{"id":20070,"date":"2022-12-01T00:57:11","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T00:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/01\/pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-offers-the-best-and-worst-pokemon-experience-in-years\/"},"modified":"2022-12-01T00:57:11","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T00:57:11","slug":"pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-offers-the-best-and-worst-pokemon-experience-in-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/01\/pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-offers-the-best-and-worst-pokemon-experience-in-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Pok\u00e9mon Scarlet and Violet offers the best and worst Pok\u00e9mon experience in years"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Pok\u00e9mon Scarlet<\/em> and Violet<\/em> (Pok\u00e9mon SV<\/em>) are the latest entries in the mainline Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> video game series.<\/p>\n

Scarlet<\/em> and Violet<\/em> offer some of the best new ideas implemented into the Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> franchise since the series started getting weirder after Generation 5\u2019s Pok\u00e9mon White <\/em>and Black<\/em> (back in 2010). The titles fix issues that avid fans have wanted rectified for years, and are altogether a better experience than Pok\u00e9mon Sword\/Shield <\/em><\/a>or Pok\u00e9mon Sun\/Moon<\/em><\/a>, some of the series\u2019 most recent mainline games.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, these fantastic concepts and new features are overshadowed by disappointing visual glitches, game crashes and bugs. While I still had an outstanding experience during my time with Pok\u00e9mon Scarlet<\/em> and Violet<\/em>, all of the issues make the game difficult to recommend.<\/p>\n

MissingNo.<\/h2>\n
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I fuckin wheezed, what is happening #PokemonScarletViolet<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/aY42izsV6A<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Phoenixrave (@PhoenixRaves) November 18, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s worth discussing the titles\u2019 issues first, before delving into what\u2019s good about the game.<\/p>\n

Bugs and glitches aren\u2019t new to Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> games. For example, capturing Mew and the infamous MissingNo. are two bugs in Pok\u00e9mon Red, Blue <\/em>and Green<\/em> from way back in 1996\/1997. However, no Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> game has had the number of bugs, visual glitches, and game crashes as consistently as Scarlet<\/em> and Violet<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I experienced a few game crashes and visual hiccups like Pok\u00e9mon falling off cliffs to their deaths, wild Pok\u00e9mon walking through my battles, weird evolution glitches that create double Pok\u00e9mon, ridiculous frame rate slowdowns, weird camera angles, Pok\u00e9mon getting stuck in walls or the ground, and wall and ground clippings that are especially noticeable when catching Pok\u00e9mon.<\/p>\n

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one of the weirdest pokemon glitches ive seen so far pic.twitter.com\/ZxcEgnZ0zj<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 terriyuckerz (@TERRRYYYYYYYYY) November 19, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I\u2019d also randomly encounter a problem where I can\u2019t interact with the overworld and have to open my game menu and map before it starts working again. This is on top of nearly minute-long loading screens whenever I\u2019m in a gym battle, and other 30-second game pauses that make it feel like the game\u2019s going to crash at any moment. Overall, Pok\u00e9mon SV<\/em> is slow. Pok\u00e9mon battles, talking to NPCs, navigating menus \u2014 everything about the title is incredibly sluggish, even for a Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> game. Some players have experienced glitches far worse than what I\u2019ve encountered, which you can check out here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Scarlet<\/em> and Violet<\/em> are supposed to be AAA titles, but they play like a pre-beta build of Skyrim. <\/em>Sure, the Switch is an aging system, but that doesn\u2019t excuse these games\u2019 issues. For instance, Switch games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em><\/a>, Xenoblade: Chronicles 3 <\/em><\/a>and even\u00a0<\/a>Pok\u00e9mon Legends: Arceus <\/em><\/a>run better than Scarlet<\/em> and Violet.<\/em> They\u2019re also all on the Switch, with the former two also being completely open-world titles.<\/p>\n

Game Freak and The Pok\u00e9mon Company: this is inexcusable. It\u2019s obvious Pok\u00e9mon SV <\/em>needed a few more months of polishing before release. I\u2019m not sure what company is to blame, but the end result isn\u2019t impressive as a long-time Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> game fan.<\/p>\n

