It’s hard to define Pokémon under any one banner. For some fans, it’s a series of RPGs that prioritize catching cute critters in order to make them battle. For others, it’s a series about Ash Ketchum traveling the entire world so that he may one day becomജe a Pokémon Master in his own right. For the rare few, it’s a trading card game that doesn’t get nearly as much love as it deserves despite being one of the best games on the market. With such a wide reach, Pokémon can affect just about anyone and everyone. With Let’s Go, its scope is only growing

A sub-series based off the hit mobile game Pokémon Go, Let’s Go is Game Freak’s attempt at combining the mobile experience with the traditional RPG side. By blending the two versions of the series, Game Freak can offer a game that is simultaneously ꧃unique and familiar. As expected, this marriage is not as seamless 🍌as one would perhaps hope. For as great as Let’s Go can be, it has some glaring issues. Game Freak’s handling of the series has♚ always been lackluster, but Let’s Go shows it in spades. At its beﷺst, it’s bound to be someone’s favorite entry iꦇn the series. At its worst? Well, you’ll see.

30 BEST: The Graphics

The graphics debate isn’t nearly as hot as it used to be (at the very least not as vitriolic,) but it still does matter. Now, this is not to say that a pretty game is automatically good or that an ugly game is automatically good, but aesthetic does serve an i🍷mportant role, especially in how it infers graphics.

Thankfully, Let’s Go is the best the series has ever looked. Using a blend of a super-deformed anime art style with the series’ 💛inherently colorful palette, Kanto pops to life in a way it never has before. From characters models to the actual monsters, Let’s Go is the realest realization of Pokémon yet.

29 WORST: The Main Game Is Too Easy

The series has not been difficult since its first Generation. Immediately going into Johto, Game Freak throttled the level of challenge to the point𒉰 where anyone could reasonably suওcceed at Pokémon. W🉐hile later Generations have admittedly tried to ramp up the difficulty with post-game, none have🌄 succeeded.

Unfortunately, this is not a problem Let’s Go miraculously fixes. If anything, this is probably the easiest set of games in the entire series. With a simplified battle system and p൲retty much everything set to work in the player’s favor, there is virtually nothing outside of the post game that will offer any semblance of a challenge.

28 BEST: Pokémon Follow You Again

Both Yellow and the Generation IV re𝄹makes of Gen II shared one much-beloved concept: following. Instead of simply keeping your six Pokémon stored away for battles, both games gave trainers a l𝐆ittle companion of their own. Where the former only offered Pikachu, the latter offered all available Pokémon at the time.

Some things never change. 

As the game models itself rather heavily off of Let’s Go, following Pokémon once again return. While logic would dictate that oღnly Pikachu and Eevee would follow their trainers, all available in-game Pokémon have following built into them. Some you can even ride!

27 WORST: Gym Requirements

One of the best aspects of the e♔arlier half of the series is just how freeform the games can be. Generation I allows players to tackle Gyms 4 through 7 in any order; Gener🅷ation II lets players shuffle Gyms 5 through 7; and Generation III lets players skip Gym 6 for a while before making them come back.

Sadly, in the attempt to s👍treamline the games, Game Freak has added in Gym🅷 requirements. Rather than just stumbling upon a Gym and being allowed to challenge their leaders, trainers now have to make sure they have a certain number of Pokémon caught or a Type with an advantage in Brock’s case.

26 BEST: Alolan Evolutions Are In

Despite garnering a fair deal of 🔯fanfare for trying to reinvent the series so late into its run, the Generation VII games have not aged particularly well in terms of fan reception. With each new installment, fans turn on them and hard. Their only real benefit seems to be the inclusion of Alolan evolutions.

Who doesn't want Alolan Raichu? 

Bizarrely, but not unwelcome, Alolan forms return for a spin-off game that has nothing to do with the mainline series that also takes place in Kanto and 🌌not Alola. For as out of place as these e🐈volutions are, some of them are truly awesome, and allowing them to be accessed in Kanto gives them way more use.

25 WORST: No Held Items

In returning to Kanto, Game Freak also brought the gameplay back down to its simplest elements. Rather than just settinඣg a modern game in an old setting, there is a genuine attempt to recreate the authenticity of the past. While it works conceptually, it does not lend itself to the most gripping combat.

Specifically, this does mean the omission of several key features. Arguably the biggest game changer added to Generation II, held items are once again go꧟ne to reflect the Gen I influence. No more strategizing around items or pairing great Pokémon with unique items. You’re back to old-school JRPG battling.

24 BEST: Mega Evolutions Weren’t Removed

Although Game Freak embraces Generation I with more fervor than they perhaps should, they also keep the spirit of later Generations alive as well. While it woulౠd have made perfect sense to keep them away, Mega Evolutions actually continue to play a role in the core battle system.

Game Freak needs to market Charizard X somehow. 

Like Alolan forms, Mega Evolutions have not been removed. Since Kanto is such a smaller region with such a small roster of Pokémon, this actually allows the many Mega Evolutions to shine just like their Alolan counterparts. You might get 🐼some serious use out of Megas you never would have used before.

23 WORST: Starters Can’t Evolve

In Generation I, Pikachu c♏ould not evolve so long as you were playing Yellow. In their best atꦓtempt to match the anime, Game Freak disallowed Pikachu from accept🍬ing a Thunder Stone. Naturally, this extends to Let’s Go w🦩ith both Pikachu and Eevee forced into their based forms ♚all game.

This is especially disappointing for Eevee whose entire gimmick revolves around being a Pokémon with many evolutions. Pikachu? Fine, this was expected, but there is no beneficial reason to keep Eevee stuck as an Eevee. It seve🎶rely diminishes a great deal of the fun of the game.

22 BEST: You Can Catch Duplicates Of Your Starter

Thankfully, Game Freak recognized that fans would be none too happy about keeping unevolved Pokémon on them for an entire game so they decided to rectify𒅌 the situation. For the first time in the🌄 series, you can catch duplicates of your starter Pokémon out in the wild, making it possible to evolve them.

Who doesn't want four Eevees? 

While this means you can finally get the Raichu you always wished Ash had, this 🍒does mean you can actually take advantage of Eevee’s many evolutions. This is a pretty smart move, too, as the alternative would be locking Joꦫlteon, Vaporeon, and Flareon from an entire set of games.

21 WORST: The Pokéball Controller Is Expensive

Controllers are expensive, there’s just no way around that. A ꦆgood first par♑ty controller, for any system honestly, is going to cost you a pretty penny. As Let’s Go pushes the idea of the Pokeball controller quite heavily, this does me💎an that the game more or less nudges you towards buying it.

As expected, it goes for a fair amount of change. Now, to be fair, the Pokeball controller is actually a bit cheaper than most first party controllers, but do keep i♓n mind that it ONLY works for Let’s Go. You’🌌re spending almo♊st as much as a full AAA game to play Pokémon with a Pokeball.