New Pokémon Snap (NSW) Review

Pokémon, photography, and fun--that's what you get with this next game reviewed on SuperPhillip Central, and the first review for the month of June. It's New Pokémon Snap, so without further ado, let's snap to it and get our cameras at the ready for the SPC review!

Pokémon photo fun for almost everyone

The original Pokémon Snap launched on the Nintendo 64 within a year of the Pokémon series' Western debut. Poké-mania was officially in full swing. For two decades, fan desires of a sequel to Pokémon Snap fell on deaf ears. Even with systems like the Wii and then Wii U offering perfect avenues for possible new innovations for snapping Pokémon on film, a sequel never arrived. That is until now and with the Nintendo Switch. New Pokémon Snap is essentially Pokémon Snap's foundation only with a lot more added to it to not only give the game some much need longevity, but also give players enough value for its $60 price tag. What the game ends up being is a soothing, relaxing, and most importantly, enjoyable sequel well worth the 20+ year wait.

New Pokémon Snap puts you in the shoes--and behind the camera lens--of a beginning Pokémon photographer. This player avatar is yours to customize at the beginning--though the options are incredibly limited, but this avatar is an extension of you all the same. You arrive in the Lental Region and help a professor named Mirror with his research of mystical and magical Illumina Pokémon, going as far as to reveal the secrets of over two millennia that the region possesses. The story isn't anything mind-blowing, but it serves its purpose as to present some motivation if somehow the fun and thrill of capturing Pokémon (though on film this time around) in their natural habitats doesn't already serve that purpose.

Something tells me that you're going to be a natural with that camera!

And yes, New Pokémon Snap is all about taking photos of Pokémon through its dozens of levels. Your ride inside the ZERO-ONE is automatic, moving on its own as you spin the camera around to attempt to get the best shots of Pokémon possible. This time around, not only are there day and night versions to snap photos in, but there are also alternate versions of levels, earned by gaining expedition points from photos snapped. These alternate versions have distinct differences, some more obvious than others, such as simple as having different Pokémon or as varied as putting you on a different path through the level. The very first level of the game features the beaver Pokémon Bidoof busily building a dam in the original version of the level. By the final alteration of this level, the dam has been fully built, offering an alternate path along the dam to reach a completely new area of the level. 

Have you shutter button finger ready--there are Pokémon photo ops to be found!

New Pokémon Snap keeps things engaging whether you're on your first run through an area or your seventh. There's always something new to discover, whether it's an alternate path through a level--and some of these take some serious work to figure out--or a new way to interact with the plentiful Pokémon you'll encounter along your photographical journey.

Starting out in New Pokémon Snap, you're simply armed with your trusty camera device, a roll of film, and an infinite supply of Fluffruit to toss at Pokémon and to coax them into all sorts of shenanigans, whether it's leading them to where you want them go, or simply getting a rare photo op. As you progress in your adventure, you earn all sorts of helpful gadgets and tools, from Illumina Orbs that light up and trigger various reactions from Pokémon, to a melody that can make various Pokémon react in numerous, entertaining ways.

Though not mentioned in the review body, it should be noted that sometimes you'll be required to snap these mythical Illumina Pokemon in their natural habitats. These "levels" were less than thrilling for me.

Unlike the original Pokémon Snap, this Switch sequel features more to it than just getting one excellent photo of a specific Pokémon and then calling it a day for snapping that particular Pokémon. Instead, there are four unique star ratings for each Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap. Each series of star ratings--one, two, three, and four-star ratings--occur from coaxing your Pokémon subjects into specific poses. For instance, a one-star rating of a Pikachu is as simple as taking its photo while it's standing or walking normally around, while different star ratings come from rarer, more interesting poses, such as it eating a Fluffruit or performing its patented Thunder Shock attack. 

Depending on how well you capture your specific subject on film, you're awarded a certain number of points. This is where New Pokémon Snap more closely resembles the original's scoring system, with points awarded for the Pokémon subject's pose, size, how centered it is, if it's facing the camera, if it has other Pokémon in the picture, and so forth. If you want to earn a Platinum score (which is 4,000 points or more), you'll need to time your shots appropriately and with a lot of patience and precision. With four ratings per Pokémon, over 200 Pokémon species in the game, and Platinum ratings to earn for each (optionally, of course), there is plenty of photographic fun to be found in New Pokémon Snap.

Different poses of particular Pokemon mean different star ratings to be had.
Can you discover and photograph them all?

That's not even the extent of the longevity and replay value to be discovered within New Pokémon Snap, either. Within the game are requests from various NPCs that unlock after each initial expedition through a level. These requests generally involve luring Pokémon into specific situations and capturing them on film at the correct moment. A lot of these require plenty of experimentation in levels to do. Many times you'll need to trigger something earlier in an expedition to make something happen far later in the level. 

Now, now. You're just showing off, Machamp!

Then, there's knowing what to do from the somewhat limited hints each request gives you. Case in point, you're required to do a lot of toying about with your tools--Fluffruit, Illumina Orbs, Melody, scanning, and more--in order to figure out exactly what exactly a request requires in order for you to complete it. Then, there's the struggle of sometimes being oblivious as to what the game actually wants the subject of the photo to be. You'll occasionally need to have more than one Pokémon in the frame to satisfy the request. It can be really tedious to not satisfy requests when you think you have, and because you can only select one photo of a given Pokémon to submit to Professor Mirror per expedition, this can be quite annoying. If there is one key to not burning out on requests that I have to offer players, it's that you shouldn't actively go out of your way to complete requests until you gain a late-game upgrade for the ZERO-ONE. You'll know what it is immediately once you get it.

I call this photograph: "The predator and the prey".

