This is such a weird game. Going into it, I wondered whether I'd come out of it still disliking the franchise and agreeing with so many negative reviews, or it would finally be the one where I would finally understand what people see in this game and that it wasn't as bad as some paint it out to be.
And it turns out that... They're both kinda right?
This game is optimized like ass. I never though a console exclusive could run so poorly, and it's not like the game is incredibly ambitious in its scope or visuals. Hell, the newest Zelda games are far more ambitious AND more stable. And then there's some animations, Tail Swipe is literally the creature spinning on Z axis. It's actually embarrassing.
But I can't in good conscience say that the game is lazy, that there's no personality in it and that they aren't trying to innovate. More than 1 objective is given to you this time, the Gym Leader thing doesn't account for the full game. There's an actual story now, it's no masterpiece of writing but it's the relaxing RPG shenanigans you'd expect. It's overall very cozy, which kinda contrasts with some other "serious" moments they were going for, but it's not bad. The gameplay itself it's still the most boring turn-based RPG I've ever player, but they did add a ton of things for you to do prior to battles. Getting TMs is easier, changing the natures and affinities of your pokemon to create the cutest war-machine you can possibly muster isn't something that takes ages of grinding anymore. The progression isn't a slog, the objectives are varied, the open world isn't great but it's a clear step up from what the series had before.
All in all... I don't know. Maybe making two games is splitting too much dev time? I know they're both basically the same, but there has to be SOME reason the game feels like it's missing something even though it's clearly not a soulless cash grab. Maybe the franchise just got too big for its own good and they're afraid of both playing too safe or changing too much. But I feel like they'll have to pick a lane soon because I don't think either philosophy is truly being served here. At the end of the day, the cute critters are still a crutch though. If you didn't had a cute weed cat as your front face, I don't think the game would sell nearly half as much...
And it turns out that... They're both kinda right?
This game is optimized like ass. I never though a console exclusive could run so poorly, and it's not like the game is incredibly ambitious in its scope or visuals. Hell, the newest Zelda games are far more ambitious AND more stable. And then there's some animations, Tail Swipe is literally the creature spinning on Z axis. It's actually embarrassing.
But I can't in good conscience say that the game is lazy, that there's no personality in it and that they aren't trying to innovate. More than 1 objective is given to you this time, the Gym Leader thing doesn't account for the full game. There's an actual story now, it's no masterpiece of writing but it's the relaxing RPG shenanigans you'd expect. It's overall very cozy, which kinda contrasts with some other "serious" moments they were going for, but it's not bad. The gameplay itself it's still the most boring turn-based RPG I've ever player, but they did add a ton of things for you to do prior to battles. Getting TMs is easier, changing the natures and affinities of your pokemon to create the cutest war-machine you can possibly muster isn't something that takes ages of grinding anymore. The progression isn't a slog, the objectives are varied, the open world isn't great but it's a clear step up from what the series had before.
All in all... I don't know. Maybe making two games is splitting too much dev time? I know they're both basically the same, but there has to be SOME reason the game feels like it's missing something even though it's clearly not a soulless cash grab. Maybe the franchise just got too big for its own good and they're afraid of both playing too safe or changing too much. But I feel like they'll have to pick a lane soon because I don't think either philosophy is truly being served here. At the end of the day, the cute critters are still a crutch though. If you didn't had a cute weed cat as your front face, I don't think the game would sell nearly half as much...