All of this applies to Ultra Sun as well.

Honestly, I don't have much to say. I was hoping these games would be direct sequels when they were announced but they're not sadly. They do a lot of interesting things and add some interesting stuff, but the story that was so good in SM really took a step back here, making the core characters suffer as a result. These games also introduce the multiverse to Pokemon, which is cool as well, and I think actually works in Pokemon since it explains a lot of things lore nerds like me wondered about for a long time.

These games are also fairly difficult, and Ultra Necrozma is heralded as an infamous run killer for Nuzlockes. If you like gameplay and more content, play these over SM. If it doesn't matter to you as much, play SM since the story's better.

Score: 87

All of this applies to Violet as well. So these games are really rough, that's no surprise. Graphically and performance-wise. It also has a major flaw where the levels don't scale for Trainers despite being open-world (accept Nemona, she actually scales for some reason).

But when you get past the issues, these games are actually really fun, and have a lot of heart. The three branching story arcs make a playthrough feel more interesting since you'll be bouncing between all 3 of them across the game. The characters are lovable, and the story does take a wild turn at the end that you won't see coming for a Pokemon game.

Tera-types is a novel mechanic, although power creep has really dominated the competitive scene. Tera-types aren't the flashiest mechanic but they definitely add an interesting aspect to the gameplay, more interesting than Dynamax and Z-Moves at the very least.

DLC has enhanced these games even further. Kitakami is a cool locale and is fine, but Blueberry Academy added so much QoL to the game. Highly recommend installing the DLC.

But I still have to dock points for the quality despite loving these games. I wish GameFreak wasn't rushed by TPCI and had more time to finish their games. It's just inconceivable to make a JRPG in a year, maybe less, even if GameFreak indeed has multiple teams.

Score: 84

All of this applies to Ruby as well.

Gen 3 is a classic, and one of my favorite Gens. I still love these games quite a bit, and they're fun to play... but there's no reason to play them over Emerald nowadays. They were great for the time, and have great nostalgia value regardless though. If you're playing Gen 3 for the first time, however, play Emerald instead.

Score: 84

Most of this applies to Red and Blue as well. (I guess Green too)

The first set of Pokemon games are still the best-selling entries in the series. They released at the best possible time for the perfect console. Did they age well? Not really. If you're playing Gen 1 nowadays you might as well play FireRed, because not only is it better, it has more content. Gen 1 is really buggy and has a lot of odd issues that were fixed in later gens, like the move Wrap being a deathtrap, or Psychic-types being broken with no counters, or the numerous amount of bugs. These games were great for the time, and still are good, but very, very dated.

Score: 82

What I say here applies to Omega Ruby as well. But I don't have much to say other than these are solid remakes of Gen 3. I just wish they weren't so easy due to the way Gen 6 is designed. The new Megas and Primal forms are awesome, and I really love the new Delta Episode with Zinnia. She's really cool.

The Battle Frontier being absent because "nobody played it'" according to Masuda is disappointing and insulting to the fans though. It just goes to show that GameFreak needs to remake their more stellar third versions of older generations rather than the dual set. An Emerald remake would've been even better.

Score: 82

I'll use this space to say this applies to Explores of Darkness and Time as well.

This game is fantastic, and I really can't gush enough about it. It's a roguelike that is best known for how beautiful and heart-breaking its story is. I don't want to say much at the risk of spoiling anything. The music is wonderful as well, and I think it really is truly great.

Like rescue team though, in my opinion, I feel like nostalgia hides how utterly boring the long and grueling dungeons of this game are. They're an absolute slog the longer you play, and the hunger mechanic is annoying.

I do wish this game got a remaster in the same vein as Rescue Team DX, though. Because they are the best set of PMD games and absolutely deserve it.

Score: 88

All of what I'll say should apply to Blue and Red Rescue Team as well, since this game only improved on those in my opinion, and didn't change anything too significantly. The Rescue Team games are very good. It's a different take on Pokemon, which the series needs. These games are Roguelikes, and are really fun ones at that. The artstyle for Rescue Team DX in particular is really beautiful and adds some cool things such as the Fairy-type, new Pokemon, and Mega Evolution. And the story! Utterly heartbreaking, and surprisingly good for a Pokemon game.