Still, it's beyond rewarding to finally figure out what a given request requires you to do, because you'll get an opportunity to capture a Pokémon performing a truly unique reaction, whether it's a Gengar spooking a Toxicroak, a Pidgeot swooping up a Magikarp from a lake, or the arrival of a Pokémon you didn't even expect to appear during your expedition. While requests are of course optional, they do reward things like player icons, frames and stickers to decorate your photos with.

And now, we've reached the dance number portion of this review.

One of my favorite parts of New Pokémon Snap is the ability to view and share photos online. You can add filters, unique unlockable frames, stickers, and even caption your photos and post them online. While it's a shame that you can only have six personally selected photos from your own curation at one time on your online profile, you can remove and add new photos at any time you like. You won't lose Sweet Medals, which is the currency awarded for other players "liking" your photos, for doing so either, which is nice. 

Requests may generally be a pain in the neck to figure out, 
but once you do, they produce some fascinating and fun moments such as this.

New Pokémon Snap is without question the most technologically and graphically impressive Pokémon game to date. The Pokémon are adorably expressive, the environments are large, vibrant and colorful, and the game is just a solid treat for the eyes. That isn't to say that there aren't moments where technical issues reveal themselves, such as one blatant, frame-rate-tanking example featuring a whale-like Pokémon emerging from the ocean waves, but overall, New Pokémon Snap runs well and looks wonderful. The game also features some voicework as well, which sounds pleasant enough, and the music, while nothing that will top the original's soundtrack, offers suitably soothing sounds all the same.

As a much awaited sequel to the original Pokémon Snap, the less-than-imaginatively-titled New Pokémon Snap serves as a much welcomed, much improved, and worth waiting for game. It's basically "Pokémon Snap Plus A Heck of a Lot More: The Game". I guess "New Pokémon Snap" serves as a better title than my own offering, but you get the gist. With 10-15 hours of playtime to complete the initial campaign, and dozens of hours more to snap every Pokémon, fully explore every area, and earn every title (achievement-like challenges), New Pokémon Snap is very much worth its price tag. It won't enthuse every player out there, but if you're the type who loves Pokémon, the idea of seeing them in natural surroundings, and taking pictures of some Pocket Monsters, then I certainly recommend that you snap up New Pokémon Snap.

[SPC Says: B+]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (NSW) Review

With our world in an unpredictable and scary state, let's travel to a different world as a means of escape, if only temporarily. It's a world of Pokemon with Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, and SPC has a full review for you to enjoy. 

Want a solid Mystery Dungeon game? Then, Pokemon to the rescue!

Over a decade ago, the first games in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series, Red Rescue Team for the Game Boy Advance and Blue Rescue Team for the Nintendo DS debuted, offering a Pokemon twist to the tried, true, and to many, tedious gameplay of the Mystery Dungeon series. While this brand new remake, improves in almost every way on the original games and adds an absolutely lovely watercolor aesthetic to the game, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX won't exactly make those who haven't exactly loved this style of game suddenly start doing so with this entry. That said, those that already do will find an engrossing Pokemon world to lose dozens of hours in.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX starts you off with a questionnaire that determines which of a selection of Pokemon you will be. Personally, it is rather pointless and a bit of a waste of time, since you can just pick whichever of the offered Pokemon you want after the fact, but for those undecided or just open to being whichever Pokemon the game recommends, it can be helpful. You then choose your partner Pokemon from the same selection and your journey into the world of Pokemon as a "human turned Pokemon" begins. 

I choose you, Pikachu! (Or should I say, "I choose ME, Pikachu"?)

True to its name, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX sees you entering mystery dungeons with a team of up to three Pokemon, completing various "rescues" (so, THAT'S why the game is called that!) from Pokemon posted on the game hub town bulletin board, and advancing the story. These jobs are as simple as talking to the stranded job-giving Pokemon in a dungeon, giving a Pokemon a desired item, or reuniting two Pokemon together to enable them to escape safely. After a dungeon is complete, either by making it to its end or escaping when given the option, the Pokemon you rescue and jobs you've completed grant rewards. It can be a bit of slog to go through the reward results, especially if you complete a high number of rescues in one go, but the rewards are definitely worthwhile. In addition to money and items (occasionally rare ones, at that), you also gain points that increase your rescue team's rank, allowing for more item storage, Pokemon to recruit, and much more.

Of course, dungeons aren't as safe as the town that your Pokemon call home, where you can purchase and sell items, store your money, and take on new rescues. No, dungeons are not nearly as safe at all--quite the contrary! Enemy Pokemon make these dungeons their home, and they're all too content to make your life a living Poke-hell if you aren't prepared. Dungeons are made up of multiple floors, and while starting out, the amount of floors is paltry in the early dungeons, by the post-game you'll be trekking through dungeons that seem to go on forever with floors in the tens of dozens--and even one that has 99. 

As you can see, I chose to have my partner be the ever-adorable and awesome Squirtle.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX plays similarly to other games of its genre. Pokemon in dungeons take turns moving, attacking, and using items, one after the other. However, it's different from a traditional Pokemon game as it's done in a grid-based format and also instantaneously. Enemy Pokemon do not act until you do. With this in mind, you have a game that requires a mild amount of strategy to overcome encounters. Not only is it important to consider what move you make, but it's also important to consider where you position your Pokemon. Some attacks have a long range instead of being only viable for close quarters, while the Pokemon series's Pokemon types during battles--such as fire, water, grass, psychic, poison, etc.--is ever present in Rescue Team DX to consider as well. Using a fire Pokemon against a rock Pokemon is a recipe for disaster.

