solandecabras
This review contains spoilers
An amazing point-and-click game in which you're a jaded detective trying to solve cases you know are strange. A great story for fans of the cyber-noir-esoteric genre mismash, with very satisfying puzzles and an open ending that leaves you craving more. Hopefully a sequel is eventually made!!
On the character side, every single character is interesting at worst and incredibly compelling at best. Rex, our rugged and disgraced detective, is a masterpiece of a noir homage and his story is one of the best parts of this entire game. His cat - who you also play as!! - is quite funny too!
The environments are impossibly beautiful - neon landscapes juxtaposed with the wastes of an industrial society close to ruin, with so many details and quirks you'll be staring at your screen absorbing everything - or trying to.
Overall, an extremely enjoyable experience!
On the character side, every single character is interesting at worst and incredibly compelling at best. Rex, our rugged and disgraced detective, is a masterpiece of a noir homage and his story is one of the best parts of this entire game. His cat - who you also play as!! - is quite funny too!
The environments are impossibly beautiful - neon landscapes juxtaposed with the wastes of an industrial society close to ruin, with so many details and quirks you'll be staring at your screen absorbing everything - or trying to.
Overall, an extremely enjoyable experience!
2019
This review contains spoilers
Look, this game is really not as horrible as people make it to be. While it does have flaws, it also has its upsides!
The Wild Area is a bit empty, and it does start to feel small once you get around it once or twice, but the variety of Pokémon does make it feel like a real habitat and not some random place with Pokémon in it.
Some routes and cities have AMAZING design, and the atmosphere is really good, while some others are a bit more lackluster. It does manage to create a distinct identity, though.
The story is a weak point, and it feels a bit strangely rushed at times (kinda reminiscent of XY in that regard), but the characters make up for it. All of them feel unique, even if Hop does seem a bit too mediocre at times, and they're fun to battle!
Speaking of battle, the game's difficulty is not too high I'd say. The real challenges are not in the main campaign, but in the DLCs (the beginning of Game Freak's greedy era was here!) and the 5-star dens. This is a relaxed game with potential to be challenging, which is how most games should be.
The Pokémon roster is great, giving you a lot of possible options very early on, even if some of the new evolution methods are quite... unorthodox.
If I'm totally honest I can't remember much of the pre-DLC pre-postgame story because they invaded my mind once they came out, and most fo what I remember is from there.
The Isle of Armor is OK? I liked the Isle itself, enjoyed exploring it and completing the Pokédex, and Kubfu's storyline was fine I think. The battles against Mustard and Honey were very fun, and the way you could keep upgrading the Dojo was also very cool! The Cram-O-Matic was an addition for gamblers and the Alola forms were a fun throwback!
The Crown Tundra was a great scavenger hunt! Apart from the whole Calyrex storyline, the Swords of Justice were interesting to try and find and the Dynamax Adventures are a very fun way to shiny hunt or just get many different Pokémon! The three birds were also a quirky addition, and Keldeo's conditions for its appearance are certainly strange to find out!
Overall, this game is a fine game with solid DLCs that should have just been for free. Not as horrible as people say but not very good either - just fine!
The Wild Area is a bit empty, and it does start to feel small once you get around it once or twice, but the variety of Pokémon does make it feel like a real habitat and not some random place with Pokémon in it.
Some routes and cities have AMAZING design, and the atmosphere is really good, while some others are a bit more lackluster. It does manage to create a distinct identity, though.
The story is a weak point, and it feels a bit strangely rushed at times (kinda reminiscent of XY in that regard), but the characters make up for it. All of them feel unique, even if Hop does seem a bit too mediocre at times, and they're fun to battle!
Speaking of battle, the game's difficulty is not too high I'd say. The real challenges are not in the main campaign, but in the DLCs (the beginning of Game Freak's greedy era was here!) and the 5-star dens. This is a relaxed game with potential to be challenging, which is how most games should be.
The Pokémon roster is great, giving you a lot of possible options very early on, even if some of the new evolution methods are quite... unorthodox.
If I'm totally honest I can't remember much of the pre-DLC pre-postgame story because they invaded my mind once they came out, and most fo what I remember is from there.
