can say about this pair of games that hasn't already been said. it's a really interesting region with interesting creatures and concepts marred with the worst engine in the whole series. music's pretty good too
that being said there is absolutely no reason to play this game over Platinum, Platinum improves on this pair so much that Diamond and Pearl are outright obsolete
this is the game I arguably have the most nostalgia for despite starting with the Gen 3 games
there's not a whole lot I can say about this pair of games that hasn't already been said. it's a really interesting region with interesting creatures and concepts marred with the worst engine in the whole series. music's pretty good too
that being said there is absolutely no reason to play this game over Platinum, Platinum improves on this pair so much that Diamond and Pearl are outright obsolete
there's not a whole lot I can say about this pair of games that hasn't already been said. it's a really interesting region with interesting creatures and concepts marred with the worst engine in the whole series. music's pretty good too
that being said there is absolutely no reason to play this game over Platinum, Platinum improves on this pair so much that Diamond and Pearl are outright obsolete
this game wants what Hatoful Boyfriend and OneShot have
it's fine. seems there's something deeper going on with Monika and the game's awareness is cool but at the same time..... eh
it's fine. seems there's something deeper going on with Monika and the game's awareness is cool but at the same time..... eh
a definite improvement over Diamond and Pearl, to be sure
admittedly, this is the game I feel most nostalgic about - hanging out with elementary/middle school friends talking about the cool new Pokemon we've found. the hype surrounding this game as a playground rumor that I miss dearly
there's not much difference between this game and Platinum outside of the Giratina campaign. but to be fair, the Giratina campaign is really really cool
also this game lets you catch Gallade before the Elite 4 and fixes the really slow surfing, even if it's still attached to the awful Gen 4 engine. that instantly makes this game better than Diamond and Pearl
admittedly, this is the game I feel most nostalgic about - hanging out with elementary/middle school friends talking about the cool new Pokemon we've found. the hype surrounding this game as a playground rumor that I miss dearly
there's not much difference between this game and Platinum outside of the Giratina campaign. but to be fair, the Giratina campaign is really really cool
also this game lets you catch Gallade before the Elite 4 and fixes the really slow surfing, even if it's still attached to the awful Gen 4 engine. that instantly makes this game better than Diamond and Pearl
2019
copying my review from my Sword review since they're the same game
ignoring the controversy that has let people (mostly Twitter nerds with no other hobbies) and their nostalgia color their opinions on the game, it's solid. it's not particularly innovative and the graphics style could use some work, especially after Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee and it's rough around the edges, but I personally feel most of the hate is very overblown. the monster design is also pretty solid and the DLC makes the game better. the characters are pretty nice too
ignoring the controversy that has let people (mostly Twitter nerds with no other hobbies) and their nostalgia color their opinions on the game, it's solid. it's not particularly innovative and the graphics style could use some work, especially after Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee and it's rough around the edges, but I personally feel most of the hate is very overblown. the monster design is also pretty solid and the DLC makes the game better. the characters are pretty nice too
copying this review from my White review since they're the same game
it's definitely interesting to watch people at large go from utterly despising this game pair up around 6 years ago to today where this game gets lionized for things that other generations are put down for even when they pull it off better
it's always been pretty funny to me that people complain about how incredibly linear Pokemon maps are when these pair are as linear as it gets with a literal circle around the map. there's a bigger emphasis on the characters themselves compared to the generations before it, but I think N and Bianca were the only characters I thought were interesting at the end of the day
the sprite work is great, and the story is decent with a surprising twist to the formula even if I'd argue that Sun and Moon had a much better story overall and more interesting stories are out there in RPGs in general. the Pokemon designs are great too, whether they're entirely new creatures or reimaginings of Gen 1 Pokemon. the slick UI, the Dreamworld when it was still active, and more still make this game a classic in my eyes.
I just kind of wish people would quit celebrating this game and then turn around and demean later games for things Black and White either started or did much worse on.
also I wish people would stop pretending that Black 2 and White 2 were good entries to this series
it's definitely interesting to watch people at large go from utterly despising this game pair up around 6 years ago to today where this game gets lionized for things that other generations are put down for even when they pull it off better
it's always been pretty funny to me that people complain about how incredibly linear Pokemon maps are when these pair are as linear as it gets with a literal circle around the map. there's a bigger emphasis on the characters themselves compared to the generations before it, but I think N and Bianca were the only characters I thought were interesting at the end of the day
the sprite work is great, and the story is decent with a surprising twist to the formula even if I'd argue that Sun and Moon had a much better story overall and more interesting stories are out there in RPGs in general. the Pokemon designs are great too, whether they're entirely new creatures or reimaginings of Gen 1 Pokemon. the slick UI, the Dreamworld when it was still active, and more still make this game a classic in my eyes.
