At this point, SV has been patched enough that it's...playable. Mind, every patch seems to break something else, so they have to send out ANOTHER patch to patch the original patch. *SIGH* Gamefreak are fairly competent designers but poor craftsmen. I feel like if this SAME game had been made by, say, the Zelda or Mario or Xenoblade team, people would not be as hard on it...because it would LOOK better and be FAR less glitchy. But, in all fairness, they ARE trying to make a open-world RPG every 2 or 3 years...which is kind of a insane turnaround time. They need to give these games more time in the oven...but they're being pressured by every OTHER part of the franchise to hurry up and make more Pokemon so they can sell more plushes and anime and everything else. But, the performance is definitely the biggest thing dragging this game down.
Paldea is just a little...too "realistic" for my liking, I think. I think I want Pokemon to be a little more fantastical than what we get here. A lot of the areas kind of just feel bland. There ARE some standout areas in Paldea. The Autumn area in the Northwest Corner. The Bamboo Grove in the East. The Flower Field in the North. And, of course, Area Zero just OOZES personality, especially with it's music. Unfortunately, most of the "pretty" areas...also suffer from some of the worst performance of the game. But, I just want something more like Ballonlea the glowing mushroom town in SWSH. Something a little more "anime", I guess.
Pokemon design-wise, this is kind of a middle of the road generation for me. I really like some of the Pokemon, like Skeledirge, Koraidon, Lechonk, Ceruledge, Mabostiff (mostly because of the story), Toedscruel, Rabsca, Lokix, Tinkaton, Wiglett, Greavard, Tatsugiri, Iron Thorns, the Ruinous Quartet, Roaring Moon, and Iron Valiant. But, a lot of them kind of blend into each other or are just animals. The entire Pawmo line is cute...but it's just the SAME Pokemon learning how to stand up straight.
But, the story...I think this is a top 3 Pokemon game story, for me. (The others being B/W and original S/M...and MAYBE Legends Arceus is fourth). If someone said this was their FAVORITE Pokemon story, I wouldn't be able to argue too hard about it. It's definitely the most "cinematic" story, at least. Some of the cutscenes by the end really sell just how big this story gets. But, these three separate stories about these kids who would NEVER hang out together on their own, being brought together by YOU, the player...it works. It works wonders.
Nemona and the League Path clearly have the least "heart" of the three, but even then it has moments. Seeing how the Gym Leaders contribute to their towns in other ways is something that's always interesting to see. And Nemona herself has a little more depth to her than she appears to, at first. The moment where the player beats her and EVERYONE holds their breath waiting to see how she reacts...only for her to just be happy that's she's found someone she doesn't have to hold back against is a really memorable moment. And there's even a whole post-game moment where she reveals she's a little resentful about being seen as a savant. And I actually want to SEE her family at some point, because there's some drama there.
Penny and the Team Star Path is ALSO really good. A girl who's so socially awkward that she creates a whole secret identity to try and help put her friends back on the "right path" after she feels like she lead them astray. Penny worrying the whole time that they're better off never seeing her again. And the player slowly putting the pieces together that these "punks"...are basically just nerdy theater kids? And good ol' Clive! Penny getting forgiven by all her friends at the end is just a great moment. They all just wanted to see her again! Penny's room in the Academy makes me worry about her, though (it hits a little too close to home). She loves her VeeVees a little TOO much.
And Arven saving his dog! It's sappy! It's manipulative! It's been done before! But...it's SO EFFECTIVE! If you don't cry when Arven hugs his dog when he realizes these special sandwiches are actually working and the dog can finally walk again...YOU HAVE NO SOUL! I'm tearing up just thinking about that moment. It was actually kind of painful when we had to FIGHT that dog at the end of that story. I really didn't want to hurt him, again.
And then all the friends you've been making throughout the game come together to solve a much bigger problem. They "risk their lives" venturing into a forbidden area FULL of strong Pokemon to help you help a friend find their parent. All three of your friends bond with each other over the course of your long walk into the depths. And then things get BIG and WEIRD. Invasive species from beyond time that could over run the world! Wish granting machines powered by giant crystals! Robot dopplegangers of missing parents! And your Ride Buddy, who has been with you throughout your ENTIRE journey, gets to face off against the source of both his and Arven's trauma. There are STILL so many questions about...what this was actually all about. But, you have to admit...it had style. It was a memorably epic ending.
In my opinion, we got three REALLY good Pokemon stories in this game, and they all wove together into something epic. This story just feels special.
So, that's SV. It's a BROKEN game...with a GREAT story. So I can't call this a bad game...but it is a badly MADE game.
As far as Gen 4/Sinnoh goes...yeah. 3/5. Too much mountain. It's got some really great lore. And probably one of the "biggest" Team plans in Pokemon. But, a lot of the Pokemon in that gen are just evolutions of past Pokemon...but fat. And I have NO idea whats going on with the Legendary's designs. They don't really look like anything and I, personally, don't find them "cool" looking. And as much as some people really love that generation...I feel like they forget some of the problems, even with Platinum. For example..."Saving A LOT of data...".