The Isle of Armor is OK? I liked the Isle itself, enjoyed exploring it and completing the Pokédex, and Kubfu's storyline was fine I think. The battles against Mustard and Honey were very fun, and the way you could keep upgrading the Dojo was also very cool! The Cram-O-Matic was an addition for gamblers and the Alola forms were a fun throwback!
The Crown Tundra was a great scavenger hunt! Apart from the whole Calyrex storyline, the Swords of Justice were interesting to try and find and the Dynamax Adventures are a very fun way to shiny hunt or just get many different Pokémon! The three birds were also a quirky addition, and Keldeo's conditions for its appearance are certainly strange to find out!
Overall, this game is a fine game with solid DLCs that should have just been for free. Not as horrible as people say but not very good either - just fine!
2013
This is like the NSMBU experience but if it was a thousand times more fun. The time limit makes everything feel so much more frantic, and the level design is simply superb! I loved it so much I even 100%ed it!!
Look this game is great, really, but it's a horrible slog to go through. Apart from the famed slowness, it does suffer from terrible Pokémon distribution and a somewhat lackluster story. It did introduce great things to the franchise, like the Physical/Special split and easier ways to see all the Pokémon in the regional dex! But it's not the definitive gen 4 experience.
A worthy sequel to Pokémon Black & White, it adds old Pokémon to the roster this time around, which helps make it feel distinct from its predecessor if the new areas and characters wasn't enough already. The story feels a bit more forced than the previous game, and while it does have GREAT moments, it also hits some decent lows. There were some strange decisions, like locking breeding until after the postgame, but otherwise a pretty solid entry in the series!
2016
Look, I do like the Sun&Moon games. They have many cool features and fun things to do! It's just that they felt a bit... incomplete?
For starters, the Pokémon variety feels a bit... lackluster. Coming from Pokémon XY and ORAS, two of the games with the widest array of Pokémon ever, the 300-mon Pokédex (With over 25 being "special", fossils included) felt a bit shallow when quite a few of those encounters are either not available in the wild or only available through SOS call RNG - a tedious process that sometimes was just mind-numbing.
Many people complain about the hand-holding at the beginning of the game and all the cutscenes - and it's true! The tutorial stage lasts basically until you exit Hau'oli City, and even then, there's some things that are still left to be explained like Trials or Z-Moves.
Given the kind of railroad-y feeling the game has, the islands don't feel as big as they should (specifically Mele Mele and Ula Ula). The presence of optional areas is great, but some of those feel too empty or too tiny.
The story itself is actually great! Lusamine is a horrible person and an even more horrible mother, and the climax where Lillie finally confronts her is one of the best storytelling moments in Pokémon. It is emotional and the ending isn't perfect, but it's as good as it can get.
Character-wise, most of them are really charming! From Kukui to the Trial Captains to Guzma and Plumeria, everyone has a distinct personality and a great design. Hau might be the only exception, as his personality seems to be a bit more shallow and less developed than the rest, but a single slight is not bad in this regard. The cameos from previous generations are also great!
The difficulty is OK, I didn't have any difficulty with any of the Trials or the Elite 4, and the Looker and Anabelle (!!) quest at the end is also relatively interesting - though USUM did a slightly better job at handling the UBs. The new gimmick, Z-moves, is relatively fine, and given Mega-evolution makes a return in the post-game then it's OK!
The Zygarde cells are a fun collectable with a good reward, but it does feel like a recycled idea that didn't make it to XY.
Overall, this game is fine by itself, but if you want to experience Alola then you're much better off playing the USUM games and watching the SM story somewhere else - these games feel like a rushed, unpolished version of what USUM eventually came to be.
For starters, the Pokémon variety feels a bit... lackluster. Coming from Pokémon XY and ORAS, two of the games with the widest array of Pokémon ever, the 300-mon Pokédex (With over 25 being "special", fossils included) felt a bit shallow when quite a few of those encounters are either not available in the wild or only available through SOS call RNG - a tedious process that sometimes was just mind-numbing.
Many people complain about the hand-holding at the beginning of the game and all the cutscenes - and it's true! The tutorial stage lasts basically until you exit Hau'oli City, and even then, there's some things that are still left to be explained like Trials or Z-Moves.
Given the kind of railroad-y feeling the game has, the islands don't feel as big as they should (specifically Mele Mele and Ula Ula). The presence of optional areas is great, but some of those feel too empty or too tiny.