I just kind of wish people would quit celebrating this game and then turn around and demean later games for things Black and White either started or did much worse on.
also I wish people would stop pretending that Black 2 and White 2 were good entries to this series
copying this review from my White 2 review since they're the same game
God themselves could come down from the heavens and try to tell me Black 2 and White 2 are good games and I would still stand firm. I have never had this little fun with a Pokemon game in my entire life, and I bought Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. most of the additions they made from Black and White, outside of the phenomenal soundtrack, were questionable at best and insipid at worst.
I know I said X and Y are worse but they're just objectively worse. I just don't like this pair of games
God themselves could come down from the heavens and try to tell me Black 2 and White 2 are good games and I would still stand firm. I have never had this little fun with a Pokemon game in my entire life, and I bought Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. most of the additions they made from Black and White, outside of the phenomenal soundtrack, were questionable at best and insipid at worst.
I know I said X and Y are worse but they're just objectively worse. I just don't like this pair of games
2017
copying this review from my Ultra Sun review since they're the same game
most of my criticisms of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are similar to Black 2 and White 2 but this game has Mantine Surf and that's legitimately fun and the postgame Rainbow Rocket stuff is cool so I have to rate it just a little higher
that being said they botched the story hardcore, which is a shame because it was one of the reasons the originals shined. Ultra Necrozma is without a doubt the worst boss fight in this entire series, and that's not even talking about how they made one of the coolest Pokemon designs into some boring light dragon. I'm not looking forward to 5 years later when people try to convince me this game is on par or better than the original Sun and Moon, which is the pair you should buy instead of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
most of my criticisms of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are similar to Black 2 and White 2 but this game has Mantine Surf and that's legitimately fun and the postgame Rainbow Rocket stuff is cool so I have to rate it just a little higher
that being said they botched the story hardcore, which is a shame because it was one of the reasons the originals shined. Ultra Necrozma is without a doubt the worst boss fight in this entire series, and that's not even talking about how they made one of the coolest Pokemon designs into some boring light dragon. I'm not looking forward to 5 years later when people try to convince me this game is on par or better than the original Sun and Moon, which is the pair you should buy instead of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
copying this review from my Omega Ruby review since they're the same game
people give this game a lot of shit for not having Battle Frontier and while it does suck that they got rid of that for a glorified Battle Tower right when they made getting into competitive Pokemon a much easier feat compared to the original Gen 3 counterparts, I still say it's a solid game and it's a shame that it took the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl reveals for people to realize that these remakes were, in fact, good
having the Soaring function is a great novelty, and having online functionality for the Secret Bases is a very appreciated feature. Mega Evolutions also give some Pokemon both old and new some interesting pizazz while being better implemented than the games that introduced them. also Wally went from someone I barely remembered to being one of the coolest rivals this series has ever gotten with a Mega Evolution for my favorite Pokemon of all time, so points for that one
also for the people complaing that this game is too easy, please learn how to turn off EXP share or go back to playing the Pokemon games that came out when you were 10 years old
people give this game a lot of shit for not having Battle Frontier and while it does suck that they got rid of that for a glorified Battle Tower right when they made getting into competitive Pokemon a much easier feat compared to the original Gen 3 counterparts, I still say it's a solid game and it's a shame that it took the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl reveals for people to realize that these remakes were, in fact, good
having the Soaring function is a great novelty, and having online functionality for the Secret Bases is a very appreciated feature. Mega Evolutions also give some Pokemon both old and new some interesting pizazz while being better implemented than the games that introduced them. also Wally went from someone I barely remembered to being one of the coolest rivals this series has ever gotten with a Mega Evolution for my favorite Pokemon of all time, so points for that one
also for the people complaing that this game is too easy, please learn how to turn off EXP share or go back to playing the Pokemon games that came out when you were 10 years old
copying this from my HeartGold review since they're the same game
this is probably one of the most well-crafted Pokemon games and ones I remember quite fondly as a former middle schooler. the game is bursting with new things to do, people to see, and fun around every corner and it's such a nice game to play. I also really liked the Pokeathlon, as unpopular of an opinion that is
that being said, I'll always be disappointed that this game had the opportunity to fix some of the most glaring aspects of Gold and Silver and refused to fix any of it. I loved walking Pokemon as much as anyone else, but not being able to turn them off is an annoyance and I can't believe it took until Sword and Shield's reimplementation for them to implement it as a choice rather than something forced on you (and that game has its own problems with walking Pokemon, but that's its own review)
either way this could've been the best Pokemon games ever if they weren't remaking Johto on the Gen 4 engine with the single worst soundfont and music aesthetic ever, but even with that these are still a really solid set of games. play it.
