General Verdict
7/10
Bad:
The most forgettable bunch of Pokemon I ever saw.
70% I really don't like and seem to be the result of the "I-don't-care-about-this-franchise-as-long-as-I-get-monies" disease that kills game franchises with over a billion customers. I could complain about these Pokemon all day but the ability to transfer previous Pokemon is its only saving grace.
Blatant attention to graphics while sacrificing efficiency.
It certainly will never be faster than Red/Gree/Blue in a sense of flow. It feels like the graphics/animation novelty wears off too fast. Not enough substance. Could be a symptom of the aforementioned disease.(Example: In-battle stat changes/Shiny call-out need a minute-long animation. I don't know why...)
Still lacks advanced settings.
(I nitpick about this all the time, now. I wish I could set the music or sound effects to turn on or off. I just know it will be forever before they add these features because their target market is two-year-olds.)
Still lacks simple customization.
(Another thing I've complained about since the GBA games 'cause it started to get old. I wish my hero character could be any character in the game. I want to be Ace Trainer or Fisherman. I want my Pokemon to be more distinguished than Shiny/Not Shiny.)
Balls/Items bag combo.
I like having a separate bag for Balls.
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Good:
Story.
Probably one of the best aspects. It's still some group of guys trying to take over the world, but it has enough twists to satisfy.
GameFreak still caters to babies, but at least this story was... somewhat PG.
(Now if you could take it one step further... create a risk Team Plasma could steal YOUR Pokemon, and if you had no Pokemon in your party to get them back you could enter battle mode against the guy and punch him in the FACE! ehhh who am I kiddin')
Memorable Characters.
At least to a degree. N being the most memorable as "that creepy Pokeraep guy".
Wireless Connection/Events.
Despite being a bit buggy and tends not to work correctly, I like how they're pushing the capabilities of the Nintendo DS in these respects.
Infinite TMs.
Best. Idea. Ever. I totally agree.
They kept the vending machines.
God, I love Fresh Water/Soda Pop/Lemonade. For half the price you can replenish 50 Health with Fresh Water compared to Super Potion (which I hardly use anymore).
PokeTransfer.
Migration of older games' Pokemon is still a hassle, just not that bad now.
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Last Words:
I like it. But I can like it more.
I wish Pokemon was more geared toward skill. Such as the strength of a Pokemon being determined by more than just its base stats.
How often it's used and what it battles determines how generous its base stats will increase. And you can train it to combat its counter with stats against it by constantly fighting it.
"Pikachu has been with you for five hours total. You just got it to evolve into Raichu. You used it constantly against Rock/Ground-type Pokemon using move/s that counter its type. Therefore its Defense/Special Defense stats get extra boost each counter Pokemon it beats. So if you beat ten Rock/Ground Pokemon at relatively the same level with Raichu, it gets extra stat boosts upon leveling-up. If Raichu beats an entire party of Pokemon by itself, and they were all around the same level, it gets a boost, too.
tbh, seeing a lvl 50 Psyduck beat the crap out of some guy's entire lvl80-100 party would be the most lulzworthy thing since the Ditto battling Ditto video on YouTube.
Also, bring the level ceiling to 200. I'd try that. Seeing as we're adding over 9000 Pokemon...