2008

As a kid, I loved it. As an adult, I can only see it's missed potential.

When i was 8 years old i knelt before my window and prayed to god that i would wake up tomorrow on a beach as a Pokemon with no memories and join a guild and save the world.

became atheist the next day.

You never quite feel as immersed in this one as you do in it's predecessors. I blame that mostly on the character roster being shrunk down to five choices instead of nearly two dozen, it never feels like "you" unless you really like unova pokemon (or pikachu). But also the game is less about "you" and more about it's side characters, which you never truly get attached to.

The town gimmick is entirely unnecessary and never really benefits the player. The v wheel is obnoxious. The quests and resource management feels more obnoxious.

The music is good, but it still feels as though its always a little too cheery, and lacks the "mystery" that set the tone in certain dungeons in previous games.