Growing up, Pokémon was always one of my favorite TV shows, my favorite cards to collect, favorite things to draw, and my favorite video games to play. I remember crying during the first Pokémon movie when Ash was turned to stone and Pikachu tried his best to wake him up. I remember opening my first pack of Pokémon cards and scanning through the contents for those unique cards in each pack. I remember the first time I drew Charizard and was actually happy with it. Then when I caught my first Pokémon in Pokémon Red I was ecstatic, I had finally become a somewhat kind of Pokémon trainer.

Pokémon has been a huge part of my life since I was young and now that I'm 22 years old my love for Pokémon has not gone away. In fact, it has grown since the new game was released on November 18th, Pokémon Sun and Moon has been a nice addition to the Pokémon franchise. The release of the game was all my friends and I would talk about for the past week. This was also the first Pokémon game that I had actually pre-ordered. With the past games like Diamond and Pearl, Platinum, and X and Y, I just waited until I could get my hands on a copy in the store after the release date, which for the most part was not until at least a week after the release date. With this release, I wanted to get my hands on the game as soon as I could and that was what I did.

When I actually sat down for the first time to play the game, I ended up playing for three and a half hours. It was so addicting I couldn't put it down, and I didn't want to but I had to go to work so I knew I was going to have to put it down at one point. From the moment I picked my starter Pokémon, Popplio, to my first battle in the game I was hooked, as my friend Angie said, "So addicting, literally have been playing eight hours non-stop."

My other friend Paige said, "Honestly the cutscenes in this game are unbearably cute... just wait until you get your starter Pokémon! Your heart will melt!", and I can honestly say that I agree with her, there is so much cuteness in this game it's not even funny.

This game had such a different feel than other Pokémon games I've played. There aren't any Pokémon gyms that you have to battle in, which is a lot different than the last couple released games. Instead of battling in gyms you have to accomplish trials and they seem to be more in depth than just battling your way through a gym to get to the gym leader. I also think that the whole atmosphere in which the game is set is a lot different from previous games. In the previous games we were used to the Kanto region, the Sinnoh region, the Kalos region, and others, but the Alola region has a happier feel. The Alola region reminds me a lot of the Hawaiian islands, which I believe is what the creators were basing the region on to begin with.

Although the new game comes with new Pokémon like the three starters, Popplio, Rowlet, and Litten, it also has a lot of the old Pokémon from the first generation games and to be honest it is a nice surprise to see all of the old Pokémon in this newest game. It feels like I'm back in the moment when I first started playing the games as a young child. I'm not the only one who thinks this way either, my friend EJ said, "It seems like a reimagining of the Pokémon series I grew up playing. I know many people grew away from Pokémon as they got older--though I never did. This game feels like both a love letter to the old die-hard fans like myself as well as a brand new adventure for those just getting back into Pokémon; it feels accessible to first-time players both young and old, and anything that gets more people loving and playing Pokémon is a good thing in my book. Pokémon has always been a major staple in my life and Sun and Moon will prove to be no different. All are welcome in the wonder-filled world of Pokémon!", I couldn't have said it better myself.

I think that this game has brought people to really love Pokémon again, everyone I have talked to about the game has fallen in love with it or has gotten hooked into playing it for hours. I know that my love for Pokémon will never fade and I think that this game with help keep the love there for others as well, both young and old.