This game is just as good as Paper Mario TTYD. Sure it isn't exactly the same since it's missing the qol changes from the sequel, but come on it's the first game. I would argue without a super dodge it makes it more challenging. The game oozes charm with it's characters, music, and story. If you have access to emulation, definitely play this game with the HD texture pack using the Virtual Console version. It makes the game look more modern and enhances the experience.
There's a reason why this game and TTYD are so beloved.

I was able to complete the whole pokedex in the game and got the true ending. It was a fun experience. I remember I was shitting on this game before release, and who can blame me it looks like dogshit when compared to other open world games on the same system. (Looks at Xenoblade) Anyways, I didn't let my first impression get the better of me and decided to play it anyway to see if there is anything to salvage.

Turns out there's actually quite a lot. The new catching system is pretty good I would say. Being able to just catch Pokemon without initiating a fight is really awesome and saves so much time compared to a traditional game. There is the minor issue of some things in the overworld having janky hitboxes around objects that stop the pokeballs when thrown. It is also kind of easy to overlevel in this game since the exp share is still there. I am not really in the camp that loathes exp share as it makes Pokemon less grindy. The least they can do is account for it and give less exp or something idk. SMT V (Great game btw) kinda does this really well and that has shared exp. Hoping they fix it in the future.
The battle system is almost the same as traditional games but with a slight twist. Agile and Heavy styles influence the new turn order system and either makes it more likelier to act more times with the downside of lowering your power/effects or act less with the benefit of getting boosted accuracy/power/effects. This is cool, but it really sucks that they removed abilities. Without them the battle system becomes less strategic. Game Freak can probably improve upon it in future games with other things to do if they want to do that. A cool idea I was thinking of when doing battles with wild pokemon was maybe having the trainer try to avoid other Pokemon's attacks while your Pokemon is busy fighting the other. Kinda like TWEWY. You CAN move around but it serves no purpose which is why I brought up that idea. Wasted potential imo.

The music is so good. Does a better job than Zelda BOTW that's for sure. It fits thematically AND sounds awesome. Doesn't get annoying at all when you are out and about in the open fields exploring and looking for Pokemon. But then again when does Game Freak make bad music lol.
This game is unique in the sense that it gives you this feeling of wonder and is the closest the series has ever been in being similar to the anime. I've always liked the anime's sense of adventure that has Ash and co. just walk through so much to reach the next town. In the OG games it never felt that way to me since the routes end pretty fast and are only a few screens away. There can be some improving in locations of interest and whatnot to reward you for veering off the main path. Game Freak should definitely tap into this as it is a thing only Pokemon can do. Sooooo close.

The Pokedex is changed to account for everything this game offers but it can be a bit annoying at times. I like that there is alternatives to just catching Pokemon. You can battle them and knock them out with certain moves, use or see certain moves from the Pokemon, give them food, etc. What is not fun is when some Pokemon are stuck behind Spatial Distortions and you have to complete the Pokedex to get the postgame ending. I don't know why, but it seems that the more I played the game, the less and less frequent the spatial distortions were becoming. By the end of the game, I was legit waiting for 5 hours for a distortion to appear to catch a mf'ing Cranidos and was basically doing nothing in-game. Awful. I eventually caught it but sheesh. Nothing more awful than artificially prolonging a game for no reason.

You'll love this game for sure if you like the lore throughout the series. I was somewhat surprised at the fact that in this world the concept of death exists and the characters bring it up once in a while that playing with Pokemon ain't sunshine and rainbows all the time. (Death?? In MY POKEMON? It's more likely than you think.) Sure, they implied death through Pokedex entries like with most ghost Pokemon like Drifloon or Dusknoir but never outright stated by the characters in the games. Makes Pokemon seem more dangerous than they appear and gives the Mon in Pokemon more sense. The story is definitely a step in the right direction since it has its unexpected twists which is rare for Pokemon. Story has never been the focus with the exceptions of BW and the series' spinoffs. The final battle that you get for completing the main story was kinda lame and anticlimactic, but oh boy does that change for the postgame's final battle. I won't spoil anything but I know this has to be one of the best final battles in the series.

All in all, it was a very fun game. Like I said, if you are a fan of the Pokemon lore, definitely try this game. If you aren't a fan of open-world this game won't really do much unless you are an avid Pokemon fan. I really hope this game becomes the base for future games in the series or at least make a separate series because I want to see more and see its full potential. Just some stuff they have to polish and Game Freak will be able to compete with the big Nintendo hitters in terms of quality. No more will people say "This feels more of the same".

The speed challenges are the best part of the game. They really nailed the sense of speed in those types of races. Another thing I really liked was how tuning your car actually made a difference here and can be the deciding factor in you winning or losing. Unfortunately I cannot say the same thing for everything else. No free roam, no cops, almost no customization. The controls could have been better if they were going to solely focus on legal street racing. Environments and tracks are super repetitive and uninspired.

I played through this via the Z/ZX Collection. Fun game with the checkpoints and being able to jump back in whenever you die especially against the bosses. The whole thing with levels being erased only happens with no save-assist I believe and this is an instance where you need to play this with it to enjoy it. Only issue I found is how you have to grind abilities/upgrades by slowly killing enemies in the same spot over and over to grind crystals for stuff like extra tanks and running faster. Pretty lame.