Many Pokemon attacks are like my puns in every one of my reviews--they reach quite a bit!

Pokemon moving through dungeons get their HP restored slowly but steadily, as long as they don't have any adverse status effects. However, traveling can be quite exhausting, also causing Pokemon to grow hungry, also slowly but steadily. If a Pokemon wanders a dungeon on an empty stomach, their health will begin to deplete. Only through consuming apples will their hunger be satiated to safe levels. Thankfully, only the currently controlled Pokemon in your party has its hunger level increase, so when one Pokemon got low, I simply switched control to another. That didn't alleviate the need for apples, but it did help considerably with rationing my supply.

Unlike the original Rescue Team games, you don't have the option to conserve PP from using a normal attack. Instead, you just have your four Pokemon's moves to work with, and each use of a move drains its PP by one. Run out of PP for a move, and you can no longer use it unless you drink an Ether of some type, making these items more of a must-have than they were before. Your partner Pokemon also use attacks that consume their own PP, so it's wise Using an attacking move enough will strengthen it, and not just for the Pokemon that uses it. If you have a Pikachu that uses Discharge a lot and later recruit a Zapdos that also has Discharge, it will be at the same upgraded level as that of the Pikachu. 

By holding down the ZL button, you can bring up your Pokemon's choice of four moves,
also showing how effective each are against the enemy.

Speaking of recruiting, sometimes when a Pokemon you fight has been defeated, they'll be motivated to join your dungeon-exploring cause. Unlike the original game, you can have a group of up to eight Pokemon in a dungeon at once--three of which are your starters and five that join you. This makes getting through the dungeons easier as you have more attackers at once, but it can also cause some bottlenecks when it concerns traffic, especially in the numerous narrow passageways of the dungeons. 

Occasionally, a defeated Pokemon will want to tag along.
Up to eight Pokemon can be in one party at a time.

Regardless, if you're able to keep a Pokemon alive to the very end of the dungeon or if you escape without your team being defeated, you'll get the option to have them join your rescue team permanently. That is to say as long as you have the right rescue area for that Pokemon species to stay at, which are unlocked by spending money at Wigglytuff's shop in town. If you don't have the correct rescue area, or you opt to not have a Pokemon join you at the end of your dungeon run, they'll depart and leave behind money as a "thank you" for an enjoyable expedition.

It's good to recruit different Pokemon as a means to "catch 'em all", but it's also good to have a variety of types, such as the aforementioned grass, fire, electric, water, psychic, and so forth. Furthermore, some Pokemon you recruit can have rare qualities to them. These grant special bonuses in battle, such as being able to attack flying Pokemon with moves that they'd normally be resistant against or being able to sell items in dungeons for more than you'd normally get for them. Many Pokemon of the same species have different rare qualities, so even if you get the same Pokemon of the same species, it's worth to recruit ones with the quality that works best for you and your play style. 

It's a Pokemon party! ...Well, that is, if instead of presents each guest brought pain.

Recruiting new Pokemon was as much of an addiction for me in Rescue Team DX as it was in the mainline games. I loved fighting a Pokemon, especially rarer ones in dungeons, and seeing them remain on the battlefield after their defeat, allowing me to recruit them to join my team and my cause. Switching in and out different Pokemon as my initial team to explore a dungeon until I found the best combo that fit my play style was something that took some patience and a lot of trial and error, but at the same time, it was rewarding and most importantly, fun to do for me. 

Pokemon level up through experience through defeating enemy Pokemon, and the experience is shared between your three starters who enter the dungeon. Pokemon who are recruited mid-dungeon do not gain experience. While earning experience through dungeons is the main way to gain levels, you can also use special tickets at a dojo in town to level up Pokemon quickly via playing timed one-floor dungeons where the enemy Pokemon you face are weak against the Pokemon you select for training. Dojo tickets come in bronze, silver, and gold forms, and obviously the rarer the ticket you use, the more time you get to spend training and the more experience you get per Pokemon defeated. Outside of training, you can also use items to boost a Pokemon's individual stats. 

Between dungeons, do all of your necessary preparations in this peaceful village.

Dungeons aren't too exciting design-wise, as while they are randomly generated, they are always similar square or rectangular type rooms connected by narrow, claustrophobic pathways. Outside of predictable locale changes that are mere window dressings for the dungeons, they do attempt to spice things up with a but of unpredictability with random traps, monster rooms--where upon entering a room filled with items you're ambushed by a copious amount of enemies who drop into the room--and special floor effects like hail, sunlight, sandstorms, and more. The latter affects Pokemon in different ways. Some cause damage to Pokemon on a per-square-movement basis, while others strengthen the power of certain elemental attacks, for instance. 

The Mystery Dungeon games are games of risk, though with Rescue Team DX, the consequences of being completely defeated in a dungeon aren't as severe as other games of the genre. Still, there's the risk of losing everything currently in your possession item-wise, as well as losing the Pokemon you currently have recruited in your rescue team if you fail. So it's a matter of asking yourself is continuing in a dungeon is well worth it, or whether it's better to escape while fortune shines on you. Sometimes, all it takes is a string of bad luck, or something catastrophic happening at just the wrong time. Perhaps you step on a trap that puts your Pokemon to sleep while in the midst of a monster room, or perhaps you get hit by a room-wide attack that wipes out your entire team before you can utter, "what the Poke-heck?!" 

The new cutscenes in Rescue Team DX rarely fail to dazzle and delight.

Fortunately, the kindness of strangers is available in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX. You can send out a rescue request via code or through the game to have others attempt to rescue you within a dungeon, retrieving everything you lost and giving it back to you automatically to you upon a successful rescue. You can also rescue other players in their games as well for great rewards, too. It's a fun addition to the game that adds a nice community aspect that I found enjoyable.

