Below is a review of the Generation 7 Pokemon core series games. I don't remember having written these but reading them makes me feel sick. Here's some cringe from a Nikki from 5 months ago. Text has been unaltered from the original final draft.

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Sun and Moon/Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Retrospective
By Nikki

Unpopular opinion incoming: I didn't like them. I used to attempt to give reasoning, but here lies the problem- it's nothing to do with technical or gameplay issues. The game works. As in, it does what it's supposed to do. The issue is that all of these problems aren't others problems. They're only based on opinion.

My biggest problem is one that is purely of sentiment. The National Pokedex was removed from the game, and Pokemon Sun and Moon only have 301 entries of 805 Pokemon. Call me a completionist, OCD, whatever. The prime directive of a Pokemon game has been to catch them all. Why else would the motto be "Gotta catch 'em all!" By removing the National 'Dex, the motto is swiftly undercut. 301 is not 'em all. I've found a website that lets you keep track of a living Pokedex. I've used it to keep my own National Dex, but it's just not the same.

Another gripe I have is Pokemon Refresh. Not the entire feature, just one minor part of it. It can be used to cure status conditions. I understand the idea. Your Pokemon was just poisoned, and needs an Antidote immediately. Alternatively, you can just use this turkey baster and rub it's chest until the illness goes away. What's the point of even having medicines like Antidote, Paralyze Heal, Awakening and Burn Heal in the game if this feature is?

Poke Pelego is a feature in which you can cultivate berries, have your Pokemon dormant in the PC explore a cave to find useful items, train them, or just let them chill. On the central island, wild Pokemon can wander onto your island. If you acknoledge them, they have a chance of sticking around long enough to decide they want to join your party. The problem is, one they've made up their mind, it's impossible to turn them down. I mean, you can, but they don't take no for an answer. They will stay there indefinitely until you let them in. This is a problem because three Pokemon can end up on your island, making it impossible for any other Pokemon to come. This is a minor gripe, releasing and Wonder Trade are a sure way to get rid of unwanted Pokemon, but come on, it shouldn't be a problem at all if you ask me.

Pokemon Types are essentially a huge game of rock-paper-scissors. Certain types are strong against others, certain types are weak, non-effective, the whole deal. To battle efficiently, players are encouraged to learn the type system and have a team of multiple type Pokemon. But this is entirely undercut by the fact that in battle, you're told if this move will be effective against the enemy or not. So I ask, what's the point of learning a system if the benefit of doing so is removed all of a sudden for no discernable reason?

One final issue is overworld mechanics- they did away with some sentimental things I loved. Such as, there's no bicycle. Yes, Poke Rides came to replace it, as well as HMs (which is fine), but I think it could have at least coexisted with them. The three rods were replaced by just one, and you can only fish in designated areas. The dowsing machine is it's own Poke Ride, which I find so annoying that I just tap the A button blindly where I think there may be a hidden item- and in this game, it's like they're not even trying to hide it. Some of the obvious places don't have either an item or a hidden item. If there wasn't anything intended to be in such places, why are they programmed to look worth investigating?

To be brutally honest, the games are just past my time. I can't find a single friend who shares any of my opinions on this game. I think I've just finally grown out of the Pokemon games. I can't even stand looking at the new Pokemon Lets Go games, and from what I've heard, Pokemon Quest is more Farmville than Pokemon. That being said, I'm finding myself playing the older Pokemon games more often than Ultra Sun, which I still haven't beaten. I own Moon and Ultra Moon too- yet I haven't conquered the first trial on Moon, and I haven't moved from the bed on Ultra Moon. At this point, I can't exactly be bothered to play them all that often.

I'm not going to give any sort of rating. Sites like IGN or Metacritic or elitegamerassassingurus.net base their rating system on pure opinions. The fact is that even if a game is rated 1 out of 10, it's because somebody personally didn't like it. Satoru Iwata said that video games are supposed to be fun for everyone. I truly believe in that sentiment. That being said, I find it fun to play poorly rated games, and that's because they're good for a chuckle. I'm just easy to entertain, I suppose. My point is that I still had fun playing this batch of Pokemon games. They're not awful in any sense of the word. Don't take my word as fact, I'm just an idiot with a keyboard and a screen.