this is probably one of the most well-crafted Pokemon games and ones I remember quite fondly as a former middle schooler. the game is bursting with new things to do, people to see, and fun around every corner and it's such a nice game to play. I also really liked the Pokeathlon, as unpopular of an opinion that is
that being said, I'll always be disappointed that this game had the opportunity to fix some of the most glaring aspects of Gold and Silver and refused to fix any of it. I loved walking Pokemon as much as anyone else, but not being able to turn them off is an annoyance and I can't believe it took until Sword and Shield's reimplementation for them to implement it as a choice rather than something forced on you (and that game has its own problems with walking Pokemon, but that's its own review)
either way this could've been the best Pokemon games ever if they weren't remaking Johto on the Gen 4 engine with the single worst soundfont and music aesthetic ever, but even with that these are still a really solid set of games. play it.
copying this from my Explorers of Time review since they're the same game
a marked improvement over Red and Blue Rescue Team in every single way. the gameplay is what you'd expect in a Pokemon rougelike - get to the next floor, beat other Pokemon on the floor, and maybe find some treasures along the way...
but the story is what most people come to this series for, and this story is.... pretty good!! there's some high stakes and the characters are all great, even if I have some personal gripes about poor explanations throughout the story ("what's the Dimensional Scream? well in the future we used it to find Time Gears. oh it doesn't work that way in the present? well maybe it works differently here" with no elaboration or interest for the rest of the game).
still have to dock half a star for doing Team Raiders dirty
a marked improvement over Red and Blue Rescue Team in every single way. the gameplay is what you'd expect in a Pokemon rougelike - get to the next floor, beat other Pokemon on the floor, and maybe find some treasures along the way...
but the story is what most people come to this series for, and this story is.... pretty good!! there's some high stakes and the characters are all great, even if I have some personal gripes about poor explanations throughout the story ("what's the Dimensional Scream? well in the future we used it to find Time Gears. oh it doesn't work that way in the present? well maybe it works differently here" with no elaboration or interest for the rest of the game).
still have to dock half a star for doing Team Raiders dirty
copying this review from my Let's Go Pikachu review since they're the same game
admittedly I was extremely harsh on this game when it first came out. sure, I still wouldn't recommend it over FireRed and LeafGreen with their wild battles, but this isn't a bad game to help ease Pokemon GO addicts that have never touched a Pokemon game before into the main series. I have mixed feelings about the fully orchestrated music
the aesthetics of the game slap though
admittedly I was extremely harsh on this game when it first came out. sure, I still wouldn't recommend it over FireRed and LeafGreen with their wild battles, but this isn't a bad game to help ease Pokemon GO addicts that have never touched a Pokemon game before into the main series. I have mixed feelings about the fully orchestrated music
the aesthetics of the game slap though
2016
copying this review from my Sun review since they're basically the same game
I think a lot of people will eventually come back and realize that this game was surprisingly good for what it was like they did for Black and White. the game unfortunately runs like shit on base 3DS and Z-Moves feel shamelessly copied from Yo-Kai Watch but the characters (plural!) were the first I've actually liked since the start of the series and I can't think of a single monster design from this game I didn't like at least a little bit
I think a lot of people will eventually come back and realize that this game was surprisingly good for what it was like they did for Black and White. the game unfortunately runs like shit on base 3DS and Z-Moves feel shamelessly copied from Yo-Kai Watch but the characters (plural!) were the first I've actually liked since the start of the series and I can't think of a single monster design from this game I didn't like at least a little bit