However, with all of the bells and whistles that Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX has, it's ultimately a very repetitive game. The prospect of plodding around similarly designed dungeons, looking for staircases to make progress, all the while battling Pokemon after Pokemon, escaping said dungeon, and then starting the process all over again can be quite tedious for many--much more to actually do. However, while others might find Rescue Team DX and games of the Mystery Dungeon variety to be a slog, I found cultivating a powerful team of Pokemon, taking on the myriad post-game dungeons where the game really opens up freedom-wise, and recruiting as many Pokemon as possible all to be well worth the grind. Essentially, those that love the series will continue to find reasons to love it (like myself), and those that don't won't necessarily find anything in Rescue Team DX to change their minds--not even a fresh coat of paint, as it's the same basic game underneath the updated graphics, monotony and all. 

[SPC Says: B]

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield (NSW) Review

I was recently once again bitten by the Pokemon bug after over a decade of being tired of the mainline games. Now, I return to a brand-new Pokemon pair of games with Pokemon Sword and Shield. Here's the SuperPhillip Central review.

Your adventures in the Galar region await.

I should very much preface this review with the mention that with regards to the Pokemon series, I have long since fallen out from the franchise. Somewhere between Pokemon Diamond/Pearl and Pokemon Black/White I lost interest in the mainline games completely. It wasn't until Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! of all games that I jumped back into "Poke Fever", which the only cure for was more Pokemon games.

So, in essence, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are my first completely new installments in the franchise since Pokemon Black and White back on the Nintendo DS. Quite a lengthy hiatus. While for some players, the removal of features and Pokemon from previous games are some things that sting, I selfishly couldn't have cared less because I don't know most of the Pokemon or features lost nowadays anyway. Thus, I entered the Galar region with an open mind and ready for a fresh new Pokemon experience. And, for the most part, I wound up getting just that.

Route 1 is sort of a "blink and you miss it" kind of route. No worries, though--it's not
representative of the length of the other routes in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield take place in the England-inspired Galar region, and have you starting your Pokemon journey being greeted by your mom and then your soon-to-be rival, Hop. A rival that if you're like me, you'll get incredibly sick of battling by the twelfth or so time the game forces you to do. Hop is the younger brother of the undefeated Galar League champion, Leon, and your quest is to collect the eight gym badges around the Galar region while contending with a healthy heaping of unique characters and personalities. Frankly, while a lot of the story is on the light side, but that said, the dialogue is a bit on the heavy side, having way too many interruptions to the otherwise enjoyable exploration and Pokemon searching, catching, and battling within the Galar region. That said, I personally didn't mind the overly done exposition, though the story is quite weak overall.

Select your starter, and begin your journey through the Galar region.

As for the aforementioned enjoyable Pokemon searching, catching, and battling, this is just as fun as ever in Pokemon Sword and Shield. There is a total of 400 Pokemon to catch within the Galar region, and just under 100 new Pokemon introduced in this pair of games. They're introduced steadily and rather quickly throughout the adventure, and discovering a new Pokemon you haven't yet encountered or even better yet, caught, is still a satisfying and exciting occurrence to have happen. Pokemon hide in tall grass, but taking a cue from Pokemon Let's Go, you can see most Pokemon in the grass and in dungeon areas before initiating a battle. This way you aren't always stuck with luck-of-the-draw random encounters, hoping to take on that Pokemon in your Pokedex that you've yet to catch. Though, there are Pokemon that only appear shrouded in tall grass and caught out of water via fishing that do require happenstance to encounter.

As a Pokemon game is wont to say, "It's super effective!"

If there's one thing I really like about Pokemon Sword and Shield it's how there's an abundance of quality of life features added to make for a more palatable experience. I've already talked about being able to see Pokemon on the field before deciding to battle them, but there's also things inside of battles themselves. One of these involves seeing if a given battle Pokemon's move will be effective against your opponent's. Another includes the use of sharing earned experience between all Pokemon in your party. While I'm sure some will miss being able to individually level up Pokemon to keep the game more challenging--and I would very much agree to having an option to turn the experience-sharing off--it makes for a leaner and more streamlined approach to training Pokemon. I personally have always found the slow method of having Pokemon games give experience only to Pokemon active in battle to be quite cumbersome, and perhaps that's a reason I dropped out of the games in the first place almost a decade ago.

That said, one can easily be over-leveled in Pokemon Sword and Shield, effortlessly steamrolling over Pokemon trainers met along the various routes and indoor areas in the game. It's a double-edged sword (or should I say a double-edged Honedge in this case?) in that by having an experience share, it's way too easy to have all of your Pokemon leveled too quickly. On the other hand, by having this experience share accessible, it allows less of a hassle to level up your Pokemon. It didn't have to be an either/or proposition here, and I think with a better balance by Game Freak, this wouldn't have been an issue at all.

Who's a good doggy? Why, yes, you are a good doggy, Boltund!

Regardless, Pokemon Sword and Shield brings more than new quality of life improvements to the series, it also brings new features as well. One such feature, and one highly advertised throughout the game's marketing, is the Wild Area. This is introduced early in your adventure, offering a wide expanse to travel, containing a multitude of Pokemon species to catch. Starting off in the Wild Area, you'll encounter Pokemon of such a high level that they're impossible to catch until you earn more gym badges, but being able to eventually catch an expansive variety of Pokemon all in one place is a fantastic inclusion to Pokemon Sword and Shield. The Wild Area is always changing weather-wise, with different parts essentially being different bio-mes, having vastly different weather. One step you could be in a bright, sunny expanse, while the next step it turns into a winter hailstorm where ice Pokemon reign supreme.