I do think nostalgia has slightly overrated this game a bit. It does get repetitive at times, and I never really was a fan of the hunger mechanic in dungeons. Other roguelikes don't boot you out of dungeons prematurely but PMD feels the need to. People forget how long some of the later dungeons are too, making them feel really grueling and honestly, boring. Those dungeons make me refrain from replaying this.

Great games though.

Score: 86

[All of this applies to Let's Go Eevee as well]

Look, these games are for casuals coming from Pokemon Go looking to pick up a mainline Pokemon game for the first time - or for kids wanting to get into the series. For anyone else, these games don't have much to offer. The weird absence of abilities and the weird Kanto AU they present are odd to say the least, and frankly bug me. I for one hate Go's catching mechanics so an entire game built around just feels... lackluster. There's nothing here of value for Pokemon fans that know how the games should actually play, or have seen Kanto for the upteenth time already. And frankly, I'd even recommend FireRed over this game for newcomers to the series.

Not good, but if you wanna grab a Pokemon game for your kid, this one's a good starter. The artstyle is nice too, even if the models for humans remind me of Fisher-Price.

Score: 62

A truly fresh take on Pokemon, Legends Arceus is the best Pokemon game released for the Nintendo Switch thus far. It's catching mechanics are just raw fun, and it is a game that rewards players trying to fill out entries of their Pokedex rather than focusing on a linear adventure. A story that has some interesting twists culminates in one of the best superbosses in the series. The historical setting and nostalgic nods to Gen 4 cement it as one of the better Pokemon games in recent years, if not the best.

Full Review: https://medium.com/super-jump/the-long-road-to-pok%C3%A9mon-legends-arceus-led-to-a-much-needed-boost-d8ba44fb86

Score: 89

[All of this applies to Gold and Silver as well]

My first Pokemon games. The first Pokemon game that let you play as a female protagonist, Gen 2 is nostalgia for many fans of the series. Including me... but I don't look at it fondly otherwise. Gen 2 has a lot of issues, such as a garbage level curve, the over-reliance on Kanto to fill out its Pokemon available, and a disappointing return to Kanto that doesn't change much about the region. These old GameBoy Color games haven't aged well either, unfortunately.

Full Gen 2 review: https://medium.com/super-jump/johto-flawed-nostalgia-badc58b330ec

Score: 73

[All of this applies to Pearl as well]

I have a lot of nostalgia for Pokemon Diamond, but I've gotta be brutally honest about it. Many people look at these games with rose-tinted glasses and forgot how many issues they had. Many of the new Pokemon introduced in Gen 4 couldn't be acquired without the National Dex. There are only 2 Fire-types in the whole main game. The game is slow as molasses and health bars take forever to decrease. Surfing takes forever, and with the encounter rate of the endless horde of Tentacool, it takes even longer. Many of the Gym Leaders don't even use proper monotyping at times. Why does the Candice, the Ice Gym, have a Medicham? Why does Volkner, the Electric Gym, have an Octillery? Why? Because of the National Dex thing. The Pokemon diversity in this game is so spotty and odd.

Diamond and Pearl have so many problems, and I wish people stopped giving them credit out of pure nostalgia alone. You love Gen 4 because of Platinum, not these games.

Score: 68

Pentiment's not going to be for everyone. It's a visual novel mystery thriller set within Renaissance-era Germany, as a historical fiction piece. Josh Sawyer really put passion into this, you can tell, since it's a really accurate experience to the era. It has replayability with the different backgrounds you can choose for Andreas, the protagonist, unlocking different dialogue options throughout the game in true Obsidian fashion.

I can't say more without spoiling the game - but if you enjoy visual novels, mysteries, Obsidian's games, Josh Sawyer's games, and/or historical fiction, please give Pentiment a try.

Score: 88

I just... I just can't love Overwatch anymore. That's sad to say, since I played Overwatch 1 so much. But 5v5 just isn't fun to me anymore, and the game has devolved more into an FPS rather than something that takes more thought to play teamwork-wise. Playing tank has so much pressure in this game now. The game also isn't delivering on the PvE it originally promised, which was one of the things I was looking forward to most. The monetization is also disgustingly egregious. When fans say loot boxes of all things was better monetization for the game, then you know it's bad.

It's a shame, I really want to fall in love with Overwatch again, playing Comp matches until 4 in the morning. But I think life is better without this game.

It is still fun to an extent. Not a bad game like the internet loves to have you think. But.. I can't. I just can't.

Score: 74