Epicmafia

Pokemon Let's Go discussion

over 5 years

I wanna hear what you guys have to say about Pokemon Let's Go, the Switch game coming out this Friday (Nov 16), NOT to be confused with the mobile game Pokemon Go.

Whether you're a newbie to the series or a long-time fan, what is it that you like/dislike about the game, or just the idea of it in general? What causes you to have these feelings?

I'll post my personal opinions in a comment (wall of text warning).

Which version of Let's Go do you plan to get/would prefer to get?

Not getting Let's Go

Pikachu

Eevee

Chinatsu

over 5 years

I just bought the game lets fcking go Eevee

view

over 5 years

No More Kanto

PrinceAltoid

over 5 years

Spoiler
Currently just over 13 hours in, which if you know me and know that I took over a month to finish sun/moon, you'll understand that that playtime after just over a day and a half after release is pretty huge. I truly love the game, however..

Like many others have said, it IS just Kanto. Pretty much any and all hype I have for this game as it is would be amplified heavily if this were gen 8. So, just ask yourself: are you willing to let your first HD Pokemon experience be all the way back in Kanto? Or, will you wait for gen 8?

I honestly think ANY newcomer to the series should, without a SINGLE doubt, pick this game up. But for long-time fans? Sure, I'm one, but I'm also in the minority of long-time fans who actually consider gen 1 a good gen for non-nostalgic reasons; I have my nostalgia for sure, but I do genuinely think gen 1 is, even to this day, very creative and full of life. Far, far superior to, say, gens 2 and 6 (a little better than gen 7 as well)

I have very few criticisms for this game so far beyond the fact that it is Kanto. The lack of random encounters and wild battles changes nothing for me. Exp share being automatically on and can't be disabled was slightly annoying at first, but as someone who keeps exp share on regardless, I'm not bothered by it. Otherwise, this is through-and-through a Pokemon Yellow experience, with a few new things tossed in, most very minor

Let's Go is almost objectively more difficult than sun/moon. Ignore anyone telling you that the game is dumbed down, the only thing that's easier is not having to battle wild Pokemon to catch them. And no, that doesn't make catching them any easier, they're still hard to catch at times. Just less tedium involved as a whole

Oh, and about Nintendo being notoriously bad at bringing series' over to HD? Not this time, Pokemon's jump to HD was absolutely fantastic

Heavy recommendation from me, the game is great and definitely has me hyped for gen 8

PrinceAltoid

over 5 years

tomorrow's the day lads.

metacritic scores look promising; falls right in the middle when compared to most other titles.

Chinatsu

over 5 years

Jeez, this is one detailed product analysis post lol. Anyway, as a noob who has only played leaf green in the past, the 3D graphics looks pretty nice and I'll probably give it a try regardless

PrinceAltoid

over 5 years

AlolanNinetales says

PrinceAltoid says

AlolanNinetales says

I'm not planning to get Let's Go even though it sounds amazing, because unfortunately I don't have a switch.

And I am pretty new to the Pokemon community (Joined near the end of X&Y) but Let's Go doesn't really have the exact same feel as the regular games, despite all the 3D and everything, it isn't really one of the core series games because of the fact that it's adopting a lot of Pokemon Go features, like how catching pokemon is exactly the same as Pokemon Go. Why buy Let's Go when you basically have the exact same experience in Pokemon Go and for free?

Honestly it's just trying to hype us with nostalgia for the next Gen 8 core game.

Pokemon Go doesn't have classic turn-based trainer/gym/online battles, Let's Go does.

There are many free alternatives online for a player who wants the whole core series feature in the pokemon games without having to play Let's Go. If I really wanted to play for the whole battles, I could just use Pokemon Showdown or something. There are also multiple fan-made games online that I could play if I was looking for the battle thing. And like Brendan pointed out, it's Kanto. We already have so many Kanto games, and it's not as valuable as a gen 8 game. It's just another Kanto remake but in 3D and stuff as a cash grab.

The examples you give aren't on the Switch. Let's Go is important because it IS on the Switch.

I agree with you on most of the other things you said though. Read through my spoilered posts if you ever have the time.

luis4rod says

Ok but what about that detective Pikachu trailer

I'm skeptical but I won't lie, it's far from the worst thing I've ever seen.

luis4rod

over 5 years

Ok but what about that detective Pikachu trailer

AlolanNinetales

over 5 years

PrinceAltoid says

AlolanNinetales says

I'm not planning to get Let's Go even though it sounds amazing, because unfortunately I don't have a switch.