Welcome to the extraordinarily expansive Wild Area, introduced relatively early in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Also new is that of Max Raid Battles, which also take place in the Wild Area. These have you team up with either three other Pokemon trainers via online or partner up with three AI trainers against a gigantic "Dynamax" Pokemon. These are terrifyingly large in size and unleash more devastating and powerful attacks than normal Pokemon. Among the four trainers, one of their Pokemon can fortunately also Dynamax, also growing to gargantuan Poke-proportions, using stronger versions of moves that they otherwise would be unable to use. The team of four trainers challenge and take on the "Dynamaxed" Pokemon, and if they're successful in taking it down within ten turns and without having four K.O.s between the four of them, they'll gain the opportunity to catch that Pokemon. Even if this catching attempt isn't successful, they're still rewarded with goodies like rare items like treasures and Technical Machines, used to teach their Pokemon new moves.

A gigantic Munchlax means a Pokemon with a gigantic case of the munchies.

Dynamaxing isn't exclusive to Max Raid Battles either, as they're a grand component of Gym Leader Battles this time around, where the final Pokemon each Gym Leader brings out is Dynamaxed to gigantic size as one last ditch effort to bring the match to their favor. One of your Pokemon can do the same at any time in the battle, and just like the Gym Leader's Pokemon, a Pokemon can only Dynamax for three turns before reverting back to normal, so there's some semblance of strategy to this otherwise superfluous spectacle.

Introducing your Galar League Pokemon Gym Leaders...

Collecting eight gym badges is as traditional as ever for the Pokemon series, but if it isn't broken, why fix it? That said, there is a change to how gyms work, as they all have Gym Challenges to take on and complete first in order to even gain the right to battle the Gym Leader. These have a wide range of tasks to accomplish, such as herding a group of Wooloo into a fenced area, hitting a series of buttons to switch on and off water from multicolored pipes, and riding in a Disney World teacup-like vehicle as you bounce around a Pachinko-like board. These are enjoyable excursions that don't just feel like filler or something extraneous to pad the game.

Gym Challenges will test all sorts of skills, but they won't all exactly
put the "challenge" in Gym Challenge.

Outside of going to gyms, taking on Gym Challenges, and moving on to battling their Gym Leaders, you'll be following along with a light story that doesn't really pick up until near the end of the game and then into the post-game afterwards. The culminating battles against the--for lack of a better term--"big bad(s)" don't really feel earned and don't feel natural to the overall game. The stakes just don't come across as very high, despite the scenario designers' best intentions.

Then, there's the return of camping with your Pokemon, but this is in a much more interactive form that what I witnessed in past games. You can play with your Pokemon, "talk" to them, and otherwise enjoy each other's company to build your friendship and trust with them. You can also create all sorts of curry-themed concoctions. While building up one's Currydex might be engaging for some, this entire feature just didn't strike any chord with me whatsoever, and I found myself using it sparingly at most.

Battling all day must be bad for a Pokemon. Why not spend some quality playtime
with them at a campsite occasionally so they can unwind?

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield may be two games, but they're hardly two different experiences. You tackle the same story, with the same routes and gyms, and these gyms have the same Gym Challenges as well. The only real difference between the two games are which Pokemon are available to be caught, and which of two trainers you take on in the game. Thus, there's really no compelling reason to pick up both games unless you're a serious Poke-maniac.

Both games have a pleasant visual style to them on the Nintendo Switch, but I wouldn't exactly call them highly impressive. They're quaint, colorful, and nice enough to look at, but graphical powerhouses or showcases that put other first-party games to shame, they are not. The Pokemon, of course, are the stars of the show, offering plenty of unique personality in their animations, movements, and designs, and the environments sport adequate detail and have their own personalities as well. The online features can cause the frame-rate to chug and stutter a small amount when connecting with other players, but overall, Pokemon Sword and Shield aren't poorly optimized games. With regards to sound, the same 8-bit growls and buzzes from the Game Boy era are mostly used for Pokemon voices, save for a select few species, and this is a bit disappointing to me. Then again, it's practically tradition now, so I guess there's something quaint to be had with them. The music, however, is really splendid, offering plenty of jams and bops to enjoy.

Galar has an impressive variety of unique locales within its boundaries.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield may not have the most engaging story nor may be the most impressive running game on the Nintendo Switch, but they still meet the same prerequisite I require to enjoy a Pokemon a game--they're darn good fun. While absent features and Pokemon from past games will disappoint, as will the series not evolving as much as say, a Charmander to a Charmeleon to a Charizard, what is here in these two games was enough to satisfy me and make me eagerly await the upcoming Expansion Pass. I look forward to continuing my journey in the Galar region and quest to catch 'em all.

[SPC Says: B+]

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! (NSW) Trailer

With a Pokemon Go-related tie-in, Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, and Game Freak announced Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! These more casual-focused Pokemon titles take trainers old and new back to the Kanto region with all 151 original Pokemon, plus a brand-new one being teased. Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! launch together on November 16th, 2018.

Pokken Tournament DX (NSW) Review

We're not resting on our laurels here at SuperPhillip Central. No, immediately into March we're leaping into our first review! Pokken Tournament originally released on the Wii U near the end of that system's life cycle in 2016. Now, Pokken gets a second time to shine with the Nintendo Switch's Pokken Tournament DX.

Fight for your right to Poké -- Again!

