Nintendo Pokémon: Let's Go Reviews

[Biggie]

Just earned my second gym badge.  Been grinding watching football. 

[Biggie]

Just got my third gym badge. 

[johnny]

5 badges down. Starting a catch combo of a good Pokémon really racks up the XP. 

[Biggie]

In previous versions of Pokémon you could go and check out your badges up close and see the details in each one. I can’t figure out how or if you even can do this in this game. This version may not have all the features of other Pokémon games but it’s by far the most fun. And the Qol changes are amazing. 

[EternallDarkness]

so it's good? I picked up both versions for the nephews and will be giving them to them tonight. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

I really enjoy not having random wild Pokémon battles. I was skeptical at first, but it really turned out quite well. 

[Xbob42]

I told you guys that wild Pokemon battles suck! They were too easy, and the "challenge" was hoping to put a status effect on it after wasting time getting its health down, and then just RNG-balling it for however long it took to capture.

So it was the same basic gameplay as trainer battles, except more tedious, too easy to be a challenge, and super dependent on RNG. Now capturing wild Pokemon and battling trainers are two wildly different things with almost no overlapping mechanics, so both stay fresher for a lot longer. And while capturing is still based on RNG, your interactions are ways to limit that RNG with skill (great and excellent throws raise capture rate and offer more exp) and items (such as berries and Pokeball types, same as the old system) rather than by sacrificing time with false swipe followed by trying to sleep the damned thing.

 

I think the game flows a lot smoother and feels far less padded like this, and would like to see something similar in the future. Not necessarily this same exact design, but a separation of catching and fighting Pokemon. Maybe now that they're in the world, throw in some Pokemon Snap optional features as well for bonus items and clothing and all that good stuff, getting you to enjoy the look and feel of the world, which also feels more alive now that Pokemon roam wild and are always visible.

 

Now if we could just get an updated battle system that keeps the strategic and tactical feel while being faster, smoother, and more dynamic (it feels and has always felt extremely rigid and slow, even for a JRPG) then this series would shoot back up to one of my favorites, which it hasn't really been since Red and Blue. I've played most Pokemon games since then, but the series in many ways completely refuses to evolve. Like Nintendo's other experiments with slaughtering sacred cows lately, I think the Pokemon Go influence here has been an overall good thing, and Nintendo should be more open to changing up their game designs to what's fun rather than what's tried-and-true.

[Biggie]

If they do return to random battles in the next Pokémon I hope they keep it where all you’re doing is catching them with Pokeballs like you do now. Like you said it seems to keep things fresh and less grindy. 

[stepee]

Random battles after having pokémon our in the world would be such a damn downgrade. Really hope gen8 builds on the things this does better not take them away.