21 years ago, in 1996, Japan was introduced to Pokemon Red and Green. In 1998, the rest of the world was introduced to Pokemon through Pokemon Red and Blue. In 1999, Pokemon Yellow was released as the "third version" in Gen 1. In 2000, Pokemon Gold and Silver were released, kicking off Gen 2. In 2001, Pokemon Crystal was released, and was meant to be the last game in the franchise. However, fans wanted more. And companies wanted more money. So, Gen 3 begun with Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire in 2003. The first remakes were released, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen in 2004. The "third version" to Gen 3, Pokemon Emerald, was released in 2005. The franchise turned 10 years old in 2006, and released Pokemon Diamond and Pearl in 2007. The third version to Gen 4 released in 2009. The 2nd Gen remakes, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, were released in 2010. Pokemon Black and White begun Gen 5 and was released in 2011. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 were released a year after that in 2012. Then, the series finally made a jump to 3D with the release of Pokemon X and Y in 2013. The long awaited 3rd Gen remakes, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, were released in 2014. Everyone wondered what was next. Pokemon Z? Pokemon X2 and Y2? To our surprise, it was Pokemon Sun and Moon, the games that begin Gen 7. These games were the "20th aniverssary games" to the main series, and they were released on November 21, 2016. Many regard these games as the best in the series? What about me? Let's dive in.

Graphics - 10

Being the current generation of the series, it's only natural that it would have the best graphics out of all of the games, right? However, they are much better than what I expected. Pokemon Sun and Moon constantly have a 3D point of view, unlike Pokemon X and Y where it only had a 3D point of view in certain areas. The only time Sun and Moon does not have a 3D point of view is when it's unecessary and would just make it harder to traverse. However, I rarely ever see this happen. The models of everything, and I mean everything, look fantastic. The Pokemon, the trainers, the various NPC's, all of it.

Sound - 10

Pokemon Sun and Moon have some of, if not the best tracks in the franchise. You got songs like Gladion's Theme, Lusamine's Battle Theme, YA BOI GUZMA'S THEME. I adore almost every single track in this game. Yes, even the annoying Wild Battle music that you have to hear over and over again, I love that too. It's all so catchy. The Pokemon cries, new and old, sound better than ever. Some cries just have this distinct noise that gives you a funny feeling in your stomach, but in a good way.

Addictiveness - 10

Let's be real here, it's Pokemon. You're most likely gonna be addicted no matter what. When I first bought Pokemon Moon, I wanted to constantly play it, but I didn't just because I didn't want to play through the game too fast. Once i beat the main story, I wanted to expierence the amazing game I just played all over again. So I restarted and am currently playing through it again. I never do anything like that when it comes to Pokemon games. I actually had a REASON to restart the game this time. It really is that awesome. And of course, there's almost endless replay value. It is Pokemon, after all.

Story - 10

Before we begin this section, be warned that there are spoilers past this point. Consider this your spoiler warning. Got it? Alright, here we go. Pokemon Sun and Moon have the best story out of any games in the series, in my opinion. Yes, even the awesome story in Black 2 and White 2. [spoilers]The game starts out with Lillie running in Aether Paradise with some Aether Employees chasing her. She gets cornered, and the Pokemon in her bag saves her. A while before this happened, Gladion also escaped with Type: Null. Type: Null and Silvally (Type: Null's evolution) is the result of Aether Foundation trying to create another "Arceus". You heard that right. At various points in the game, you come to know both Lillie, Gladion, and Team Skull and the Aether Foundation more and more. Eventually, Cosmog (the Pokemon in Lillie's bag) is stolen by Team Skull and has been taken to Aether Paradise. This means Team Skull and Aether Foundation have been working together. After making your way through Aether Paradise, your character meets up with Lusamine, the President of Aether Foundation, as well as Gladion's and Lillie's mother. Inside the room, Lusamine keeps Pokemon frozen to "protect" them forever. The player battles Lusamine and defeats her. She then uses Cosmog's power to open an Ultra Wormhole, which allows things to travel between the regular dimension and Ultra Space, where the Ultra Beasts reside. Using Cosmog's power caused him to evolve into a motionless Cosmoem. Guzma and Lusamine enter Ultra Space and leave everyone and everything behind. The player and Lillie make their way to the Temple of the Moone/Lake of the Sunne depending on your version. They use Cosmoem's power to open the Ultra Wormhole along with the Sun and Moon Flutes. This allows Cosmoem to transform into Solgaleo/Lunaala depending on your version, and the Ultra Wormhole is opened. Once you make your way to Ultra Space, Lillie tries to reason with her mother, but to no avail. Lusamine says she only cares about Ultra Space and everything within it, since it is beautiful. She says her daughter has become ugly ever since she ran. Lusamine merges with Nihilego (one of the Ultra Beasts) and battles the player again. She is defeated, and Solgaleo/Lunala finished her off. Everyone escapes safely (besides Lusamine with injuries) and they return to the normal dimension. The player defeats the Elite 4 and becomes the first champion of Alola.[/spoilers] Now THAT's a story, and I only summarised it! And there's MORE! I haven't gone through much of the post-game yet, but there is more to uncover about the Sun/Moon lore from what I have heard.

Depth - 9

Just like all other games in the series, Pokemon Sun/Moon have a ton of depth to them. Once you are finished with the main game, you can start the post-game, work on the Pokedex, go to the Battle Tree, and more! There's no shortage of things to do in this game, although I wish there could have been a little more based on my expierence so far. However, the only reason I want more is because these games are amazing. There is plenty of stuff to do, I'm just a little biased is all.

Difficulty - 8

Being an RPG, the difficulty varies on whether you are ready to take on the challenges ahead of you or not. On my first playthrough, I was not ready. I skipped some trainers and didn't add my last 2 team members until near the end, so they were kind of low-leveled. If you train right, you'll be ready for mostly anything. I do find these games to be harder than Pokemon X and Y, which is a good thing. X and Y was too easy. Sun and Moon seem to have the perfect difficulty setting, in my opinion. A big complaint I have though, is the fact that after you have seen a certain species of Pokemon at least once in the game, it tells you which attacks are effective and which ones are not. It's a minor thing, but I prefer remembering type matchups over the game just telling me what will work. Good thing it only does it if you have seen the Pokemon already.

Overall - 9.6

Like I said before, Pokemon Sun and Moon are my favorite games in the entire series. I love almost everything. I feel an actual emotional connection with each of the characters. A huge step up from X and Y, where all the characters were annoying. The changes they made in these games were for the better, and I can't wait to expierence the post-game. Thank you for taking the time to read this review.