#hi this is dd from 2024: gen 8 sucked except for Arceus

[doubleddenden]

So I know inevitably after Let's Go comes out the genwunners are going to shit talk Alola, so I wanna take a bit to go over some of the cool stuff it did before it becomes the bane of existence like Black and White did when X and Y came out, and X and Y when ORAS came out.

Regional variants which hopefully will continue to be a thing in the future. A concept that brings fresh light to underappreciated pokemon in clever ways. Alolan Raichu is such a fav my niece used to make me let her play with it in Refreh.

A whole slough of incredible new pokemon. Sure some are really slow but they're all so unique and colorful with entrancing abilities. Mudsdale is a tank, Whishiwashi is so unique and powerful, and of course our dear Nebby for becoming one of the first legendaries to evolve. Also Incineroar for becoming number 69 in smash, the absolute LEGEND

Getting rid of HM's at long last. Like it's such a creative twist that benefits everyone and virtually no moves are hard locked, rendering move forgetters no longer needed.

Showing us an alternative to gyms. Totem pokemon were such a creative idea and legit challenging, and unnerving in the water trial's case. Sure in USUM the captains effectively numbered out to 8 but overall it was such a unique and creative change.

Effectively giving us proof of AU's with ultra wormholes. I wish that we could have expanded on some of it, but unique worlds like Ultra Megalopolis and the apocalyptic world where Guzzlord is found were so creative, even if they were one time deals.

A better Pokemon Amie with Refresh. Curing status ailments, feeding, and petting is much better than gen 6 and honestly I loved letting my niece feed Guzzlord and A. Raichu with it.

A creative PC space with the bean daddy. Honestly it relieved me when my pokemon weren't just stuck in the PC all day but had things they could do and explore or relax to their hearts content, plus you got some useful stuff out of it.

Such an expansive pokedex and even ways to obtain pokemon not in the dex via island scan. You could grab a Cyndaquil on the first island if you wanted, or catch a fully evolved Samurott on Poni Island.

You were the first champion! You got to defend your title against so many people like Hau, Gladion, Prof. Kukui, that rocker dude with the dragons from some random place, even that one youngster for whatever reason. It certainly beats the "oh you're champion but I'm REALLY the champion" every other game does.

Z moves, while debatable, are really cool, especially the signature ones. Sure I could do without the dances but it adds a fun extra option to the game! Having trouble with a fee? Just nuke them with a Z Move, or Z Splash to gain like 3 stages of attack!

Although quite often overlooked, Sun and Moon added two Chinese languages to the game! That's incredibly important and allowed so many people to play in their native language!

A glimpse of Red and Blue as adults! Not just these two but returning characters like Colress, Anabel and a MUCH more interesting backstory for her, even Grimsley for whatever reason.

Such a colorful array of characters. Even minor characters had a bit of limelight, and you know we all loved watching our girl Lillie become braver and stand up to her mom. Our boi Guzma also got the SICKEST bad guy theme song.

Sure the beginning held your hand but the difficulty was REAL. The Elite 4 was challenging, and you KNOW we ain't getting another rush like Ultra Necrozma powered up any time soon. The challenge is so appreciated after how easy X and Y were and I genuinely hope we get harder games in the future.

And I have to mention it because a lot of my friends bash on it for a similar reason I loved 5th gen: it set a new bar for story. So many twists and turns! So many dark moments that went beyond what should be E for everyone (child abuse? Frozen pokemon corpses?). Seriously, so much heart went into this story and making our characters so beloved, I can't imagine another game that tries to simplify things again. I know it'll happen eventually, but you know?

I know people will rip these games to shreds in the future for changing the formula so much or for packing in so much story and dialogue (to be fair a skip button would be nice for the tutorial) or for railing you to set paths but you know? These games truly celebrated the 20th anniversary in ways even the next Kanto remake refuses to do. I pray that gen 8 will be as good as these games, and I hope people remember them positively in the long run.