And I am pretty new to the Pokemon community (Joined near the end of X&Y) but Let's Go doesn't really have the exact same feel as the regular games, despite all the 3D and everything, it isn't really one of the core series games because of the fact that it's adopting a lot of Pokemon Go features, like how catching pokemon is exactly the same as Pokemon Go. Why buy Let's Go when you basically have the exact same experience in Pokemon Go and for free?

Honestly it's just trying to hype us with nostalgia for the next Gen 8 core game.

Pokemon Go doesn't have classic turn-based trainer/gym/online battles, Let's Go does.

There are many free alternatives online for a player who wants the whole core series feature in the pokemon games without having to play Let's Go. If I really wanted to play for the whole battles, I could just use Pokemon Showdown or something. There are also multiple fan-made games online that I could play if I was looking for the battle thing. And like Brendan pointed out, it's Kanto. We already have so many Kanto games, and it's not as valuable as a gen 8 game. It's just another Kanto remake but in 3D and stuff as a cash grab.

PrinceAltoid

over 5 years

AlolanNinetales says

I'm not planning to get Let's Go even though it sounds amazing, because unfortunately I don't have a switch.

And I am pretty new to the Pokemon community (Joined near the end of X&Y) but Let's Go doesn't really have the exact same feel as the regular games, despite all the 3D and everything, it isn't really one of the core series games because of the fact that it's adopting a lot of Pokemon Go features, like how catching pokemon is exactly the same as Pokemon Go. Why buy Let's Go when you basically have the exact same experience in Pokemon Go and for free?

Honestly it's just trying to hype us with nostalgia for the next Gen 8 core game.

Pokemon Go doesn't have classic turn-based trainer/gym/online battles, Let's Go does.

Brendan says

I'm not buying the game because it's way overpriced for what it is ($60? Seriously???) and I think Kanto is seriously the most boring region to exist. I don't know why they keep bringing back things from Kanto, but I honestly think we already have enough things that pay homage to it.

Because after Pokemon Go, Kanto and gen 1 in general are the most familiar to modern fans. Let's Go basically hits all the bases when it comes to appeal to both new fans and really old fans, which undeniably make up a majority of Pokemon's fanbase; the huge fans who have played through all 7 generations are undoubtedly a vocal minority.

Brendan

over 5 years

I'm not buying the game because it's way overpriced for what it is ($60? Seriously???) and I think Kanto is seriously the most boring region to exist. I don't know why they keep bringing back things from Kanto, but I honestly think we already have enough things that pay homage to it.

AlolanNinetales

over 5 years

I'm not planning to get Let's Go even though it sounds amazing, because unfortunately I don't have a switch.

And I am pretty new to the Pokemon community (Joined near the end of X&Y) but Let's Go doesn't really have the exact same feel as the regular games, despite all the 3D and everything, it isn't really one of the core series games because of the fact that it's adopting a lot of Pokemon Go features, like how catching pokemon is exactly the same as Pokemon Go. Why buy Let's Go when you basically have the exact same experience in Pokemon Go and for free?

Honestly it's just trying to hype us with nostalgia for the next Gen 8 core game.

xela

over 5 years

it's a tech demo for the new game

PrinceAltoid

over 5 years

Spoiler

But, as I've made pretty clear by now, I am a long-time fan of Pokemon, so why exactly am I excited for Let's Go?

Pretty simple: I just really have a strong fondness for experimental things when it comes to franchises I love. I love seeing buggy, screwed up betas for series' and franchises that I love because it shows the early stages of something that really could be great. And truthfully speaking, I know that even if I hate Let's Go, it's still going to be an experience that I'll be glad that I was a part of just because I know my feedback will be important in the grand scheme of things and that I'll have been able to experience a pretty big part of Pokemon history.

I would be really mad if this type of play was just Game Freak shaping up the future of Pokemon as a whole, and this was how future generations would turn out. But I know that won't be the case, so I'll just sit back and enjoy Let's Go for what it is. After all, it IS still going to be a full-fledged Pokemon game. Masuda himself has said that the game will have many challenges in the late and post-game stages, so I'm sure that the later gym battles, the Elite Four, and whatever the post-game has to offer will be just as fun, perhaps even more-so, as I remember them all being in Yellow. And to me, that's all that matters, as I'm definitely someone who believes random encounters and tedious wild battles add very little to the game as a whole and that the quality of trainer and gym battles are what makes any Pokemon game good or bad.