The fighting game genre is one I am definitely not adept in. Quite the opposite, actually. Despite my love of the genre and the zany cast of characters, explosive action and awesome combos that these games deliver, I just can't wrap my head around them (or I guess, "my fingers around the controller to hit all the required buttons", in this case). 2016's Pokken Tournament on Wii U was one of those fighting games that I could actually hold my own in, which definitely didn't hurt my thoughts on it. Nearly two years later, and I have returned to the game with this Nintendo Switch port of the game, Pokken Tournament DX. With more Pokemon to get skilled with and more modes to master, is Pokken Tournament's Switch port worth checking out again?

Pokken Tournament DX is an atypical fighting game in that it sometimes takes place in a 3D arena while on other occasions occurring on a 2D plane. These two different planes are known as phases. Battles begin with opposing Pokemon facing off in a wide open arena, able to circle around one another and avoid attacks. When one Pokemon deals enough damage through a specific type of attack, what occurs is a Phase Shift, changing the battle dynamically from a 3D one to a more traditional side-scrolling 2D encounter. Phase Shifts regularly occur in battle, and they tend to result in lots of HP being depleted by the opponent on the receiving end of it.

With a fiery and fast punch to the face from Blaziken, Lucario goes stumbling backward in pain.

The game's 20+ Pokemon (with this deluxe version introducing several new Pokemon into the mix like the arcade version's exclusives, Scizor, Empoleon, Croagunk, and Darkrai, as well as the Switch exclusive Decidueye) each feature their own repertoire of moves, ones great for smashing through defenses, ones that are perfect for setting up Phase Shifts, and much more. Learning a given Pokemon's move set is imperative to earn that coveted "W" in the win column, and if you find a Pokemon that you like, you should think about sticking with it to improve your comfort level with that Pokemon. Or you can play like me and switch between Pokemon at your leisure, which is just as fine as an option thanks to the helpful tutorial mode, which not just doles out the basics of Pokken Tournament DX's rules and controls, but it also supplies you with a set of moves and combos for each Pokemon you use in a safe practice setting.

The arrow-aiming Decidueye is an exclusive Battle Pokemon in this version of Pokken Tournament.

Pokemon like the mascot of the series, Pikachu, and his much more mobile and technical fighting counterpart, Pikachu Libre lead the charge (literally, with their electric attacks) with speed-based attacks, while other Pokemon like Charizard, Machamp, and Garchomp use their power to seal the deal and hopefully the win. Each Pokemon plays uniquely enough (even potential clones like the aforementioned duo of Pikachu and the characters of Mewtwo and final boss of the game Shadow Mewtwo), allowing for a wide spectacle of moves to learn, involved combos to pull off, and timing to get down.

Battles are exciting endeavors that really get my pulse pounding and palms sweaty. Timing your attacks so you don't leave yourself open for a counter by your opponent is always key in a fighting game, but Pokken Tournament DX furthers the strategy involved by incorporating a rock-paper-scissors aspect to attacking. There are three types of attacks and each one is bested by and strong against another. For instance, a grab can be stopped dead in its tracks by a normal attack, whereas a normal attack will get bodied by a counterattack, and a counterattack will easily be nullified by a grab. This attack triangle means that if you are on the receiving end of a counter, you have much more damage taken off of your health gauge than you would otherwise. Needless to say, it's good to vary types of attacks used and to concentrate so you can counter and react well to your opponent's actions.

Phase Shifts come about from all sorts of attacks, such as this
headache-inducing dropkick from Machamp to Gengar.

As battles wage on, your trainer and Pokemon's Synergy gauge increases. When it's full, you can let loose a Synergy Boost, an offensive and defensive boost that puts your Pokemon in an almost Zen-like state, able to ward off most weak attacks without flinching. You can also use your Pokemon combatant's ultra-strong special move once per Synergy Burst, and if it connects, it deals great damage to your opponent. It can be the difference between clinching the current round and creating the start of a marvelous comeback. 

In addition to the Synergy Gauge, there is also a smaller gauge, the Support Gauge. Before beginning a match, you select from 20+ duos of Support Pokemon. These are Pokemon that couldn't quite muster a full move set to be on the actual roster of Pokken Tournament DX, but still get a role to play in battles anyway. At the start of each round, you pick from one of your two Support Pokemon to assist you when your Support Gauge is full and you press the proper button to call them in. Some have offensive properties while others use defensive or healing ones to help out. A perfect call-in for a Support Pokemon can interrupt your opponent's flow, making a match that was going their way start shifting towards yours. 

The first time you turn on Pokken Tournament DX, you'll be greeted by an NPC named Nia, who is more of hassle to listen to than a help. Besides being grating to listen to, she has "wonderful" advice mid-battle such as telling you when battles aren't going your way. Thanks, Nia. Wouldn't have known that without your help and without your need to sort of rub that in. Fortunately, you can remove her appearance entirely from battles so you won't hear any of her unhelpful commentary. 

Other than a quick introduction of the game from Nia, you get to make a character that serves as your avatar. Starting out, the customization options aren't too expansive, but as you complete matches in the Ferrum League, the main single player mode of Pokken Tournament DX, more and more outfitting options are unlocked. Everything from sports jackets to graduation gowns, glasses to monocles, and even sunset backgrounds to accessories like surfboards are available eventually, and they can be purchased with currency earned from battle. 

As I said, the Ferrum League is the primary mode for those wanting some hands-on time with Pokken Tournament DX before jumping in with the sharks for online play. The Ferrum League features a series of leagues that get progressively more difficult, having you start each league at the 100th rank and earning your way within the top eight. This is performed by winning battles against opponents of varying ranks in sets of five, and after each set, your performance is evaluated and you move up or back in rank. Once you reach the top eight, you enter a tournament to determine who the winner will be. Win that, and you do battle with the current league champion to allow you to move on to the next league.

Empoleon isn't entirely new to the world of Pokken Tournament. This piercing penguin Pokemon made waves in the arcade release.

