Pokémon Sun Standard Edition - Nintendo 3DS

These games just keep on giving!! Hours upon hours of good.

This is my first Pokemon game in a while. My first one was Pokemon Ruby for the Gameboy Advance and Gameboy Advance SP. Maybe I love this game because of how much improvement has been made since the 2003 game, but none the less I LOVE this game so far. I chose the digital download so I wouldn't lose the game cartridge, I tend to do so. I recommend for you all that read this to go buy either the digital copy or physical copy.

Not going to lie here, I was not optimistic about this game. But I wanted some new Pokémon and I took a chance and I'm glad that I did. Pokémon Sun is a great addition to the Pokémon world. The same gameplay is there that existed way back in Pokémon Blue (which is where I started) and the new gimmicky things down ruin the game. If you're on the fence about this game, I'd say give it a chance. I think you'll enjoy it.

Pokemon has long been one of my favorite video game franchises of all time. Deceptively cute, the series actually requires a good deal of thought and strategy to win battles. This, along with a massive collectors element, has made the game a huge hit with people of all ages. Pokemon Sun stays true to the traditions of the old games; you pick a starter monster and set off on an adventure, battling wild monsters you can capture, as well as other monster trainers. However, Sun takes things in a few different directions. The game is set in the new Alola region, based loosely on the Hawaiian Islands, so rather than being stuck on one big land mass, you find yourself island hopping. Additionally, the "Gyms" and "Badges" of the games are no more, and in their places, you will participate in "Island Trials," completing a task and battling a "totem" monster to further advance in the game. As the last few games got a little too creative and frustrating with the gym designs, this is a welcome change. The game introduces new monsters and adventure elements, plus you may even see some new "Alolan Forms" of your old favorites (for instance, Rattata/Raticate in the old games is simply a Normal type, but in Alola it has taken on a different appearance and become a Dark type). You will still see a few of your old favorites as well though. Starting early next year, the game is supposed to become compatible with Pokemon Transfer and Bank, so you will be able to import creatures from the older games. So don't delete your save files on the old games just yet! Overall, this is a great new addition to one of Nintendo's most endearing franchises. Strongly recommended!

The last time I had played a Pokemon game released from Nintendo was Pokemon Yellow back in the Gen 1 days. After those games I feel my interests shifted to other things and Pokemon had seemingly decided to get more complicated and complex as years went by. With the nostalgia and fanfare from Pokemon Go I decided I wanted to play the next entry of the Pokemon series and Pokemon Sun/Moon enters the scene! Overall coming in with only in-depth knowledge of how things are with Gen 1 I was still easily able to grasp the new mechanics and systems that have been entered in. The developer was smart to include some new non-intrusive, helpful systems by showing you the effectiveness of a move after you have battled and encountered a Pokemon from before. That system is just one example of something that is very helpful while not being cumbersome or entirely unnecessary. I can easily recommend this game to both old fans and new fans alike!

Incredible addition to the franchise. It has enough of the same feel to be a Pokemon game, but there's a ton of new features. There's even a post-battle pokemon refresh mini-game where you can pet your 'Mon or blow-dry off a wet 'Mon after fighting a water type or wipe the dirt off or feed them Poke Beans, all to make them more affectionate and trust you more, which boosts the amount of XP they gain in battle. I also like that you don't have to memorize what types of attacks are effective against which pokemon types. While battling, there's a note next to the attacks that says whether they are effective or not. Great game, and more to the point, a great Pokemon game. I would recommend this to people who have or have not played a Pokemon game before.

This is probably the most engrossing Pokémon game I've played since I started the series all the way back in the 90's. The new Pokémon are interesting, the old Pokémon are welcome and beautifully recreated in a 3D space, and the overall map is varied and fun to explore. I really like the addition of Ride Pokémon who fully replace the need for HM moves which were always a drag on gameplay anyway. Ride Pokémon also make exploring that much easier and more to do in general. If you're a lifelong Pokémon fan I'm sure you've already picked this one up but if you were still holding out this long, just go and buy it. This generation won't disappoint!

Pokémon Sun/Moon is easily the most evolved (no pun intended) entry to this long-running franchise. There is so much for you to do that even when you need to take a break from trying to be the very best, you can do so within the game from its Pokémon Refresh, Festival Plaza, and Poké Pelago. The main game itself has also been updated and overall streamlined, doing away with HMs and making traversing from place to place much less of a chore, making it so there's never a dull moment in the Alola region. Whether you've played the previous ones or this is your first, Pokémon Sun/Moon is a must-get for any 3DS/2DS owner.