The story itself is actually great! Lusamine is a horrible person and an even more horrible mother, and the climax where Lillie finally confronts her is one of the best storytelling moments in Pokémon. It is emotional and the ending isn't perfect, but it's as good as it can get.
Character-wise, most of them are really charming! From Kukui to the Trial Captains to Guzma and Plumeria, everyone has a distinct personality and a great design. Hau might be the only exception, as his personality seems to be a bit more shallow and less developed than the rest, but a single slight is not bad in this regard. The cameos from previous generations are also great!
The difficulty is OK, I didn't have any difficulty with any of the Trials or the Elite 4, and the Looker and Anabelle (!!) quest at the end is also relatively interesting - though USUM did a slightly better job at handling the UBs. The new gimmick, Z-moves, is relatively fine, and given Mega-evolution makes a return in the post-game then it's OK!
The Zygarde cells are a fun collectable with a good reward, but it does feel like a recycled idea that didn't make it to XY.
Overall, this game is fine by itself, but if you want to experience Alola then you're much better off playing the USUM games and watching the SM story somewhere else - these games feel like a rushed, unpolished version of what USUM eventually came to be.
2016
Look I'm absolute dogshit at this game. I cannot get past the second floor. I still enjoy it so much and have spent so many hours on it because it's just that FUN. Might eventually return to it. Still recommended!
2011
Man I love the Rhythm Heaven series. This was such a fun game. I love all the minigames. Anyways, OH WHAT CAN I DO? WHAT CAN I DO? THE ONLY ONE FOR ME IS YOU
2012
I know all the choreographies by heart. I have 5-star on literally every single song except Umbrella for some reason. This videogame has been with me through thick and thin. The song selection is superb, and it's still so much fun to just boot it up and play soem random shuffle songs!! JD4 they could never make me hate you <3
2015
This review contains spoilers
Loved it! A relatively short yet sweet game. I only did the pacifist route (both times, even if the first one still ended with Omega Flowey!), and I found the story and characters very compelling. I am just bad at videogames, so I struggled a bit in fights, but I didn't mind!
Amazing game. The choice to keep only new Pokémon until the postgame really helped this game feel unique, the story was good, the graphics were great... Many things to praise about this game.
My only gripes would be the EXP point system and the sudden level spike you get in the postgame areas, but it truly is a refreshing take that Pokémon desperately needed. Player communication could also be improved a bit, but sadly nowadays that hardly matters, does it?
My only gripes would be the EXP point system and the sudden level spike you get in the postgame areas, but it truly is a refreshing take that Pokémon desperately needed. Player communication could also be improved a bit, but sadly nowadays that hardly matters, does it?
2013
Very fun game!! Really liked trying to get most of the endings! Truly a masterpiece and defined an entire genre of games. Iconic.
2016
Quite enjoyable!! Extremely interesting mechanics, I struggled with some puzzles but that's on me, not the game, haha. Cute story, but you kind of forget about it, given the puzzles and platforming are the main draw of this game.
2014
This review contains spoilers
The perfect remake of already good games. This game takes every obnoxious or insufferable thing Ruby and Sapphire had, brushed them away, and then improved on it immensely. Hoenn has never been a better place to play in!
A non-comprehensive list of amazing additions this game has compared to the originals:
- A touch screen. And what a touch screen! From the quick-access menu, to the impossibly good DexNav, to the XY section, to a fun news report, to the most comprehensive map this series has ever seen... The absolute perfect bottom screen.
- Post-Generation 3 changes are added! No FRLG evolution blocking, or HGSS-style dex cutting. Every single Pokémon that got an evolution or preevolution after Gen 3 has said evolutionary line added to the regional dex! Gallade, Probopass, Magnezone, Budew, Roserade, Chingling, Dusknoir, Rhyperior, Froslass, and even a new form in Cosplay Pikachu! Fairy type is also present, with representatives such as Mawile, Jigglypuff, Marill or Ralts!
- New Mega-Evolutions! Most of them are available right before the eighth gym, but some of them are obtainable before that!
- New Groudon and Kyogre forms!! And they're so cool!!
- The entire Delta Episode as an amazing homage to Pokémon Emerald with a surprise appearance at the end!
- Improved already present mechanics like contests or Secret Bases to the point of perfection.
