But the general feeling is that this kind of game should not be payed 60 bucks.
You know, that actually has me thinking. We probably give a lot of core series Pokemon games slack because they're not "full price" $60 console games. GF has had it pretty easy compared to other game developers who make console games where people expect to get their money's worth if they're going to spend $60. Yet for some reason when it's 20 dollars lesser and is on a handheld, despite that handheld being more powerful than consoles in the past whom games were $60, a lot of people are willing to overlook the flaws of the game.
But now GF isn't going to have that safety net anymore. Nintendo fused their handheld into their console and now gotta bring the core series to the console. They're added that dreaded $20 dollars onto the price tag making any future Pokemon games "full price" $60. Thinking back, if their previous three core series games (XY, SM, & USUM) were $60 they would be harpooned by the masses for not having the expected content of a $60 (especially USUM). For Gen VIII GF is REALLY going to have to bring not their A game but triple A game because that's what full price p(l)ayers are going to expect.
Naive people still thinking copies get leaked... :P
I'll admit we were wrong about Meltan, but the game's release date of November 16th. Now, no doubt many retailers have their initial stock of the games waiting for the release date, so the likely scenarios here is that either a single store started selling the game early or some people had "connections" or are retailer staff who were able to get their copy early. Not a "grand" leak like someone snuck into GF's offices and snatched a copy of the game off Masuda's desk, but I still say a leak nonetheless; at least probably be considered as such by GF, Pokemon Company, and Nintendo. If anything it's the typically expected leak, nothing surprising about it but still that does mean spoilers about it will be floating on the internet and if you don't want to be spoiled you may want to ignore a few places that are loose lip when it comes to spoilers.
What new features of the game are those of you who are getting the game most looking forward to?
Sorry to sound snobbish, but what new features are there? The Master Trainers? The GO Park? It's almost a 1:1 Yellow version remake, they didn't want to add any major new features.
Not that I don't see groups of players who will get enjoyment from this: kids who never played Gen I or any Pokemon games, people who are nostalgic for Gen I, and people who play Pokemon GO. But outside of that, those who played a Pokemon game before, especially one of the recent games, I can't help but feel will be left underwhelmed going off what they've shown so far. This game feels like a novelty which would normally be aimed at a niche market that has been pushed to being a full-fledge title.
How is riding Pokemon a gimmick?
Wouldn't even call the Riding Pokemon in Gen VII a feature but a tool.
To me, a feature is something you're going to spend considerable amount of time on. Battling is a feature (which also involves team building). Grooming your partner and customizing yourself and it is a feature. The Master Trainers are a feature as you'll be going around looking for them and preparing a Pokemon to battle them. And in previous games we've had Contests, Entralink, Musicals, PokeStar Studios, Join Avenue, Festival Plaza, Poke Pelago, Mantine Surf & Ultra Warp Ride if you want some out of the ordinary examples of features. There's also the Battle Facilities (Tower, Frontier, Subway, Maison, Tree, Agency)... which is something I don't think Let's Go had mentioned having (FRLG sort of had one via the Trainer Tower, but it was in the Sevii Islands and it doesn't look like those are in).
The Riding Pokemon in Let's Go is a gimmick, it's a bonus thing that happens when you just so happen to have a big following Pokemon. They don't do anything extra, at best they're just a faster way of travelling, but the game doesn't treat it as anything else more than that. Similarly the Riding Pokemon in Gen VII are also a gimmick, ones leaning more on the tool side. Why they do bring attention to it and you can't progress through the game without it, it's main purpose is to clear obstacles or move faster. At most Festival Plaza use them in some mini-games but that's Festival Plaza.
I'm one of the few who digs on the catching mechanic.
I'd also really wish the pokemon visible in grass would stay for next generations though. Would at least make so you don't have to just spam the repel button and you can actually know when a rare mon spawns or not instead of having to wander aimlessly.
I don't know whether I would count that as a feature, that's right there on the line for me. Though that could be because originally I counted catching in the same category as "battling". However Let's Go brings in the GO catching mechanic which I would call a feature in GO because there's really no time for a full-fledge battle while you're walking. But when you're sitting down and strictly focusing on playing a game? That feels like tedious grinding, moreso than in the main series as at least grinding there you just need to knock out the Pokemon. Actually, that got me thinking: have they limited "grinding" in this game? You can't battle wild Pokemon normally, to get experience you need to catch them, but what if you have spent all your Poke Balls and got no more money? What if you decide to use a new Pokemon thus having to train it at the level you caught it which could be severely below your other Pokemon, could you get to a point where that's no longer possible and would just be wiser to stick with the team you established?
Well, getting away from that, I agree with you that wouldn't want the catching mechanic to carry over but definitely would like that seeing wild Pokemon the field mechanic brought over. I can think of plenty of circumstances where that would make the game playing experience much more easier and maybe even fun: finding the Pokemon you need to fill your Dex, looking out for a certain Pokemon to grind against, and if you're lucky seeing a rare/shiny Pokemon.
(...) the catching Legendary Pokemon mechanic (...)
In general I wouldn't mind if you're given a one or two chances of trying to catch a Pokemon you knocked out before they come back to consciousness and run away. That way if the Pokemon you want is knocked out you're not completely out of luck, just only got a smaller chance of catching it.
