S1E42 - Pokemon - “It’s just a really cute game, you know?”

Pokemon (plus Pokemon Sun and Moon)


Like pretty much everyone else these days, we grew up with
Pokemon. And with it being the 20th anniversary of the series, we
wanted to talk about the wonderful little pocket monsters and our
history with them.

For the most part, Void has kept up with the series, playing
through each iteration and seeing the changes that have come from
Pokemon Red and Blue and Yellow all the way to Pokemon Sun and
Moon. Beej, however, has only played Blue and Omega Ruby, so our
takes on the series are different, but we both love it.

In terms of the games themselves, the generations iterate
very slowly, and despite being 20 years later, the games are
fundamentally the same. Each generation gives you modern
conveniences and quality of life improvements that make the newer
games well worth playing if you enjoy the formula.

Given the length and popularity of Pokemon over the past 20
years, there have been oodles of pokemon spin off games. One of
our favorites was Pokemon Snap, where you travel on rails,
competing for taking the best photos of the critters in the
jungle. It was a weird concept and totally fun. Most recently,
there has been Pokemon Go, and there have been a ton of
improvements made lately. We aren’t playing it as much as we were
in the beginning, but we certainly are still interested in seeing
where it goes.

Void really loved the TV show, and he still watches it with
his kids. The multi-generational aspect of the anime are really
awesome, and it’s great that he gets to share stories about the
same characters with them. Somehow, Ash and Pikachu are still the
protagonists of the show, despite being revamped multiple times.
Beej, on the other hand, never watched the show--he was just a
bit out of the age range when it debuted.

The Pokemon Trading Card Game was Beej’s favorite, though. In
high school, he and his friends were always playing it together.
They were big card game people. Void, though, just collected the
cards and traded them but rarely played the game. It’s still
going, which is cool, and it’s still just as fun.

The release of Pokemon Sun and Moon has been really cool.
It’s a totally new area that’s based around Pacific Islands, and
Void is nearing the end of it (Beej will eventually Gamefly it).
There are tons of little UI improvements to make it easier to
select things you will use (like pokeballs in battle), and
there’s more of a story than ever before in Pokemon Sun and Moon
(and Void actually cared a bit!).

In both Pokemon Sun and Moon, there are visual indicators of
match-ups which tell pokemon types’ strengths and weaknesses, and
this is a major improvement for players who don’t have time to
memorize the whole pokedex. The ride pokemon replace HMs, and you
can call them from anywhere to use their utility abilities
without wasting slots in your team. So you can finally have the
perfect team you want without worrying about getting stuck out in
the world.

Pokemon Sun and Moon are not hard, but they may be the most
challenging pokemon game yet because of the inclusion of trials
instead of gym battles. Overall, they’re Void’s favorite pokemon
game.

There are rumors of a third game in the Pokemon Sun and Moon
series for the Nintendo Switch. Beej would likely wait to play
that one if he can afford a Switch when it comes out. He’s a big
fan of waiting on Game of the Year-type rereleases anyway.

Both of us, though, tend to skip post-game content. Neither
of really enjoy