This month, I’ve been getting nostalgic with a return trip to Kanto on the Nintendo Switch – and so have many other people, it seems. The question is, which version of the game did I choose?
Well, I’ll answer that in a moment. Before that, though, there are a couple of other games that I will be giving a shout out to.
Gal Metal and Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! are both rhythm games in which you drum along to a variety of songs. Though both may be about drumming, they offer very different takes on it.
Gal Metal (of which I got the physical World Tour Edition), sees you using the Joy-Cons to drum along to various metal songs in order to protect the Earth from an alien invasion.
With Taiko no Tatsujin, I got the Taiko Drum Set with it as well – a plastic taiko drum with drumsticks that you can use to play the game. The tracklist includes anime songs, video game and classical music and plenty of other Japanese songs to drum along to.
I enjoy rhythm games quite a lot, and both Gal Metal and Taiko no Tatsujin have been fun experiences for me.
All right, that’s the shout out done, so I will now reveal which version of the new Pokémon game I picked up.
In the end, I settled for Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!. I did consider Pikachu for a while, as Pokémon Yellow was the first video game I ever owned, but my instincts drove me towards Eevee. Turns out my instincts are pretty great, as I also recently discovered that the voice of Eevee is provided by none other than Aoi Yuuki.
As for the game itself, it is a remake of the first generation of Pokémon games, in which you travel through the Kanto region in order to collect eight gym badges and become the Pokémon League Champion, whilst doing battle with criminal organisation Team Rocket on the side.
One of the big differences between Pokémon: Let’s Go and the older games are the encounters with wild Pokémon. You no longer have to battle them in Let’s Go – the capturing feels a lot closer to that of Pokémon Go.
Using a Joy-Con or Poké Ball Plus accessory, you make a throwing motion to throw a Poké Ball at the wild Pokémon. Timing it well will increase the odds of capturing it, and you gain experience from capturing wild Pokémon.
Whilst wild Pokémon are handled differently, trainer battles are still very much present.
Battling other trainers is the same as it is in the other games, and is simple enough for series newcomers to figure out. I won’t go into too much detail about battles, but I will say that both Pikachu and Eevee have their own unique moves that they can learn over the course of your adventure.
Outside of battle, Pikachu and Eevee can learn Secret Techniques that will allow you to advance through the game. These replace the HMs from the original games, meaning you don’t have to waste move slots on attacks that generally aren’t so good.
I’ve enjoyed what I have played of Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! so far, and will almost certainly continue enjoying it right up until the end. It should keep me occupied right up until next month…
Rory Muses 
Pokemon Let’s GO! is another example of why it’s always a bad idea asking diehard fans their opinions on whether a game is good or not. Added the game to my growing “Get this game as soon as I buy a Switch” list.
Playing this right now!
I opted for the Pikachu edition. The copy I snagged was the last one in the store. Everyone I know has bought Evee though. Thank goodness that HMs no longer exist. I’m not finding the game that easy. After neglecting the series for years I guess I am rusty.
They have been gone since gen 7. ^-^
If i didn’t have to worry about bills I would get ‘Taiko no Tatsujin’.