As the leagues play out, a story unfolds relating to a mysterious Pokemon dubbed by the people of the island as Shadow Pokemon. This strange Pokemon is causing havoc across the island, and while you're participating in the Ferrum League, you occasionally are forced to do battle against the powerful Pokemon. Thus, you're not just fighting through league battles and ordinary matches of that type over and over again. There are some breaks in the mode for story-related reasons. 

Also included in Ferrum League this time around for the Nintendo Switch version of Pokken Tournament is the addition of challenge walls in each of the mode's leagues. This is a set of 16 challenges per wall that task you with completing optional goals (e.g. use a specific Battle Pokemon multiple times in battle, get a Phase Shift a certain amount of times total, etc.) for awards. As you complete these goals, panels on the wall will be removed, ultimately showing a picture for completion, and netting you with a unique reward in the process. Some of these panels are a bit tedious to finish off, as having to meet the requirements (such as winning 45 matches in a given league) can requiring quite a bit of grinding. Throw in the fact that later leagues have multiple walls of panels to tackle, and by the end of the Ferrum League, I was thanking Arceus that these were entirely optional. (But the completionist in me still tried to go after them anyway.)

Score the battle's first hit for some nice and well earned bragging rights!

Other modes in Pokken Tournament DX include a versus mode against the AI where you can face any Pokemon at any difficulty on any arena for practice and for fun. There is a new 3-vs-3 mode exclusive to the Nintendo Switch version that pits three Pokemon against another team of three in an elimination-style bout. Two Pokemon face off at once, and when one is defeated, the next on that player's team comes in to take its place. Meanwhile, the opponent's Pokemon must stay in and keep fighting until it either carries the entire team to victory or falls in battle and must, too, be switched out. (Sorry, Marvel fans. No mid-battle character switching here!) A separate versus mode can be played between two local players, either on two different Nintendo Switch screens or in split-screen, another new inclusion in this Switch port. However, split-screen suffers from a spotty frame-rate, so it's not the most recommended way to play with nearby friends and family.

I think Charizard mistook Garchomp for a pile of charcoal in this picture.

Additionally, there are also Daily Challenges that pop up which by the virtue of their name, change every day. The win conditions are always the same, but the Battle Pokemon or Pokemon team you use is pre-determined. Winning these earns you skill points that can be used on your Pokemon to increase their attack strength power, defensive ability, and Synergy or Support capabilities. 

Once you've gotten accustomed enough to the controls of Pokken Tournament DX and have developed a nice sampling of skill, you can choose to hop online to battle players internationally. You can play with friends, setting up private rooms that require passwords to enter, or you can try out battles against total strangers in either casual fights or the more tense Ranked matches. Starting in Ranked, you begin at rank E5. Winning battles increases this rank slowly, from E5 to E4, E4 to E3, and when you get to E1, E1 to D5. This allows you to face off against players who are at your skill level so you're not immediately overwhelmed. That's mostly how it works in Pokken Tournament DX, though you get the occasional battle against someone who's way too good for his or her rank who just flat out owns you 2-0. 

Swing your partner 'round and 'round, Machamp!

Pokken Tournament DX offers a robust and comprehensive fighting system that possesses a large amount of depth to it, perfect enough to master for fighting game professionals but accessible enough to not leave any other players behind. Both fighting game fanatics and Pokemaniacs alike can enjoy Pokken Tournament DX. With already released and upcoming DLC in the form of new Battle and Support Pokemon and constant updates, Pokken Tournament DX delivers a fighting game fever that Pokemon trainers the world 'round will want to catch and train their Pokemon to do battle in.

[SPC Says: B+]

Pokemon Rumble World (3DS) Review

Time for another Nintendo 3DS review in this totally Nintendo 3DS month here at SuperPhillip Central. Pokemon Rumble World is the fourth installment in the Pokemon Rumble spin-off series of Pokemon games. It originally released in free-to-start fashion last year. Last month it received a physical retail version. Here's my in-depth review.

I'm a Pokemon Boy. In a Pokemon World.

Last year, Pokemon Rumble World released on the Nintendo 3DS eShop with a free-to-start version. It offered the full game, but many things were dependent on earning Poke Diamonds, the main currency of the game. You were limited in what you could do per day because you lacked this important currency. Now, a year later, Pokemon Rumble World has entered retail form, eschewing the mobile-style business model that stymied players. While that's all well and fine, is Pokemon Rumble World worth the $30 asking price?

After every 10 new Pokemon species you befriend, you reach a new Adventurer Rank.

The hub world of Pokemon Rumble World is known as Castle Town. This area houses the Balloon Stop, where you can visit the game's levels, the Castle, where you can take on one of the king's requests to further the story (however, annoyingly, you only get one new request each day, and the Shop, where you can spend money and Poke Diamonds on an exhaustive amount of goods. These goods range from new hot air balloons to take you to new areas featuring brand-new Pokemon, clothes for your Mii, stat boosts in the form of trees, and special goodies like a Diamond Miner that grants you 40 Poke Diamonds per day.

Speaking of which, the big difference between the free-to-start version of Pokemon Rumble World and this retail version is that at the beginning of the game you can visit a special section of the Shop to automatically receive 3,000 Poke Diamonds from the king's exhaustive supply. With these you can purchase new hot air balloons as stated earlier, but also use these to re-inflate used balloons. Once you use a hot air balloon, generally you have to wait a specified cool-down period until the balloon re-inflates, ready to be used once again. However, with so many Poke Diamonds available to you, you can just spend one Poke Diamond to restore a given hot air balloon to its inflated glory.

