Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!

Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee are the newest things to hit the Switch, and just in time for the holidays. A lot of people theorized that it would be a terrible cash grab similar to Pokemon Go, but I have found my childhood again. Pikachu Yellow was my favorite version of the games and Let’s Go Pikachu is one game I will be playing for hours on end. It is a great installment into the Pokemon World, and makes me excited for the Switch's next big installment of the series.

The perfect introduction to ‘proper’ Pokémon games for GO players but also an enjoyably nostalgic remake for existing pokéfans.

Pokémon Let’s Go is a curious game which bucks the established trends of mainline Pokémon titles. The series’ signature, turn-based combat takes a backseat to the experience of simply existing in the world of Pokémon, capturing Kanto’s ‘mons with brand-new, well-executed capturing mechanics. This game lacks many of the “hardcore” features that scores of fans, myself included, have come to expect from a new title. However, in the wake of these features is a Pokémon experience that engaged me in a manner unlike any title in the series’ past.

I may no longer be the target audience with Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu! and Eevee!, but I am glad that future children will be, so I can share in their experience in a way that creates new adventures for us both.

Pokemon Let's Go botches co-op and may feel like a step backwards in some ways, but in others, it is a surprising leap forward for the franchise. By streamlining many elements that made past Pokemon games frustrating, Pokemon Let's Go successfully delivers a faster-paced Pokemon adventure, even though it has some missteps here and there.

Well, if Pokémon Let’s Go: Pikachu was a clever ploy to get me to pick up Pokémon Go again, then I’ve gotta hand it to Nintendo – it sure worked.