Let us get the obvious out of the way. Yes, this game was not ready to release in the state it was in, and yes obviously we should be critical of the fact for any large scale game, but especially for something as the scale of Pokemon. I will say, while the game was obviously rushed, I don't necessarily think many of the game's frame rate issues would've gotten fixed without a lot more time under their belt, because pretty much every large scale Switch game that didn't have Monolith Soft's name attached to it has been a nightmare in some facet in the performance and look. Not saying that as an excuse but more just that I think is the signal for some form of big change for the console.
Alright, we got that out of our systems. This is the best Pokemon game we have gotten since the Black and White era. I like many of the world is doomed to playing just about all the games in this franchise, the occasional fan game, I have thought about, talked about, speculated, had fun, and criticized this franchise like anyone else has. There is no denying that from 2017-2021, being a fan of this franchise felt pretty dire, with pretty much all of the worst titles in the franchise’s history coming back to back, with Sword and Shield and the Diamond & Pearl remakes really feeling like big lows to be invested in this franchise. Yet despite that, Legends: Arceus, I feel was incredible. It made me have hope for this franchise again, while also appealing to my very nostalgic side of growing up with Sinnoh. I don’t know why they felt the need to do a brand new generation, with an even bigger open world literally in the same year, but it felt like the franchise was actually looking into the critiques that people have lobbied against them for years.
Obviously, the game was not properly optimized in time, but I have to commend the fact that they made an even bigger and more ambitious game than Legends: Arceus in the same year. I just replayed Red & Blue, and something I always commended Kanto for is the ability to do whatever you really wanted in your own way after a certain point. And this game is just taking that to its natural conclusion. I hate to be that guy, but if Breath of the Wild took to the original game to recreate that true feeling of openness and discovery, Scarlet and Violet essentially do that for the original GameBoy games. It cannot be understated just how fun it is to run around and do things at your own leisure, at your own pace, taking on incredibly overleveled challenges and getting my ass kicked in a Pokemon game again. It is a joy that I never expected to feel so soon after such a low point for this franchise.
That is to say nothing of this game’s true highlight; the online multiplayer. This franchise has always been a very social experience for me, but it has been disappointing just how broken playing with my friends has been because a lot of my favourite gaming experiences with them has been during the sixth generation of the series, and has been increasingly worse for years. And in spite of the fact that this game was put in the state that it was in, the multiplayer, involving you and your friends basically getting to do whatever you want in the big open world, somehow works as intended and is some of the most fun I’ve had with them in forever. We’re doing dumb FFAs, shiny hunting, actually completing the Pokedex, all for really the enjoyment that its fun to do it. Also being able to do the game’s main tasks while goofing around in your friend’s world basically means the whole game makes for a joyous social experience.
The main story is also just solid, you get a great variety of tasks, the characters are fun to be around, all the challenges can be done at any time, at any level, anything can be a challenge if you want it to be. Also, while I think this goes for most Pokemon games, the variety of new Pokemon in this game, my god. First of all, there is so many new ones, and all of them are such freaks and weirdos, and I love them all. A lot of unique new concepts and revitalizing a lot of forgotten older creatures and giving them a brand new boost of weird energy that I just adore. It is also a joy seeing Pokemon, new and old actually interact with the region around them, that is something that Legends: Arceus kind of lacked in that regard. For a series that has used the same general animations for about a decade now, it feels good to have a game where I can watch Pokemon get blown away by the wind. Even if it isn’t anything mindblowing, there is a lot of care that was put into these games that sadly isn’t going properly noticed.
I will concede again, this game is flawed even without the technical difficulties in place, but I cannot deny my feelings. I love this game. I cried a bit at this game, though part of that is due to the unfortunate timing of losing both a pet and a friend in the same general timespan. I’m still playing this game, I don’t know if people will agree, I don’t really care. It has been a really awful month, and sometimes you need a pick-me-up, and this has far exceeded my expectations, even in spite of its faults.
Alright, we got that out of our systems. This is the best Pokemon game we have gotten since the Black and White era. I like many of the world is doomed to playing just about all the games in this franchise, the occasional fan game, I have thought about, talked about, speculated, had fun, and criticized this franchise like anyone else has. There is no denying that from 2017-2021, being a fan of this franchise felt pretty dire, with pretty much all of the worst titles in the franchise’s history coming back to back, with Sword and Shield and the Diamond & Pearl remakes really feeling like big lows to be invested in this franchise. Yet despite that, Legends: Arceus, I feel was incredible. It made me have hope for this franchise again, while also appealing to my very nostalgic side of growing up with Sinnoh. I don’t know why they felt the need to do a brand new generation, with an even bigger open world literally in the same year, but it felt like the franchise was actually looking into the critiques that people have lobbied against them for years.
Obviously, the game was not properly optimized in time, but I have to commend the fact that they made an even bigger and more ambitious game than Legends: Arceus in the same year. I just replayed Red & Blue, and something I always commended Kanto for is the ability to do whatever you really wanted in your own way after a certain point. And this game is just taking that to its natural conclusion. I hate to be that guy, but if Breath of the Wild took to the original game to recreate that true feeling of openness and discovery, Scarlet and Violet essentially do that for the original GameBoy games. It cannot be understated just how fun it is to run around and do things at your own leisure, at your own pace, taking on incredibly overleveled challenges and getting my ass kicked in a Pokemon game again. It is a joy that I never expected to feel so soon after such a low point for this franchise.
That is to say nothing of this game’s true highlight; the online multiplayer. This franchise has always been a very social experience for me, but it has been disappointing just how broken playing with my friends has been because a lot of my favourite gaming experiences with them has been during the sixth generation of the series, and has been increasingly worse for years. And in spite of the fact that this game was put in the state that it was in, the multiplayer, involving you and your friends basically getting to do whatever you want in the big open world, somehow works as intended and is some of the most fun I’ve had with them in forever. We’re doing dumb FFAs, shiny hunting, actually completing the Pokedex, all for really the enjoyment that its fun to do it. Also being able to do the game’s main tasks while goofing around in your friend’s world basically means the whole game makes for a joyous social experience.
The main story is also just solid, you get a great variety of tasks, the characters are fun to be around, all the challenges can be done at any time, at any level, anything can be a challenge if you want it to be. Also, while I think this goes for most Pokemon games, the variety of new Pokemon in this game, my god. First of all, there is so many new ones, and all of them are such freaks and weirdos, and I love them all. A lot of unique new concepts and revitalizing a lot of forgotten older creatures and giving them a brand new boost of weird energy that I just adore. It is also a joy seeing Pokemon, new and old actually interact with the region around them, that is something that Legends: Arceus kind of lacked in that regard. For a series that has used the same general animations for about a decade now, it feels good to have a game where I can watch Pokemon get blown away by the wind. Even if it isn’t anything mindblowing, there is a lot of care that was put into these games that sadly isn’t going properly noticed.
I will concede again, this game is flawed even without the technical difficulties in place, but I cannot deny my feelings. I love this game. I cried a bit at this game, though part of that is due to the unfortunate timing of losing both a pet and a friend in the same general timespan. I’m still playing this game, I don’t know if people will agree, I don’t really care. It has been a really awful month, and sometimes you need a pick-me-up, and this has far exceeded my expectations, even in spite of its faults.