#and wormholes are reskinned Hoopa rings

[harusha]

Before I like... dig a hole for myself, USUM is absolutely gr8 (maybe not story wise considering what they did to Lillie but mechanics and all) if it’s your first experience of Alola and first or second of the franchise, but after SuMo, it’s a bit disappointing (esp considering their release gap).

USUM does make changes to the storyline and trimmed some of the fat off but like... it feels like I’m just trudging along at points b/c I ~need~ to finish smtg I spent money on rather than me genuinely being immersed. Kinda like $40 DLC I paid for twice that I could have used to roll for €nkidu for my ENG fg* account.

Like... as a third version, it’s a bit lackluster as I’ve said before. But, it’s also a 2k17 release when Nintendo is fully capable of DLC (unlike previous third versions. You can’t download DLC onto a DS, a GBA, and certainly not a GBC or GB game).

Furthermore, each third version brought along big changes or enough content to justify it. Crystal had the Suicune plotline and added in the first female protagonist, move tutors, and the first end-game battle facility (Battle Tower). That was like... major back then.

Emerald had changes and new locations like Magma Hideout and Artisan Cave, Scott and the first Battle Frontier(+that one Battle Tower I never used), a “best-of-both worlds” plotline meshing Ruby and Sapphire together, Battle Tents, an entirely new champion+ post-game Steven, etc.

Platinum brought changes to the enviorment w/ the snow (ie. aesthetic, lore, and just more “regional identity”), Distortion World, more incorporation of Cynthia, a new Battle Frontier, Charon, etc.

BW2 doesn’t need a big intro since its status as a true sequel speaks for itself but basically they didnt skimp on post-game either. PWT with cameos from almost every major character in the franchise at that point, Pokestar Studios, White Hollow and its counterpart, etc.

And Yellow stands in a weird spot b/c while it’s a remake, it’s both simultaniously of RGB and the anime.

Like... TLDR SuMo didn’t have enough changes to justify it being both a 3rd version and split if you consider what year it’s released in, competition (super variable but like... Ninty has stuff like Yokai Watch, more 3rd party, etc. now + the advent of mobile game gacha.), and the fact that even near decade old games did more (subjective on pre-GBA ofc), than just re-skinning the same Battle Facility another generation and Battle Agency (good concept on paper and I like that it’s new, but it’s still just one facility and a super luck based one at that; even moreso than the Battle Pike).

Like... there’s a lot for options for variety nowadays with the advent of Steam, more porting, better mobile gaming (that sounds terrible but basically Gr@nblue and F@te for example) etc.

Mantine Surfing, Pikachu Valley, etc. are cute too but how much content is that really compared to what they used to do+what’s on market?

The RR episode could have absolutely been an add-on too. They gave a trailer to it, and there’s barely any relevance in the main campaign outside of Looker’s comment. If one of the main draws in the third version is relegated to 2 hours or so after essentially playing the same game, like... why...