Three stories in one<\/h2>\n

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Beyond the unavoidable glitches and bugs, Pok\u00e9mon SV<\/em> manages to still be some of the best games the series has offered in years.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re a student who\u2019s tasked with three main quests: you have to find Herba Mysticas to help heal your friend\u2019s sick Pok\u00e9mon, put a stop to Team Star\u2019s school bullying, and complete Pok\u00e9mon<\/em>\u2018s regular gym battles to become the Pok\u00e9mon League champion.<\/p>\n

When I first learned about these three stories, I thought everything other than the main gym challenge would be a waste of time and that I\u2019d focus solely on the gyms. However, I changed my tune when I actually started playing. When you\u2019re able to tackle any of these challenges whenever you want, it creates a totally different experience.<\/p>\n

I saw a giant Klawf (a Rock-type crab Pok\u00e9mon) on the side of a cliff and decided to investigate, which initiated the Herba Mystica storyline. The Herba Mystica challenges all essentially work the same. You find a giant \u2018Titan\u2019 Pok\u00e9mon, battle them and get their HP pretty low. They then run away and eat some of the Herba Mystica and become stronger.<\/p>\n

Then your friend Arven joins, and it becomes a two versus-one battle. You finally defeat the Pok\u00e9mon and take the Herba Mystica for yourself. Arven makes the Herba Mystica into a sandwich, and then your Legendary rideable Pok\u00e9mon (Koraidon in Scarlet<\/em> and Miraidon in Violet<\/em>) eats it, which helps it regain some of its strength. Herba Mysticas replace Hidden Machines (HMs) from previous generations, such as Surf, Fly and Rock Climb, and give these abilities to your Legendary, allowing you to travel the world more easily.<\/p>\n

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After figuring that out, I tried completing the Herba Mystica challenge before doing anything else. However, solely doing that becomes hard because of the level gap between the five Titan Pok\u00e9mon. So, in between these challenges, I faced gyms and battled against Team Star. Unlike previous games, you have the freedom to tackle gyms in any order. I technically went from the first gym leader to the fourth one (based on levels). I found the fourth gym leader especially difficult, so before navigating to the fifth gym, I headed towards the second and third gyms to level up.<\/p>\n

Facing Team Star was also more difficult than I\u2019d assumed. To take on this part of the game, you need to head to a Team Star base and battle it out with a new mechanic that lets you send out three Pok\u00e9mon to face off in quick Auto Battles in rotation. If you don\u2019t have a type advantage, the experience can be tougher than expected. Following the Auto Battles, you\u2019ll then face off against the Team Star boss\u2019 who uses a Revaroom, a ghost engine that possesses cars.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s different about these stories is the narrative elements they bring to Pok\u00e9mon. With them, you get two different storylines that are actually interesting and even heart-wrenching. You also learn a lot more about some of the characters in the game. And at the end, all three of these stories tie into one. A solid narrative isn\u2019t something that Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> has a lot of experience in, so I appreciated this new form of storytelling.<\/p>\n

I really like the narrative direction of Pok\u00e9mon Scarlet <\/em>and Violet <\/em>because it offers a different pace than what we\u2019re used to. Recent games in the series haven\u2019t really offered a deep narrative with stakes, but trying to heal Arven\u2019s Mabosstiff, learn what\u2019s going on with Team Star while putting a stop to school bullying, and uncover what\u2019s in the Great Crater, is interesting and compelling.<\/p>\n

The Terastal Phenomenon<\/h2>\n

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Alongside improved storytelling, Pok\u00e9mon SV<\/em> offers some of the best gameplay we\u2019ve seen yet in the franchise. One of my favourite things from Pok\u00e9mon series is trainer battling, and I like how Scarlet<\/em> and Violet<\/em> is full of it. That said, making eye contact with a trainer doesn\u2019t initiate a battle like in previous games, and the battle music now commences if you start a conversation with them.<\/p>\n