Plus, I have a very strong feeling that Let's Go will provide the highest quality online experience that the series has EVER seen.

PrinceAltoid

over 5 years

Spoiler

This has resulted in what has effectively been Let's Go and everything surrounding it. The mobile app integration, something people have absolutely loathed with the Switch in general with Nintendo's decision to split up voice chat between the native hardware and an external smartphone. Removing random encounters and wild Pokemon battles. Junichi Masuda himself saying that Let's Go at its core is "a Pokemon game for people who wanna play Pokemon Go without a smartphone and without having to walk," something that would've been unforgivable to say if it involved a mainline Pokemon title. All the while making Let's Go still have everything it needs to be a true Pokemon experience, with trainer battles, gyms, the Elite Four, and online battles.

Essentially, the result of everything surrounding Let's Go has allowed it to be the definitive version of a Pokemon game from a modern everyday person's perspective. It has immense amounts of familiarity and integration with a mobile app that's been downloaded by close to a billion people worldwide, features the original 151 Pokemon, and is conveniently available on both a home TV-style console AND a handheld system, with the Switch functioning as both. So sure, criticize it all you want if you're a hardcore, long-time Pokemon fan, because your criticisms are all 100% valid. But do understand 100% that this game was more than likely NOT meant for you, and the people it WAS meant for are likely going to use this game to help shape the future of Pokemon and enhance the upcoming games, the ones that WERE made for people like you.

PrinceAltoid

over 5 years

Spoiler

It's been YEARS since Pokemon has taken any real risks, with Black/White being the last time I can personally remember Pokemon seeing any huge game-changing changes being implemented (for reference, I haven't played Black 2/White 2, Ultra Sun/Moon, HG/SS, or OR/AS). To me, I feel like Let's Go can just be seen as one huge risk in the making: they're throwing everything they can at the wall, and just hoping that one thing sticks enough that they can use it to enhance future games.

To me, this is a fantastic approach to trying to give Pokemon that boost it desperately needs after so many static years, with X/Y and Sun/Moon arguably being THE two most boring Pokemon generations of all time. Instead of taking huge risks that can completely ruin public perception of the franchise as a whole, they decide to use a spinoff game as a huge plate for risk-taking, which essentially allows them to do whatever they want without any actual consequence. 90% of the crap that they flung onto the wall doesn't work? Good, they know not to implement it into the next mainline game, and fans aren't mad because they know they're playing a spinoff and knew exactly what they were buying into when they went out and spent $59.99 on the game. But that other 10% of stuff? They would've never knew for sure if it would work or not without this experimental cutting board, and for Game Freak and ALL Pokemon fans, figuring that out is a huge win.

PrinceAltoid

over 5 years

My thoughts are pretty detailed so I'm putting them in a spoiler just in case there's anyone who wants to go into the game completely blind. Will also likely be multiple posts cuz I got a lot to say.

Spoiler

I've heard a lot of people talk about their frustrations with Let's Go, but I think they mostly just stem from the fact that most fans have already been waiting a long time for a mainline Pokemon game on the Switch (a lot of people think seeing Ultra Sun/Moon release on 3DS was a kick in the balls to Pokemon fans, although I personally thought it was completely okay, but that's a discussion for another time). And truthfully speaking, that's completely fine, because I too was a little disappointed to see that Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee would be the ONLY new Pokemon game we'd see in 2018. However, I thought to myself, "Game Freak is definitely being presented a challenge with the Switch being so different from what they've been used to for the past 13 years, so clearly, they need more time to perfect gen 8. So, I ask myself, would I rather see Let's Go, or would I rather see no Pokemon game at all in 2018, and have to wait until 2019 for the next game?" And after thinking about that for a while, I ultimately decided that Let's Go is a lot better than having to wait yet another entire year for a new Pokemon game.

I mean obviously, this issue isn't a one-size-fits-all type of thing. Not EVERY person grieving over the idea of Let's Go is just mad that there's a longer wait for gen 8. A lot of people are just genuinely upset with the idea of Pokemon becoming even easier than it already is, which I understand 100% as well. But, I have my own feelings on that matter as well.