Last post I was somewhat negative about Sun / Moon. I do like the games though. I think they're excellent Pokémon games.
I love the new monster designs. I think all of the new Gen 7 monsters are all interesting in their own way. I especially love how every single one of the newly-introduced Pokémon families has either a unique move or a unique ability - it really helps these new creatures stand out from the previous 700 Pokémon from the past. This is a good design choice, which I very much approve of.
I like the story. It's kind of annoying how many unskippable cutscenes and tutorials there are though. But the story itself is engaging, and the new graphical style really lends itself well to allowing the player to really care about the characters in this game, more so than previously.
I like the Alola region. It's pleasant to explore and has a really nice laid-back atmosphere.
Those are the most prominent things about Sun / Moon. The new Pokémon and the new story and region. These three important things are all top-notch, which is wh ySun and Moon are considered great games by everyone who plays it.
But there are other things to consider.
Pokémon is a series that's always improving with each iteration. I like to say that the best Pokémon game is whichever one is currently the newest.
Pokémon sometimes introduces changes to the underlying structure and systems that do nothing but improve the experience.
Previous gens introduced quality-of-life changes that have stuck with the series ever since: Gen 2 introduced a quick-select button for key items.
Gen 3 introduced the Pokémon PC storage box overhaul.
Gen 4 introduced the unlimited capacity of the player's inventory.
Gen 5 made TMs infinite-use, and made trading and battling with friends instant and easy.
These are all changes that don't change the fundamental way the game is played (unlike the bigger changes, such as the introduction of abilities, the split of physical/special moves, and the introduction of types).
Yet, they've stuck with the series ever since they were introduced.
However, it's often very difficult to say which QoL additions will stick around, and which ones are temporary. HGSS introduced the ability to toggle running without the need to hold down a button, which sounds like a very nice change for the series, yet this small feature never returned for future games. This is especially annoying in Sun Moon, as now without a bike, the only way to move at maximum speed is by holding B while riding Tauros.
There isn't really a technical reason why they would have removed a feature like this. The only explanation I can think of is that the entire game's interface seems to have a lot of focus around the touchscreen - in fact, I think other than using the Dpad to move, literally everything in HGSS can be done using the touchscreen only.
It seems that this touch-focused design was scrapped for the subsequent Pokémon games, and the run toggle button was considered part of this touchscreen design, and not as its own neat little function. ...Kind of a shame to be honest.
Anyway. It's hard to say what elements of Sun / Moon will stick around for the future. They got rid of HMs this generation. which is amazing, yet they could very easily just add them back in for the next game, which would be hugely disappointing but not really all that surprising.
I guess this is another post complaining about missing features.
I really love how Pokémon continually evolves as a game, I just wish they would stop hampering the evolution by removing features.
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