The RPG Files: Pokemon Scarlet And Violet Review

mmorpg.com:

You know that meme that circulates once in a while where Homer Simpson is trying to build a BBQ pit? «Yeah, that's one fine looking barbecue pit…why doesn't mine look like that?!» If I were ever able to get a hold of the planning documents and storyboards for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and compare them to the final version, I imagine that's the type of sentiment I'd express.

To be fair, there are a lot of very good ideas in these new Pokemon games. The openness of the Wild Area from Sword and Shield is now the entire game , and after a brief tutorial and introduction to the academy in which my character is enrolled, I have the freedom to do whatever I wish. There are objectives to complete--16 of them, in fact--but I can choose whichever direction I want to complete them. That feeling is amazing, and one that the franchise has lacked in recent years. 

The main issues with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet do not lie with the ambition, they lie solely in the execution. You've likely heard a lot about the game's myriad technical issues, and nothing that's been said is an exaggeration. There are moments that literally made me scratch my head in bewilderment, showing a lack of quality control unheard of in previous Pokemon games. 

One moment in particular stands out: in Artazon, where the Grass-type Gym is located, you must complete a game of hide-and-seek with a group of Sunflora in order to challenge the Gym Leader--an example of the new Gym Test mechanic that admittedly does a good job of making each Gym feel unique. Finding the Sunflora is not difficult, but watching them walk around me at a completely different frame rate is absolutely maddening. The more I find, the more this egregious error sticks out, and it makes me