The roulette wheel is as annoying in the beginning of the game as it was in the free-to-start version.

Each hot air balloon houses multiple stages in Pokemon Rumble World, featuring different Pokemon to uncover and collect. However, for a good while in the game, what stage you play is totally dependent on a roulette wheel. It's basically based on luck regarding which stage you play. Later in the game you can purchase the ability to stop the roulette wheel wherever you want, and you can even get a special hot air balloon that takes you to a series of stages featuring Pokemon you haven't yet collected, making the other hot air balloons almost worthless. 

Regardless, the actual stages of Pokemon Rumble World feature one of over a dozen locale types: from beaches to forests, grasslands to deserts, and so on. These stages are extremely linear, rarely ever offering a multiple path to take. Each stage is devised up of three to four short areas, and they all end with a boss battle. These boss battles put you against a large version of a rarer Pokemon in an arena style battlefield. Defeating the boss Pokemon, while dodging the attacks of a plethora of smaller Pokemon, brings the exit to the level, a hot air balloon piloted by your Mii, into play. 

A big time boss awaits your Pokemon at the end of each stage.

Overall, stages play out well for the handheld formula, only taking upwards of three minutes to complete, and that might be overestimating still. While it's nice that stages are linear enough that you'll never ever get lost, especially with the game pointing out where the portal to the next area is at all times, this results in some boring level design. I would have loved to see more labyrinthine dungeon-like areas, perhaps with some hidden treasure inside. That said, for the purposes of simplicity, what's here in Pokemon Rumble World works well enough.

You can use the StreetPass and SpotPass features of the Nintendo 3DS to call up other Miis into your game. From Castle Town, you can invite other Adventurers into the hub. Every five Miis entered into Castle Town gives you one Poke Diamond. Meanwhile, these new found Miis will also randomly be in Pokemon Rumble World's stages. Once you rescue them from assaulting enemy Pokemon, they will follow you for as long as their HP gauge has some life in it, occasionally tossing to your Pokemon helpful items like Potions and stat-boosting items like X-Speed and X-Defense. 

Thank you, Andy. There will be an extra bonus in your paycheck this week.

Adding Pokemon to your force of pocket monsters doesn't play out like the mainline series. There are no Poke Balls to chuck at a rival Pokemon in a weakened state. Instead, as you smash and slam your way through the linear levels of Pokemon Rumble World, defeated Pokemon will sometimes transform into immobile toy form, ready to be picked up by your current Pokemon by simply moving over it. Most of the time, though, a defeated Pokemon will just drop money, but as your Pokemon Adventurer Rank rises from collecting more and more different Pokemon species, the chance of a beaten Pokemon turning into a Pokemon you can have join your side gets larger. 

For a greater probability of having a defeated Pokemon join your side, you can defeat them while they are in a wobbled state. This temporary state is the result of both luck and a powerful attack. The Pokemon will then stand in a confused and bewildered state, and if you can empty their HP gauge while they're in this state, you are 100% guaranteed to be able to have them join your side. Purchasing something called a Wobble Tree from the in-game shop helps to affect how often Pokemon will enter this dazed state. There are multiple levels of trees in Pokemon Rumble World to buy, and these trees can affect everything from how much money you earn from fallen Pokemon to boosting every Pokemon in your possession's attack, defense, and speed.

Surrounded but not surrendering.

No two captured Pokemon are the same, or at least it's incredibly unlikely (exponentially so) to ever capture two exactly alike Pokemon. This is because each Pokemon not only has a power level that shows how strong and how much HP a particular Pokemon has, but each Pokemon also possesses at most two different moves, usually relating to its type, whether it be fire, water, grass, and so forth. Like the mainline Pokemon games, what type of Pokemon your controlled pocket monster is means that attacks used on it that are super effective on it will result in huge HP losses. Fortunately, using a super effective move (such as Fire Spin on an Ice type Pokemon) will result in a quick beatdown of your opponent.

These Water type Pokemon are going to regret dealing with the Electric type Pikachu.

The combat in Pokemon Rumble World is simple, perhaps too simple for most players. However, for me the basic two button attack system, one button for one move, one for the other, worked for me. It resulted in a relaxing battle system, albeit quite mindless, save for the boss battles. Even then, those fights mostly result in attacking a boss from behind and moving out of its way when it charges up for an attack. 

There are over 700 Pokemon to collect in Pokemon Rumble World, and that task alone will take you some time to do. It's quite enjoyable and exciting to befriend a Pokemon that you've been hunting for a long time, as since the chance for befriending a Pokemon increases as your Adventurer Rank rises, you won't find yourself grinding as much for new Pokemon as you were at beginning of the game. Also as your rank rises, you can purchase new goods from the Castle Town Shop. Finally, there is a massive abundance of titles to earn, achieved by completing in-game tasks, such as collecting all of a certain type of Pokemon. Some of these are just for show while others unlock new outfits for your Mii, as well as backgrounds and frames for your Mii's profile picture.

From cemeteries to the treetops, there are plenty of locales to "explore" in Pokemon Rumble World. 

Pokemon Rumble World is a basic brawler with even more basic level design. If you can find enjoyment from amassing an army of toy Pokemon, ever befriending new, stronger Pokemon to your cause, then you'll have a lot of fun with this game. If you've already invested money in the free-to-start version, then it's a bit challenging to recommend you purchase this $30 retail version. Though through buying the retail version you need not worry about waiting times for hot air balloons to inflate, being short on Poke Diamonds so you can't buy a certain goodie from the Shop, or some other way that the free-to-start version limits your enjoyment of the game. Overall, Pokemon Rumble World is simple fun, and I emphasize the fun part.

[SPC Says: B-]