Unlike\u00a0Sword <\/em>and Shield, <\/em>there are plenty of trainers to face, and there\u2019s even someone who will reward you with items the more battles you take part in. Alongside actual trainer battles, there\u2019s the option for \u2018Auto Battling,\u2019 which allows users to send out their Pok\u00e9mon to go out and fight other random wild Pocket Monsters and gain experience. It won\u2019t net you as many experience points as a normal battle, but after a few battles, it starts to add up.<\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon SV<\/em> also has the new Terastal Phenomenon, which lets you Terastallize your Pok\u00e9mon to swap out their type. If you have a Pikachu with a flying Tera type, when it Terastallizes, it\u2019ll turn to Flying type, getting rid of its Electric type. I find this to be a better battle mechanic than Dynamaxing and Z Moves from the last two generations.<\/p>\n

And while I haven\u2019t done any online battles yet, you can imagine the various strategies that could be implemented with Terastallizing in mind.<\/p>\n

The Paldea Region<\/h2>\n

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The new Paldea region also offers cool new Pok\u00e9mon with inventive designs, like Flamigo<\/a>, for example. The game scales back on some of those huge eyes, small-headed cutesy\/chibi-style Pok\u00e9mon (Sobble, I\u2019m looking at you) and has added several top-tier creatures that are reminiscent of Pok\u00e9mon from the series\u2019 second and fifth generations. The naming conventions are also stellar, like Oinkloigne, Fidough and Nacli (Salti for the salt Pok\u00e9mon). We haven\u2019t seen clever names like this in a while.<\/p>\n

The region is the largest out of all the mainline series, with parts in hidden underground caves, icy mountains and sandstorm-filled deserts. And with the ability to climb nearly anything, you can reach points that you\u2019d never be able to in older Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> games. There\u2019s so much more exploration in this title that it\u2019s somewhat disappointing all Pok\u00e9mon Centers, Gyms, Titan Pok\u00e9mon and Team Star challenges are already placed on your map from the beginning. It would have been great to explore and find these out for yourself, but at the same time, that could make the game too difficult for its younger audience.<\/p>\n

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While gym leaders and other special NPCs can Terastallize their Pok\u00e9mon, you can also catch these Pok\u00e9mon in the wild. You can partake in a Tera Raid Battle, where three other trainers (either random NPCs or your real-life friends) can join you. In these battles, you\u2019ll face off against a large Terastallized Pok\u00e9mon, which you and your team will have to defeat. Once defeated, you\u2019ll have the opportunity to catch it. There are just random glowing Pok\u00e9mon in the wild which can also be Terastallized, but you have to face them one-on-one.<\/p>\n

This also might be the easiest game to catch Shiny Pok\u00e9mon; I\u2019ve already happened to catch three without even seeking them out. However, if you\u2019re hunting for a specific Shiny, there are ways to improve your odds. For instance, when you set up a picnic and make a sandwich, it\u2019ll increase the chances of seeing certain types of Pok\u00e9mon, but you can also have the sandwiches increase the chance of making a shiny. This is also the only way to get Pok\u00e9mon Eggs.<\/p>\n

Paradox Pok\u00e9mon<\/h2>\n

Pok\u00e9mon Scarlet <\/em>and Violet<\/em> are some of the best entries in the series, but unfortunately, they seem to have needed several more months of development. Game Freak, The Pok\u00e9mon Company and Nintendo should have never released a game this rough. This isn\u2019t a small indie series \u2014 it\u2019s the highest-grossing media franchise in the world.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, these rampant issues are fixable with an upcoming software update, but we\u2019ll have to wait to find out. If Pok\u00e9mon Scarlet<\/em> and Violet <\/em>receive an update that solves these issues, you should definitely pick up the game. This story will be updated if an update is released.<\/p>\n

The game offers new gameplay and battle mechanics, cool Pok\u00e9mon designs, and some exciting narration. After you complete the three stories, there\u2019s still more to discover and a lot more battles to have, which filled me with joy.<\/p>\n