- Possibly the best Fly in the series, allowing you to fly to ANY ROUTE or place you want.
- Lati@s Flight. Need I say more?
- The presence of so many species of Pokémon you can complete the entire National Pokédex just with the generation 6 games alone.
People complain about the lack of Battle Front but let's be so for real. Who played the Battle Front consistently? In my humble opinion, this game is so good people just needed to find a nitpick for it so they could complain because Arceus forbid a good Pokémon game is released.
All in all, possibly the single best Pokémon experience one could have and the gold standard for all Pokémon games before and after it, remakes included. If you have the chance, you need to play it!
A non-comprehensive list of amazing additions this game has compared to the originals:
- A touch screen. And what a touch screen! From the quick-access menu, to the impossibly good DexNav, to the XY section, to a fun news report, to the most comprehensive map this series has ever seen... The absolute perfect bottom screen.
- Post-Generation 3 changes are added! No FRLG evolution blocking, or HGSS-style dex cutting. Every single Pokémon that got an evolution or preevolution after Gen 3 has said evolutionary line added to the regional dex! Gallade, Probopass, Magnezone, Budew, Roserade, Chingling, Dusknoir, Rhyperior, Froslass, and even a new form in Cosplay Pikachu! Fairy type is also present, with representatives such as Mawile, Jigglypuff, Marill or Ralts!
- New Mega-Evolutions! Most of them are available right before the eighth gym, but some of them are obtainable before that!
- New Groudon and Kyogre forms!! And they're so cool!!
- The entire Delta Episode as an amazing homage to Pokémon Emerald with a surprise appearance at the end!
- Improved already present mechanics like contests or Secret Bases to the point of perfection.
- Possibly the best Fly in the series, allowing you to fly to ANY ROUTE or place you want.
- Lati@s Flight. Need I say more?
- The presence of so many species of Pokémon you can complete the entire National Pokédex just with the generation 6 games alone.
People complain about the lack of Battle Front but let's be so for real. Who played the Battle Front consistently? In my humble opinion, this game is so good people just needed to find a nitpick for it so they could complain because Arceus forbid a good Pokémon game is released.
All in all, possibly the single best Pokémon experience one could have and the gold standard for all Pokémon games before and after it, remakes included. If you have the chance, you need to play it!
This review contains spoilers
A very solid and entertaining title that falls just a bit short of perfect.
The day after I picked up this game, I spent almost thirty-six hours straight playing it. It was so much fun! The gameplay loop is addicting, completing the Pokédex was FUN! Then I almost passed out so I went to bed and kept on playing the next day, haha.
This game has many great things, for example, the Pokémon roster, while not as expansive as recent games, feels somehow just perfect enough for this type of game. The characters are all incredibly charming, even if we know them from past titles (please let Ingo go back home??). The method of capturing Pokémon is so much fun and there are SO many ways for it to go wrong...!
It has a good story, even if it does feel a bit too... colonialist at times. It's quite solid and filled with a sort of quiet existential dread that feels even religious at times. The post-game, with Volo's entire quest, exacerbates this even more if possible,
The only problem I have with this game is that some areas do feel a bit too empty, and once you've explored most of the areas it all feels kind of small and samey. Other than that, this game is a BLAST to play and an absolute recommendation for anyone who likes Pokémon but is tired of the original formula!
The day after I picked up this game, I spent almost thirty-six hours straight playing it. It was so much fun! The gameplay loop is addicting, completing the Pokédex was FUN! Then I almost passed out so I went to bed and kept on playing the next day, haha.
This game has many great things, for example, the Pokémon roster, while not as expansive as recent games, feels somehow just perfect enough for this type of game. The characters are all incredibly charming, even if we know them from past titles (please let Ingo go back home??). The method of capturing Pokémon is so much fun and there are SO many ways for it to go wrong...!
It has a good story, even if it does feel a bit too... colonialist at times. It's quite solid and filled with a sort of quiet existential dread that feels even religious at times. The post-game, with Volo's entire quest, exacerbates this even more if possible,
The only problem I have with this game is that some areas do feel a bit too empty, and once you've explored most of the areas it all feels kind of small and samey. Other than that, this game is a BLAST to play and an absolute recommendation for anyone who likes Pokémon but is tired of the original formula!